With Thanksgiving approaching, many people are running around preparing for the “big dinner” whether they are staying home or traveling. Even in this time of economic uncertainty, we all have many things for which to be thankful – if we only took time to think about it.
This resonated with me over the last week after comments made to me by two people. One person was a young lady I have mentored for a few years and the other was my sister-in-law. The young lady sent me an email listing the dates for each day for a week leading up to Thanksgiving Day with instructions to: “list under each day things for which you are thankful, even the small things". Any idea how long that list could be?
My sister-in-law was telling me about a night when she had trouble going to sleep. She would usually count sheep or get up and work on the computer or do some other activity to cause her to get sleepy. This particular night, she decided to count her blessings. After starting to do this she really could not go to sleep because she had difficulty completing the list. That reminded me of a song I used to hear as a child:
When I am worried and I can’t sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings….
What are you thankful today and every day?
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Red Pump Nation Women's Expo
Who would think that a group of women dressed in high, medium or low-heel red pumps could have such an impact on each other? That is exactly what happened at the first annual conference of the Red Pump Nation held in Richmond, VA. This conference is the result of a vision by Rev. Tanya Jones to establish an organization of business and professional Christian women to inspire, motivate and empower women to pursue their destiny. The theme “The Time is Now” brought together enthusiastic women from a variety of backgrounds – from doctors to those who are unemployed. They rubbed shoulders together as they listened to speakers and discussed their uniqueness as women.
Speakers delivered empowering messages on such topics as: It’s Time to Tell Your Story - encouraging those who have the desire to put their stories into a book for either their own personal use or for the public; It’s Time to Start Your Business – for those who may have thought of starting a business but fearful of making that uncertain move; It’s Time to Keep Believing – for those who have had so many misfortunes that they want to give up on life; and It’s Time to Take Care of Yourself – impressing upon the women that though we are usually known as nurturers, it very important to take care of ourselves.
A highlight of the conference was the first Red Pump Award, a beautiful engraved, glass, high-heeled red pump. The recipient was an eighty-eight year old woman who in her late seventies started The Neighborhood Assistance Program. She saw a growing need in her community for families needing assistance with food service. The need was so great it expanded to include household items. To keep inventory available for the program, she travels around the city and approaches supermarkets and other outlets to get the items she needs to serve her community. In addition to this community project she still serves as musician for two church choirs in the area. What a magnificent spirit of giving this woman demonstrates. There is a lesson here for the young and old.
Speakers delivered empowering messages on such topics as: It’s Time to Tell Your Story - encouraging those who have the desire to put their stories into a book for either their own personal use or for the public; It’s Time to Start Your Business – for those who may have thought of starting a business but fearful of making that uncertain move; It’s Time to Keep Believing – for those who have had so many misfortunes that they want to give up on life; and It’s Time to Take Care of Yourself – impressing upon the women that though we are usually known as nurturers, it very important to take care of ourselves.
A highlight of the conference was the first Red Pump Award, a beautiful engraved, glass, high-heeled red pump. The recipient was an eighty-eight year old woman who in her late seventies started The Neighborhood Assistance Program. She saw a growing need in her community for families needing assistance with food service. The need was so great it expanded to include household items. To keep inventory available for the program, she travels around the city and approaches supermarkets and other outlets to get the items she needs to serve her community. In addition to this community project she still serves as musician for two church choirs in the area. What a magnificent spirit of giving this woman demonstrates. There is a lesson here for the young and old.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Say You're One of Them
Being selected for Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club is the dream of a lifetime for any author. Uwem Akpan, a Jesuit priest from Nigeria, realized that dream when his book of short stories, “Say You’re One of Them”, was selected for her Book Club. Though written as fiction, it reflects experiences that are real for many children in Africa.
Oprah adopted a new approach to the book club for this selection. In collaboration with CNN, represented by Anderson Cooper, the entire world was able to participate through a live webcast. The author appeared to discuss his stories and how he developed each of them. Participants were able to submit questions and some were chosen to appear on the telecast. In addition, Anderson Cooper showed films of the research done on trips made to various parts of Africa by him and other reporters. It was a touching experience to be a part of this webcast.
One of the things uppermost in the author’s mind was how normal it is for children in Africa to sniff glue. Many are given the glue by their parents. He made the comparison to the large number of children in America who also sniff glue. The difference, he pointed out, is that the children in Africa do so to mask their hunger. If they are high they won’t realize that they are hungry. In America, young people sniff glue to get high, just for the pleasure.
A question he could not reconcile in his mind is why so many youngsters in America fail to capitalize on the many opportunities they have while those in Africa will go through unthinkable struggles to take advantage of the limited opportunities available to them.
For America, so much talent is being wasted as we continue to lose our position of strength around the world. How do we stop the bleeding?
Oprah adopted a new approach to the book club for this selection. In collaboration with CNN, represented by Anderson Cooper, the entire world was able to participate through a live webcast. The author appeared to discuss his stories and how he developed each of them. Participants were able to submit questions and some were chosen to appear on the telecast. In addition, Anderson Cooper showed films of the research done on trips made to various parts of Africa by him and other reporters. It was a touching experience to be a part of this webcast.
One of the things uppermost in the author’s mind was how normal it is for children in Africa to sniff glue. Many are given the glue by their parents. He made the comparison to the large number of children in America who also sniff glue. The difference, he pointed out, is that the children in Africa do so to mask their hunger. If they are high they won’t realize that they are hungry. In America, young people sniff glue to get high, just for the pleasure.
A question he could not reconcile in his mind is why so many youngsters in America fail to capitalize on the many opportunities they have while those in Africa will go through unthinkable struggles to take advantage of the limited opportunities available to them.
For America, so much talent is being wasted as we continue to lose our position of strength around the world. How do we stop the bleeding?
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