Uptown Funk

http://youtu.be/0EUEg7kd6Cg

Of course, it's always inspirational when teachers take the time to engage their students and do something extraordinary.... but I am really just posting this because it's fun.

After The Sickness invaded my household this week, I like fun.

Happy Thursday, everyone.

Pain Demands to Be Felt (and shared)

http://news.yahoo.com/father-colorado-shooting-victim-finds-solace-officer-051827986.html




The police officer who held his daughter as she died reminds him that someone else is out there remembering his little girl as time passes.

I think it is one of the most basic human needs: to know that you are not alone in your grief.

When I had my miscarriage several years back, I didn't want to talk to anyone about it. I made my husband call around to our family. I emailed our friends. That was it. I wanted to just pretend it had never happened, except that it had and you can't actually avoid pain and keep your sanity.

As my fellow John Green fans would say: "Pain demands to be felt."

I received three responses that I remember to this day. One friend said she was sorry and asked to come over. Another said she was hurting for us and asked if we would meet she and her family for dinner so we would get out of the house.

The final sent me one line in response.

I am crying with you.

All three were moms. All three knew what I needed most was to not feel alone, even if that was what I thought I wanted.

To this day, I still think of the power of those words: I am crying with you. I use them. Frequently.

That is essentially what this officer has done for this father. He showed him that he wasn't alone in his grief. That someone else out there was hurting for him. With him.

Bravery in the Face of Bullying

http://www.faithit.com/this-quiet-kid-sick-being-nobody-watch-what-did-literally-change-everything/

 

 

I get pretty fired up about bullying stories. I don't think there is a person alive who hasn't been bullied to some extent, whether it be as a child in school or as an adult in the work place. It happens. And it sucks. I wrote a post on it a few years ago on my personal blog after a former classmate died. The memories it dredged up in my fellow classmates were insane and utterly heartbreaking.  

 

This video popped up on my feed yesterday and it really struck a chord. There are all sorts of kinds of bravery. Off the top of my head, the first kind I always think of is that of a soldier. Putting your life on the line for others is The Ultimate to me in bravery. So, police officers, firemen (and women), paramedics, doctors in war torn countries... all of them. Brave. Wonderful. I am so thankful for them every day.

 

But this is a different sort of bravery. This kid was being bullied. They said it was after his father died, but it doesn't really matter what caused it. In my experience, bullying needs no justification. The important thing is that he was and instead of ducking out to another school, or shrinking away to just finish his school year out in peace or deciding to homeschool (all viable options, in my opinion), he put himself out there as a servant to his fellow classmates, Earning Their Respect.

 

Watch. Learn. Admire his bravery.

 

 

Sharing MLK, Jr.'s Message All Year Long

So my family was home yesterday, in honor of this man ^^^^. I took the time to explain Dr. King's message to my five year old and was beyond grateful that he found it difficult to understand how anyone could hate based on color. Or appearance. Or anything. To him, it was unthinkable.

I love that. I pray he stays that way. It reminds me of the time a few weeks ago when my husband and I were watching some reality TV show or something, and he asked us "what are those fiery things hanging out of their mouths?"

Cigarettes. Love. That. He. Didn't. Know.

(And after hearing about them, he was again baffled- kids are awesome.)

Anyway, yesterday, social media was full of MLK messages. Today, it's over for another year. But this morning, I found this little video on my fb feed. To me, this guy is spreading the message and love of Dr. King. Very sweet video. Very kind man. Very inspirational.

Share the love, folks.

http://wgntv.com/2015/01/19/vacuum-salesman-invited-to-birthday-for-a-child-with-autism-moves-room-to-tears/

His Clean Water Mission

http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/12/world/haiti-earthquake-anniversary-la-source/index.html



Sweet merciful heaven, this one made me weep. Firstly, at the unbridled joy of the children rushing the fresh water flowing out of the new pipes and then again when Josue said that he felt like he hadn't yet done enough.

As I sit here with my pink water bottle full and clean in my warm home ran on electricity, it is difficult not to feel completely humbled by the will and love of that man.

Many thanks to my girl, Kelly, for sharing this story with me so that I could share it with all of you.

What He Didn't Do

I am sure this one will be everywhere today... and in watching the video, it maybe doesn't seem like much. In fact, as I considered it for my blog, I actually had the thought, "Hm, I mean, yeah, I guess. Is that it?"

And two seconds later I wanted to smack myself. Because he seriously could have done NOTHING. He could have sat there and pretended he didn't know what was going on.

But he didn't.

So today, my hero story isn't so much about what he did do. It's about what he didn't do. He didn't sit back and let the man die.

And that makes all the difference. The Husband and I have talked about that. I've shared these stories with him (since he refuses most social media sites that don't have pictures of hunting dogs or fishing stories) and we've talked about how most of these hinge around that moment of "do I take action or just sit and see how this plays out?"

This blog is filled with people who didn't wait and see.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/after-arrest-florida-teen-helps-save-officers-life/?ftag=YHF4eb9d17

For the Sake of Kindness

http://www.faithit.com/two-boys-both-suffer-rare-genetic-disorder-they-found-each-other-nick-of-time/



This may be my favorite story thus far. Honestly. I have loved doing this project. Every single one of these inspirational stories has encouraged me and blessed me beyond belief. This one, though, is a step above.

Jono Lancaster was born with a rare genetic disorder called Treacher Collins Syndrome. It affects the facial bones and tissues and not only does it change your appearance, but it also causes difficulties with breathing, hearing and sight.

Jono was abandoned by his parents at birth. He was teased and rejected over and over in his life. He was given the option to have surgeries to correct his disfiguration several years back, but he declined. He talks in this article about how he had wished when he was growing up that he would know just one other person who looked as he did.

