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I’ve completed 2 weeks of the Do Good Summer Reading Challenge. I’ve discovered fourteen wonderful blogs and have been inspired to write on topics that I never would have had reason to before. I am growing my network and contributing to the truly vibrant blogging community here on Worpress and beyond. Interested in joining? It’s never too late. Click the image on the right to find out how!
Day 11: I took the holiday off, but discovered this gem on Friday and think it will stick with me for a lifetime. Clare at Grace and Poise shared with her readers 40 Little Instructions on Life and they are so valuable they needed to be shared. Clare’s list is simple, yet inspiring. I frequently talk to my girls about using manners, being kind and the such, and this list is yet another tool in my box for teaching my girls how to live happy, fulfilled lives. Some of my favorites include:
“Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them. Leave everything a little better than you found it.”
“Think big thoughts but relish simple pleasures.”
“Don’t expect life to be fair”
If you want to read the whole list, you’ll have to visit Grace and Poise!
Day 12: On today’s hop around the blog-o-sphere, I visited The Waiting. Emily has one of the coolest “About” pages I’ve seen and her writing draws you in. Her most current post is part of a Blog Hop called “Remember The Time When We Did The Things.” As I understand it, the blog hop will have a different theme each Thursday and audience participation is encouraged. I happened upon the week about summer vacation. So, in the spirit of participation, I must share some embarrassing stories from summer vacations of yore. My family loves to tell the story of the time that I galloped down a hillside somewhere in California to pee on the side of the road. The details are fuzzy. We were in a van (I think) and on a road trip to Lake Tahoe (I think) and I had to pee like I’d never had to pee before or since. I was maybe 11 or so and there was not a bathroom in sight. Despite my pleading, nobody wanted to stop until I started crying (I think). When the powers that be finally decided to stop the van, I “galloped like a gazelle” (straight from the mouth of my cousin) down the hillside, much to the delight and entertainment of everyone in the van, and relieved myself, hopefully out of the view of my parents, uncle, brother and cousins. Ahhh, the fond memories I have of summer road trips. What are your “classic” summer memories?
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Day 13: Can a cup of coffee create positive change in the world? Sharman at
365 Cups of Kindness is on a mission to find out and I think she is onto something. Her idea, to buy a random person a cup of coffee every day for a year, came to her shortly after the tragedy in Newtown, CT. As a school principal, she was deeply affected by the shooting. When shopping the next day for a gift for her church’s toy drive, she was appalled by the rudeness and hostility shown by the other shoppers and began to wonder if anyone practiced kindness and compassion anymore. When finished shopping she and her husband stopped at Starbucks, and spontaneously she gave the cashier $20 to pay for coffees for those behind her and the idea for her blog was born. Now, she has purchased 157 cups of coffee for others and, though each one is special, she writes that
Cup 157 may be her favorite. This particular cup led to a conversation with a man who was truly grateful and whose story is quite inspiring. Won’t you join me in spreading her kindness further? Next time you are in line for coffee, think about buying one for the person behind you. A small kindness goes a long way!
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Cup of coffee (Photo credit: Etenil)
Day 14: I was incredibly close with my Granny and she passed suddenly one night 10 years ago. She was not sick. There was no warning. I have debated in my mind a 1000 times whether it would have been better for her to go as she did, suddenly, or to have had an illness that forewarned us of her impending death. On selfish days, I wish that she had been ill and that I could have told her how much I loved her, how important our relationship was to me, that she would always hold a piece of my heart, that I was so sad she would never meet my husband or children, that life without her in it scared me. But, on my more rational days, I know that she passed in the way that caused her the least amount of suffering. I would not have wanted her to suffer. My memories of my Granny’s death were brought to the surface when I read
The First Goodbye at
Living Life to the Fullest From the End Stage. Mike has terminal brain cancer and is sharing his thoughts and experiences through his blog. This particular one is on a topic that is so difficult – saying goodbye to your child. He writes that no parent should have to say the words “I know we will probably not see each other again” to their child and goes on to tell the story of how he had to say goodbye to his eldest daughter who lives away from home. This post is full of raw emotion and you should definitely grab a tissue before reading it.
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