Waiting, Waiting, Waiting

Henry Thoreau said "Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in....."  Say a prayer that Bobby can be fishing again soon.... Their wait continues but each of you have made is easier through your kinds words, thoughts, prayers and generous donations.  Little did we know two weeks ago where this journey was going... and although it has only just started each of you has been instrumental in making this journey and the waiting so much easier....

I received an interesting call from "the other Robert" at Christ our King.  Apparently when trouble was brewing in school and Robert was in trouble, Bobby would tell the nun it was "the other Robert" every time.  Amazingly enough, the "other Robert" was still willing to call and support Bobby... That is friendship!

Another friend from Delaware said "I worked with Bob at the County for many years.  When folks reminisce about the "good old days" and the fun times in the City/County building, I think of the decent people like your uncle Bobby.  We used to talk about boating on the Elk River, raising a family and occasionally, he'd give me a ride home when he lived in my neighborhood in Bear."

And another one.... "I worked with Bob at NCC in Accounting 15 years ago.  We had some great times, he was always the life of the party....even if there wasn't one!  Those were the days and we look back on them with fond memories and lots of laughs."

I though I would add in a family photo (sorry Sarah... you were still a glimmer in Mommy's eye!)

The Art of Cathching Flies

As a mother, an aunt and a wife, I often find myself looking for something... anything.... to entertain or occupy the children around me.  As my children have gotten older it has become much easier.  I can now just get out some Lysol and a vacuum and everyone scatters.  The sight of cleaning supplies brings cries of "I have homework!  Off to clean the garage!  I am going for a bike ride!"  Little do they know once the house is empty I sit back, pour a nice cold beverage, and read a good book in peace and quiet.  Whatever it takes.  One man I know, Bobby Romspert, was the expert at occupying children...  I learned a lot from him growing up and it helped with my parenting skills today.

I am not sure how you develop a talent for entertaining bored children, but Bobby Romspert had it.  Perhaps it's growing up with brothers and sisters that annoy you, perhaps its just raw talent, perhaps just pure love of kids....  I am not really sure but he has proven that talent to entertain youth time and time again.

I remember one summer in Elkton, I was about 6, Matt, Sarah, Carolyn and Joey were not far behind me... Uncle Bob and my dad were in charge.  The women had gone shopping and left this wayward bunch of misfits with them.  It was a hot Eastern Shore summer.  We had no pool, no central air, no IPods or Wii.  We had noting to do but run around and annoy each other and the adults.  We ran in and out, in and out, banging the doors and bringing in every black fly in the county.  We whined about our boredom and wouldn't leave Uncle Bob alone....

In a stroke of pure genius he took command of our boredom and sent us out to the newly constructed porch with flyswatters.  He gave us a mission.... Kill flies, all the flies you can, for 5 cents a piece.  We all looked at each other and saw our chance!  An opportunity to become independently wealthy in only a few hours!  5 cents in 1975 was a hefty price for the flies.  We just had to kill them and bring him the body.  We had plastic cups to do the collecting.  It was a kids dream come true.  Over the next hour each of us racked up a sizable fortune killing flies!  I was well up to 2$ by the time my mom came home.  My brother, not to be outdone, made it to $2.50.  Sarah and Carolyn became disinterested in the game fairly quickly and went upstairs to play Barbies.  For Matt and I it was heavenly.... We killed and killed.  We racked up $ that afternoon.  It was a blast and a memory we still talk about to this day...  "remember the day we got paid to kill flies!"  Of course, we never realized there was no screen on the porch, that half the flies came back to life to be killed again... It didn't matter, it entertained us in our moment of boredom and provided memories for our future.  He showed us love that day in a funny way, with entertainment and excitement, with the thrill of the hunt!  What a gift.

Uncle Bob is the expert at kid entertainment.  He sees an opportunity and excites the kids around him.  He is an amazing man and has provided many memories to all of us.  As I watch him move forward in this journey I see this as our chance to provide for him, for all the times he paid us for flies and more. 