He says "this is how God made me" and now he has made it his life's mission to travel around and meet the others in the world who are affected with this disorder. He is a hero to these young kids and an encouragement to their parents and families.

And he is a hero and encouragement to me. How many would make the choice he made? I ask myself this every day, as it is a basic theme in my novel. Are we made the way we are for a Purpose? A reason? If medical science can fix us, should we allow it? I think it is a very personal decision. And I think it is a very brave thing to say "this is how God made me and this is how I chose to remain for the sake of Purpose. For the sake of making the world a more loving place."

Jono Lancaster is a Hero.

Doing His Part to Restore Sight to the Needy

So I know you will be shocked to read this, but seriously Monday mornings are the worst for finding good news stories. Especially after something as big as the Golden Globes apparently. The internet is chock-full of stories about this celebrity's "bored face" and that celebrity's "ugly dress", but nothing positive that I could find. Not to mention ALL the stories were in one way or another judging the females...

BUT that is for another blog and another day, I suppose. Let's just say I'm annoyed.

That being said, I DID eventually find a story for you all and it's a good one. This young man was one of CNN's featured heroes in 2013. His name is Yash Gupta and he collects glasses for kids in need. When the article was written, he had collected 9500 pairs of glasses. How about that? Pretty amazing, if you ask me. Way more amazing than a discussion of what Jennifer Lopez wore last night.

Just saying.

Anyways, here is the video clip: http://www.cnn.com/videos/health/2013/09/05/cnnheroes-gupta.cnn

And here is the website if you want to help. He takes donations of used glasses (duh, how easy is that? I have like three pairs of old glasses sitting in my closet right now) and also can send you a box to set up for free at your local optometrist.

http://sightlearning.com/

Happy Monday, everyone. Let's make a difference today.

Eight Year-Old Wows on the Piano

http://news.yahoo.com/eight-year-old-pianist-dazzles-with-chopin-recital-at-train-station-195739288.html

Jay Lewington, age 8 in this clip, has never taken a piano lesson, but rather learned to play watching videos on YouTube.

That's all. Something sweet and lighthearted and amazing for your Friday morning... It's been a pretty heavy week.

Bravery in the face of terror

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWkdmLH7xdE

 

 



 

 



I don't know what the Paris gunmen hoped to accomplish with their actions yesterday. I don't think they counted on it backfiring (pun intended) like this, however.

I am writer, so of course I subscribe to the notion of power in the Almighty Pen. History has proven time and again that there is something very dangerous about a person who has prodigious skill with words. And these guys just awoke a beast in the heart of every artist in the world.

I shall eagerly await the outcome over the next days, weeks, months and years. It takes an insane amount of bravery to fight terror with laughter. It takes an insane amount of cowardice to face laughter with terror.

Je suis Charlie.

These Little Guys Have It Right...

http://abc7chicago.com/society/video-young-boys-asked-to-slap-little-girl-in-social-experiment/462246/

I have nothing to add to this video. I think it speaks for itself.

Except, for real, I cried.

Homeless Teen Graduates HS On His Own

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32iaLFbnS3U

 

 

There are many stories to be found of inspiring young people taking their futures into their own hands. This is just one. But something about the smile in this kid's eyes when he chants "6:30, 6:30, 6:30!" just got me. It's like you can almost feel that that particular moment of when he was going to walk across the stage to receive his diploma was all he could think about those years he was living day to day.

 

He could have quit. He could have dropped out or gotten his GED or sold drugs or anything, really, except what he did.

 

But he chose to fight for his life, instead. An article I read said that he planned to attend college the following fall. I hope it worked out for him.

Nothing ventured...

Sometimes super human will is the most amazing gift of all. Lately I have been facing my own inner demons of self doubt... never in my life have I ever strived for something I wasn't certain I would achieve. I have always, ALWAYS played it safe. I have been beyond fortunate to have the blessings I do. A loving and hilarious husband, two smart, healthy and quirky kids, a warm roof over my head, food in my belly... thankfully God has taken care of me.

But I never tried for anything that I was really passionate about if it wasn't a sure thing... I dropped out of JV pommie tryouts when I wasn't picking up the choreography fast enough for my comfort. I ran home the first day of Cross Country practice because it was hard. I never showed after the first week of swimming in HS because I hadn't swam competitively before and was nervous.

Of course, those are all examples from high school. I've probably grown since then, but maybe not. I haven't taken the GRE or gone on to grad school or applied for any super challenging careers. I've been busy, of course, with my personal life. Having babies and raising a family IS a job, don't get me wrong. But until this year, well, I guess last year, I never put myself out there. I have always carried my love for the written word and my characters in my back pocket. Held close and dear and not to be shared (except with my sister). Partly because I wasn't ready, but also because I wasn't READY.

No one wants to hear criticism. No one likes to hear that they aren't as good as they hope they are. Just last night I had a mini panic attack thinking of putting my book up on Amazon and allowing people who don't know me to comment and rate it.

But there comes a time in your life that you just have to face it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

Which brings me to my video for the day: Misty Copeland, the most beautiful dancer in the universe. She is also the first black dancer to be made a soloist with the ABC and looks completely wrong by all traditional ballet standards (of which there are many). But there she is, her giant portrait out in front of the MET. Wow.

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2014/12/18/ballerina-misty-copeland-makes-history/

Think of the risk she took. Think of the courage it took to put herself out there again and again and again. KNOWING she had the talent deep within her, but also not being sure that others would allow her to showcase it. Goodness. Makes my little amazon venture seem pretty simple, doesn't it?

Happy Monday, all. Let's all scare the bejeezus out of ourselves today.