Just a blonde and a brunette, creating memories, having fun and standing by one another as they grow. Life is so much sweeter when you have a best friend to love and be loved by. Here’s hoping my little girl and her bestie will always cherish one another through thick and thin.
Did you ever want to help a cause but you didn’t think you would be able to do enough to make a difference? Well you can. Even when you think you are doing something miniscule, every drop counts. Mother Teresa said, “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. Real and lasting change only happens in small increments over long periods of time.”
Three years ago, Danielle Taylor, a mother of two beautiful boys and a friend decided to compete in a 6 mile civilian military obstacle course. She wanted the challenge to have a purpose. So she and her childhood friend Jeannine decided to raise money for The Morgan Center.
It’s a not for profit charitable organization that provides a safe haven for pre preschool age kids undergoing cancer treatment. These kids can’t attend regular school because chemo compromises their immune system. They can get a serious infection if they go to regular school. The center relies solely on private donations.
The ladies formed team YOLO which stands for You Only Live Once. Today, the team consists of twenty local moms who are all aware of just how fortunate they are to have healthy children.
On Sunday, October 4th, team YOLO will be competing in the Bronx at the “Merrell Down and Dirty.” The 6 mile obstacle course will help raise money for the beautiful little children of the Morgan Center.
You can make a difference by donating whatever you can to help these children who are fighting for their life.
Support Team YOLO by visiting http://www.crowdrise.com/mompower4tmcthemorgancenter/fundraiser/danielletaylor and donating what you can!
Give what you can. Take a step to make a difference in the lives of others.
Source: Preschoolers Shaking Off Cancer
How important are grandparents to our children? They raised us and now our parents have a completely different role as grandparents. Recently my daughter expressed her love to her grandparents on National Grandparents Day. She is constantly expressing her love to them but she was happy to know that there is a specific day that celebrates grandparents.
The day falls each year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. The holiday was initiated at the grassroots level by West Virginian Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade. She and her husband had 15 children, 43 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild!
There are three purposes for National Grandparents Day, to honor grandparents, and to give them an opportunity to show love for their grandchildren, (as if they need a day to do that!) And to help children become aware of the strength, information and guidance their elders can offer.
I was so lucky to have known and loved three of my grandparents. My maternal grandfather pictured on the left had passed away by the time I was born. I adored both my grandmothers (I couldn’t find pictures of them). My paternal grandfather pictured on the right was the love of my life. There are days that I still get really sad that he is no longer with us. He was an honest, caring, loving man with integrity and honor. He was a celebrated general but to me he was the most amazing grandfather in the entire world. Words cannot express the love he gave me. He made me feel invincible. I was a little girl when I lost my grandfather during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. I was devastated but the memories we shared together have stayed with me all my life. There is not a day that I don’t think about him. It always amazes me just how much he impacted my life. My childhood was one of bliss, mostly because of his existence. Once he was gone, something in me ceased to exist. The point is that his existence really helped shape me as a human being.
Grandparents are our continuing tie to the near-past, to the events and beliefs and experiences that so strongly affect our lives and the world around us. They are a link to our heritage and traditions.
Because they are usually free to love and guide and befriend the young without having to take daily responsibility for them, they can often reach out past pride and fear of failure and close the space between generations.
I know my daughter has a deep connection with her grandparents. They are able to reach her in a way that my husband and I cannot. They are able to teach her without lecturing her. They are able to love her without feeling the responsibility of parents.
Grandparents have a unique position, they don’t have to worry about rules and routines. Their unique position in the family attracts natural adoration from their grandchildren. They love them no matter what, no expectations or requirements. They’ve passed the test by being born. Their situation is ideal for becoming best friends and confidants. Children can confide in their grandparents because they expect emotional support rather than rationality and behavior lessons.
A grandparent is a friend with special power. They can make little hurts feel better. Better yet, they are a friend who can reach the cookie jar!
Being a grandparent is the best excuse to be a kid again. They can make great memories with our children.
My grandparents were my role models, my mentors, and my confidants. I hope you are giving your children the chance to enjoy this special relationship and foster a special love with their elders.
In my lifetime I’ve had some amazing friendships. Every one of my friends have left a deep imprint in my life. They are the ones I reached out to in good times and in bad. For whatever reason some are in my past, I cherish the memories I shared with them and will forever be grateful for their love and friendship. The ones that are still with me are my truest friends. They were the ones that kept on holding my hand in my darkest hours. They are the ones that love me despite my faults. Here are the qualities of what a true friend means to me.
Loyalty, True friends are a rare breed of people, those who don’t live life purely for their own self-interest, but take pleasure in seeing you happy and well.
Respect, they’ll never talk about you behind your back in a malicious, negative manner. Great minds talk about ideas, average minds talk about events and small minds talk about people.
Selflessness, they don’t contact you just because they want a favor. A friendship that leaves you feeling taken for granted leaves you helpless and angry. A true friend is a huge advocate and believer in “give and take”. They’re not the kind of people who will only contact you when they have a problem and need your assistance. They will pick up the phone just to say hello. Because they care about you as a person, they will always be wondering how you’re getting on, even if you spend lots of time apart because of work and family responsibilities.
Trust and honesty, a “friend” is one of the few people who you can trust completely with everything in your life. All your pains, your secrets, what is in your heart without feeling judged. In addition to trust, honesty is a quality that is really important to me. I’ve had friends ask my opinion about important things in their lives and when I have answered honestly they’ve been hurt. Some people feel so intimidated by their “friend” that they’re unwilling to criticize them when it matters most. I feel that sometimes we need to be told the absolute truth. I would want my friends to give me honesty when I ask for it.
To be present, it’s so imperative to me to have access to each other in times of pain and happiness. I have a friend who lost her beautiful mother recently and instead of letting me in to help or just to have as a shoulder to cry on she shut me out. I persisted to be there for her, calling her and checking on her but she never really took the time to communicate with me. I realized I was not that important to her, in fact looking back there were so many things she said and did that should have clued me in to that fact. I’m a loyal person and once I love someone, it’s difficult to let go but I knew it was time to let that friendship go. There is no such thing as a one-sided friendship.
Unlike family we choose our friends. We are tied to each other in mutual love and affection. Like family, we sometimes have miscommunications and disagreements. A true friend takes time to listen, express their thoughts and forgive. Someone who can easily toss your friendship away was never really a true friend. Nevertheless I cherish and think well of all my friendships, past and present.
During my childhood, I chose friends that made me smile and feel good. They made me feel loved and wanted. I think that is what we should look for in friendships in our adult years as well. As I get older, I still have a lot of wonderful acquaintances in my life but I have become very choosy with whom I spend my time.
Every wise person I have ever met or looked up to have the same message, spend time with people who will lift you up. 
Friends motivate and inspire you and will hope that you will do the same for them. As I get older I choose my friends wisely; quality should always take precedence over quantity.
As I watch my little girl with her friends, I wish her the same kind of love, support and relationships that have sustained me throughout my life. Already I can tell how relevant her friends are to her. She chooses kind, sweet, loving little girlfriends. I pray she will always have the love and support of good friends.