The Power of Love

In just one week each of you has helped, through prayers, love, words of encouragement and exceptionally generous donations to give Bobby and Barbara time to make a thoughtful decision about what to do while in Pittsburgh.  Your donations have provided them a room through the summer and we will continue to raise funds in an effort to keep them there as long as they need to stay. 

The most amazing thing about being part of this is the connections that have been remade through this love.  Old friends have been reunited.  Many Christ our King graduates have e-mailed or written words of support.  Distant relatives have reconnected with Bobby and Barbara.  Old friends from their early years have e-mailed and called.  Love is a powerful thing. 

The Chinese Philosopher Lao Zhu said
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."  

Bobby and Barbara are stronger because of each of you.  Thank you.

Words from the Top:

Good Morning! I wanted to let you know that Uncle Bobby and I have decided that we are going to stay put here at the Inn. We have done a lot of talking and figuring and listening to the other transplant families. What we have come to realize is that there is much more involved than we originally thought in acquiring alternate housing. I am not talking about just the obvious problems of finding a place that will work for us and arranging for all of the utilities, furniture, supplies,etc. There are many intangibles that we had not considered such as the support we can get here that we will need to get through this journey. The amenities here, not to mention the meals,shuttle service and parking take a big load off of me as well.  Uncle Bobby has told me too that if we are here he won't have to worry about  being isolated in case we have a problem or me being alone while he is in the hospital and going back and forth by myself to the parking garage at night. We are beginning to understand that this journey may be longer than we first thought  The anxiety factor can be significant. Some things don't have a price tag.
Thanks to your wonderful fundraising efforts and the support and generosity of our family and friends, we will be able  to extend our stay here and spend all of our time and effort into getting Uncle Bobby better. As I said before, we are overwhelmed and humbled by all of this. Thank you seems to be an inadequate response but for now it will have to do.
Love,
Aunt Barb

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOBBY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Message from the Top Deck!

Well ladies and gentlemen...  a few words of thanks for all of you... Directly from Barbara:


 I saw the blog tonight and I love the pictures. I had never seen the one with Sam and Uncle Bobby. I talked with Carolyn Grant today and she told me that the email list had grown even more. I am curious as to who is on the list and how in the world are you getting everybody's email address?   

Little does she know, most of you are the ones sending out e-mails!  I only replied, quite simply, to the first e-mail Aunt Barb sent out to let many of us know they were there.  You each have sent on the e-mails, phone calls and messages to friends and family.  You have spread your love and support everywhere!  $11,200 and counting!!!!!!

Tonight at the evening happy hour, we met two people who have someone who has received a lung transplant. We also met a young woman and her husband are here as a follow up to her double transplant last April. What a wealth of information they have. They have been through it and or are going through it right now. What stories they told us! Mary Ellen told us that her husband had 8 false alarms over an 8mos. waiting period before there was a successful match.  Bob told us that his wife had her transplant on Dec. 24th and that she is scheduled to come back here in 2 days. They had waited 6mos. for a match. Then, Eileen said that she had her match on her first call. She was on a feeding tube for 3 mos. and was here for 8 mos. They were all so friendly and supportive it was very positive. We did get the impression though that this could be a long process.
I asked them if any of them had explored other living arrangements. Actually, they all had at one time or another and then opted to stay right here. There reasons were varied but they all agreed that it was the right decision for them. Uncle Bob and I are going to talk it through again  tomorrow after we meet with the Doc.

Thanks again for all you have done and are still doing.
Love,
Aunt Barb

Wind Beneath Their Wings

Two summers ago my daughter Samantha bought a car in Delaware.  What a great deal she got, her uncle helped her and life was grand.... there was just one glitch... She was living in Colorado Springs at the time.  How does an Air Force Academy kid get a car from Delaware to Denver?  Bobby and Lee's delivery company, of course.  When you don't know who to call... Call the "A" Team.  So these two grumpy old men, Sam's great Uncle Bobby and her grandfather Lee, took their bucket list trip.  They traveled to every diner, drive in and dive across the middle of the USA.  Bobby drove in the morning and enjoyed a nice cooler of Coors Light in the PM.  Lee managed the afternoons and programmed the Garmin.  It was an amazing journey. 

