All the people from the New York office that were supposed to be on my 4pm conference call yesterday were late. Once they finally started trickling on to the call, I heard the news about the US Airways plane that landed in the Hudson River. They could see the rescue efforts from their office building.
My heart started racing, my stomach was in knots. I've been on literally hundreds of flights, a good majority of them into or out of LaGuardia. I've been on dozens of flights with my kids and all I could think about in that moment was some mom with her young children, hoping and praying and trying to be strong in order to save her babies.
I went right to my favorite online news source. The picture there showed an almost submerged plane with no people around it. The panic increased. I was relieved when I surfed to another news site, which had pictures of the plane much higher in the water, with people standing on the wings, surrounded by rescue personnel. Obviously, this picture was taken earlier than the first.
It wasn't long before the headline announced that all passengers and crew were believed to have gotten out, no serious injuries reported. That's when the tears began to flow. Tears of fear, tears of celebration, tears of "what if."
Last night when I got home, I couldn't stop hugging and kissing and holding my two beautiful little girls. I'm not sure why it sometimes takes something so significant to inspire those moments, but I'm thankful not only for the happy ending of that airplane and all aboard, but for the reminder that life can change in the blink of an eye, and I need to cherish what I have as often as I can.
It may only be the third week of the year, but already I've chosen my Hero of the Year. His name is Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III.
~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~
Blessings,
Kat
Friday, January 16, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
The Road Not Taken
One of my favorite poems has always been "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. Not sure why, I've just loved it since the first time I had to read it in grade school.
Lately, I've been wondering which path I'm on... the one more or less traveled. And is it the one I should be on? Would taking the other road really make all the difference? Or just lead me to a place I can't get back from? All good questions, no good answers yet. While I try to figure them out, at least I have a beautiful poem to keep my company.
~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~
Blessings,
Kat
Lately, I've been wondering which path I'm on... the one more or less traveled. And is it the one I should be on? Would taking the other road really make all the difference? Or just lead me to a place I can't get back from? All good questions, no good answers yet. While I try to figure them out, at least I have a beautiful poem to keep my company.
The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~
Blessings,
Kat
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Mr. B's Wallet
My family was in town (South Florida) from Upstate New York for 2 weeks over the holidays. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, my dad embarked on many of what he calls "Grand Adventures." These are basically exploration missions where he takes long walks around my development and the surrounding area to see what he can see. We have wildlife and plants that don't live in Upstate New York and being that he's a 6th grade science teacher, the little lizards and coconuts we're so used to are always fun for him.
After one Grand Adventure he came back with some coconuts, which he cracked open to find very foul smelling coconut milk. One of them had a gecko on it, which hitched a ride all the way from the community pool back to our house. Other times he found loose change or saw a cool bird. Other times, it was just a nice walk.
The day before he left, though, he returned with his biggest find of the trip, a wallet... complete with driver's license, bank debit card and cash. He found it next to the newspaper vending machines about a mile down the road.
I thought it would be easy to track down the owner since the license was inside. It took all of 30 seconds to find the phone number on yellowbook.com. Of course, the number was no longer in service. A call to directory assistance yielded no match for that name in my county or the 3 surrounding counties. I searched through his wallet to see if I could find another phone number, with no luck.
There was a fitness club membership card in the wallet, so I called the one closest to my house (the card didn't say which one he went to and it was a national chain), explained what happened and asked if they could contact the man (Mr. B) and give him my phone number. They told me I could drop the wallet off to them and they'd give it to him if he came in to that particular facility inquiring about it. No, thank you.
There was a bank debit card in there, too, so I called the local branch. They wouldn't relay a message but told me if I brought in the wallet, they'd call Mr. B while I was there, so I'd know they really contacted him. Off Dad and I went to the bank, wallet in hand, only to find out that even though someone was answering phones, the branch didn't really open for another 20 minutes. Oh well, it was a nice day to wait.
The first phone number the bank rep tried got through to Mr. B, who knew right where he'd lost the wallet and when. It hadn't been gone long, and he was quite relieved to get the call that it had been found. He asked to speak to me so he could thank us in person and asked what he could do to repay us. Nothing, I told him, we were happy to help him get it back. He went on and on about how thankful he was, how he needs his license for his job and couldn't work without it. What a great way for us all to start the new year, with Mr. B knowing there are still honest people in the world, and with Dad and I knowing we did a good thing.
