Why be ORDINARY???

I found this online (no bio was given--see www.houstonsahm.com ) and thought it was really worth sharing. You don't have to be a "mom" to appreciate this.~~Edie

It's pretty funny the things that we'll do as moms to fit in. For instance, how often do you restrain yourself from doing something that might seem crazy (like running through the waterfall at the park), or have you ever failed to express your opinion about a topic (such as child discipline) for fear it wouldn't be popular with the other moms in your group?Don't get us wrong... Fitting in with a group is a good thing. It gives us a sense of belonging, identity, and security, and it establishes group-specific expectations of how each individual will act and respond to others in the group. In this way, it reduces misunderstandings and the social gyrations otherwise necessary to establish.

But at the same time, the pressure to be a "typical" mom can quelch your personal expression and creativity and smother the urge to be extraordinary. Think about it... When was the last time you pointed to someone and said, "Wow, that woman is so normal – I'd like to be just like that!" Instead, consider the heroes you admire and respect, whether they be political, religious, athletic, or in some other walk of life. Nelson Mandela; Mother Theresa; Gandhi; Tiger Woods – to name a very few – are these people ordinary?

We all have the ability and opportunity to act in ways that are not ordinary, ways that expand our horizons and enhance our lives and the lives of others. It's usually fear that stops us: fear of stepping outside the defined normal conduct of our group, of being thought "weird" or – well, yes, abnormal. But it's by doing the unusual and the extraordinary that we can introduce the people in our circles, including our very own children, to new, interesting concepts and ideas, and can surprise ourselves by being more of who we are instead of less.

We invite you, therefore, to do something wonderfully not ordinary. Take a small step, even a baby step, outside your comfortable boundaries and don't be afraid to let others appreciate you for who you truly are. You can start by voicing an opinion you have that might not be popular with the other moms in your play group or your circle of friends. Then think about how it felt, and how you plan to keep extending yourself into being totally you.

Remember the words of Mark Twain: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Urgency Counts!

Each day when I wake up I remind myself of 3 little words: "Sense of URGENCY!"

It may sound trite, but it gets the point across. Long ago, I learned that simple enthusiasm on FIRE is more productive than sophisticated knowlegde on ICE.

When I started my business in January of 2004, I knew that craziness would soon follow because of the URGENCY I felt to begin. I embraced that feeling. I was willing to ride the intensity that came along in order to move forward quickly. Recently, I read that "stress" is caused when you want to get somewhere but don't want to do what must be done in order to get there. I can honestly say that is SO true! Many people WANT success, but they don't want to DO anything to obtain it.

I didn't WAIT until I was "great" to begin. I just jumped right in! It was through DOING that I developed the skills necessary to propel me forward and sustain me for long term success.

Was I scared? Yes!

Was I uncertain? Yes!

Was it WORK?? Yes!!

Has it PAID off??? Yes...and it continues to do so each day.

Make TODAY the FIRST SUCCESSFUL day of the rest of your life~~Edie

The Difference

I think this came from one of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series. Sorry that I don't know for sure, but I love it. I came across it today and no matter how many times I read it, it touches me....Edie

As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school,she told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh.He does his work neatly and has good manners... he is a joy to be around.

"His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."

His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest, and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken.

"Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself.

She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume.

But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting iton, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to."

After the children left, she cried for at least an hour.

On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets.."

A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in life.

Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had.But now his name was a little longer.... The letter was signed, Theodore F.Stoddard, MD.

The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring.Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained tha this father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.

Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.

They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear,"Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."

Just goes to show you should never judge a book by it's cover.