Those thoughtful few who nominated others

Many people nominated themselves for this contest, with truly touching or funny essays. This post honors the thoughtful few who wrote in wishing the best for others, see a sample from these nominations below as you read on. Anita in San Diego writes: I would like to nominate my good friend Marta and her family who just lost their home last week in the terrible fires that stormed through San Diego County. We’ve had fires before of course and Marta and her family were always on the spot helping those in need and their horses which needed evacuation to safety any hour of the day or night. Last Monday October 22 Marta and Tony and their kids and horses and dogs evacuated their home at 4:30am and by 6am the fire roared through the beautiful valley and their home was gone. In spite of the horror and heartache, Marta has maintained a smile and quiet calm and strength saying “it was only things and we can replace those – our family and beloved animals are all safe and we’ll re-build on this spot better than ever!” Marta has volunteered many hours of her time in the community and has befriended my autistic son and gifted him with many hours of horse therapy and friendship that have opened the door to him in ways that I could never have hoped for. If anyone deserves a vacation in beautiful Ixtapa, it’s Marta – she’s MY hero!! Heidi of Utah writes: I am nominating the family of Shayne M. Shayne, his wife Debbie and his children deserve a Club Med break. Shayne works 60 or more hours a week to keep his family afloat. He is a driver at my work and I watch his long hours and listen to his conversations with Debbie over the days he can’t be home but is only 30 miles south of her loading his truck for the 3rd, 4th or 5th time in a week. This wouldn’t be a big deal; however Shayne should have been dead more than 1-1/2 years ago. He was bitten by a recluse spider on his leg and the poison went into a main artery and into his entire system. He was treated initially improperly at the E.R. and was then told after many doctors appointments that he would die within the next few weeks. He has lived, but it has depleted him and affected most of his organ functions. Every day is a battle for him, but he smiles, supports his family and is a cornerstone at [deleted] Petroleum. Club Med would provide the perfect place for his family to heal and re-group to keep fighting his disease