We left the wallet at the bank, Mr. B was going to come pick it up. We didn't leave our name or phone number. Didn't need to... we knew it was in good hands and we didn't want to give Mr. B the impression that he needed to thank us again. In hindsight, I wish I had left him a little note about Paying it Forward when he could, or tucked myself away in the corner of the bank lobby to see the reaction on his face when he realized everything in his wallet was still right where he had left it... license, bank card, $49 cash in the main part and even the $100 bill he had folded up and tucked in between a collection of other cards and papers.
Though I'm sure we made his day brighter, returning that wallet to him probably meant just as much to us. It was nice to do a nice thing, an honest thing, for no other reason than it was the right thing to do. If you ever have the opportunity to do a nice thing anonymously, take it. It'll make your heart smile.
~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~
Blessings,
Kat
After one Grand Adventure he came back with some coconuts, which he cracked open to find very foul smelling coconut milk. One of them had a gecko on it, which hitched a ride all the way from the community pool back to our house. Other times he found loose change or saw a cool bird. Other times, it was just a nice walk.
The day before he left, though, he returned with his biggest find of the trip, a wallet... complete with driver's license, bank debit card and cash. He found it next to the newspaper vending machines about a mile down the road.
I thought it would be easy to track down the owner since the license was inside. It took all of 30 seconds to find the phone number on yellowbook.com. Of course, the number was no longer in service. A call to directory assistance yielded no match for that name in my county or the 3 surrounding counties. I searched through his wallet to see if I could find another phone number, with no luck.
There was a fitness club membership card in the wallet, so I called the one closest to my house (the card didn't say which one he went to and it was a national chain), explained what happened and asked if they could contact the man (Mr. B) and give him my phone number. They told me I could drop the wallet off to them and they'd give it to him if he came in to that particular facility inquiring about it. No, thank you.
There was a bank debit card in there, too, so I called the local branch. They wouldn't relay a message but told me if I brought in the wallet, they'd call Mr. B while I was there, so I'd know they really contacted him. Off Dad and I went to the bank, wallet in hand, only to find out that even though someone was answering phones, the branch didn't really open for another 20 minutes. Oh well, it was a nice day to wait.
The first phone number the bank rep tried got through to Mr. B, who knew right where he'd lost the wallet and when. It hadn't been gone long, and he was quite relieved to get the call that it had been found. He asked to speak to me so he could thank us in person and asked what he could do to repay us. Nothing, I told him, we were happy to help him get it back. He went on and on about how thankful he was, how he needs his license for his job and couldn't work without it. What a great way for us all to start the new year, with Mr. B knowing there are still honest people in the world, and with Dad and I knowing we did a good thing.
We left the wallet at the bank, Mr. B was going to come pick it up. We didn't leave our name or phone number. Didn't need to... we knew it was in good hands and we didn't want to give Mr. B the impression that he needed to thank us again. In hindsight, I wish I had left him a little note about Paying it Forward when he could, or tucked myself away in the corner of the bank lobby to see the reaction on his face when he realized everything in his wallet was still right where he had left it... license, bank card, $49 cash in the main part and even the $100 bill he had folded up and tucked in between a collection of other cards and papers.
Though I'm sure we made his day brighter, returning that wallet to him probably meant just as much to us. It was nice to do a nice thing, an honest thing, for no other reason than it was the right thing to do. If you ever have the opportunity to do a nice thing anonymously, take it. It'll make your heart smile.
~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~
Blessings,
Kat
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Good in the News: The Gift of Hope
You'll need a tissue (or ten) by the time you're done with this one. Thanks to my friend Mel for sharing this amazing article.
From ESPN.com, by Rick Reilly:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3789373
~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~
Blessings,
Kat
"Imagine if you didn't have a home life. Imagine if everybody had pretty much given up on you. Now imagine what it would mean for hundreds of people to suddenly believe in you." (Kris Hogan, head coach, Grapevine Faith Football)
.
