January 2002 Updates on
Mary Beth's
Journey
Links to other pages: Home / Pictures / Mary Beth's Obituary
May God look over you in this new year and may you receive the kind of bountiful blessings bestowed on our family during the past year. Without them, it would be difficult to smile, laugh and live life the way MB taught us to live. God bless you, Sometimes a very surreal feeling overcomes me and I think Mary Beth is going to walk into the room at any moment. Call it a vision, denial, or wishful thinking but it is occasionally there nonetheless until reality recaptures me. It is hard to believe that three weeks from today an entire year will have elapsed since Mary Beth began her ascension. This past year has been full of the widest emotions one could encounter, all wrapped into the process called grieving. All in all, there have many more highs than lows, smiles than frowns, ups than downs, and cheers than tears. God bless you, I continue to feel humbled by the fact that I am running the Olympic torch. Today I received an open invitation from Mayor Slay to bring everyone to Kiener Plaza in downtown on Tuesday evening from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM for an Olympic rally. You are all invited. As you know I will be running with the torch at 6:25 PM that evening and will not be able to attend this function until afterwards. I also received notice this evening from Coca Cola of a press conference with Mayor Slay on Monday. I hope you all can join me in this Olympic experience as I carry the flame in MB's memory. God bless you, It is about 12:45 AM and I just finished making pancakes for Heidi, Barbie and the other seven St Joe Angels who are spending the night here. Most Saturday mornings it is pancake time with specially shaped pancakes. When the girls heard that I would be leaving the house before they woke up, they made a special request to eat them before they went to bed. The trouble is, they are just now starting a movie. I guess I did things like that as a teen as well, but time has eroded the clarity of the memories. God bless you, The basement of Our Lady of the Pillar was filled with love today as a large group of volunteers gathered to make blankets for the children at Children's Hospital. Making these has sparked Sheila's interest as well as the rest of the family. All in all at Pillar we estimate there were around 100 blankets made for the children. Tonight's family activity included making another 14. William even got in on the activity by making a small version for Chuckie Sue, his dwarf hamster. We know first hand how appreciative the ill children will be when they receive a warm hand made blanket from a stranger. God bless you, We have our first noticeable snowfall this evening but it appears as though it will not last long. The forecast calls for unseasonable warm temperatures early this week. Although William is not happy about this, you will see me smiling because the forecast for Tuesday (a.k.a. Torch Day) is a high of 53. God bless you, It is starting to sink in that I am actually running with the Olympic torch tomorrow. After the mayor's press conference today, I received several calls from various people involved in the preparation informing of details and asking if I would grant an interview to Fox Sports. By the time I called back on that one, they had contacted another torchbearer to speak with. My starting point is at the northeast edge of Saint Louis University's campus at the corner of Olive and Compton. There is a new parking garage on the corner, so parking should not be an issue. I run east from there and am looking forward to carrying Mary Beth's spirit with me every step along the way. God bless you, I just lived one of the most moving experiences of my life as I carried the Olympic torch for Mary Beth and our country. It was truly an honor and a privilege to "light the fire within" and run with the flame as tears streamed down my face. It was such a rush as the torchbearer shuttle stopped at my starting point with the Olympic theme song playing and I walked off the shuttle to be welcomed by so many of our wonderful friends and family members. I still can not see clearly because of all the flashes going off. One of the highlights was hearing Heidi and Barbie shouting, "That's my Dad! - I love you Dad!" as I ran along. It is a memory that will forever be indelibly etched in my mind as I felt my angel's wings lifting me through the entire route. Thank you all for joining me in person and in spirit. God bless you, One of the best things that has happened to our family was the introduction to a special person who has become a great friend. She is very close to us and we joke with her that she is our oldest daughter. We all (especially Mary Beth) have enjoyed the time we have spent with her over the course of the past two plus years. Her name is Sara Clark and she entered our lives when she accepted the position of youth minister at Our Lady of the Pillar. Sara credits her Grandmother Limbaugh for inspiring her to become a youth minister. Grandma Limbaugh was recently diagnosed with cancer and would appreciate keeping her in your thoughts and prayers. While we have not met her, we know she is a wonderful person as witnessed by the impact she has had on Sara. Please join us in prayer for her by asking our Lord to surround her with friendship, peace, comfort and strength during her treatment. God bless you, Sheila and I had a great lunch hour today as we spent it by paying a visit to Mary Beth's grave. It is always very moving to be there and say a few prayers and speak to MB. Still present from her birthday were an angel placed there by her friend Amanda Wilson and the coolest purple car a mystery friend gave her for her sweet 16th. We have heard from several family members that Mary Beth's story was featured on the news last night on the NBC affiliate in Wichita. They spoke of her inspiration and my opportunity to carry the torch for her on Tuesday. It was truly an honor to do so.
