This is a follow-up to SaraR's recommended diary of yesterday, Request for a little help for exmearden's daughters,who are finding themselves in a financial bind while her funds are being held up in probate.
The wonderful news is that, as of 8 PM on Saturday evening, this beautiful community had raised $2,300! This is truly a testament to both the generosity of dKos users and to the regard and love we all have for exmearden.
If you missed yesterday's diary, please read on:
Here is the RIGHT PayPal link for all who can donate that way. Please contact me (email in my profile) if you'd like to donate directly by check - I will reply with the name and address you need.
Payments are being received by exme/Kris's best friend Michael, who will pass it along to her daughters. Michael wrote the final eulogy in Kris's online memorial; it was a poignant account of Kris's last days.
I was very fortunate to share a wonderful meal with Kris and Michael when she was in town in October. Michael travelled with Kris, to help her physically and emotionally as she faced a procedure to remove some small wires that had been place near her heart during her first surgery. The night before this was done, I stopped by their hotel for a visit. I got to see and touch the beautiful quilt that SaraR had made for her...
After some time there, we hopped into my car and went out for a divine meal of tapas (and sangria!). We had a fantastic time; it was excellent food and company. Kris insisted on picking up the tab - so very much like her! After dinner, the three of us walked down the sidewalk to a gourmet chocolate purveyor, where Kris selected a few treats for herself and many more for her three girls, as Halloween was just around the corner. The procedure was successful (though not in prolonging Kris's life), and Kris and Michael were able to return home by the end of the week.
I tell this story to help you picture Kris, her love for life and for her daughters and grandson, and the love and care of her friend Michael, who took a week out of his own life to be with her for this trip. It is Michael who came to us with the information that Kris's daughters were not able to access their inheritance yet, and that money was tight in the meantime. It is Michael who will take the money received through PayPal and through the mail and see that it gets where it needs to be.
Please know that Kris took her finances very seriously, and planned as well as she could to get out of debt and to leave behind financial support for her girls and her baby grandson. I am sure she never expected the wheels to turn so slowly as to leave them in a bind.
If you have been blessed with a little more than you need this year, I hope you will find it in your heart to honor Kris's memory by extending a helping hand to her beloved family.
Thank you, everyone!
UPDATE: apparently, the PayPal link wasn't quite complete, so it wasn't working properly. This has been fixed!
Thank you for keeping this on the rec list as long as possible - the more eyes that see it, the better off Kris's kids will be this season.