one small step for man, one giant step for Emma!

It has been quite a week for us… first selling our home, then landing a new account and a call back on another potential account, and then the most miraculous of all things… Emma walking with only holding hands. It’s hard to imagine the magnitude of this feat without knowing Emma, but trust me when I tell you, it left us speechless.

Emma and I hit physical therapy after school on a rescheduled day and time and from the moment she stood with the therapist and took her first few steps, I knew it was going to be a big day. When she walked holding only one finger of the therapist (!!! REALLY !!!) and her body positioning was so correct (WOW!) I immediately called my husband Don to tell him to hurry up and get to the center – he had to see Emma walking! He didn’t think he could make it in time, I said “Try anyway, you’ve got to see this!”

I was afraid she might be too tired by the time Don got there, and she was tired, but that little girl has a lot of gumption! She not only showed off for her Daddy, but allowed us to take our first “walk” together as a family. In tears (of course!) I said to her therapist, we need a picture of this! So, our therapist, Leeza Masteller, ran off to get her camera phone which captured the momentous occasion.

While no one ever told us Emma wouldn’t walk, no one did… until her current orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Richard Kruse, about a year ago. He said that Emma might walk, but she’d probably only be a “house walker” (a person who can manage to walk very short distances occasionally). It was a great day when we heard a doctor actually say what we had hoped and been working towards for a long time, but it still seemed like it may never happen… until this week. What a gift! What joy! What work from one little girl and so many who help her everyday to become the most she can become.

We are so grateful and thankful to so many… Though slow, progress has been made and we are now witnessing the fruits of so many who labored with us and Emma. Thank you God for this wonderful child and for all the people you have placed in our lives... we are truly blessed!

It's how you play the game...

While this post is long, it happened this weekend and is well worth reading... Kaci's grandmother, Fern, was our mail carrier and we had many conversations about Kaci and Emma and all life offers those with a special person like our girls... Please read on...

We live in a world where the news isn't always very encouraging. The economy is a mess, there's constant political bickering, and greed on Wall Street and in corporate America seems to be common place. As the old saying goes, "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing." I could go on and on. But no matter what the circumstances, God is always in control. I just wanted to share with you what happened this passed Saturday where God's hand was definitely controlling the following situation. As you all know, our daughter Kaci's having Down Syndrome holds her back from nothing. What she may lack in physical ability is more than made up for in her perseverance and determination.

Kaci loves basketball and plays for the Inferno in the Division II girl's league with Blue Mt. Recreation basketball. This part of the league consists of girls in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. Although Kaci is in 4th grade she is still one of the shortest girls on the court. We couldn't ask for better coaches than Doug Travor, Karl Laubenstine, and Frank McDonough. Coach Frank has known Kaci since she was born almost 12 years ago. Kaci's team mates are wonderful as well, always making sure she gets a chance to handle the ball and offering instruction and encouragement. The head coach of the opposing team, the Cardinals, on Saturday is Bob Moyer from Cressona. In a previous game against his team he instructed his players to give Kaci a chance to shoot. Not every coach has been that gracious.

During Saturday's game the much taller and more experienced Cardinals were beating the Inferno by the score of 22 to 2. They are one of the league's best teams. In the 4th quarter, after a few failed attempts to get the ball to Kaci, she took a pass and started dribbling along the baseline toward the basket. The Cardinals tallest player, standing well over a foot taller than Kaci, moved toward her and raised her arms but intentionally stopped about 3 feet away from Kaci. Kaci tried to shoot but the ball went straight up in the air trying to get the ball over the defender's arms. Immediately referee John Cooper blew his whistle and called a foul.

The Cardinals player smiled along with everyone else in the stands because they knew no foul was committed, but rather it was an obvious attempt to give Kaci a chance to score her first points of the season. Now came the interesting part; Kaci attempting 2 foul shots. Because Kaci is only 4 feet tall, per league rules she's allowed to move a few steps closer to the basket than standing on the normal free throw line. On average Kaci may normally make 1 out of 4 shots from this distance. Remember, she's only 4 feet tall shooting at a ten foot high basket. Needless to say, Judy and I were nervous for her and hoped she'd at least hit the rim.

The ref gave Kaci the ball, she dribbled twice and shot. Swish, nothing but net!

The fans went crazy, Judy and I had tears streaming down our cheeks, and Coach Frank stormed onto the court and swept Kaci up in his arms yelling, "Great shot Kaci. Our season is now complete!" With the crowd still cheering, our coaches called a 20 second time out so they along with the rest of the players on the bench could give Kaci "high fives" and get ready for the next play. After the time out, Kaci was directed to the line for her other foul shot.

I'm still crying, Judy was crying and praying. The ref again gives Kaci the ball, she dribbled twice and shot. Swish, nothing but net again!! More loud cheers and even more tears, but this time not just from us but also from other parents and fans in the stands as well. Oh, and one four foot tall basketball player with the biggest smile you've ever seen.

