Fighting Fear to do Incredible Things

http://www.faithit.com/because-sometimes-you-just-need-see-people-doing-awesome-things-remember-youre-still-freakin-alive/

 

 

The most adventurous thing I've ever done is cliff jump while in college. It was probably only about 15 or 20 feet, but it was in the dark and the name of the jump area was "Dead River Falls". So, I mean, that sounds pretty terrifying.

And it super was. I almost puked, standing there at the edge. I am one of those "panic attack in a ferris wheel" kind of Afraid of Heights people. In fact, step stools make me nervous. So fifteen feet might as well be a thousand.

 

I will admit freely however, that the rush of adrenaline and adventure was pretty amazing. I can see how people can dig it. This video makes my belly hurt, but I had a beaming smile the entire time I watched.

 

People who fight fear with courage are my heroes.

 

Happy Monday!



Feeling beautiful...

http://www.faithit.com/this-brave-beautiful-girl-felt-super-ugly-magical-bald-princess-walked-through-door/

 

Can I just tell you that my four year girl looked at this article with me today and all she had to say was "They are both so beautiful." She didn't even notice that they were bald.

 Or if she did, it didn't matter one bit to her. How about that? Happy Friday!!!

Beyond the Call of Duty

http://www.cnn.com/videos/justice/2015/01/22/dnt-telemarketer-alerts-police-assault.klas

If you watched the Super Bowl this past Sunday, then chances are good that you heard this commercial about domestic violence. In our home, there was silence each and every time it played. Which was a lot, because we streamed the game. Even more astounding is that the script is real life. A former 911 dispatcher posted the conversation on reddit a while back because he thought it was a clever way to cry for help in a horrendous situation.

This morning I found another case that felt similar. It isn't clear if the woman who was being abused meant to answer her phone... I doubt it because it was in her back pocket and she was clearly fighting for her life. The important thing is that the strangers heard what was going on and sought help for her from hundreds of miles away. They refused to hang up. They recorded the attack. They are speaking out on her behalf.

Even just the snippets I heard terrified me.

Let's plaster this man's face all over the damn place and let's give credit to the brave telemarketers for taking action. And I am going to say a prayer of thanks to God.

Nothing Holding Her Back

http://buzzflare.com/this-teen-runs-the-fastestbut-her-coach-always-needs-to-catch-her-at-the-finish-line/


Whoa.

Just whoa.

Incredible.

Highlighting Children and Poverty

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC1XFl1OxT0

This is a bit of a different kind of post for me. I can't really say that there is a specific hero here, except I do adore Jennifer Garner as a mom and I appreciate that she is behind this project. Celebrities, by just putting their name on something important, can really raise awareness. I love when they take advantage of that.

I was surprised to find that Ann Arbor actually has a large homeless population. Not a day goes by that I don't see someone on one of street corners asking for handouts. What really gets me however, is the sheer number of homeless families. Kids living in their cars with their unemployed parents. There was a large movement earlier this past August to make sure that if nothing else, these kiddos were being enrolled for school, where they would get education and be fed. But that is just the start. Can you imagine coming home exhausted from school only to sit in a cramped, chilly car with your family?  We live in a small apartment but at least my son can hide away in his room until dinner time if he's over tired. He's warm, safe and his belly is full. We can take him to the doctor when he's feeling ill. We can toss him in the shower when he's starting to get stinky. :)

It's heartbreaking. I've started to attempt to increase awareness in my kids. It would be easy to hide the poverty, but it's not an US and THEM kind of a deal, to me. Afterall, a lot of us are just a job away from the streets, ourselves. Sure, there is horrendous poverty all over the world. And it is super easy to tell ourselves that we are just too removed to do anything. Something to consider, however, is taking a real look around your community. Do a google search of homeless shelters. Call a church and ask if they've been approached by homeless seeing assistance. I guarantee your eyes will be opened.

If you do nothing else, maybe watch this documentary. I plan to. I watched Half the Sky a year ago and it completely opened my eyes (I think it is on Netflix, still). I assure you this will be the same.

And... I would love feed back on the ways you choose to teach your children about the world and poverty, as I am always learning!