Can You Lend a Hand?

The student council at A&M Consolidated will have lunchtime lanyard sales this week, featuring the lanyards they made at the last two workshops they held. I need someone who can sit with the lanyards and supervise the sales from 11-1 on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday this week.

Can you leave me a message or email (vbuenger@mays.tamu.edu), if you can lend a hand?

Lanyard Workshop

When: Friday, November 27, 2009 3:00:00 PM

Where: My House--4138 Cypress Road

Description: Friends of Erin are invited to stop by and make lanyards this afternoon.

A Balm in Gilead

Fun for All Ages

Host: Vickie Buenger
Time: 3:00PM Friday, November 27th (note earlier than usual start time!)
Location: My House (email for directions)

But Wait! There's More!

Besides the usual reminder that we will have an Odd Friday workshop on Black Friday for those of you not interested in shopping or college football, I have another guest blogger. This time Janice explains why she is a repeat beader:

"There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole. There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul. Sometimes I feel discouraged, and think my work’s in vain, but then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again. "

I have always loved the words and haunting tune of this old African-American spiritual, but in the last several months this song came to have a much deeper meaning in my life. Our hearts were broken the day Erin left this world and I felt that I would never be whole again. Making lanyards has been the balm that is helping my shattered heart to heal. To be honest, the first few times that I met with others at the Buenger’s home to make lanyard were very difficult. I was choked up on the drive out, shaky while I was there, and a mess for the next few days afterwards. As the months have passed, it became easier and easier, and I find myself out of sorts if I go more than a couple of weeks without attending a lanyard workshop.

The last verse of this hymn tells us that if we cannot preach like Peter or pray like Paul, we can tell the love of Jesus, that he died for all. I can’t do the research that might someday find a cure for this disease, but I CAN make a lanyard that might one day help save the life of a child.

Lanyard Workshop in Katy, TX

When: Sunday, November 22, 2009 3:00:00 PM
Where: Katy, Texas
Description: Friends of Erin and Carlie will gather and make lanyards this afternoon.

Lanyards Fly in Indiana

Meet my friend, Drew. He just passed his two year anniversary from diagnosis for IV Neuroblastoma. He has been cancer free for over a year, and you can tell from his winning smile that he is taking the world by storm!

Drew's mom, Kate, graciously accepted my invitation to guest blog. Thank you Kate for bringing us all encouragement from the heart and from the heartland. I hope it gives you all ideas about how you can get involved!

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Second graders don’t really understand boundaries very well- they love to touch and hug and feel and love maybe a little too much for the comfort of most. But it’s part of what I love about my job. And these little sweeties can’t get enough of my lanyard! The symmetry and shine of the beads, the interesting feel of the patterns, the glimmer of something around my neck. Kids can’t resist. My lanyard gets handled a lot over the course of a typical school day.

I picked up my first one at the CNCF conference this past summer, a fellow cancer-mom admiring another’s beautiful work in memory of her beautiful Erin. I eagerly awaited the first day of school, after two years removed from my job to care for Drew during his treatment. Now with Drew, almost four, in remission since April 2008, and his brother Ben, almost two, who was born during the early stages of Drew’s treatment, I was ready to return.

I clipped my ID onto my lanyard during my two teacher prep days before school started, and the compliments flew! Everyone wanted to know where they could get one! There were many interested in my lanyard, but even more importantly than that, I found myself with a natural, beautiful way to talk about neuroblastoma, talk about what my son and my family had been through, and talk about Erin and so many beautiful children like her who have been lost. Even though most of my co-workers were familiar with my journey, this beautiful jewelry became a new reason and a new way for them to understand who I really was, and what was really important to me now that my life had been turned upside-down.

I set up my first display in the teacher’s lounge, and was delighted at the success. Delighted for CNCF, and delighted for the memory of Erin. Then I realized it was going even further than that. There were twenty new lanyards out there, twenty more people passing the word about neuroblastoma, about Erin’s story, about Drew’s story. And I knew I had to continue bringing these lanyards to my community of teachers and beyond.

Vickie has generously and enthusiastically responded to the “demand” of her product here. She’s even added a special “blue” bead to some of the pieces to honor Drew’s battle with neuroblastoma. It’s so touching to know that his story gets out there too. I love knowing that even though that time in our lives was terrible, it is now being used to do good- to spread awareness, to raise money for research, to talk about amazing kids like Drew and Erin.

