Thursday, March 25, 2010

Sarah's Concert

Sarah had a choir concert at school on Tuesday.

I tried to upload a few videos here but it was taking too long and I gave up.

Click HERE if you are interested in watching a few shaky videos while listening to my lady sing her little heart out. (You know you want to!)


Sunday, March 14, 2010

Have I Inspired You?

I want to win a contest. Not just any contest ...
THIS contest.


It's a good one.

It's a contest to win a spot in a PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP that's being held later this spring and it's going to be GREAT!!

You all know how much I love my camera.
You all know how much I love taking pictures.
So, you can only imagine how much I'd like to learn how to be better and how to take better pictures.
It would be grand!

You can read all about the contest
HERE and HERE.
Plus, as a bonus, it's in Michigan.
I'm in Michigan.
It's a perfect match!

With that said, the rules of the contest require that I write a post on my own blog describing how I have inspired the people in my life
(in 600 words or less).

Amy Wenzel, host of the workshop, will then decide on a winner based on his or her ... oh, I don't know ... her ... inspirational qualities.

I've know about this contest since the beginning of March and I have yet to write my post.

Wanna know why?

It's because I don't know
how I have inspired anyone.

This is tough.

I don't dare even ask anyone for fear that they won't be able to answer the question!

Ask me if I've improved the quality of your day and I can say that, on most days, yes, I hope I have.

Ask me if I've influenced people (in a positive way) ... I can say yes. But, inspire?

Inspire is a BIG word and I'm having a difficult time wrapping my words around it.

But I REALLY want to win this contest so I'm going to try.

What I can tell you is that I HOPE I have inspired the people I've met. I hope that I have inspired them by being honest and kind and happy and friendly. I sincerely hope that I have inspired my children to WANT to be good humans. That, because of my own actions, they will grow up to want to be honest and kind and happy and friendly. That they will grow up to want to do the right thing and that they are proud to be who they are.

I've read some of the other entries. They are really good. Heartwarming. There are people out there who have had to deal with so much adversity ... illness, childhood trauma, adulthood trauma, and loss. If these are the things that make us inspirational to others then ... honestly ... I don't fit the bill.

I had a wonderful childhood. I am currently enjoying a wonderful adulthood. I have a fantastic family. A great husband. Happy children. I talk with my parents, my brother, my sister every day -- many times a day -- even though they live far away. I'm healthy. My people are, too. I use my time to help with my kids' school in all sorts of ways -- Girl Scouts, Science Fairs, Yearbooks, classroom help, car pools -- and I know that I am lucky to be able to do these things. Are these things inspirational? I hope so.

Only time will tell if my life is inspirational enough to win me any prizes. But ... now that I've written all of this ... I'm thinking that it might be just fine with me to learn that I actually have been an inspiration to someone. Wouldn't that be a nice thing to know??

PS. I did it in 592 words!! Woo Hoo!!