Moral Courage

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably heard about Malala Yousafzai, the 14-year-old Pakistani girl shot by Taliban gunman because she championed the rights of girls to receive an education.

I saw the illustration below on the Upworthy Facebook page here. It really makes you stop and think, at least it did me. This girl, she is an amazingly brave little girl... I don't even know what to say. She's still a baby. She was only born in 1998. I get emotional every time I hear or read her story. She is so brave. So intelligent. Simply extraordinary. I am in awe of her and her convictions.

As a mother, I cannot stop thinking about her parents.

How do you raise your daughter to stand up for what she believes in like this?

What the Taliban has done is beyond disgusting, but what she has potentially done for girls in her country- I am optimistic. 

Her story is one of the very few reasons I can appreciate the media. Her story is out. She has already made a difference in this world. I hope, with everything I have in me, that she is able to recover from her attempted assassination.

STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN - Courage is a quality in men and women. Courage allows them to face up to challenges and dangers. A courageous person is not afraid to face any challenges or danger. There are two kinds of courage - ordinary courage and moral courage.

I Am Malala

--- EDIT --- UPDATE ---

Oh man, you guys scared me. I haven't found anything stating that she has passed. If it was anyone else, they wouldn't have survived. I say it again, this girl is truly amazing. She is at a specialty hospital in Britain being treated. The UAE and covering the bill. I can't tell you how much I am drawn to this story.

the huffington post article

the.book.chat What should we read?

As always, my book chat prompt is brought to you by Jessica @ SweetGreenTangerine. 
   Every Thursday.
   Check it out.

This week she asks:

What book should we read?

Good question - when in doubt, pick up a travel book.

   Do Something.

   Go Somewhere.
   Always.

If you are visiting an establishment & you have the chance to have the owners sign your book, I suggest you do so! 

Its all about the memories.

Look at all those glorious tabs. So many places marked, so few actually visited. 
Next on the list: Albuquerque's Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico. Then Carlsbad Caverns National Park, also in New Mexico. 
We may technically live in Texas right now, but we rarely ever explore Texas. New Mexico is right down I-10 and we much prefer to head that direction.  Everywhere I want to explore in Texas is minimum of 500 miles away. I'm tempted to hop on a plane for a two hour flight to Austin... All in due time I suppose.

Up to Tuesday ::: Wish of a Lifetime

What am I up to on this fine Tuesday in the Southwest?  Scouring Pinterest, of course. In my mindless pinning, I came across a little info about a blog dedicated to making senior wishes come true.     Ok, has your heart melted yet?     Mine totally did.

This one is for a man, Tom, who can no longer travel due to the end stages of COPD. From a novice traveler to a senior traveler, sending him a postcard is the least I could do.  

Our postcard to Tom went out yesterday. While putting the red flag up on the mailbox, my son wasn't sure why we were sending a stranger a postcard. At that time, it dawned on me. We haven't been practicing our R.A.K's anymore. This is something I need to remedy and fast. This week a postcard to a stranger, next week... who knows, but we will find something to do. 

Friendly Reminder

A friendly reminder- The United States Presidential Election is on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Make sure you are registered to vote. 

Register to vote HERE

and no-one else...

Q: If you could go on a long weekend trip away, sans spouse & kids, where would you go? 

For me, I would love to go to Portland, Oregon.  I would love to get a room in Portland, alone, and just stroll the streets, people watch, window shop, read, relax, write, and enjoy all the oddities around. Yep. That would be my go to place. Someday.

Where would you go? To a tropical setting somewhere while the waves beating against the shore? A European adventure?  Or the hustle and bustle of New York City? Or a little tiny no name country cabin away from it all?

 

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Revamping the old Life List

Isn't it funny how, at one point in your life, things that seem so important to experience can suddenly seem so unimportant just a few years later? I went back to look at the list that was created years and years ago and all the additions made throughout the past few years. I couldn't help but notice that the way I once saw things was no more. I see things completely differently now. Things that were once so unbelievably important for me to do in life are no longer, yet other things are even more important. Life lessons and maturing are to blame, I'm sure. Am I becoming a more responsible adult? Say it ain't so! I still want to do some of those things, but they no longer feel like a need.

A few additions made to the list were:

*Visit All 50 U.S. States ~  How can I appreciate other countries without truly experiencing and appreciating my own country & state? Unless we get orders to go over seas, odds are that I am not making it out of the U.S. any time soon. Might as well explore!

It looks like I have the lower half taken care of. Oklahoma will be marked off the list next month when the kids and I drive home to Missouri. Then California will be taken care of next summer/fall. We are planning a family vacation to the Legoland Resort & San Diego Sea World.

via

*Planting a minimum of five trees

*Vote in every presidential election throughout my entire life

* Finish my fricken BA then work towards my goal ~ my masters

*Write a children's book dedicated to my two kiddos

*Donate my hair to Locks of Love

*Go to a psychic or a medium ~ OK, Confession: I've actually attempted to visit a psychic a few times and it never worked out... hmm maybe its a sign? Maybe I'm not meant to hear what they have to say??

*Give a homeless person a wrapped gift ~ Everyone loves the excitement from unwrapping gifts! Perhaps Christmas time would be ideal for this.

*Hug a stranger ~ I'm actually sure I've done this, but sometimes people just need to be hugged. I need to start hugging. I used to be such an affectionate person. Always laughing and smiling and hugging someone. I think I grew out of it? I want to get this quality back. 

Do you have a list?

Have you felt the need to revise it lately?

Any suggestions?

 

KONY 2012

Where you live shouldn't determine whether you live. Please, take 30 minutes and watch this video in its entirety.

We've Seen These Kids

We've Heard Their Cries

This War Must End

We Will Not stop

We Will Not Fear

We Will Fight War

KONY 2012

We are not powerless
[you can help too]

I am sharing this, today, because I care.