October + Pink = Breast Cancer Awareness Month

"My cancer scare changed my life. I'm grateful for every new, healthy day I have. It has helped me prioritize my life."

~Olivia Newton-John

 

Chances are, you know someone who has cancer or someone who's life has been touched by cancer.  Maybe a friend or a relative or a co-worker.  And as you all probably know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  When you are out at the mall, you see lots and lots of PINK.  Pink shirts and pink ribbons.  Slogans like "Fight Like a Girl" and "Save the Ta-tas."

Yesterday at my church, a brave and inspirational family shared their story with the congregation about the mother's battle with cancer.  This woman happens to work at the same company I do.  During the service, I decided this was definitely going to be the topic of my Starfish. 

In 2010, Angie was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer and was told she had 1-5 years to live.  Their story is so inspirational as they talk about their journey and how they keep their faith. I encourage you to watch the clip below and see for yourself.

http://sermons.hopewdm.org/ 
The sermon is from 10/21/2012 and is titled "Wandering." The Sanders' story starts at about 20:00 and is continued at 29:40.

My Challenge to you this Week: 

Be thankful.  Be faithful.  If you pray, pray for Angie.  Pray for every woman who is battling breast cancer.  Don't wait to live, really live, until you are told you may not have much time left.  Live your life to the absolute fullest - and love, love to the absolute fullest.

Today's Starfish

I was very touched by Angie and her family's story.  I was inspired by their faith and their raw, real conviction that they shared with hundreds of people.  I got up extra early today and stopped at Starbucks.  I bought 4 coffees - one for my friend who was celebrating her birthday, one for my other friend and one for Angie.  Angie and I do not work in the same department or even on the same floor, but I wanted to share with her how deeply touched I was by her story.  I took the coffee and a card down to her and let her know I was at church on Sunday and that I was praying for her and her family.  She was so surprised - she got goosebumps and tears sprang to her eyes.  It was a very moving moment and a great way to start my Monday. 

A Touchdown and 2 Extra Points for KINDNESS

Winning is not a sometime thing.  Its an all time thing.You don't win once in awhile.  You don't do the right thing once in a while.  You do them right all the time.  Winning is a habit.  Unfortunately, so is losing. 
-Vince Lombardi




The Hawks win in double OT.  ISU loses. Won my fantasy football match this week.  Made a delicious corn salsa dip and potato soup for the boys to eat while watching football.  It was a weekend of wins.  TOUCHDOWN!!!!

You may be a starter, a coach, a benchwarmer, a referee, a cheerleader, a waterboy, an underdog or a fan.
Maybe you are up in the stands every Friday night, bundled  under 3 blankets, cheering on your son who is a kicker for your local high school.  Or maybe you are an avid college football fan and you are at the tailgate Saturday morning by 4am, beer in hand, sporting your Hawkeye fleece.  Maybe you prefer the professional league and spend all day every Sunday, in someone's basement glued to the TV.  Or if you are like the guys I know, you have two TVs set up next to each other and are watching two different games at once.  TOUCHDOWN!!

Every day, we play our own game. We put on our uniforms - including the pads, the helmets, the cleats.  Because we never know when we are going to get tackled or stuck in the mud.  We are all working toward being a part of "special teams", making that field goal, grabbing that interception, scoring the winning touchdown or coming back for an impressive few minutes of overtime.  We huddle up and we take a few minutes to step back and evaluate the situation.  In life, like football, we all have our sights set on the goalposts.  There are going to be some hard hits throughout the game, you may get beat up a little bit, you may come out with some grass stains on your pants - but you keep your head held high and your chin strap fastened and you keep pushing through. 



 

Today's Starfish

Today, I gave a tissue to one of my Cyclone friends at work  so he could dry his tears from their loss on Saturday.  I gave my roommate a whole box.  TOUCHDOWN!!!!!!!!!!!



Today's REAL Starfish


So... a girl walks into a bar...

