Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias Social Fabric community.  I have been compensated to share my experience with you by Collective Bias and their client, Mastercard.

William & his mother Kathy

While William and I were dating, his mother died.

I remember going to the funeral and having no place to sit because the room was so packed. That was the kind of person she was. I love hearing my husband and my father-in-law talk about her – I love hearing the stories, hearing about her awesome sense of humor, and hearing about her love for babies. I feel like she and I had a lot in common. And I wish more than anything, that she were here.

I don’t just wish she were here for me. More than anything I wish she were here to see her two grandsons that she never had the chance to meet. I wish she were here to see how amazing William is with them, and what an incredible dad he is. I wish she were here to see her husband’s face light up as soon as he sees them. How gentle and caring he is with Wyatt and how much Wyatt loves him.

There is nothing I can do to bring her back. There is nothing I can do to heal the hole that was left behind in her family’s heart the day she passed. But I can and will make sure that Wyatt and Levi know about her, see photos of her, and hear stories about her. And I’ll always support and help spread the word about charities that revolve around helping to stand up to cancer.

A few months after Wyatt was born I asked her family members to record stories of her for a book that I wanted to put together. And it’s one of the most treasured things in our house because it’s filled with so much love. There are so many wonderful stories and images that really touch my heart. It’s there for William, Wyatt, Levi, and I to look at any time we need to – and it’s so precious to us.

I’m sharing this story because it ties into something wonderful that MasterCard is doing to help others Stand Up To Cancer. When you use your MasterCard to pay for a meal $10 or more they’ll make a donation, one precious cent at a time, to Stand Up To Cancer up to $4,000,000.

So in order to show our support we went out for a family dinner last night. Just me, William, Wyatt, Levi, and my father-in-law. We sat at a cozy booth and enjoyed each others company over some delicious food, all while helping to make a difference.

This is a small and simple thing that any MasterCard holder can do. It doesn’t cost you anything extra and by doing something you probably already do you can help so many. I am a proud MasterCard holder – I am proud to stand behind a company that loves to support such a great cause.

So what do you say? 
Why not take your family (and your MasterCard) and Stand Up To Cancer while enjoying a nice meal out!