God bless you, In reading Psalm 30 today, I picked out the following: "Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." It struck me that they spoke of saints giving praise. When one thinks of saints, the canonized saints come to mind. However, we all have the opportunity to become saints here on earth by serving our fellow man and following Jesus path. When we need him most, he is always there. God bless you, Today reminded me of days gone by when Sheila and I took Mary Beth, Barbie and Heidi to Sesame Street Live at Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City. We had William, three of his friends, his cousin Nate, Uncle Jeff and Heidi with us today as we watched Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, Oscar and friends come to life on the stage in front of us. The five youngsters had the same sparkles in their eyes that we saw in MB, Barbie and Heidi's eyes in the past. I am sure Mary Beth was laughing at the sticky fingers full of cotton candy that we also encountered. We would have it no other way. God bless you, We continue to experience extraordinary sunshine and warmth for January in the Midwest. We are all anxious for some snow so the sleds actually see the light of day this winter. Perhaps our day will come soon and we will be shoveling enough of the white stuff and slipping around the streets to make us yearn for days like today. Enjoy the moment for every day's a holiday! God bless you, If you want to have a relaxing un-crowded winter getaway, hit the slopes. I was amazed at how few the number of people there were actually skiing in Vail as I had an all day meeting there today. They attribute the low visitor turnout to the terrorist attacks and the fear of travel. If you can, spend some time in the mountains. You will receive several benefits, including reduced housing and a lot of thank yous from those who make tourism a livelihood. The biggest benefit I believe you receive upon visiting the mountains is seeing one of the more beautiful areas of our country. God bless you, In the course of a normal day we each have thoughts of Mary Beth. It may be something that happens during the course of the day that reminds you of her or it may be that your thoughts just migrate to her memory. After I left for Vail on Sunday evening, William was sitting at the table and was speaking with Sheila about Mary Beth's hair, or lack thereof. He often sees her picture with her thick beautiful hair that graces this web site. During their conversation, he burst into tears and cried uncontrollably because he told his mom that he could not remember Mary Beth's long hair. Sheila explained to him that he was very young and had just turned three when MB started losing her hair. Sheila explained to him that Mary Beth now has the most angelic beautiful long hair one can imagine. When he heard this, he stopped crying, hugged his mom and smiled. God bless you, Mary Beth continues to touch lives by her shining example of how to live. We heard today that another of our friends donated her hair to Locks of Love. Amber Stark, who lives in Atlanta and is Heidi's friend from kindergarten in KC, made her donation just after Christmas in MB's memory. Her mother and sister also plan to follow her lead. It is the support by so many people in our lives that sustains us on a daily basis. For that we are forever grateful. God bless you, The
world continues to prove that it is indeed a small place. We
heard from one of my fraternity brothers, Art Chartrand, today that
I have not seen in several years. He was attending one of his niece's
basketball games last week in KC when he met Brock Hill, another
native of Garden Plain, KS. They shared info and learned that
they knew people in common, one being me. Brock told Art of
Mary Beth's story and he contacted me. When I first met Art in
1979 he had just lost his brother Ed to an unknown cause. His
story is documented at www.chartrand-soccer.org
where the family is keeping his legacy alive. I was saddened
to hear that the Chartrand family lost other members of their family
last year. Art shared the following passage with me that I
want to share: ....”Be ever on the watch, be on the lookout,
for you know not the month, you know not the day, you know not the
hour...be vigilant...for the Lord is coming at the time you least
expect.” God bless you, It
was apparent that Mary Beth was sending us a message tonight during
the Father Daughter Dance for St. Joe this evening. Barbie and
I were inside dancing, acting crazy and having a lot of fun.
