Jason and I pulled away from Virginia Blood Services around 7 last evening. I felt full - of gratitude, relief, and appreciation for all who had joined us. I think Jason felt all of those things but he was also feeling a little shaky from having just finished giving platelets. The pressure to be able to donate successfully (after some rough tries at it the last few times) was relieved for me since all my extra blood is going to Spark currently! So I was able to just be there as host and photo taker, and able to talk to everyone at least a little bit. 
I had been feeling a bit discouraged leading up to this particular blood drive. I wasn't sure if it was just that being our 5th time organizing such an event the charm had worn off, summer schedules made things more challenging or that I committed to filling a bigger block than normal. But I wasn't filling all the slots! In the end, I gave back the extra hour I had reserved (which for perfectionistic me was not easy) and filled the normal time stamp that we have taken in the past. Yesterday, there were a few cancellations or possible cancellations so I wasn't sure what to expect as I headed across town.
Let's just say that I'm pretty sure we'll be doing it again - hopefully November 2nd in honor of Nora's 8th birthday and likely with a very new little Spark attending for the first time! The evening went smoothly and for the first time ever, everyone that wanted to donate was able to and did so successfully (3 on platelets and 11 whole blood)! And we had a room full of kids as cheerleaders, or mostly snack eaters, and some others who came to be part of the event! I felt grateful for the handful of folks that contributed snacks and the folks that shared with me that they would be looking for a location to donate in their own area. 
When we got home, tired but happy, a lovely rain shower had settled in and a few minutes later I looked out to see a beautiful rainbow on the mountain in front of our home. It was a lovely sight to end the day!
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