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A Note From Brian___________________
It Takes A Village To Raise A Family – Old Chinese Proverb
It would be wonderful if we all had the ability to sit around a kitchen table, large portions for everyone, smiles on our faces, and share stories from our day. I wish I could visit every family and hear about their hopes, dreams, fears, worries, successes, goals and help them in any way shape or form. But the truth is, we are all part of a larger community that can both help. . . or hurt our best efforts to raise our children and ourselves.
Everyone, regardless of race or wealth, have their stresses . . . and to them, their stress holds the weight of the world. It doesn’t matter what the issue is, what matters is the affect it has on that individual. Right now, in our biggest cities and our smallest towns, there are little boys and girls being gently tucked into bed, and there are boys and girls who have no one to call mom or dad, and no place to call home.
Currently there are some mothers and fathers just finishing a long day’s work, some on their way to their 2nd or 3rd job for the day. There are parents worrying: “What if the baby sitter is sick tomorrow.” Or “How can we pay for college this fall?” There are parents worrying about gang members recruiting their children or pushing drugs on the street corner.
Bottom line is, this is our world we live in and we can either change it or live in denial. But the truth is, we CAN change it. Christopher Rieves said “We are all part of a big family, the AMERICAN family.” With that in mind, we have a responsibility to uphold. We have to endure the responsibility to not only do good, but inspire and instill good within all the people around us. That means listening to those who need to be heard, mothers, fathers, children, strangers, and even ourselves.
As for us adults, we have the ability to pick our village to help raise us up to a level that will tear down the walls of mediocrity and keep us striving for more. And as we approach the holiday season and the last Hurrah for the year, we must reflect on our role we played in our local village. What contribution did you make to help the sun shine brighter in someone else’s life? How did you help it make shine brighter in your own life? Be honest, if the answer isn’t what you’d like. . . then the solution is simple...change it.
You have the power to change the world, influence a child, and even save a life.
A.O.K Challenge______________________________
#1 SPREAD THE WORD: We are trying to spread
the word of the One Million A.O.K program throughout the entire country
– all by word of mouth. So your challenge for this month is to forward
this newsletter to any friends or family and ask them to sign up for the
newsletter. With your help we can spread the Kindness Disease all over!
#2 Contact three people that you’ve lost contact with over the course of this year and let them know that they are still in your thoughts and that you wish them a happy holiday season. It can be a phone call, email, or a letter. I promise, you will feel amazing after you do!
A.O.K News___________________________________
A.O.K Searching For KINDNESS CREW
The One Million A.O.K program is now searching for select individuals to form the “Kindness Crew”. The Kindness Crew will go out in the community and do outside the box random acts of kindness ON FILM! This will soon become an online TV Show on both the One Million A.O.K website and Youtube. If you would like to be on the Kindness Crew – or would like to volunteer for one of the events, please contact us directly. Not only will it be fun and exciting – but we will be able to randomly touch the lives of thousands – and share it with the world!
One Small Act of Kindness___________________
During my second year of nursing school our professor gave
us a quiz. I breezed through the questions until I read the last one:
"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this was a joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times, but
how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question
blank. Before the class ended, one student asked if the last question
would count toward our grade. "Absolutely," the professor said.
"In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant.
They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and
say hello." I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her
name was Dorothy. ~Joann C. Jones
EMAIL YOUR OWN STORIES TO MYSTORY@ONEMILLIONAOK.COM
