Well, for those of you who know me, I love happy posts.  But, I have been very conflicted about this post.  We have arrived in Jackson and it is all I have dreamed of.  However, during this journey, Chris’s cousin, Melissa, has been fighting Stage IV metastatic breast cancer.  She has been fighting for 2 and 1/2 years…but, unfortunately lost that fight this morning.  She passed at 8:30 central time with her husband by her side.  With all this going on, I did not feel right posting all our “fun adventures” when there are 2 young sweet kids without a mother now.  There are parents without a daughter.  There is a sister without her older sister.

In this amazing world, I don’t understand this.  Cancer sucks.  I lost my mother to cancer, my grandmother and my father.  Amy’s husband, Ken, said this wonderfully, “Melissa has saved so many lives because she was the one that prompted every women in her family to be tested for the BRCA gene”…but, we went on…(shocker, right??)…she did this at the expense of her life.  We are grateful…but, frankly, I am angry.  Why does this disease keep taking our loved ones??  Why does it continue to mutate beyond research.  Why, why, why??????? Yet, my sweet Amy (Melissa’s true sister)…who is as close to me as the sister I never had, told me Melissa never asked “why”.  God bless her.  And that is ok…because I will ask why for a long time.  My mom has been gone for 20 years now.  She was only 52.  Melissa even younger.  With YOUNG kids…so, WHY??

With all of this, I will wait a bit to post.  I will make sure our precious family is ok with the “happy go lucky” posts.  Because Family will come first.  Always.  They need time to grieve and I want to help them in anyway I can.  If that is not throwing our adventure in their faces..then that is what I will do.  Family First.  Period.

Thank you all.  Please stay tuned.  I do promise good pics, funny stuff and an occasional “what have I done” post in the future.

For now, please pray for Melissa Bernard and her family.  I pray God holds her close and gives peace to her husband, children, parents, sister, friends….

And, Thank you all in advance for all your prayers and support.

Love,

The Road Trippin’ Rileys