cutie

Yesterday was Maddie Spohr’s funeral service. Hundreds turned out in purple to show their love and support to Heather, Mike, and their families, and Heather and Mike gave powerfully moving, touching, beautiful, tear-inducing tributes to Maddie. You can read Mike’s here and Heather’s here.

The level of on-line support for Heather and Mike has been overwhelming. I’ve been truly touched by it all. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Twitter avatars and blogs have gone purple in Maddie’s memory, countless blog posts have been written, and people have reached out to help with donations to both the March of Dimes and The Spohrs. I hope it continues.

As Maddie has touched our hearts, I began to think of how blessed I was to have followed her story over the past year and how much I’ve learned from Maddie, Heather, and Mike. I’d like to share just some of what I’ve learned today.

I’ve learned that to have a fulfilled life, you must always seek the positive in every situation. Maddie went through so much throughout her brief life, but she always had that amazing smile and sparkle in her eye. Maddie was such a happy, loving baby, and I think it was a product of her wonderful parents. It’s time for us all to let the petty, minor irritations of life go and just enjoy each moment we’ve been graced with. Living your life to the fullest will leave you with no regrets. We’ve all heard that phrase “Life is short.” And it is. The older you get, the more you realize how much this is true. Let’s all make the most of each day.

I’ve also learned that the on-line community is a true community. The response to this tragedy has basically restored my faith in humanity. So many people reaching out to help through donations, blog posts, tweets, retweets, and word of mouth helped spread Maddie’s amazing story and helped create a loving hand around Heather and Mike and provided them some comfort when they needed it most.

While many of us have struggled to explain to others the power and draw of blogs and Twitter, Maddie’s story is the perfect example of what makes the online community so special to so many of us. although I’ve never met most of you, and some I may never meet, the people I interact with here on my blog and over on Twitter are my true friends, just as much as the “IRL” friends I have, and I will never forget that.

Lastly, I’ve learned that helping others is helping yourself. Maddie’s tragic story has brought this community so much closer together. So many people have reached out to help, and in a small way, it’s made the world we all live in a better place. Her story will inspire countless others to become better parents, and in a small way, this will also make the world a better place. The donations to the March of Dimes will help researchers find cures and treatments to help others born prematurely, and this will make the world a better place.

God Bless You Maddie, Mike, and Heather.

If you’d like to make a direct donation through PayPal to help Mike and Heather with funeral, medical, and other costs, please click HERE.

If you’d like to help, please consider donating to the March of Dimes in honor of Maddie:

Share or Bookmark This Post:
  • StumbleUpon
  • TwitThis
  • Reddit
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook

Related posts:

  1. Maddie Spohr
  2. I’m a Friend of Maddie
  3. Daddy Dan Interviews…..Mike and Heather Spohr
  4. I’m a Little Nutty
  5. Wednesday Spotlight: Can’t Miss Blog Posts from the Past Week (Version 4)