I've struggled with how to address this so please bear with me for a bit. You may have noticed that I haven't been around as much over the last week and it's because it's been one of the most difficult weeks in my life. You see, my mom has been battling leukemia (among other things) for the last 8 months and late last week she decided that since the treatment was not working, she was ready to stop treatment and go peacefully. And that's exactly what she did this morning, surrounded by her loving family.
As you can imagine, this has been an extremely difficult time for me and my family and unfortunately it has overlapped with what was supposed to be a relaxing week of hurting myself playing baseball in Florida. I have decided that now is not the best time for me to be going to the camp, and fortunately the Reds Camp organizers have been most accommodating for me and have offered to credit my payment toward next season's camp. So, thankfully I will still get the opportunity to hurt myself playing baseball. And the good news is that my older brother is going to join me on the trip. This makes me even more excited - though now I'm disappointed that all of my brothers can't make it.
I probably won't be around much over the next few days, especially not if David Weathers and Luis Gonzalez are all the Reds can pull together to get my attention. I'll leave you in the capable hands of the other admins until I'm able to join you again some time next week. All I ask is that you be nice to each other.
And if you are wondering what you can do to help out, might I suggest that you go to your local blood bank and donate either blood or platelets for someone who is still fighting to get better. My family cannot express enough gratitude to those who helped my mom survive as long as she did through their donations. You may not know the people who receive your donation, but believe me, they truly appreciate your effort.