Move that Bus and Play Ball!

My son recently asked me to tape "Extreme Makeovers - Home Edition" for him every week. Although we both can get quite teary-eyed while watching, he has become fascinated with how little some people have and ways he may be able to help others. (I also think he is hoping the team will create a dream bedroom for him one day!) There is certainly something to be said for helping one another. Not only is it useful for the recipients, it can give you a sense of pride, a feeling of connectivity with our world, and remind us we exist for numerous reasons.

This weekend my family will be participating in "Kites for a Cure" at Plum Island. My son gets to decorate and fly a kite along with others in support of lung cancer for $25. On Sunday, we will help out at Cradles to Crayons in Quincy in memory of a friend who left this world much too soon. Our friend's family organized this unique volunteering event and we are excited to work together to keep his memory alive while helping kids in need.


More and more people are choosing to remember loved ones in very different ways to stay connected. Another friend is having a memorial for her partner and has asked people to bring items to donate to a local animal shelter due to his love of pets. Similarly, the day after my grandfather passed away, the grandchildren and great grandkids went out together and bought numerous pet toys for the Animal Shelter in Salem. Our tears turned to smiles for a bit when we delivered them in his memory. It felt as if he would be able to hang out with the animals in spirit, which would be very appropriate as he loved caring for family pets so much.

This summer, my husband hopes to raise money for the Jimmy Fund by participating in Fantasy Day at Fenway Park in late August. His father, who passed away in 2008, started Little League many years ago in Everett and always talked about his love of baseball with his two sons. What better way to reconnect with his Dad than playing ball at Fenway while helping kids with cancer?


We all can make a difference in the life of someone else - even an animal! It isn't the big house or fancy car, but rather the experiences we share and the joy we can get when we connect with one another for unselfish reasons. Whether it is flying a kite together, donating a toy, or playing ball, this is the stuff life is made of - so savor and enjoy!

While driving home from a friend's house the other night, I felt inspired to pop the "Wicked" cd into the car's player and sing away at the top of my lungs. Yes, I'm one of those people who seizes alone time in the car to pretend I'm a star on Broadway. We all have our little hobbies, right?

"Wicked" is a fantastic musical about friendship, revealing that things are not always as they appear. One of my favorite songs, " For Good," begins..."I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason. Bringing something we must learn, and we are led to those who help us most grow, if we let them, and they help us in return."

Can this be true? There are certainly people who have empowered me, making me feel that nothing is impossible. Those I'm so glad and fortunate to have met - those who have made me into the person I am and will become.

Likewise, there are a few people I could certainly do without - similar to the wicked witch who tosses a fireball in the way while on the yellow brick road. You know the kind I mean - they frustrate us, engender a feeling of unimportance, and make us questions ourselves and our existence.

Just like the book, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People" by Harold Kushner, I am reminded that we wouldn't understand what good was if we didn't experience the bad. And as the song notes, they are the ones that help us grow, too, even if not in the way we may have hoped or intended. At the very least, they give us something to rant about with friends!

So embrace those who come into your life - even the strangers you meet who you feel you've known forever. They are there for a reason. You never know what you may learn and the next person you encounter may just be the one who helps you feel like you can defy gravity. Don't get it? Go see "Wicked" (at Boston's Opera House from Sept. 1st -Oct. 17th) and you'll know exactly what I mean!