A Big Hug For You

The news this morning was rough. After the hostage crisis in Sydney and the shooter in Pennsylvania comes the news of the death of 126 sweet children in Pakistan. I can only imagine how heartbroken and devastated their parents are.

I have the luxury of living in a very safe neighborhood. My kids walk on a well maintained bike path a quarter mile to one of the best schools in the state. They walk with other kids and are watched over the whole way by other adults who all have children and want them all to be safe. I have the luxury - and it is a luxury - of sending my kids to school each day knowing they'll arrive home safe every afternoon.

My heart breaks for the parents who don't have this. Especially the mothers and fathers in Pakistan who sent their children to school, undoubtedly praying that they would return safe, only to have their children taken from them by hateful men. To those families I want to say, the world grieves with you.

Flying to Pakistan to hug those people and hold their hands through this horrible time isn't an option for any of us I imagine. But we can do something. We can all be a little kinder today. Give a little extra. Count to ten before we lose our tempers. Forgive. Tell a friend we care for them. Tell a co-worker we admire them. Tell a loved one how special they are.

After the heartbreak of the last few days the whole world needs a hug. We need people to be more caring, more forgiving, more loving.

I know you're busy. I know you have your own problems today.

If you read the blog comments you know one of our Lovelies is fighting cancer. One of our Lovelies has a mother in the hospital this week because she had a heart attack Sunday night. We're all fighting something. No one has a pain free life. I wish I had a magic wand to make it all better, but I don't.

What I do have is love for you, and my neighbor, and every person I meet today. I can do that much. I can be kinder, smile more, lift people up instead of tearing them down. And so can you. Try to do one more nice thing than you planned today. Try to help one more person in whatever way it is.

Give some change to a buskar. Call your grandma you never talk to. Whatever it is. The world needs love today, and you, my Lovelies, can be the ones who save the world today. You are the heroes we need right now.

♥BIG HUGS♥

Just Another Manic Monday

First off, congratulations to Madison for winning the Birthday Giveaway, and thank you to all of you who sent me wonderful birthday wishes over the weekend. I feel well and truly loved.

*big squishy hugs for all of you*

Secondly, I have a really bad case of the Mondays. My To Do List has become a Tribble List that keeps multiplying, the kids are fussy, there's a cold going around, and I had to fight spiders to get to the tomatoes this morning. Any time you have to identify more than five species of spiders in under ten minutes to make sure you don't need to call poison control about a venomous bite is a bit tense. The spiders and I managed to reach an arrangement: I put them back, and they let me keep the tomatoes without getting bitten. It worked out well for everyone except the praying mantis who felt very scandalized when I started taking pictures without first signing a modeling contract.

Thirdly, the world seems to be exploding this morning. All over the news there's reports of violence, hatred, bigotry, and cruelty. It's equal parts horrifying and depressing. We can do better than that. I know I don't have a fandom as large as any famous author or actor you could care to name, but that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if only two people read this message. Great deeds are done by few every day. Sometimes all it takes is one voice speaking peace and love against the rage of hate. And today, I'd like you to be that voice.

You and me, today, let's try our best to do a little something extra for a stranger. Be a little kinder. Be a little quicker to forgive, a little slower to judge. Give someone the benefit of the doubt. Lock our lips when unkind words come to mind. If you and I do that, I know it will help someone, and we'll be able to make the world a little bit of a better place. Okay? Sound doable? Good. *fist bump*

Let's go do some good. :)