Happy Mothers Day to all of you who are mothers, grandmothers, and great grandmother… The heart of our lives!

On Mother’s Day, it is we who usually thank our mothers.

In this rare instance, I just read my friend Patty Bogle’s Web posting, which turns it all around…thanking her children on her “Care Page.”

If you’re not familiar with Care Pages, it’s a web based community for those coping with illness. Having found her perfect donor match, this past April Patty Bogle received stem cell replant. Because this wonderful mother and grandmother is dear to my heart, I’ve been following her journey, once I learned about this Internet path. The Internet has changed our world in so many positive ways, and this is one of them.

If you you’d like to connect with Patty, here’s the link to Care Page.

Care Pages

Once there, in the upper right hand corner, click on “Visit,” and you’ll be directed to a new page where you can search on Patty’s name and sign up to visit her page. Then, you can communicate with her, too.

Patty posts messages to those of us who care, and we post back. She’s not walking through this chapter of her life alone… So many people are sending her messages of love and encouragement in this most courageous time of her life.

If you know anyone coping with illness, please encourage him or her to use Care Pages, because it’s a way to keep in contact with the ones we love when they’re so far away and can’t be reached by ordinary means.

Here’s how Patty pre-thought her Mother’s Day for this year. She’s an inspiration for us all.

Hello from Patty in Houston, May 8
I’m sorry that it has been so long since we have updated the webpage. Transplant is a long process and very day to day. For the most part I have done very well, I did get a little Graft vs Host disease in my GI tract which they are dealing with, and yet a little Graft vs Host is considered a good sign as long as it does not get out of control or last too long. So I am still in the hospital and continue to thank you for your prayers and support. I did want to take this time to thank everyone who has kept everything going at home during this long battle. The winery had a great first quarter—oops I may obsolete myself—but it is really due to the fact that our longtime employees in production, sales and accounting have always been our secret weapon and the key to our success. Those of you who have been to the winery over the years know many of them and know how wonderful they are. The second key has been my kids who have really stepped up to fill my leadership role at the winery. Warren has added to the huge responsibility of the vineyards and the birth of his first baby—Caden Christopher born on April 5. Jody has her many winery PR duties, export program, and winery club, plus Abby almost 3, and her many visits to me to act as my caregiver in Houston have been exhausting I know. Ryan has been at the winery since my illness working with Controller Brian Wilkinson in the accounting department and Marc Battaglia, our CPA, as well has coming to Houston to visit me when needed as well. These three are acting in my place to oversee winery ownership during my illness and they are doing a great job. It is a huge change for both staff and the kids and I appreciate everyone’s dedication to keeping the winery a place we can all be so proud of. Thank you. I did want to also thank my daughter Kelly. As most of you know, Kelly has twin three year old daughters, which is a monumental job. While she is not active in the winery, she has visited; she has been doing a wonderful job with the kids and keeps in close contact with me which raises my spirits immeasurably. Seeing your children become parents is a wonderful thing—especially when you see them doing their parenting with more patience and more intelligence than you think you probably had when you did !! So Happy Mothers Day to Stephanie, Jody, Kelly, and Becci Roncoroni for doing a great job with our grandchildren that bring us such joy. Thanks as always for the support and I hope the in near future to be able to get out of the hospital and continue my recuperation and final journey home to kids, grandkids, winery and of course all our friends in the wonderful Delta and Woodland areas. Patty & Ernie, Houston

[The image above has Patty in the center, and her friend Ernie is on the right. This image was taken during the Masters of Petite Sirah event held last November at Markham Vineyards in St. Helena.]