The Plunge (What else could I possibly write about this week?!?!?)

Ugh, first, I have to start off by saying that I have sooo many thoughts running through my head and soooooo little time to organize and write them (WHY do schools have to close for such a tiny amount of snow?  I'm just kidding...it's not the snows fault that I'm a procrastinator).  Anyway, I have a good 10 minutes to get all my deepest thoughts out, at which point Sid The Science Kid ends and chaos returns to the Hudson household.

Anyway, The Plunge.  So, background info, every year for the past 4 years we've done the Polar Bear Plunge which benefits Special Olympics Maryland.  It's an amazing cause and the first year that we did it, it completely changed my life.  See the following blog posts: Cels, Super Plungers and What's In a Team? for more info. 

But, actually, this isn't about the plunge, per say, it's really about what the plunge means to us.  It's about what the people who plunge and donate mean to us.  The first year we did the plunge, Logan was about 8 months old.  It had been a tough couple of months, as I'm sure you can imagine.  However, we got a phone call from a good friend who suggessted we do the Plunge.  Sam and Bobby came up with the name, "Logan's Heroes" and we set our goal at 10 plungers and $1000.  Wow, were we amazed when we FAR surpassed those goals.

That day, 4 years ago, we were surrounded by our family and friends who were so ready and willing to support us.  We were also welcomed into a community, one that we wouldn't necessarily have wanted to join, with open arms and felt so blessed and supported that it completely erased all fears and apprehensions we had for our son.  At least for a  while :)  It was a truly magical day.  And, what's even more magical is that you continue to support us, year after year, and, truthfully, day after day.

So, it's not just the plunge that I'm talking about.  Believe me, I KNOW that it takes a special type of person to pledge to plunge into the absolutely freezing cold waters of the Chesapeake Bay.  I did it one year, and, honest to God, prefer child birth to plunging.  So, please don't ever feel bad about NOT plunging, I'm never doing it again either :)  And,  please don't ever, EVER feel bad about not donating to our cause, or, actually, causes.  Those aren't the most important things to us.

We love you plungers and we love you donators, and we appreciate every single day how much you do for us.  But, we also appriciate all the really great people in the world who support us every day.  By teaching your child love and acceptance of all people, you support us.  By listening to a friend who's going through a tough time, you support us.  By just saying "Hi" to Logan in the supermarket, you're supporting us.

We so often hear about all the negativity in the world.  But, there's so much good in people, that I wish we heard more about them.  Look at Jimmy and Theresa Z who've started the Baltimore Saints Hockey program for special needs kids.  They've impacted hundreds of families.  They've given kids the opportunity of a lifetime!!!!  Look at Kate Lepley and the Miracle for Meghan Foundation, they've raised thousands of dollars for research into genetic disorders which will impact hundreds, maybe thousands of families and hopefully provide kids like Logan and Meghan a much better quality of life.

So many people are so wonderful!!!!  So, plungers, thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I mean that more than you'll ever know.  And, thank you to everyone else who just loves and supports and accepts kids, and adults, with special needs.  That's all we've ever really wanted for Logan and that, to us, is what the plunge is all about!!!

You know, I'm not sure I ever would have been involved with these organizations if we didn't have Logan in our lives, so, again, one of the gazillion reasons I'm so eternally grateful to have him as our son.  He's a true, amazing blessing to all of us.

Okay, and also, I just read this and it's totally not written well so I apologize for that, but it actually took me 3 hours to bang this thing out.  Of COURSE, Sid the Science Kid didn't keep anyone's interest. Sooo, we had to make cookies, then pizza for lunch.  Then, we had to make hot chocolate to dip the cookies in, the Georgia spit up because someone shoved a cookie (a FULL cookie) in her mouth so she needed to be changed, then Maddie wanted to dress up like a princess, then Logan wanted to be Spiderman, THEN Spiderman ATTACKED the fairy princess, and so on and so on and so on......

Anyway, good luck Plungers!!  We love you all :)