Week Nine: Perspective

“You will often find yourself going the wrong direction when you think only of yourself”

I was sitting in Mass a few weeks back when the Priest began his homily and said the above quote.  Of all the things I have heard in Mass lately, this quote resonated with me and I haven’t been able to stop repeating it in my head over the last few weeks.  Without any understanding as to why it had stuck, I continued on my way through life not thinking much about it.

Then, over the last week, anxiety all of a sudden set in.  This is a feeling that I have not felt since moving and it took me by surprise.  Nothing big happened, but if you know anxiety, it doesn’t need a reason, it just likes to settle in and find itself a home in the most sudden of ways and it is hard to kick.  Suddenly, all the little things that I never worry about began causing me stress, causing me to think through every “challenging” thing we have going on in our life.

If any of you suffer from anxiety, you know that often, it will lead to sleepless nights.  And sleepless nights I had.  For a few nights, I would lay wide awake going through all the “stressful” things going on in my life, making my anxiety feel even worse.  It was as I laid awake Tuesday night while the rest of the house was asleep that this quote popped right back into my head again.  “You will often find yourself going the wrong direction when you think only of yourself”.  I had gotten there.  I had allowed my stresses to make me think only about myself and less about others.  Now I know why this quote had resonated with me so much.  I was going to have to hear it to snap myself out of this self-loathing anxiety I was falling into.  So instead of sitting up stressing about all the little things in my life that really don’t matter, I began to think about all the things I am blessed with and all the people who need my prayers, dealing with much larger concerns than mine.

That was all I needed.  I woke up Wednesday morning feeling completely different and inspired to write this post as we approach Mother’s Day.  I feel so very blessed to be a Mother and to have been raised by one that has never put herself first.  I know that my desire to always give to those less fortunate or in need comes from the example both her and my Father set when I was growing up.  So this Mother’s Day, I want to share ways in which all of us can give to those Mothers and their families who are struggling and need all of us to think of them and not ourselves.

Tee It Up 4 Talia – Let me start close to home.  I went to High School with Talia and recently found out that she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer while pregnant with her second baby.  After rapid progression of the cancer, she has an emergency C section at 27 weeks and instantly began chemotherapy treatments.  I have not seen Talia in years but am certain she has not changed from the kind, energetic and always smile girl she is.  It breaks my heart to see her and her family go through this.  On May 30th, there will be a golf tournament to raise money for the family and I encourage you to check it out and get involved if you feel the desire to do so.  You can learn about Talia and the tournament by clicking here.  Please also remember Talia in your prayers as she continues to fight with everything she has got.

Gorjana – Many of you may be familiar with Gorjana and their beautiful jewelry but did you know that they have a collection which supports CHOC, the Children’s Hospital of Orange County?  Having a child who is sick is one of the biggest fears for a Mother and CHOC has taken care of so many families during moments of complete fear and uncertainty.  You can shop the entire collection by clicking here and provide support to this hospital and all the families it provides services to.

Every Mother Counts – Many of us take for granted that we have had healthy pregnancies and childbirth.  Sadly, many do not.  Every Mother Counts is a non-profit organization dedicated to making pregnancy and childbirth safe for every Mother.  It is reported that 303,000 women die every year from complications during pregnancy and childbirth.  This means that this Mother’s Day, while many of us celebrate, over 800 women will lose their lives.  You can shop their Orange Rose collection by clicking here and help support this organization in their fight for moms.

Humble Hilo – Mixing fashion with philanthropy, when you purchase a Humble Hilo item (I own one of their bags and absolutely love it), a portion of your purchase goes to support child nutrition, education and literacy for women, and micro-finance loans for women to start their own small business to help break the cycle of poverty and create opportunity for themselves and their families.  You can shop the entire collection by clicking here.

No Kid Hungry – I can’t even imagine how terrible it must feel as a Mother to not be able to provide simple needs for your children.  We often acknowledge that this is an problem in 3rd world countries but do not realize that it is also a terrible problem in the U.S. Unfortunately, 1 in 6 U.S children do not get the food they need.  They are our neighbors and friends and sometime we do not even know it.  Get involved in help these Mothers and end child hunger by clicking here.

LemLem – Looking for a cute coverup this Summer?  Why not support the LemLem Foundation at the same time?  When you shop at LemLem, 5% of sales and proceeds on collaborations support maternal health and childbirth for women in Africa.   Their goal is to increase the number of trained midwives, expand maternal health education and improve local clinics.  You can shop their collection by clicking here.

I know that this is only a few places to get involve and that there are numerous retailers that provide support to Mothers and their families.  Please leave their name in the comments so others can become aware of them and know how to support.

My perspective has been reset and I hope perhaps yours has too. Let us all not take for granted our health, our family and our gifts this Mother’s Day while saying a prayer for those Mothers who need them, helping to lead us all in the right direction, thinking more about others than ourselves.

Happy Mother’s Day.