"There are some games in which cheering for the other side
feels better than winning." (Rick Reilly)
From ESPN.com, by Rick Reilly:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3789373
~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~
Blessings,
Kat
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Today is a New Day
I'll admit it, I'm not a huge fan of the hoopla around New Year's. I know that the new year brings a new beginning, new opportunities, a new start. I have some great New Year's memories (most notably our trip to Times Square in New York City to watch the ball drop from 1999 into 2000, when Craig and I were standing as close to the ball as the police barricades would allow). But the whole idea of resolutions... I'm just not a fan. They seem so big, so intimidating, so impossible. I make them every year and I find myself disappointed about my ability to see them through. Sometimes, it's due to sheer lack of willpower on my part. Sometimes, it's because I choose such BIG things to tackle. Sometimes, well, I don't know... I'm just not a fan.
This year, I'm not going to make any resolutions. There are some things I would like to do better in 2009, some things I want to focus on more intentionally, some things I want to change in my day-to-day life. But this year, they will be just that. Nothing earth shattering, nothing to write home about... just some things to focus on more in my day-to-day life. Key here, my friends, is the "day-to-day" part.
I will aim to do my best each day. And to know that no matter how long the to-do list might be, my best is good enough.
I will aim to make the world the best possible place it can be for my children, both now and for their future.
I will aim to make a difference each day, no matter how small it may seem, to make the above two items happen.
How will I do this? I will take one day at a time. I will focus on what I can control, what I can do, and not what I can't. And I will look to my really cool friends to help me out.
I've blogged here before about my friends over at Cool People Care. Their motto is "Saving the World, 5 Minutes at a Time." After all, who can't find 5 minutes to make a difference each day?
The Cool People have just released their second awesome book, called Today is a New Day!. This book is filled with small things that make a big impact, things you can do in only 5 minutes each day, things to help make the world a better place for yourself, your family, and all the world around you. Between the two of them, their two books (the first one was New Day Revolution)contain more than 365 ways you can make a difference in 2009 and beyond, in only 5 minutes a day. How simple is that? As Sam said, "It's time to save the world. Every little bit of inspiration can help."
If you do decide to order something from the Cool People Care Online Store, don't forget to enter the code LADYBUG when you check out. You'll get a 5% discount on your entire purchase, and another 5% of your purchase price will be donated to one of Dancing with Ladybug's favorite causes, The USO.
What are your dreams for 2009? Your goals? Your hopes? Your challenges? I'd love to know what you're planning in the new year. Leave me a comment, let me know how you plan to make the world a better place in 2009.
Sometimes, making a big difference doesn't have to be intimidating and in 2009 and always, I'm thankful to have such really cool friends to help show me how.
This year, I'm not going to make any resolutions. There are some things I would like to do better in 2009, some things I want to focus on more intentionally, some things I want to change in my day-to-day life. But this year, they will be just that. Nothing earth shattering, nothing to write home about... just some things to focus on more in my day-to-day life. Key here, my friends, is the "day-to-day" part.
I will aim to do my best each day. And to know that no matter how long the to-do list might be, my best is good enough.
I will aim to make the world the best possible place it can be for my children, both now and for their future.
I will aim to make a difference each day, no matter how small it may seem, to make the above two items happen.
How will I do this? I will take one day at a time. I will focus on what I can control, what I can do, and not what I can't. And I will look to my really cool friends to help me out.
I've blogged here before about my friends over at Cool People Care. Their motto is "Saving the World, 5 Minutes at a Time." After all, who can't find 5 minutes to make a difference each day?
The Cool People have just released their second awesome book, called Today is a New Day!. This book is filled with small things that make a big impact, things you can do in only 5 minutes each day, things to help make the world a better place for yourself, your family, and all the world around you. Between the two of them, their two books (the first one was New Day Revolution)contain more than 365 ways you can make a difference in 2009 and beyond, in only 5 minutes a day. How simple is that? As Sam said, "It's time to save the world. Every little bit of inspiration can help."
If you do decide to order something from the Cool People Care Online Store, don't forget to enter the code LADYBUG when you check out. You'll get a 5% discount on your entire purchase, and another 5% of your purchase price will be donated to one of Dancing with Ladybug's favorite causes, The USO.
What are your dreams for 2009? Your goals? Your hopes? Your challenges? I'd love to know what you're planning in the new year. Leave me a comment, let me know how you plan to make the world a better place in 2009.
Sometimes, making a big difference doesn't have to be intimidating and in 2009 and always, I'm thankful to have such really cool friends to help show me how.
~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~
Blessings,
Kat
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