Will Dickens last August-Awesome

Today is Will's 17th birthday. Warm loving thoughts and memories of Will are coming to our family on this day. I visited Garden Close at St. Bede's this morning. Just at that time, the children from Trinity school were going to chapel. I stayed for the opening song being sung by the kids. So appropriate and beautiful, I was in the right place at the right time. His spirit lives on in those that he loved and loved him. Peace and love to you today and always. Janet Dixon-Dickens (Will's Mom)

Will Dickens’ Son, Brother, Teacher and Friend

Will had a natural talent for teaching. Being an assistant Sunday school teacher
for years at St. Bede’s gave Will the opportunity to share his gifts with the
children of the parish.

He excelled in math and science. His special need was in the area of reading
since first grade. He worked so hard and accomplished so much during his short
life.

A memorial fund has been established to honor Will's life through
Adopt-a-College http://adopt-a-college.org/. The purpose of program is to
support the education of community youth http://adopt-a-college.org/about2.html.
The scholarship will be awarded on May 20, 1 day before Will’s 17th birthday.

Will was also an accomplished athlete in water polo, soccer, tennis, basketball
and swimming. On June 7th, an award will be given to a Palo Alto Unified School
District (PAUSD) high school special needs student who shows enthusiasm for
aquatics and pursuing a university education.

Lastly, an annual award can be made, in memory of Will Dickens, to the Special
Olympics California Aquatic program, 3480 Buskirk Ave., Suite 340, Pleasant
Hill, CA 94523 or www.specialolympics.org.

To heal, our communities must focus on the natural gifts, strengths, talents and
interests that all kids have to offer. With this shift in focus and communities
connecting with youth, wonderful things will happen.

Mom's dinner and Clive's favorite-French Quarter Beignets

Last Thursday, the Mom's of children that have died, met for our May dinner. The dinner was a potluck and Mom's brought their child's favorite dish. Clive's Mom, Camilla, made French Quarter Beignets. Very tasty, here is the recipe:

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves: about 3 dozen

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of lukewarm water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/4 teaspoons slat
1 cup evaporated milk
7 cups bread flour
1/4 cup shortening
Nonstick spray
Oil, for deep frying
3 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions
Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk together. Mix egg mixture to the yeast mixture. In a separate bowl, measure our the bread flour. Add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the shortening and continue to yo stir while adding the remaining flour. Remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.

Add the confections' sugar to a paper or plastic bag and set aside.

Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares. Deep-fry, flipping constantly, until they become a golden color. After beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels, and then toss them into the bag of confectioners' sugar. Hold bag closed and shake to coat evenly.

Will's Memorial at St. Bede's, Menlo Park

There are excellent messages contained in the words of Kitty L., Alex B. and Kitty D.http://bedesblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/will-dickens-in-memoriam/#more-1319 Thank you, Dear God, for Bede's Blog and the Bede's community.

Will Dickens Garden Close

A memorial garden at St. Bede's Church in Menlo Park was dedicated in celebration of
Will's life on Palm Sunday. It was the idea of a fellow youth group member, Zeke Brown,
to become and Eagle Scout. The men built the fence at the men's retreat and the
youth group planted the garden including an olive tree. It is a lovely, peaceful and
beautiful garden.

Sliders-Mini Hamburgers-Aly made for us-delicious

Sliders-Mini Hamburgers
Makes 24
Ingredients
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 (1.25 ounce) envelope onion soup mix
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese or cheese of you choice
• 24 dinner rolls, split
• 1/2 cup sliced pickles (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Mix together the ground beef and onion soup mix in a large skillet; cook and stir over medium-high heat until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Remove from heat. Stir the mayonnaise and Cheddar cheese into the ground beef mixture.
3. Lay the bottoms of the dinner rolls on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the cheese and beef mixture on the bottom half of each roll. Replace the tops. Cover with another sheet of aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the burgers are heated through and cheese melts, about 30 minutes. Serve with sliced pickles.
5. Serve with Guacamole