They stopped in Atchison, Kansas to visit Mt. St. Scholastica and some grumpy old nuns (is anyone detecting a theme here?).  They stopped in Atchison to pay tribute to Bobby's Aunt, Sister Agnes, and her time with the Benedictine nuns.  They saw a field of butterflies miles long and talked to many other travelers.... Finally, at Parent's Weekend they arrived and delivered Sam her new car.  She showed off her two men, brought them to a football game, and they doted on her, as those two always do.  She was honored to have them and thankful for the gift of their time.

This is who Bobby and Lee are... the givers, the doers, the movers of family and friends. So now, as Bobby finally needs us to be the movers and doers we can.  We have provided them lodging at the Marriott through 15 July... If they find something else.. perhaps they can stay longer.  Only God knows how long this journey will be for Bobby and Barbara, but each day that we can lighten their load will make it better for them.

The love and support of all of you...  and it has been an enormous outpouring of support in just a few days, is overwhelming.  One can certainly learn the value of a man and a woman through the friends that they keep.  Each of you are incredible and they are grateful.  So... send me some stories, something fun, something silly, something amazing and share who Bobby and Barbara are to each of you.

OVER THE TOP!!!

 Margaret Meade was right, a small army of committed citizens can change the world.  You all have been amazing in your generosity and love for Bobby and Barbara and truly made a difference for their world.  You have already raised over $10,000 to help them with the overwhelming costs of staying so far away from us.  We have made it through June for them and we will continue to work to support them on this journey.  Although far in distance, they are close in thoughts and prayers. 

Barbara and Bobby keep saying they are struggling to absorb what you all are doing for them.  I asked them, please just sit back and absorb…. Be the sponge.  For so long they have given so much to so many and now it is time to receive.  We were here to be the wind beneath their wings.

Life in Pittsburgh:

Aunt Barb said everything in Pittsburgh takes so much longer than at home. Their GPS told them the 4 mile ride to the store would take 20 minutes!  The roads are crazy, there are bridges everywhere, and traffic is overwhelming!  It takes all day to accomplish a few seemingly simple tasks.  Their days are filled with testing at the hospital, meeting others at the hospital and in the hotel who have similar stories to theirs, continuing their quest for an apartment, and waiting, waiting, waiting for a phone call. 

In contrast our daily waits are simple.  We wait for a red light, for the check out at the store, in line at the Drive-thru,,,  We wait for the work day to end, our friends to play us in Scrabble or Hanging with Friends online, a commercial to end, our coffee to brew….. We can’t really know what it is like to wait for a phone call about a new chance at life.  Perhaps today, the first day of spring, as you each wait for something you can stop and appreciate the ease of your wait and say a prayer for Bobby that his wait will be short…

As one of Bobby’s friend’s and donor wrote to me yesterday… To do something, however small, to make someone happier or better is the highest hope and the greatest ambition a human being can have.   Safe Harbor Cap'n Rick USN retired. 

You said it Rick!  Thanks to each of you.

St Patty's Day Miracle!

Wow!  You all take the cake (or really, the Corned Beef and Cabbage) for the fastest St. Patrick’s Day miracle ever!  In less than 24 hours we were able to supply Bobby and Barbara with 45 days of lodging in Pittsburgh.  This journey is only the beginning for them, but what a comfort knowing the burden of rushing around to find anything can now be a calm organized search for the right thing!

Karen Crook deserves Kudos for the first donation of the day!  Way to GO!   The phone calls and e-mails have been overwhelming!  Joanne said “I donated for all the years Bobby did my taxes for me!”  She tells me there are more folks out there who had the generous services of this talented CPA.  She also said every time she travels with Barbara, Barbara does all the planning and organizing.  It’s about time she was able to give back for all  Barbara has done for her.  

