So I gotta talk about this, and I'm not gonna lie, it's a hard subject to discuss. Cancer, and to be a little more precise, how it's effects are felt to us ordinary people. But I use the term ordinary very loosely lol. So, back before my grandmother on my mother's side passed away, she had lung cancer. Not once, or twice, but if I'm not mistaken, ended up fighting with it 4 times. And what's amazing is the first 3 times she fought the hell out of it. And when I say "we" in this post, I mean the "family". And we was right there with her the whole time. Never, and I mean never, was she alone in the fight. There was always somebody there for her no matter what. And my Nana was a tough mother f*ck*r. And a little backstory here, our family has pretty much always stuck together. If one is lacking somewhere, usually there is someone there to help out with the load. Everybody in my family has had a hand in raising me and my middle brother. And I want to say right now, big thanks to Aunt Libby and Sissy. Shit could've been bad if hadn't been for them. So like I said, many hands light work and all. But back to Nana. Very rarely did she let it be known she was sick, and how bad she felt. Even if she had to run and throw up or use the bathroom, she never turned down a game of Farkle or a glass of rum and Coke. And I'm pretty sure she held on till her birthday as some kind of joke or something. She passed on her birthday, December 21st. And that's so Nana. But now, "we" have another situation in the family. My Aunt Kim, on my mother's side, appears to be sick. Now I don't know a tougher chick. Never have and probably never will. But that being said, I have never met a person more undeserving of being sick in any way, shape, or form. Everything this lady does from the time she wakes up, till she closes her eyes, is for someone else. Somehow, she cleans her house from top to bottom, in the midst of taking her grandkids to school, and daughter in-law to work. She also gets to the school an hour and a half ahead of the kids getting out of school, so they don't have to sit and wait to be picked up. Rarely will you ever see a car in front of her in line. And that ain't new. When her kids were in school or she had to pick me or my brother up, it was the same thing lol. When I was really bad strung out, against the words of her husband, she would sneak us money, and she always made sure we didn't go hungry. To the point, it almost caused a major problem with her marriage. Then after everyone is picked up and taken home and fed, she goes to work. And she continues there with the trend as a waitress/bartender. And anyone who has ever been to the Moose Lodge in Morganton can attest, you will be hard pressed to find a better server. And I'm trying not to rant on and on, but trying to give her the recognition she deserves, one can't help but to go on and on. I just wanted to give a little glimpse into my life and I couldn't do so without pointing out how great this woman is. And I wanted to let her know that everything she does is noticed, and even though it sometimes may seem like it is, your are not taken for granted. You are loved more than you will ever know Sissy. And if there is anything that's even remotely possible for me to do to lighten your load and make your life easier, please let me know. "I got you babe"! Those words hold special meaning to you, and know that I mean it the same way she did when I say them. I will be glad to give you a lung or marrow, or hell, my heart for that matter. Your much more deserving than me to be on this earth. Somebody said death is easy, living is the hard part. They didn't have you in their life. Cause I can't imagine a world where you're not in it. And I'm pretty sure I speak for anybody that had every come to know you. So Sissy, I love you, and anything I can do, please let me know. Because I don't want to live the rest of my life without you here. That wouldn't be living. Thank you for taking the time to read this. And happy Mother's Day to you and all the mothers that read this. 

 This is the first blog of this new organization. It's fitting that it's on Easter. And we are trying to launch in the Spring time, the season of new. Fresh start, new beginnings, and starting over. But Spring isn't the only time to start over. People start the first day of the rest of their lives everyday. It's never a bad time to start fresh. Don't let anyone hold you back from what your capable of achieving in your life. Each and every person here on this earth is capable of great things. And we all were put here for a reason. And most times we aren't aware of what that reason is. I was talking to my girlfriend the other day, and we were talking about how everything that happens, happens for a reason. How precise everything had to be for this world to happen. For example, I was telling her about our position in the solar system, and the ability to sustain life on any planet. That if we were on the next closest planet to the sun, we would burn up, and if we were the next fartherest plant away from the sun, we would freeze to death. Life would not exist on either planet, or doesn't exist, shall I say. And I don't want people to get the wrong idea about us here at HNM. This isn't a Christian outreach. This isn't a group of people from a church out here spreading the word of God. This is an outreach by a small group of people who have been where you are, or worse. We are a group of family and friends that know how dark the darkest days can be. How lonely it can be in a crowded room. And how loud the silence can be. I started using when I was 16 and I just turned 40. And for the longest time I couldn't understand what my purpose was. And honestly, I really still am not sure. But I have what I call an itch. When I was using, and I was in withdrawal, I always described it as an itchy feeling inside that no matter where I scratch, it never stopped, until I got high. That's how I feel about this outreach. It's an itch inside, and it only goes away when I'm out here doing good in the community. And if I only help one person get their medication filled so they don't have to choose between being well or feeding their family dinner, or not have to sleep on the sidewalk, or get clean, or help someone see that they are special and unique and they are loved, and they don't have to take their own life, then my time on this earth wasn't wasted. So if you need somebody to talk to, or help with a problem, or you want to join us in helping the community, or want to tell us we're doing something incorrectly, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us. Time is the most valuable thing on this earth. Easy to lose and impossible to get back. So with that, I'm gonna end this blog. You guys have a productive day. And know we love you and hope to talk at you again soon.