Friday, March 30, 2012
ALTERED CHARM NECKLACE
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Look Beyond What You See
I have to share this story because I think it's an eye opener.
Recently, I had the privilege of meeting a middle school student who reminded me of how any obstacle in our life we can overcome...and do it with style. This young boy is blind and partially deaf, and despite his challenges, stood in front of 100 students to present a bill.
Now, for those of you who do not know, I work with the youth in my area and this is the time of year where they participate in a youth legislator program designed to learn the legislative process. It’s in this process that I see so many mature and shine with pride as they see their hard work pay off. It really is a lot of fun for everyone, including me. Yes, I’m a lucky girl!
Anyway, back to my moment. As all the students and teachers listened to him read from his sheet in Braille, I stood by his side watching from the podium. Again, lucky me!
Here’s where the build-up moment happened. When it came time to vote, he had no idea what was happening. I helped him to the front of the podium, choking back tears the entire time, and I told him every single person was standing for his bill to pass. Not one single person voted against. He had a smile from ear to ear. And as I looked out into the crowd of middle school students, I saw something incredible…compassion and a truly humbling experience. Do I believe that they all voted because of what they saw? No. He did an awesome job, and I do believe they made a decision based on what they did not see.
Some days you don’t know what will come your way, but if you look beyond what you see with your eyes, you'll be amazed how much more is waiting for you. Once again, I'm one lucky girl!!
Have a great week everyone!!
Recently, I had the privilege of meeting a middle school student who reminded me of how any obstacle in our life we can overcome...and do it with style. This young boy is blind and partially deaf, and despite his challenges, stood in front of 100 students to present a bill.
Now, for those of you who do not know, I work with the youth in my area and this is the time of year where they participate in a youth legislator program designed to learn the legislative process. It’s in this process that I see so many mature and shine with pride as they see their hard work pay off. It really is a lot of fun for everyone, including me. Yes, I’m a lucky girl!
Anyway, back to my moment. As all the students and teachers listened to him read from his sheet in Braille, I stood by his side watching from the podium. Again, lucky me!
Here’s where the build-up moment happened. When it came time to vote, he had no idea what was happening. I helped him to the front of the podium, choking back tears the entire time, and I told him every single person was standing for his bill to pass. Not one single person voted against. He had a smile from ear to ear. And as I looked out into the crowd of middle school students, I saw something incredible…compassion and a truly humbling experience. Do I believe that they all voted because of what they saw? No. He did an awesome job, and I do believe they made a decision based on what they did not see.
Some days you don’t know what will come your way, but if you look beyond what you see with your eyes, you'll be amazed how much more is waiting for you. Once again, I'm one lucky girl!!
Have a great week everyone!!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
CLUBING!
Some of you might think I'll start this blog talking about hitting the clubs on the weekend, right? Nope, not that type of clubing. Although those can be the topic of a great blog, I have another type that has proved to be more rewarding...and no headache the next day. Can you guess where I'm going with this?
Tonight, I was invited to dinner with a great group of ladies (The Baton Rouge Book Club) for their monthly meeting. Ah...now you know what type of club I'm talking about. And let me tell you, it can be just as much fun! They read ALTERED for February, and then we all gathered together for some interesting conversations. Questions flowed just as freely as the good food and wine. For me, it was exciting to learn first hand what drove them to certain scenes and kept them wanting more. Social media is nice, but it doesn't get any better than face to face contact.
This is the second book club meeting I've been invited to share my work, and I have to admit, I'm hooked. To see the look on someone's face when they're talking about their favorite character is priceless. And I thought I was the only one who could be that animated!
So to all of my book CLUBING friends, whether I've met you personally, or you've contacted me online...THANK YOU! You are the reason I write with a smile. :)
Tonight, I was invited to dinner with a great group of ladies (The Baton Rouge Book Club) for their monthly meeting. Ah...now you know what type of club I'm talking about. And let me tell you, it can be just as much fun! They read ALTERED for February, and then we all gathered together for some interesting conversations. Questions flowed just as freely as the good food and wine. For me, it was exciting to learn first hand what drove them to certain scenes and kept them wanting more. Social media is nice, but it doesn't get any better than face to face contact.
This is the second book club meeting I've been invited to share my work, and I have to admit, I'm hooked. To see the look on someone's face when they're talking about their favorite character is priceless. And I thought I was the only one who could be that animated!
So to all of my book CLUBING friends, whether I've met you personally, or you've contacted me online...THANK YOU! You are the reason I write with a smile. :)
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| The Baton Rouge Book Club: back row...Susan Menard, Mary Speranza, Ellen Manint, Kirbye Hollier, Jenny Anding, Tammy Joseph. front row...Leah Shelton, Gina Zeringue, Laura Burks, Sarah Munn, and Lisa Lloyd |
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