Thirty-five years ago today, a child was born in South Korea. Three months later, I had the immense joy of watching him being carried off of an airplane and placed into my arms. The social worker said “I’ve never seen a happier Mother.”

I give thanks every day to his birthmother who had to make a heart-wrenching decision to give him what she hoped would be the best life possible. It’s hard to imagine how that must have felt. I hope she has always believed she made the best decision. I can’t imagine my life without that happening.

Today I get to celebrate with my son as I think about the past, the present, and the future with him.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

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Research has proven that the happiest age group of all is the elderly. Why is that? Maybe because it’s a more peaceful existence, and we know it’s okay to slow down. When we age gracefully, we live with the wisdom of all of our life experiences.

Admitting that things have changed is often the first step in aging with grace. We cannot always live as things were in the past. That’s the message, retired priest, Father Bob Schwartz, presents when speaking about transitions in later life.

In youth, he says, we lay the foundation for our life. The first season is often struggling to get our lives going. This is a season of being heavily dependent on others. The second season is about giving our lives away in serving others, whether it’s family or contributing to the world of church, work, or culture. The third season of our lives is …
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The State Fair presents many opportunities to be kind. Here are just a few possibilities, and please add your ideas.

• Share some of your Sweet Martha’s cookies
• Look for someone wearing a Vietnam Vet hat and say “Thanks for your service”
• When every seat is taken on your bench, get up and offer yours to someone
• Step back while in line to let others pass by
• Thank a security officer for being there

Enjoy the memories you’re creating!…
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Photo from Wiccanbipolarforum’s Post

An anthropologist proposed a game to the kids in an African tribe. He put a basket full of fruit near a tree and told them that whoever got there first won the sweet fruits.

When he gave them the signal to run, they all took each other’s hands and ran together, then sat in a circle enjoying their treats.

When he asked them why they chose to run as a group when they could have had more fruit individually, one child spoke up and said: “UBUNTU, how can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?”

‘UBUNTU’ in the Xhosa culture means: “I am because we are.”

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Some call it a sweltering summer day. I like to call it a scattering kindness opportunity!

What kid, of any age, doesn’t smile with their first lick of a frozen popsicle on a very hot day? You can make that happen by simply picking up a box of popsicles and searching for a nearby shelter to drop them off. Hint — shelters are everywhere.

You’ll feel cooler just imagining when the paper comes off that first popsicle. Do it today!

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