Today's blog is long time coming and still I am nervous to write it

(Gina B. is the second from the left, the first bear)

My friend, Gina B. is suffering from ALS, better known as

LOU GEHRIG'S DISEASE

I am enraged about this but since her confirmed diagnosis

in December, I finally have come to the acceptance, as she has,

that she has this mean, mad disease.

While visiting her on Friday she has given me permission

to begin to blog about her life and this has me nervous.

Nervous because as my baby boy said in passing one day,

"Mom sometimes "lilbitofmyworld" is a lot about other

people's worlds. I try and always get permission from

the subject when it will be deep.

When Gina B. was diagnosed I told her she had to begin

writing and journaling, to leave a legacy to all of us

so we can learn from this fantastic woman how you go

on with life when given such a cold disease.

She reminded me Friday that now, because her upper body

has been attacked and she struggles with use of it,

she can't do this so I have been given approval to write for her.

This is an important job and I want to do right and honor to her

so I am nervous about the whole thing

but her story is one that needs to be told because

never have I seen a more gracious person accept such a disease

with grace and acceptance. Acceptance didn't come right away,

it was a process but she refuses to allow ALS to "have her"

as she bravely stated through her whispered slurred voice"

"I have ALS but ALS does not have me"

There are so many stories I already need to write in reference to

this wonderful woman so many, many days will be

dedicated to these stories on the blog.

Today is the beginning and I just want to say this,

the statement:

BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE

has never been so true to me as it has been since Gina B.

was diagnosed with ALS.

This woman is a 53 year old special education teacher

with many, many years of all kinds of teaching under her belt.

She not only teaches, she loves each child she touches.

Her loss at work has been all our loss, especially the children

she was meant to teach in the future.

She has 4 beautiful, respectful children who love their mother so

much and will do anything for their mother in this battle.

Her husband Perry is a gentle soul who is struggling with his

own battle of acceptance. To watch his strong, beautiful, vivacious

wife become dependent on him has been something he never

envisioned yet he does all that is asked of him, many things that

is never asked and is so, so gentle with his Gina B.

She has a big, extended family such as me.

I hope over the course of blogging about she and I's AHA moments,

and we have had a few, right Gina B?

all will realize

just how wonderful this woman is and I don't just say that

but mean it. She is one of a kind,

facing her battles without hiding them so the world can

learn, "This is how you handle tragedy if God is first"

I love my Gina B. and made her a promise that I will

blog for her what I see in hopes that her story is told in

a way that gives her honor, her family the honor they deserve.

I pray to my God that I can live up to this.