ABOUT

Hello and Welcome!!

Let me tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Sandra Cates but you can call me Sandy. I love to read books. Yes. I’m old school and love holding a book. I love to learn new things, especially knitting! I can be a little sassy but in a kind way.

I am a mom of two sons, Jacob and Justin and step mom to Dakota. My husband, Mark, and I love these young men with all of our hearts. Two out of three military bound. Jacob is a veteran Marine and Justin was a US Navy recruit getting ready to head off to boot camp when we lost him tragically.

Our story is happy, sad and blessed. I know that is a very complex description but you will see why. I felt it on my heart to share our grief journey. I am by no means a professional but I am a mom that is wanting to help others.

Justin was fun loving and always happy. He took up for the underdog, could break up a fight between others with his calm words and have everyone laughing later. This young man was trained to be a firefighter and wanted to help others, ultimately choosing to fight for his country. He was a Hero to many in our small town.

In honor of Justin, we created a non-profit organization called Be A Hero. We give scholarships to two different schools and give out hygiene products in a basket or tote to families in need. We call these Hero Baskets.

Through Justin’s legacy, we show others we can be a Hero just by showing kindness, compassion and paying it forward. That’s what I hope to achieve with this blog. Not everyone has a strong, positive support system through grief, that’s why we talk so openly about our journey of coming out of the darkness and finding hope.

Much love!

Sandy