#MCStrong

Ellie and I had to get out of the house this afternoon for a last minute showing .. so we decided to go to Barnes and Noble to see if she could find anything with her birthday gift card from Aunt Mimi.  We suggested to her she might look for some activity books and car trip books ... since that next ride to Texas was only a few weeks away!

We shopped and then still had time to kill so we went into the Starbucks cafe to have a drink.  Ellie ordered a small hot chocolate and I ordered a small coffee.  And when it was time to pay the cashier advised me that the bill was taken care of in the 'Pay It Forward' campaign of #MCStrong!  I was so excited to be part of this campaign that I asked how I could contribute.  She advised if I wanted to donate it would be added to the funds being used to pay for others.

I quickly found cash in my wallet and handed it to her. And we all smiled at how strong this #MCStrong thing really had become.

Now I'll explain #MCStrong.  Michael Collins was a local 22 year old that was killed last weekend by a drunk driver.  He didn't die instantly, he lived for 3 days in the hospital.  His family and friends wanted to honor his memory by creating a way for others to 'pay it forward' in his honor - remembering the generous life he lived.  They are using #MCStrong as an identifier.

So now we're a part of it .. and we'll continue to make efforts to pay it forward in his honor this week.

#MCStrong at Starbucks inside Barnes and Noble - Bloomington IL