The lanyards continue to be in high demand here in Crown Point, Indiana. There have even been several special orders. I’ve got a whole office of women waiting for a display this week. And I know there will be a whole new group of people that not only enjoy beautiful jewelry, but now have an easy way to tell the world about neuroblastoma.

As for me, three new lanyards later and all of mine still take a beating from my second graders (did I mention they’re incredibly sturdy?) I’m proud to wear and spread the word about something strong, beautiful, and unique, just like our kids. Thank you Vickie, and Erin, for bringing Erin’s Dream Lanyards to Indiana!

Lanyard Workshop

Fun for All Ages
Host: Vickie Buenger
Time: 4:00PM Friday, November 13th
Location: My House (email for directions)

Lots of News

I have loads of good news about lanyards and just haven't paused the fifteen minutes I needed to thank everyone for the wonderful work they are doing. This breaks my number one rule, that you can never say thank you often enough.

Since I last updated, we have had three absolutely terrific workshops. Athena F-B and her mom hosted a terrific gathering in Spring, and friends of Alex showed their inner artists by creating some truly beautiful lanyards. Many of these passed quickly into new homes as Athena's natural charm and enthusiasm created a ready market for lanyards at a conference she had at work! Believe me, last week was a big week for lanyard donations!

I also got to spend a couple of hours with Michelle L.'s junior girl scout troop last week. These young women dived into the project with enthusiasm and big ideas and created some of the boldest and most whimsical lanyards I have seen in quite a while. They sat positively rapt while I explained the background of the lanyards and had a lot of questions about Erin and the project. Many of them came up to tell me how "unfair" or "wrong" it was that Erin died, and I had to agree.

Yesterday, a large group from the Student Attitude Committee of the A&M Consolidated Student Council met after school to string lanyards (Extra thanks to Tracy A. and friends of Colby for doing all the advanced planning). Those young folks sure were balm for my flagging attitude (as I had spent the forty-eight hours since my return from Louisville being slapped around by the realities of semester projects, exams, and the general mayhem of semester week eleven). Not only were these Tigers exceptionally prolific and artistic, but they invited us back next week.

I do want to take a minute to talk about Tracy, who has thrown herself into lanyards almost like it was as much fun as hunting and fishing. She has a bold and practiced eye for color and striking bead combinations, and has passed on those skills to Colby and Riley (age 5 and 6) who have much more patience and stick-to-it-iveness than any boys I have met. Tracy is also total energy. In the last two weeks she has worked, kept up with a family with three boys, hunted opening season, held a garage sale with her mom for CNCF, arranged this workshop, and made contact with and had great success introducing lanyards to the staff at St. Joseph's Hospital. I can barely keep her in lanyards and starts, which, if you think about it is a High Class kind of problem to have.

In other lanyard news, Rachel S. has plans for a workshop in her dorm at Texas State University. I can't imagine that college students have the time to bead this time of the semester, but perhaps procrastination is an art. No doubt, everyone will see building beautiful creations as a stress buster instead of a time waster. I am also working with Kathryn R. to schedule a workshop at the University of Minnesota and with Moureen W. to get a regularly scheduled beading activity started at the YMCA in Pennsylvania.

Kate P. up in Indiana continues to spread the word about lanyards in her neck of the woods. Every time I open an email from her, she is extolling the loveliness of the most recent batch I have sent her and asking if I can send more. I always say YES! Brooke R. in Utah is also spreading the word about the Christian Year Lanyard in her congregation. If you are not too crafty or don't want the hassle of organizing a workshop, consider dropping me a line. I don't mind sending out a set of lanyards for interested folks to show around to their ID badge wearing friends. These lanyards are much more desirable when you see them in person than if you just read about them and then try to explain them to someone.

That brings me to the reminder that this Friday (the dreaded Friday the Thirteenth?) is the first Odd Friday we've had in three weeks. I have missed all my friends terribly, and really hope you can fit me into your schedule after school or after work that day. I have a very large number of special orders that I need experienced beaders to help with. We will also have some newcomers from A&M Consolidated Interact, thanks to Sallyann Z.'s initiative.

For Facebook users who have not yet joined Erin's Dream Lanyards Facebook Group: Join Today! We are 29 members away from breaking 500.