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Ways to make a difference

Where is the love?

where-is-the-love

I’m not sure if all the travel has put me in a reflective mood or if it was the amazing book I read on my trip, but regardless I have been thinking a lot about love lately. While we were gone, the terror continued across Europe and here at home watching the news of our Presidential election makes me feel almost as sad. I find myself thinking over and over, where is the love?

The book I read on vacation, The Nightingale, was about the holocaust, the spread of fear and hate.  A period of time that we all say could never happen again. And yet, sadly over and over, with each terrorist attack the hate shows its ugly face…again. I find myself asking the same question reading my book, that I ask myself watching the news….where is the love?

In a world where I am privileged to both teach and witness acts of kindness between middle and high school students daily, I try to remind myself that love and kindness exists in our world….. and more importantly, love always wins.  Something I think we all need to keep reminding ourselves and showing one another daily.

One simply act of love and compassion, goes a long way to making our world better.

 

Charity Matters.

 

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What Matters?

The gift of perspective

gift of perspcective

Everybody needs a little time away…or so the song says. Time to step away from our everyday routine, the busy rush of our lives and a time to relax…..something we ironically never have time to do.

Once we take that first step out, a whole new world opens up before us. Travel, learning about other people, both past and present, is an endless source of inspiration for me. This recent trip was no exception.

To celebrate some big milestones in life, we celebrated with a big adventure, which started in Venice, Italy.  A city so rich in history, culture and a feast for the senses. In Croatia, seeing remnants from the Bosnian war and learning how the reminder of that war still lingers with so many. Visiting tiny fishing villages in Greece and seeing the beauty of nature and the joy of simplicity. Then in the chaos of Athens, will all the financial uncertainty, the kindest of strangers who saw I was lost, walked me to the store where I was looking for a gift. The couple ordered it in Greek taking 20 minutes from their Sunday to help a lost American.

In all my travels, the reminders of kindness, compassion and humanity are and always will be the most beautiful of all.

Charity Matters.

 

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What Matters?

Happy Anniversary Charity Matters!

 

I am a big believer in celebrating milestones. Everything little and big should be celebrated. Life is short and when you have a milestone whether it’s a 25th wedding anniversary or a 5-year blog-a-versary…well they should be revered….and lucky for me this year I have both!

Both anniversaries have taken commitment, love, dedication and hard work. So to acknowledge these milestones, I am taking my first real blogging vacation in 5 years, just a week off, not too worry. I promise to be rested, relaxed and ready to tackle year six, with renewed enthusiasm once I return.

Thank you again for five incredible years of dedication to Charity Matters, for inspiring me to be my best and for sharing ideas, posts, and friends. My heart is full of gratitude to you all.

 

Charity Matters.

 

 

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Charity Matters Quotes

Remembering Elie Wiesel

“Once you bring life into the world, you must protect it. We must protect it by changing the world.”

Elie Wiesel

This past week we lost a legend. A Holocaust survivor, a witness to man’s darkest side, and was called a “messenger to mankind” for his observations on humanity.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner and the acclaimed author used his voice to inspire people to remember the atrocities of the Holocaust and to move forward in peace.

In light of this last few weeks events, in Orlando and Dallas, and the growing separation our country is experiencing, never have Elie Wiesel’s words been more relevant and true.

“The time must come. It’s enough — enough to go to cemeteries, enough to weep for oceans. It’s enough,” he said. “There must come a moment — a moment of bringing people together.”

We must never forget.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration

700….how did that happen?

700

Next month will be Charity Matters five-year old birthday, hard to believe. I had planned on writing this  post to you then, however, when I saw the 700 posts appear on my screen I had to stop and acknowledge this milestone.

Five years ago, I set out to share stories of amazing people who make our world better, share a few of my own and inspire people to serve. I didn’t have a plan other than that. I had never blogged, was and am still tech challenged and thought if I could inspire just one person than it would be worth it.

Today, seven hundred posts later with thousands of new friends and regular subscribers, I am in awe. There are not words to express my gratitude to you. You wake up, read this, share, reach out to me with ideas and inspiration and keep me going. You make me a better person. Because of you, I strive to give my best, share what I have, always want to learn and grow and for that I thank you.

Life is a journey and I am so grateful you have included me in yours. Thank you, thank you for all you do to inspire me and for your friendship and loyalty. My heart is full of gratitude. So here is to the next 700….thank you all for knowing and believing that….

 

Charity Matters.

 

 

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Charity Matters Quotes

Unity

“Where there is unity there is always victory.”

Publilius Syrus

While all of us are still trying to process what exactly happened to our world last Saturday night, in Orlando, moments of unity are occurring all over our globe. From the rally in London, with the release of 49 balloons to monuments lit up from the Sydney Harbor Bridge to the Eiffel Tower, and beyond.

The world is coming together in love and unity, almost like a page from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.

Love always wins and overcomes. The world is speaking from their hearts and they are filled with love.

Where there is unity there is always victory.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Quotes

Acceptance

“Our uniqueness, our individuality, and our life experience mold us into fascinating beings.

I hope we can embrace that.

I pray we may all challenge ourselves to delve into the deepest resources of our hearts to cultivate an atmosphere of understanding, acceptance, tolerance, and compassion.

We are all in this life together.”

Linda Thompson

After a weekend filled with love and celebration, to wake up the horrific news yesterday morning was devastating. Trying to find light in the wake of such a tragedy is never easy. While one man destroyed the lives of so many, it is our ability to hold one another up, continue to love and accept one another that extinguishes the darkness and brings in the light.

