Blog Archives
Lily
Last month I did a piece on an amazing little girl, Lily. She has muscular distrophy. She’s 9 years old. And she runs. A lot. When I met this little girl, it was because her proud father sent an email into the newsroom bragging on his daughter, and rightfully so. Thank goodness he did – I was blessed to meet this girl who not only defies the obstacles, she tramples them – while she runs half marathons.
Yes – a 9 year old, running half-marathons, with MD. On top of it all, she’s too cute for her own good. And she acts like a young adult. This girl was adorable, quirky, witty and inspirational. Check out the story below.
An update on Lily – she finished her half-marathon in Myrtle Beach! WOW! Congrats Lily, and thank you for inspiring us all to make a difference!
Follow Lily’s adventures and get motivated on her Facebook page here.
Much Needed.
So I was feeling sorry for myself the other day. A little pity-party, if you will. I was frustrated, annoyed and bitter. And just then, I walked to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water out, and a magnet with this fell on my head: The Serenity Prayer. Ok, ok, I get it.
Thank you.
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
A Must See
This video is spreading around like wildfire. Watch it, and you’ll see why.
The teen in these videos is Ben Breedlove of Austin, TX. He recorded these candid videos in the weeks leading up to his death. Ben died on Christmas Day.
Worth Noting
I stumbled upon this on Pinterest and thought it was worth sharing! xx
-Health: Drink plenty of water. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants. Live with the 3 E’s – Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy Play more games. Read more books than you did in 2010. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Sleep for 7 hours. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile. Personality: Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment. Don’t over do. Keep your limits. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip. Dream more while you are awake. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. Smile and laugh more. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. Society: Call your family often. Each day give something good to others. Forgive everyone for everything. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6. Try to make at least three people smile each day. What other people think of you is none of your business. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch. Life: Do the right thing! Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. The best is yet to come. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.
Anchor Battles Brain Tumor
KOMO – Seattle anchor, Kathy Goertzen has been battling a brain tumor for the past 12 years. Her station recently did a piece on how she’s doing. Her strength and willingness to keep fighting is inspiring.
For more information about Kathy and her foundation, click here.
Remembering a Visionary
With the passing of Steve Jobs, it’s appropriate to take a look back at all the inspirational things he’s done and said. I’m a quote junkie, so let’s start with these:
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Steve Jobs’s advice : Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. |
And obviously a must-see is his commencement speech from Stanford.
9/11′s Dogs
This email is circulating, if you haven’t already seen it, enjoy. SUPER cute and heartwarming…
These are the dogs that worked the World Trade Center that are still alive but retired. They, too, are heroes!
During the chaos of the 9/11 attacks, where almost 3,000 people died, nearly 100 loyal search and rescue dogs and their brave owners scoured Ground Zero for survivors.
Now, ten years on, just 12 of these heroic canines survive, and they have been commemorated in a touching series of portraits entitled ‘Retrieved’.
The dogs worked tirelessly to search for anyone trapped alive in the rubble, along with countless emergency service workers and members of the public. Traveling across nine states in the U.S. from Texas to Maryland, Dutch photographer Charlotte Dumas, 34, captured the remaining dogs in their twilight years in their homes where they still live with their handlers, a full decade on from 9/11.
Their stories have now been compiled in a book, called Retrieved, which is published on Friday, the tenth anniversary of the attacks. Noted for her touching portraits of animals, especially dogs, Charlotte wanted ‘Retrieved’ to mark not only the anniversary of the September 2001 attacks, but also as recognition for some of the first responders and their dogs.
‘I felt this was a turning point, especially for the dogs, who although are not forgotten, are not as prominent as the human stories involved,’ explained Charlotte, who splits her time between New York and Amsterdam. ‘They speak to us as a different species and animals are greatly important for our sense of empathy and to put things into perspective.’ Charles Mayfield
Moxie, 13, from Massachusetts. Arrived at WTC with her handler on 9/11 and searched the site for 9 days.
Tara, 16, from Ipswich, Massachusetts, arrived at the World Trade Center on the night of the 11th. The dog and her handler Lee Prentiss were there for eight day
Kaiser, 12, pictured at home in Indianapolis, Indiana, was deployed to the World Trade Center on September 11 and searched tirelessly for people in the rubble.
Bretagne and his owner Denise Corliss from Cypress, Texas, arrived at the site in New York on September 17, remaining there for ten days.
Guinness, 15, from Highland, California, started work at the site with Sheila McKee on the morning of September 13 and was deployed at the site for 11 days.
Merlyn and his handler Matt Claussen were deployed to Ground Zero on September 24, working the night shift for five days.
Abigail, above, was deployed on the evening of September 17, searching for 10 days while Tuff arrived in New York at 11:00 pm on the day of attack to start working early the next day.
Handler Julie Noyes and Hoke were deployed to the World Trade Center from their home in Denver on September 24 and searched for five days.
Scout and another unknown dog lie among the rubble at Ground Zero, just two of nearly 100 search and rescue animals who helped to search for survivors.
Red, 11, from Annapolis, Maryland, went with Heather Roche to the Pentagon from September 16 until the 27 as part of the Bay Area Recovery Canines.
