Birthday thanks

 

Happy birthday Dominic. You would've been eight.

Today's birthday falls on the same day as Thanksgiving here in Canada. Our family all wanted us to come join them but we needed a weekend without travel, or surprise parties, or an online auction.

We spent some time doing normal things. We went on some nice, long walks. We cooked the giant spaghetti squash we grew in the garden this summer and had turkey and buns and carrots with our best friends (who were in a similar boat as we were). We played games and danced and hung out at your park.

We call it your park because it's where your memorial bench is, but it's really just another city park. Samantha can pretty much traverse the whole thing blindfolded, and she knows it's Dominic's park. She knows you're dead but keeps trying to tell me you'll get better and come home. Oh how I wish.

For the past two months she kept seeing people come to the door with gifts, then to pick up the gifts. An entire room in the house was devoted to the online auction, known in the house as Dominic's Auction. So all these things were basically for him.

We raised $8,001 through the auction, and everything's been picked up and accounted for. We've even got some donations promised for next year, which is wonderful. Every penny got donated to the Alberta Children's Hospital through our Extra Life pages, and as usual we're not done fundraising yet. Our 24-hour gaming marathon will happen Nov. 7-8, and you can expect us to check in on the #Dominicstrong Facebook group periodically.

We are thankful for everyone who donated and took part in the auction, but moreso to everyone who helps keep his memory alive. Whether that's by adding a gold ribbon to their social media profile during September (childhood cancer month), reading the odd blog post here, or donating in his memory, it's all appreciated. To all of you, a big thumbs-up.