After the game Kaci was still being congratulated by the other players and their parents, still wearing that huge smile. In today's world this game may be viewed as insignificant, after all the score was now 22 to 4. But in that one moment in time, God chose to have everyone else in that gym see Kaci the way He does: as a very important and beautiful part of His creation. As a person who's worth a great deal to Him. As a person who's having one extra chromosome makes her worth more, not less in His eyes.

So on what was otherwise an ordinary Saturday at the Blue Mt. Middle School gym, God chose to show His love through the basketball "skills" of Kaci. And just as it's supposed to be, it wasn't about winning or losing, but how the game was played. God bless you and have a great day.

written by Craig Gerber, Kaci's Dad

We're cheering with you all! Lynn & all of Emma's Friends

Handcrafted soap dishes... YEAH!

I am more than a little excited to share with you something new coming to Emma's Friends Soaps & Lotions... handcrafted ceramic soap dishes.

Avenues, the organization with which we work in creating our goods has developed a new program run out of Lessie's Garden and Gift Shop (one of Avenues' Vocational Rehabilitation programs) called "Creative Hands" where their consumers, individuals with disabilities, are hand crafting pottery. It occurred to me that they could make soap dishes for Emma's Friends and Denise at Avenues, who runs the program, agreed.

She sent me a picture of the first soap dish designed for our soaps today. They are organically shaped, at least this first one, and have been happily designed just for our soaps.

Wha-hoo!!! After drying, the soap dishes will go then to The Mad Potter, another local company that specializes in handcrafted pottery which has partnered with Avenues for the Creative Hands program, for firing. Then a glaze, then they will be available online.

Can't wait... but alas, we must. BUT, I just had to share it with you all!

Yeah! Still though... I can't wait! You all might have to, I might have to buy the first one for myself! :P

Best,
Lynn

moving on...

While not completly soap related, today we sold our old home.

It was the one we brought Emma home to, where learned about her delays, where we met our first round of case managers, developemental assessors, therapists and the place we would always "come home to" after hospital visits and doctors' appointments.

It was also the place where our soapmaking discoveries, experiments, test recipes and trials and alas, our first "gifts" from Emma's Friends began. The labels were more rudimentary, the cuts certainly no where near square but where our love of the art and giving of it began.

So, we turn a chapter in our history today, as we did yesterday, marking our first full year in business. It has been an eventful week, with much to look back on as we celebrate those things which come to an end.

I'll miss that old house. Literally old, as in built around 1785. A fabulous old house I thought we would be in for decades to come as evidenced by all that we had done with it.

But now, there is a new little girl in Emma's old room. A little girl named Ella, funny how alike their names are. Ella has fallen in love with the moon and stars we had a local artist paint on the wall above Emma's crib as we awaited her arrival. Now Ella calls them her moon, in her room, with the pink vellum-like painted stripe and pink velvet striped curtains.

So on this night, we say, good night stars, good night moon, good night sweet little Ella. May God watch over you and your family as you build your own wonderful memories in that wonderful old house...

Truly,
Lynn

Etsy and Emma's Friends...

At many of the shows we did this Fall, we heard the following comment a lot: "Are you on Etsy? ... No, you should be!"

So, we went to Etsy and established a shop there (emmasfriends.etsy.com). For those of you who are not familiar with Etsy, it is an online marketplace for goods that are handcrafted and vintage in nature.

We opened our Etsy store this past week and were excited to be included in a Treasury our first week. Very cool, thank you pinkflowercube!


That Treasury lead to our first Etsy sale. We only have a few items listed, specifically our Valentine's Day specials, but will be populating the Etsy store as our stock is re-established. Our "Two Halves of One Heart" soap gift box is in the fourth row, highlighted by the light blue box...

If you wander over to our Esty shop, emmasfriends.etsy.com, please be sure to add us to your "favorite sellers" and you will appear on the list that "hearts" Emma's Friends. "Hearting" a shop helps to establish it as a favored shop, a quality shop, for those who are not familiar with us.

Your assistance in helping to establish Emma's Friends will go a long way in helping us to grow and add more Friends... which is part of our dream.

Thank you for all your support and patronage... we are blessed!

Truly,
Lynn

PS - I failed to mention I will do my best to post regularly to our blog..

Opening Entry...

Hello all, Lynn from Emma's Friends...

Well, I have never done a blog before (read them, love them, never hosted/authored one though) so here we go!

While I love our little soapnotes.emmasfriends.com forum, it is limited (by design) in regard to posting so I thought, well, we'll give a blog a go.

I hope you enjoy our musings regarding what is going on in Emmaland... feel free to share your experiences with our goods, our mission, our sweetie Emma and life.

Wishing you many blessings,
Lynn