My Life After the St. Jude Radiothon

Last Thursday and Friday was nothing short of exhausting and exhilarating for both you and me! Together, we raised over $31,000 for the children of St. Jude!

 
Friday night at 7pm, all was over. Taste of Country Nights was in full swing over the airwaves, telephones in the phone bank were put up until next year, the volunteers and  ALSAC/St. Jude crew had packed up their things and were headed home,  and there was me, alone, with an tired mind and emotionally spent.

It’s a weird feeling, the time immediately after two days and 23 hours of such extreme, expressive fundraising. It feels lonely. The St. Jude “story songs” had broken me down on a few different occasions so I was already fragile.

While the radiothon is going on, you get these periods of time when the phones aren’t ringing so your internal panic button gets pushed and you fight to keep your mind from giving up and thinking you’re failing. Then there’s the other side of the coin, the extreme happy points when the phones are ringing, Partners In Hope are pledging and you’ve played a joyous story or two about precious babies that beat cancer and the wonders of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

I find myself taking the weekend to get adjusted back to my “normal” life. It’s partly my fault because I try and completely submerse myself in the stories of heartbreak and hope so I can better relay the message.

Saturday I spent time with the family. Quiet time around the house, we cooked, played monopoly, went to see the new movie ‘Warm Bodies’ and other stuff. I basically enjoyed this new found appreciation for the simple things in our lives.

Sunday, much of the same as we played basketball, went to the in-laws house for lunch and just enjoyed what we have, each other.

Now it’s Monday and I think I’ve returned to normal. The Ravens won the Super Bowl as I had hoped, I’ve got a hot cup of Starbucks coffee, my heart is full of love for our listeners and their kind hearts, and it’s business as usual around the offices of 95.3 The Bear.