LEGACY

In Honor of my Grandpa Fritz, who passed away on 02/10/13.

We all leave behind a legacy when we die. Your legacy is written by you. It tells the story of your life, your dreams, your struggles, your faith and your work. You build a legacy your entire life, but what you build is far from ending. This passes along to your children,spouse, neighbors, co-workers and friends.  For Fritz, there was more then just "Monkeying Around" and "Takin' er Easy" Fritz lived life right. The legacy you leave behind is shown in your last name or your Blue eyes- which is passed along to your children and grandchildren. Legacy, in a town of as West Branch, MI means a huge community of siblings, cousins, and friends. We can only hope to have lived life to the very end, the way my Grandpa did. He never lost his sense of humor and enjoyed the great outdoors to the fullest.

I wanted to share this link of my Grandpa Fritz being inducted into the Fur Trappers Hall of Fame. As a boy, this was his lively hood at times. As a man, he expressed his love of the sport by passed this tradition to others.  He doesn't know he is being inducted, this was a surprise for him.  You can even see the man presenting him with the Award get choked up as he speaks about Fritz.

You may need to be signed into YouTube if you have problems viewing

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFeWqCOtWV4





What Legacy will you be leaving behind to your family, friends, community?  Think of the traditions your have received from someone special.  What will you be passing down to the next generation?

A QUOTE TO INSPIRE

Today marks Presidents Day.  I wanted to share with you a Favorite Quote of mine by JFK.  It's the reason why I started this blog in first place.  If you are unhappy with a situation or circumstance- Step Up & make a difference. Every SIMPLE ACT has a ripple effect.

IN HONOR OF ST VALENTINE

Who is Saint Valentine and why do we celebrate this day?  I like to know the true meanings behind holidays.  It is not about Flowers and Chocolates (Who doesn't love getting flowers!?)...Its about LOVE

 
There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine's Day. Some experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity.  He died on February 14, 269 ADA, the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine".  Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Santa Claus. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him. In 496 ADI. Pope Glass set aside February 14 to honor St. Valentine.  Gradually, February 14 became the date for exchanging love messages and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. The date was marked by sending poems and simple gifts such as flowers. There was often a social gathering or a ball.  http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_is_Valentine's_Day_celebrated_on_February_14

In honor of Valentine's Day, I made some simple Valentines to give to loved ones.  Follow the steps below & create an easy heart-shaped valentine. Kids (and Adults) love this stuff!

What you will need:
*Several shades of paper for Valentine construction 
*Scissors, Glue and a pencil
*Decoration:  Glitter, hole punch, crayons, stickers, foam letters, tissue paper, yarn, confetti, stamps, etc

First, you fold a piece of paper in half.  Next draw Half of a heart shape along the folded edge of your paper.  Cut along the line and unfold into a symetrical heart shape.

 

You should also draw the hearts in varying sizes. This will all be used to create your Valentine

 



Cut the hearts again to create
concentric hearts - I LOVE this step

Now you are ready to Decorate! 
Using you supplies, create a One-Of-A-Kind Valentine

 

FACE OF TODAY



The FACE OF TODAY recognizes everyday people who

have made a positive impact on me and the other people around them.   

Karina Schellin is an employee at Jason's Deli in Indianapolis. As soon as she took my order, I could see that she was just a genuinely nice person.  Look at her picture, you can tell she has good energy.  But Karina did something from her Heart that was natural and kind.....

The woman choking happens
 to be pictured in the background too!

She brought me my food order and on her way back to the counter, this woman started coughing. The sound grew and she appeared to be on the verge of choking, which startled me.  I turned to see what was happening and I was surprised that patrons were passing by-not even acknowledging the choking woman . But Karina was Aware, she stepped in & asked if the woman was ok.  She did the right thing when no one was looking.  The woman was able to swallow and in a flash- everything was back to normal.

Now, I understand employees should always treat their customers well- but Karina actually stopped what she was doing to see if this woman needed assistance.  It was such a small gesture, if you weren't paying attention, you would have miss this all completely. But I was paying attention and you made my day just by observing your SIMPLE ACT of Human Kindness.

Be Aware and Do the right thing, others may be learning from your actions.
 
P.S. If you have never been to a Jason's Deli I highly recommend that you go. www.jasonsdeli.com  I love their salad bar.  They do not have any locations in Michigan yet

DONATING

There are so many ways that DONATING can have a positive ripple effect.





To my surprise, my hair was so thick they were able to get TWO ponytails from it.

Recently I donated my HAIR!  I happen to have really nice hair and one day the thought occurred to me that I could make a difference in someone else's life.   It was a long process but I am so happy that I did it.  A good motivator for me was hearing the news that my high school Art Teacher was diagnosed with Cancer, AGAIN....and she was going to loose her hair due to treatment.  Now, I didn't donate my hair to her personally, but I knew my hair would make a difference for someone else facing Cancer. 

One Wig takes 50 Ponytails to make it complete!

I know not everyone can donate their hair (it took a long time to grow out my hair and a lot of determination to let go of it) but think of all the things we can donate:

Clothing, Food, Cars, Sports Equipment, Blankets, Trinkets, Housewares, Ball Caps.  You can Donate your Time, your Pocket Change, even Frequent Flier Miles! 

THINK of PAYING IT FORWARD when you are DONATING. 

Just because you don't use or need something anymore, doesn't mean that someone else out there wouldn't love to have it.  When you clean out your garage or closets this spring, find items to donate.  Sometimes you just need to Let Go of "Stuff".  One of my friends recently donated some pretty dresses that his daughter had grown out of.  Can you image the look of surprise on a little girl's face when she finds one of these pretty dress to wear?

 

By Donating, you are Giving.  When you Give-someone Receives. It is just one SIMPLE ACT but the effect it can have is endless. 

 

Have you Donated recently?  What items were the hardest to let go of?

P.S.  Thankfully, my art teacher is winning her battle with Cancer too