The evening was a memorable one marking the first father daughter
dance for us while high school aged. During the fun activities
inside, it was snowing outside. The drive home after midnight
included the most spectacular views of trees draped in a wet thick
snow. God bless you, Tomorrow morning Barbie and I will wake up in the city that never sleeps. We arrived in New York this afternoon to extend our Father Daughter weekend. We started our visit with a somber visit to Ground Zero then lightened our stay with the performance of Beauty and the Beast. It was only fitting that Barbie saw this as her first show on Broadway because this has always been her favorite Disney movie. While living in KC she had a Beauty and Beast birthday party in which all the little girls wore their nice dresses and I dressed in my tux with a Beast head I rented from a costume shop. I only frightened a couple of her little friends with my looks (and yes that was when I had my costume on, thank you). Some might say those were the good old days, but we continue to make those good old days everyday. God bless you, Attending mass at Saint Patrick's Cathedral is always special, but today was even more special. Barbie and I went to 9:00 AM mass this morning with Laura and Wally Kisling and Kristen and Gary Sansone. Gary and I even participated in mass by taking up collection. We lit candles for Mary Beth, Erin Wilson, our families and all of you - our friends. After a stroll along Central Park West, breakfast, shopping, lunch and the Rams victory in the ESPN Zone, the new Toys R Us (puts FAO to shame), the Broadway production Rent, the top of the Empire State Building and NY pizza, it is time to call it a day. We have had a blast and look forward to returning home. The city continues the healing process and it is refreshing to see an increase in tourism. Join in the fun if the opportunity presents itself, you will not be disappointed. God bless you, It is difficult to believe that in two days we will be celebrating the first anniversary of Mary Beth's entry into God's kingdom. As with each milestone during the past year, we are anticipating this day with a fair amount of anxiety. With each event, the anticipation is much worse than the day itself. We believe Mary Beth would prefer that we not get anxious but just enjoy each day as it comes. Perhaps when we complete our first annual cycle, we will do just that but for now, the anxiety lingers. Each anniversary, holiday, birthday and other milestone have been wonderful as I am sure Wednesday will be as well. God bless you, We have heard from several friends and family today offering support as we face tomorrow. One such friend is Mary Beth, Barbie and Sheila's fellow St Joe Angel, Clare Conners. Clare is a 2001 SJA alumnus and suffered the loss of her father while a sophomore at St Joe. One year ago this week she was one of the Angels who presented MB's class ring to us. I share an excerpt from her email to our family: "During my
19 years down here on earth I have been blessed with many
unforgettable experiences and opportunities.
But one in particular experience will be with me for the rest
of my life. And that is
the day I had the privilege and honor to present the St. Joe class
ring to your family, during Mary Beth’s wake.
After learning how much St. Joe meant to Mary Beth, it was
the wish of so many SJA girls to ensure Mary Beth was given a
special piece of St. Joe. We
felt the ring represented every incredible aspect St. Joe has to
offer. For me, my St. Joe ring signifies the four most unbelievably,
amazing years of my life, a time I wouldn’t trade for anything in
the world. So you see to have been given the opportunity to present
a fellow angel with the ultimate symbol of friendship, community and
love is something I thank God for everyday. Although many of
us at St. Joe never had the chance to really get to know Mary Beth
while she was here on earth, I believe we still have a strong
connection with her, for she is one of our fellow “ANGELS” in
more ways than one. Please
know because of your profound faith and love, Mary Beth’s spirit
lives on forever! P.S. My mom has always said her kids have been her greatest teacher for life’s lessons, so remember as tomorrow rolls around listen to your daughter (and sister) and don’t forget “life is short, LAUGH HARD!”" Everyone is invited to join us in a mass at Our Lady of the Pillar tomorrow at 11:05 AM in celebrating MB's life. God bless you, As we wind down our day, our wish is that you all had as wonderful a day as we did on this, the Feast Day of Mary Beth Ricken. To be surrounded by and supported by so many friends and family is one of the most rewarding feelings a person can have and you provided this to us today. Yes, we shed a lot of tears but we also laughed a lot today. William listened intently and absorbed Father Tobin's homily. He informed Sheila after mass that everything was going to be okay because "God is always with us!" He reinforced that message with all of us at the dinner table as well. Our heartfelt thanks to all who made this day so special. As a special intention in your prayers, please remember our friend Cyndee Craighead who is undergoing surgery for breast cancer tomorrow. Cyndee and Bob moved to Southern California in 1993 and are former fellow parishioners of our old