My Heart is Dancing

Tc had a beautiful turnout at her visitation this evening.
Heartfelt appreciation to all of you.

The stories you shared,
The tears you shed,
The way you held us up, collectively…
We’ll never forget.

My heart dances tonight because Tc is free.
She is among all God’s children and like them,
She is whole again.

Tc never wanted much.
Not the sorts of things money could buy.
She was happy with the simple things life gave her;
Family, furry friends and fishing.

She has all that now,
And so much more.
She is in God’s Heavenly Kingdom.
Halleluiah.

We say our formal Goodbyes in a few short hours.
I hope I’m the first one through that door.
I thought I would be scared; scared of the pain.
But I’m not.

I am so happy for her.
Today we get to honor not only who Tc was,
But who she is in her new role…
Guardian Angel.

I hope all of your hearts are dancing.
We have a new Angel watching over us.
That is Tc’s true legacy…
She took care of people, she took care of animals, she took care of anyone in need.

My soul may be sad for a while.
But my heart is dancing.

Theresa (TC) Sachsenmaier Knedlik Leonard

Theresa Leonard, 48, passed away peacefully on November 25th, surrounded by her devoted family after a valiant four-year battle against breast cancer. Visitation will be on Thursday, November 29, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Bruce Funeral Home in Spring Hill, KS. Memorial Mass will be at 10 a.m. Friday, November 30, at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Olathe. Inurnment will be at Spring Hill Cemetery, following the service.

TC was born on May 3, 1959, in Brooklyn, NY. She moved with her family to Thalwil, Switzerland, before spending her teenage years in Shawnee. After attending K-State, TC married Jim Knedlik, moved to Orange County, CA and started a family. With their second daughter on the way, they returned home to Overland Park. TC married Len Leonard in 1998, and they made their home in Spring Hill.

A successful website designer, TC’s true passion was www.KCPetConnect.com, a non-profit she founded in 2003 for the purpose of reuniting lost pets with their families. A true advocate for all dogs and cats, TC is once again frolicking with her furry friends--especially Billygoat, who lost his own battle with cancer last year.

Theresa is survived by her husband, Len Leonard; her daughters Kacee and Ashley; her grandson, Dakoda; her parents Dolores Duddy and Gene Sachsenmaier; her sisters Toby Sachsenmaier and Chrissy Baker with husband Mike; adored niece and nephew, Jordie and Nick Baker; and the father of her own beautiful children, Jim Knedlik.

TC’s family would like to recognize the incredible care and compassion given to her--always with respect and dignity--from her team at KU: Dr. Qamar Khan and Stephanie Rowlands; Dr. Mazin Al-Kasspoole and Dr. Allan Fleming: We salute you. Special thanks also to Dr. John Bernard, who always had TC’s back.

In lieu of flowers, Tax-deductible donations to the pet foundation she started, would please TC and can be made at www.kcpetconnect.com .

You fought the good fight, TC. Now it’s time to rest.

She fought the good fight

And now she’s finally at peace.

TC passed away Sunday evening, a little past 11pm.
We were all with her, and together we encouraged her to let go.
Father Chris had come in time, he gave her last rites.
This is of great comfort to us.

I’m very sorry for those of you who had to hear it here first, and deserved a personal phone call.
We are doing the best we can.

Thank you for your prayers, they are carrying us.

Chris

Faithful or Foolish?

Today has been an unbelievable test of faith.
If I were not there as a witness, I might doubt this story.
But not only is it true, my words cannot possibly do justice to the awfulness of it.

Last night, TC’s family put the Christmas tree up and decorated the house for a holiday season which none of us a year ago, thought TC would be here to see.
It was a bittersweet evening.
Then the sky fell.
Literally.

Ashley and her boyfriend Clint, were in the living room watching the game.
A loud cracking sound quickly grabbed their attention.
They looked up at the ceiling and astonished, saw that it was moving.
Clint who is a big guy, jumped up and tried to literally hold it in place.
The force however was bigger than he, and as he yelled for Ashley to run, the ceiling collapsed behind them, followed by 18 inches of blown insulation.
Not just one piece of drywall…the entire ceiling came down in the living room, entryway and hall.
It was a domino effect.

I can’t begin to explain in this small space, the raw emotions running through us right now.
Yes…we should be grateful no one was hurt.
Yes…we should be grateful it wasn’t worse.
Yes…we should be grateful…
Grateful, grateful, grateful….

But…

We had to move TC out of her home today; it is uninhabitable for her in this condition.
We worked like dogs today to get the debris cleaned up before we can even think about repairs.
We (I) bit my lip, and avoided going ballistic on the insurance agent, who stood there and told me that TC’s house was “built wrong” 26 years ago, they didn’t use “dry wall” nails and they will not cover any loss, including the floors which are a total loss.

"Grateful" is not high on my list of vocabulary words right now.
Shorter, one syllable words, most with just 4 letters, are.

I don’t want to be bitter.
I don’t want to question my faith.
But blind faith doesn’t come easy to me.
I fight for what I do have.

What I get in return…
It calms me when I see evil.
Without it, I feel empty and alone.
Faith carries me, when I don’t think I can go any further.

But tonight I find myself questioning…
Faith?
Or fool.

My hope is that tomorrow when I wake, it will all become clear.
It’s just a ceiling.
A mess.
Another kick in the gut when we’re already down.
But nothing more.

Our friends have generously offered to help us.
We are learning to push aside our pride and accept.
I have faith in our friends.
That kind of faith has never been in question.

As for the other, it will come back.
Somehow, it always does.

No News is Good News...

What a line of crap.