Bobby drove veterans around for the VFW, called bingo for the American Legion.  Barbara, ever the gracious and wonderful hostess, hosted year after year of family Christmas parties for the entire Romspert clan!  This is only a few of the snippets I heard from your e-mails and comments!  Keep them coming.

So, as we look to tomorrow (The Feast of St. Joseph for you good Catholics) I will call Barbara and let her and Bobby know of the kindness and generosity of so many.  These two started to pay it forward years ago and today their generosity has come full circle.  Keep the correspondence and donations coming and we will work to keep you updated.

 

A Room at the Inn... Through April 1, 2012!

     It starts with a simple idea... and love of family and friends and we have set up a room through 1 April for Bobby and Barbara! We spoke with them last night and let them know that there was a great army (and Navy, Marine, Air Force) of people who loved and supported them and wanted to help make this journey easier for them.  Aunt Barbara was overwhelmed... She has just come back from looking at many apartments.  She found one on a first floor that could be ready by 1 Jun, but it was empty!  It had been so long since she had rented she forgot all the struggles it entailed, buying furniture, turning on electric, heat, cable, curtains, dishes.... and on and on and on.....
     We offered her up our idea of keeping them at their hotel so they can take their time to find something that works for them and she was speechless.  We let her know that we want to give back to them, two people who have done so much for all of us...  So here is the deal... We want to see if we can pay their rent at the Marriott through 1 June 2012.  That will allow them the next two months to relax in their quest for housing.  We will use this blog to follow their journey and let them see the support and love we have for them.  We can use this for stories about them, pictures of them, well wishes and prayers for them as we generate interest and donations for their stay in Pittsburgh.
     There is a secure pay pal donation site set up with the link on the right that will be used to collect funds to pay the rent.  Anyone can call the hotel directly and pay or donate here and we will pay for you.  Share this site with your friends and family and let them know how they can help celebrate and support these two amazing people.  I will let you know daily how we are making it to our goal.

GOAL:  2 months rent at the Marriott
Room for one month is approximately $3000

Let's see what we can do to make it to our goal! Thanks so much for being part of this journey of love and support.

The Journey Begins

This week Uncle Bob was put on “The List” for new lungs at the University of Pittsburgh.  It is only the beginning of their journey.  I am looking to you, those who love and support them so much, to see if we can do something for them to make this journey easier.

Aunt Barb and Uncle Bob are safely ensconced in the Marriott Residence Inn at the U of Pitt.  They have free morning breakfasts, a small kitchen, separate bedroom for Uncle Bob to nap while Aunt Barb watches TV.  There is an indoor pool so Aunt Barb can get some exercise,  a manager’s dinner every Tues – Thursday.  It’s right across the street from the hospital.  It is a perfect place for them to stay for the long haul while Uncle Bob .  They would love to stay here for the duration if possible, or as long as possible.

The struggle is, its a hotel, and it will get expensive for the long haul.  I am reaching out to each of you friends, family, cousins, sisters, co-workers to see if we, a small army of loving and supportive people,  would like to be part of an opportunity to give back to two of the most generous people I know.  Bob and Barbara Romspert do so much for everyone they interact with.  Now, it is our time to return the favor.

I have a call in to the manager of the Marriott to see what kind of monthly rate we can get for the hotel.  Until then, if any of you have Marriott points let me know and we will set up some free nights for them.  They are presently there through 3/23 (Uncle Bob’s Birthday!!!) but I would love to have us all work together to provide them much more time there.  I will be working to set up a pay pal account to accept checks or credit cards to help support them over the next few days.

This is only the beginning of our grass roots efforts to support two amazing people we love so much.  I am open to ideas about how else to proceed over time as we all work to be the wind beneath their wings.


Thank you for being the amazing and generous friends and family you are!

Margaret Meade said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Let us all be part of helping to change the world for Bobby and Barbara