parish - Holy Cross in Overland Park, KS. They have faced many challenges in the past with their daughter Abbey surviving a brain tumor and losing their son David at birth. Abbey is doing great now and lettered in high school tennis recently. Her younger sister Emma is also doing well. Please say a prayer for their Mom tomorrow as they face another of life's challenges. God bless you, It is all about to start in our house - Barbie is asking for her driver's permit booklet so she can start driving after her birthday this coming Sunday! That is a scary thought for a number of reasons, one of which is the realization that we are actually old enough to have a driver. We are actually looking forward to having Barbie behind the wheel and you have our word that we will work hard to make sure the rest of you are safe on the streets. God bless you, After New York on Monday, Minneapolis yesterday and Dallas today, I count my diet of airline pretzels and biscotti as a blessing. Thank you for the prayers for our dear friend Cyndee Craighead. Her surgery went well and the initial biopsy results are negative for cancer. She is confident that the final biopsy will be negative as well. Locks of Love is richer today by lots of locks of hair in excess of 18 inches long donated by Kathy Schumacher in memory of Mary Beth. She informed us that doing so was one of her most gratifying experiences. Kathy is our friend who nominated me to run the Olympic torch and is also a cancer survivor. Please keep Janet and Judy Schillinger's father Bob in your prayers this evening. He was taken to the hospital yesterday and is undergoing tests for anemia. God bless you, The kitchen was a buzz this evening when I walked in from the airport at 9:00 PM. Heidi was being assisted by William in making Barbie's birthday cake for her birthday tomorrow. It was difficult to see who was having more fun, although William had a great deal more chocolate on his clothes than did Heidi. Her theme is "Barbie" complete with a "Barbie" cake, pink "Barbie" plates, napkins and party favors. This is only fitting since I lost her in the Toys R Us in NY this week because she was spending all her time in the life-size "Barbie" dream house. It is nice to see that there is some semblance of little girl left in this teenager. God bless you, HAPPY BIRTHDAY
God bless you, Yesterday marked the beginning of Catholic Schools Week in which the mass was co-celebrated by the children. As I listened to Matthew's gospel, it was hard to picture how Jesus gathered four of his disciples while walking along the Sea of Galilee. He told them he would make them fishers of men if they followed him. Imagine the faith that the sons of Zebedee, James and John had by abandoning their father and the family business to follow the way of our Lord. Here were two men who were groomed their entire lives to follow their father's footsteps and they left it all behind to seek the way of the Lord. I think we are all given ample opportunities to abandon our nets and follow His way in our daily lives. We will not hear his voice asking us to do so, but there are signs all around us if we just stop and look for them. God bless you, William informed us of the business he intends to start for people with pets. His idea is to be the pet sitter while the pet owners are on vacation. His business plan is to start by offering his services to those people he already knows then grow the business from there. He also informed me that we should not be taking family vacations for awhile because other people may be going at the same time and he could not get his work in. A true entrepreneur in the making! God bless you, When flying in on the approach to New York's LaGuardia airport this evening, we had a great view of Manhattan. This view brought so many diverse emotions to mind for me that I smiled and also shed a tear simultaneously. The tear was obviously for all those who are grieving for their loved ones lost in the horrific events of September 11th. The smile was for all the great times this city has provided over the years, the most recent when I spent time here on two separate occasions with two of my favorite women. Sheila and I had a great time in October as did Barbie and I a little over a week ago. God bless you, When some people hear that a person travels for their career, they often think it is glamorous and fun. I, on the other had, being one that travels a lot, know differently. The most rewarding traveling that I really enjoy is traveling with my family. The most rewarding part of my career travel is coming through the door at home met by welcoming hugs. Those who really know me know that I can sleep virtually anywhere and have done so on several occasions - in airplanes, on airport floors, etc. But I really do not enjoy spending the night away from my family in a hotel room laying my head on a paper thin pillow. I manage though and I guess there are a couple of sayings that ring true: "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" and "There is no place like home". God bless you, Home / Top of page / Prayer chain / December - 01 / February - 02
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The
following page contains updates regarding Mary Beth's journey for
January of 2002.
If
you wish to contact Mary Beth's family, you may do so through 