Nope, this is not a bar joke...  I really did! :)

I went to a sportsbar at the beginning of the second quarter of the Monday Night Football game tonight and asked a waitress to buy a pitcher of beer for any table in the bar that would appreciate a free pitcher... and for her to keep the change for a tip.  She was speechless for a few moments.  She asked me why I wanted to do this and I explained to her what I do every Monday.  She thought it was really cool and said she was going to give the beer to one of her regular tables that comes in every Monday night.   I was so excited all afternoon as I was looking forward to doing this tonight.  TOUCHDOWN!

There is a Holiday Today? (not the one you are thinking! ;) )

"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my back account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of clothes I wore. But the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child."
~Unknown

Yes, you are right...it IS Columbus Day...but did you know it is also National Children's Day?!  I had never heard of this holiday until I checked out my calendar at work today.  And it got me thinking about how absolutely AWESOME kids are.

Now, I don't have any kids myself, but hopefully some day I will have some little munchkins that I can call my own.  If we pay close attention, we can learn so much from the children around us that may just help us in our own lives.

Kids are carefree. Their biggest worry might be what they are going to do at recess tomorrow or who they are going to sit by at lunch or if their daddy is going to read their favorite book before bed.  Children are innocent - they don't judge and they don't care about the color of your skin, your weight, how much you have in your bank account or what brand of clothes you are wearing. 

Don't you miss those days? The days where you didn't have so much to think about?  The days where you just went with the flow of life and loved every minute?  The days where you weren't trying to impress anyone and you were happy with who you are?  The days where you got an afternoon nap? :)

I know it's tough.  It isn't easy being an adult.  But why are we spending so much of our lives planning the next chapter instead of enjoying the page we are on now? 

My challenge for you this week is to remember what it is like to be a kid.  Even if you can set aside just 10 minutes of your day to be carefree and do something you normally wouldn't do, something you may see as childish.  See if you can bring back even the slightest feeling of being a child again... and revel in that moment :) 

Today's Starfish

I am breaking the rules this week - today's starfish is actually from yesterday but I have kept this great feeling with me all throughout today so it still counts! ;) 

Yesterday was my first day teaching Sunday School at my church.  I have a group of 4 year olds and even though I've only taught once, I absolutely love it and can't wait to go back!  Not only do I get to learn awesome songs and dances along with the kids, but I get to teach these small children how awesome God is and how much He loves them.  We learned about Moses and the burning bush.  We said a prayer and the kids repeated after me.  I told them that one of their hands is their "God" hand and their other hand is their "me" hand.  When they put them together, God is right there with them - listening to every word they say.

These kids are going to teach me so much with their open hearts and minds.  I am looking forward to teaching them and learning with them in the weeks to come. :)

HAPPY _____DAY!

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate."
~Oprah Winfrey

Birthdays.

Tomorrow is mine.

I'll be 26.  Kind of a weird age.  No longer in the "early twenties" and 30 has become a bit more of a reality. 

But really, age is just a number. Just like the number on the scale or the number on your last work review.  A number does not define you.  It does not make you who you are. 

And birthdays are fun to celebrate.  Birthday cards and birthday gifts.  People in passing wishing you a happy birthday. Phone calls and texts.  Someone maybe taking you out to dinner or bringing you a coffee.  And who could forget all the Facebook love you get on your birthday? 

People get so caught up in the "number" part of their birthday.  But let me tell you a few things:

• A.  50 is the new 30
• B.  Your birthday is the beginning of your new year - you get a fresh start
• C.  You can't stop time
• D.  Enjoy the day - it's really all about you!
• E.  Having a birthday is better than the alternative - NOT having a birthday

The point is, enjoy EACH day.  There is always something to celebrate.  And if you can't find something good in your day, make something good for someone else.  One day you won't have anymore tomorrows and you won't have anymore birthdays. 

Happy Day!

Today's Starfish

My mom and I visited the Windy City this past weekend for my birthday celebration.  It was a perfect weekend and the perfect way to celebrate!  I must mention that I saw real live starfish at the Shedd Aquarium!  We went to the Ghiradelli chocolate store and I got a ton of chocolates to re-stock my chocolate bucket at work.  I took the chocolates to work and they have been a big hit so far :)