As the quote says, we are all in this life together.

Charity Matters.

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How do you measure a year in the life?

big 50

Today, is the last day of my forties. Even seeing those words in type is surreal. While I have to admit that this year has been a doozy for a laundry list of things…I wouldn’t change one single moment. It has been a year of loss and extreme change. However, the gift is that with the loss comes growth, wisdom, and insight……and if I’m really lucky, then perhaps a re-birth.

Just as all things come to me in crazy ways, I heard the infamous song from Rent and thought this pretty much sums it all up…

How do you measure a year in the life?

Celebrate, remember, the year in the life of friends.

Measure your life in love.

So tomorrow, as I move towards the next decade, and second half of my life, I know I am ready. If life is measured in love and the second half is anything like the first…..well its going to be a fun and wild ride.

Charity Matters.

Copyright © 2016 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.

 

 

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T & C Philanthropy

T&C philanthrophy

I must admit that I have a guilty obsession with magazines. Over the years my sons sold magazines to raise funds for their school, and I of course became their best customer. Today, it is a rare and decadent moment when I can sit down and indulge.

The other day when this months philanthropy issue of Town and Country arrived, I was giddy. Now to find a moment to see what all these amazing people are doing to make our world better.

 

Charity Matters.

 

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Charity Matters Quotes

Charity Matters Quotes: Friends

“A good friend is a connection to life — a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.”

Lois Wyse

friends

This past weekend I went away with two of my dearest and oldest friends to celebrate our upcoming birthdays. Both of these women have been my friends for decades, one since 6th grade. Time spent with dear friends who know you, your life, your story and love you regardless, is one of life’s greatest gifts.

I feel renewed, restored and so blessed to have such remarkable friends in my life.

As we start May, perhaps take a moment to reach out to a friend and connect or re-connect….simply nothing better.

Happy Monday!

Charity Matters.

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Cancer

When Breath becomes Air

When Ait becomes Breath

Have you ever read a book that haunted you? Spoke to you and really made you stop and think? I just finished one and I have to say, it felt as if the universe had given me a gift. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, a truly beautiful autobiography of a Stanford trained neurosurgeon who discovers he is dying of cancer.

An extraordinary view of life, from someone who spent his trying to save others. A man who loved literature and found himself pondering the question of what makes a human life meaningful? He writes early on the book, “If the unexamined life was not worth living, was the unlived life worth examining?”

Paul Kalanithi wrote of his experience of both living and dying, and how his perception of both changed through his journey with cancer. One of my favorite quotes from the book was, ““There is a moment, a cusp, when the sum of gathered experience is worn down by the details of living. We are never so wise as when we live in this moment.” 

Such wise a beautiful words from a life well lived, and a legacy for all to learn from.

 

Charity Matters.

 

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Charity Matters Inspiration

Billions in change

Billions in change

Over and over we hear it said that one person can change the world, a phrase I do believe in. Anyone who inspires change, knows it takes a village to do so. It is a global village that billionaire Manoj Bhargava is creating to deliver products that can directly impact humanity and he is seriously the real deal.

Manoj has taken his fortune, created from 5 hour Energy, to focus on three areas to improve the world;water, energy and health. His approach is to, ” make a difference in other people’s lives, not just talk about it.” A new documentary called Billions in Change, follows his journey. Take a small peak here at what one man can do to improve the lives of seven billion people.

As our world becomes increasingly smaller and the global village a reality. It is people like Manoj Bhargava, who will not only change our world but inspire each of us to do the same.

 

Charity Matters. 

 

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A New York State of mind…

nyc state of mind

I hope everyone had a great Easter. Last week I was in New York City, for a little business and a little Spring Break. We began our trip at the Statue of Liberty and followed the journey of my husband’s German grandfather, Henry. An immigrant story of grit, determination, hard work and ultimately the American Dream. It left us humbled, grateful and proud to be an American.

We ended our trip with the 911 Memorial Museum, one of the most beautiful tributes to humanity, I have ever experienced in a museum. It was beyond inspiring. To be in a space with hundreds of people in silence, as we took in the photos, voices, recordings, videos and raw humanity from that fateful day. You could hear sniffles, see tears and you could not be human without feeling such overwhelming sadness and loss.

It was a week of being re-inspired by the human spirit. To see what all of those who went before us did, to provide us this life. And then, to see how we all came together as one, in a time of grief and loss, was extraordinary. Two very different perspectives that left me forever changed, proud to be an American and full of gratitude.

 

Charity Matters.

 

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What to do when the watch stops?

What to do when time stops

I have a watch that no longer keeps time. An unusual problem to have in today’s world of iPhones and apple watches. The other day, when my watch stopped for the umpteenth time, I didn’t get grumpy. I just thought, what a gift to have time stop even for just a moment.

Of course, it doesn’t. Rather time simply goes faster…or at least that’s how many of us feel. Time has always gone at the same pace, my watch never ticked faster or slower and yet, it doesn’t feel that way. The simple act of my watch stopping, stopped me.

It made me take a pause, a moment to think at how fast we are all moving. Why? What do we get at the end of the race? More time? I don’t think so. Our time is now. So, rather than fixing my watch, I’m going to leave it this way for just a little longer, as a reminder to slow down and hope that time can simply stand still.

 

Charity Matters.

 

Copyright © 2016 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.

 

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