Aspire to Inspire

When Viral is Good - Kiss and Share!

With all the talk about viral connections on the internet, you might be wondering if you should be wiping your laptop off with a disinfectant wipe.

But, through the magic of 21st century hyperlinks and forwarded emails, along with the weird, the goofy and the downright scary, even truly good information can make its way around the world

On Valentine's Day, a day that is filled with love and romance, this might seem a sad subject, but it seemed a good way to honor a sweet family.

I love to read Paula Spencer's column in Woman's Day.  She is the author of Momfidence - An Oreo Never Killed Anybody and Other Secrets of Happier Parenting, and blogs at www.momfidence.com.

In the Febuary 10th issue, she wrote about 3 year old Cole Ruotsala.  

Cole went fishing one day with his father and caught his first fish.  Then he began complaining of a stomach ache.  Eight weeks later, he died in his parents arms after being diagnosed with adrenocortical carcinoma, an agressive, inexpilicable cancer noted for its rarity: The odds of getting it are literally one in a million.

As Paula stated in the article, if after reading that you are "itching to go hug your child, do."

That should be how you feel and I believe his parents would relish that result.

In a time when we go, go, go at lightening speed, are involved in more activities than we can count on fingers (and toes!), shuttle from one soccer game to another ballet practice, have to call our kids on their cell phones to find out where they are and don't have time to get outside to breathe fresh air, it sometimes takes stories like these to make us stop. Stop and Give Thanks for what we have, while we have it.

So, on Valentine's Day, take the time.  Time to stop and watch your precious ones.  Watch them breathe, watch them giggle, watch them use their imagination, watch them forget the rules one more time, watch them dance the happy dance.  Just spend time with them and enjoy it.

As my mother-in-law is always reminding me;  "There will be a day when you long for the little boy who left a trail of toys all through the house!"

So, let's use this Valentine's Day to hug them extra tight, smootch them extra long and spend a few extra moments just tuning in to the ones we love.

If that is the result of reading Cole's story, then it is an honor to his memory.

And, if you happen to be so inspired, you can also help out the foundation set up in his honor, (Caring Openly, Loving Eternally).  It is a nonprofit set up to support families whose lives are put on hold by a battle with childhood cancer.

Here's to Inspired Valentine's Day Smootching!

What I like to call Bear Central

My son is a scream.  Yes, he does make me want to scream, but that is another issue (think two strong-willed individuals in a face off, but I digress).

He makes me laugh on a daily basis and for this I am so thankful.  He doesn't always like it that I laugh, but sometimes I can't help myself.  And yesterday was one of those days. I had tears!

Now, my husband warned me that this might not be funny to anyone else, especially since you cannot see the expression on his face.  But I also wanted to tell it because it made me think about my life!  And the story is funny!  But I won't be bothered if you don't think so.

He is 7 and has an amazingly vivid imagination and if you are egging him on, his stories get bigger and bigger and bigger.

Yesterday we were 2 kids out in the wilderness having to fend for ourselves - think Boxcar Children meet Grizzly Adams.  And he starts killing the bears for me and telling me about the wild animals that are surrounding us.  After killing the umpteenth wild animal, I told him that I was ready to go find me a hotel!

"Not so easy" he says in all seriousness.  "Because you have to go through a raging river with big dangerous rocks, cross a very long log that is slippery and then go through.....(serious pause, with his hand on my arm) what I like to call Bear Central."

I couldn't help it.  I tried, I swear, to be serious.  But it just got the best of me!  I laughed until I hurt.

Thankfully, he found it funny too.  And then we had to go through snake central, desert central, coyote central...............  All that to get to a hotel!

How did this relate to my life?  I have been paralyzed by what I thought was in front of me, by what other people told me would be the obstacles in my way!  I saw those obstacles as scary as I would if you told me bears were in my path.

Are you stuck somewhere because someone told you that you "really don't want to do that because.......... (it doesn't work, it takes too much work, people don't want to hear what you have to say, there are already too many of those, it takes too much money, it takes forever to make a profit etc., etc., etc.)"?  Or have you told yourself that the obstacle are much to scary?

Are you afraid you will have to go through Bear Central and you will be vulnerable?

Me too!  But what if you can get through Bear Central with the help of guide and you find on the other side it wasn't so bad?  My guide gave me all the weapons I needed - I guess ray guns would work on bears??!!??

The guides I needed for my business were people who had done what I wanted to do.  I went to these people to ask what I needed to do and I follow them closely.  And my weapons?  Not so complicated.  Education.  When you learn how to get through the bears, they are not so scary!

See you on the other side!