“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

I always joke with my family that I got all of the reject genes. Kathy got the skinny, pretty, athletic genes and I got the stubby, clumsy, sausage toe genes. We also compare our personality traits and where they came from. We joke about which side of the family the crazy comes from, and we all know I got my ability to haggle from my dad. But one of the things I am most proud of is one of the traits I got from my mom. We are both what I like to call "fixers." When someone has a problem, or tells us of a woeful story, we don't just say, "gee, I'm so sorry." We say, "what can I do?" We don't try to fix everything in the negative sense; we just do everything in our power to make a difference. When my best friend calls me crying because her nose is so stuffed up she can't breathe, I show up with tissues, nyquil, and a few good jokes to distract her. When we couldn't figure out how to get food for the fashion show, I called in favors and sent out Fashion, Inc. members to do something about it. I think what I'm getting at is that we are proactive. We can be sympathetic, empathetic or whatever, but in the end we are going to say, "What can I do?"

When my mom called me Friday night and told me that my aunt Marika was in the hospital, the first words out of my mouth were, "I can leave tonight." She told me to slow my roll a bit and leave in the morning, but there was no hesitation. I grew up knowing that family is the most important asset in life, and I don't think for a second about being there for my family. Obviously I can't heal the cancer, and I know I can't make Marika better. But I can help her clean the house, distract the kids and try to give her enjoyable days. I took Gabrielle shopping, I took an obscenely large number of trips to the Blue Moose (BEST. COFFEE. EVER.) and I spent a great deal of time joking around with the family. I was there to give the third greatest gift ever - laughter. (That's a reference to the new Muppets movie. I saw it tonight with Chris and Amy. Go see it!)

I might not always get things right. What I think is helpful might just complicate things. When I try to fix things, sometimes I might make them worse. And in the end, the things I do might get reversed, they might not matter to the world. But they matter in that moment. For a moment, I'm a fixer. For a day or two, I can do everything in my power to make a difference. That's what it means to be a fixer, and I'm proud to say I inherited it 100% from my mom. There's no expectation of repayment, no chip on her shoulder. She is one of the most selfless people I know, and she would do anything for anyone. All she wants out of the deal is to make a difference, no matter how small.

I ask that you all pray for my aunt Marika. She is an amazing woman and she can beat cancer and be restored to full health. We believe that God answers prayers and that He will heal her.

This isn't some self righteous post about how I'm the most selfless, fabulous person in the world. It's just a realization I made over the past few days that I'm really proud of. I genuinely want to make a difference in this world. I can be selfish and I can be rude sometimes, but I want to make the best effort I can to make a positive impact on everyone in my life. I want to be a fixer for the rest of my life. I KNOW it can drive some of my friends absolutely insane, but I hope I never stop. I hope I always continue to make friends with the weird kids, invite everyone I know to parties so no one gets left out, and show up at the drop of a hat when someone needs something. I want to be a change maker in this world, not just a bystander.