"More Special Folks I Encounter"

I've been visiting families for the last number of years, at a little place called Family House.

If you want to be inspired, go look them up. http://familyhouseinc.org/

I visit at for a Thanksgiving celebration and for a holiday celebration. The children all have my videos. We laugh a lot.

I live pretty close to Family House, so I also see the people that work there; sometimes at the bank or waiting in line to vote.

Here's what Family House is. It is a place where families live while their children are in care for cancer at UC San Francisco Children's Hospital. Not all children have cancer, there are a lot of diseases, there are all sorts of awful diseases, extra awful if they effect children and disrupt families.

The people that work at Family House are always smiling. They are upbeat, positive and just fun to be around. You just want to be around these people. It's what I understand it's like to be around the Dalai Lama. Just pure positive energy.

Here's the thing. Children don't always make it that live at Family House; these are very sick children. Many children get better, but certainly more pass on than should. Through all this, the staff and volunteers treat the families with love and a smile. No one is judged, no one pays to be there, no one has to look for parking or find a baby sitter for their other children.

Here's the only thing that drives me crazy at Family House. They think I'm really wonderful for visiting. They think I'm pretty nifty for doing what I do. I think they are pretty nifty for doing what they do. To me it's no comparison. I leave after an hour or 90 minutes. I go home and watch TV. They are there all the time.

Children are a big deal in my world. I am really into the protection of children. These folks at Family House... I bow to them as superior humans.

It's a gift to be able to be around folks like this. My payment is just being there. It's really something when you can say about your job, pay or no pay, I'll be there. That's who they are, that's who I am.

I meet a lot of special people in my line of work. It's a gift when I do, I'm reminded, I'm really lucky, I get to be around the people of Family House.