Today we’re relaunching our special edition #gopurple #endalz shirts with long sleeve tees and hoodies for fall!
#GoRed for Stormy’s legacy
Each year, my sweet friend Weslea honors her dad’s legacy by fundraising for the American Heart Association in the Austin Heart Walk:
My dad, William “Stormy” Booth was 61 years old when he was taken from this world by a heart attack on September 9, 2009.
Weslea with her dad, “Stormy,” in 2007
A cowboy through and through, his greatest pleasure was working with horses, whether it was winning his All Around Champion rodeo title in 1965 or training a colt up “the right way.” However, his greatest joy was his family. His heart and soul were larger than life, and his love for his family was never ceasing.
Who was Stormy? He was a son, a best friend, a husband, a father, and one of the greatest cowboys we have ever known. The life of the party, a gifted storyteller, the strength of a giant.
There is a song performed by Trent Willmon that speaks to what I hope met my dad on the other side: “But I’ve heard it said that old cowboys don’t die. They get put out to pasture way up in the sky. So, if God’s got a Heaven for old cowboy legends, I hope the grass is greener on the other side. And he’s got good horses to ride… .”
Today would’ve been my parents’ 45th wedding anniversary. It is difficult to write about my parents’ marriage before Alzheimer’s when my mother has been dead for 9 years and my father has remarried twice since then. My parents had an Aggie romance. They met at Texas A&M through a mutual friend. Their first date was…
This month’s Texas Strong Woman of the Month is my very brave second cousin–meningitis survivor and multiple limb amputee Amy Aiken. Meet Amy Aiken Amy Aiken grew up in San Marcos and is now my neighbor near Austin. She works as a communications specialist for a major department store but spends her spare time pursuing her love…
Before I had babies, the last diaper I changed was my mother’s. She entered hospice care when I was pregnant with my first daughter and passed away, almost two years later, when I was pregnant with my second daughter. Despite the grief and struggle, taking care of my mom as her health declined through early onset Alzheimer’s disease prepared…
My mother left behind a legacy of depression. I inherited her struggles with mental health. I remember standing outside my mother’s walk-in closet, listening to her sob for what felt like an eternity, on multiple occasions during elementary school. My mother taught me to hide pain and tears behind closed doors. How I found my…
This month’s Texas Strong Woman of the Month is my dear friend (and mentor, of sorts)–United Way of Hays County CEO Michelle Harper. Michelle and I met shortly after the flood relief shirts fundraiser took off and became fast friends. Meet Michelle Harper I adore her bubbly, encouraging spirit and her deep, authentic passion for…
I waited to watch Still Alice until it came out on video. I just couldn’t bear to sob in a movie theater, surrounded by strangers. Since November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month and National Family Caregivers Month, I thought it would be a good time to share with you what I think Still Alice got right about…
3 Comments
This is lovely and such a great cause.
My grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s for almost a decade. It was heart-wrenching.
You’re awesome Lauren – tweeting this out for you. <3
xoxo
This is lovely and such a great cause.
My grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s for almost a decade. It was heart-wrenching.
You’re awesome Lauren – tweeting this out for you. <3
xoxo
Thank you so much, Jennifer!