I Stood Up To You

I STOOD UP TO YOU!

I stood up to you when I said “Stop putting me down.”

You didn’t hear me. You were adjusting your crown.

I stood up to you when I defended my work.

You didn’t notice. You were being a jerk.

I stood up to you as I clinched my fists tight.

You knew you were wrong, yet you still had to fight.

I stood up to you when I replied with a glare.

You looked right through me, like you just don’t care.

I stood up to you when I said your words sting.

You didn’t respond. You just stared at your ring.

I stood up to you and asked “Why do you bully?”

You didn’t answer, but you understood fully.

I stood up to you when I said “ Hey, I MATTER.”

You looked right at me and said “I’m not paid to be kind or flatter.”

I stood up to you but it was all in my dream.

I really wish things weren’t as bad as they seem...

It's in the Cards

IT’S in the CARDS

Who is your hero?  Growing up, I remember my dad always talking about his favorite player, Stan Musial.  He played for the St. Louis Cardinals and was known as “Stan the Man” because of his character on and off the field.  My dad told us stories of growing up in Richmond, Virginia and listening to the Cards on the radio so that he could hear his favorite team’s games and know how his favorite player was doing. He said that he could picture each play in his head perfectly.  That probably explains why he is still such a great listener when we chat.  If you were to ask my dad today, who his hero was when he was a child, he wouldn’t hesitate to tell you that his hero was Stan Musial.  He admired him for his talent and the gentlemanly way that he handled himself on and off the baseball field.  He never said much but his actions spoke volumes.

Several years ago, we learned that Mr. Musial was going to be coming to a card show near our hometown.  This was an opportunity that we couldn’t pass up so we bought tickets for our family and of course we bought a ticket for my dad.  Probably one of the best days of my life was getting to see my dad meet his childhood hero, Stan “the Man” Musial.  We have a picture of them together from that day and I remember my dad telling him how much he admired him when he was growing up.  Mr. Musial didn’t say a lot but he smiled and was appreciative of my dad’s compliments that day.  I can remember walking away thinking about the excitement that my dad must have been experiencing when he met his hero.

Recently, my dad and I were talking about the day that he met Mr. Musial.  I was telling him how I felt when I watched them meet and shake hands.  My dad shared that while he was excited, he had been a little disappointed because Mr. Musial didn’t talk very much and he had hoped that he would talk a little more when they met.  My dad went on to tell me that he later read that his childhood hero had a speech impairment, stuttering.  Speaking in public was something that made him very uncomfortable but because of his character and his desire to be a good role model for young children, he would do it when it was necessary because that was part of the job.  Mr. Musial took his job very seriously even after he retired from the MLB.  He continued to represent the St. Louis Cardinals in a positive manner, owning a restaurant in St. Louis, staying in the area for the remainder of his life.

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes.  For most young children, they tend to be professional athletes and that was the case for my dad.  I will always be grateful for those few moments that we had together at a card show in Virginia.  I grew up imagining what my dad must have been like as a child and I learned a lot about him through stories from family members.  On the day that he met his childhood hero, I got to see for a few brief moments, what my dad was like as a child and as soon as I met Mr. Musial, I knew why he was “The Man.”

May I Please Have a Word With You?

May I please have a WORD with you?

I've always been fond of words. I remember learning the word personification in the third grade and I remember thinking it was the best word ever!  I love to speak metaphorically and I still love to learn new words. My brother and sister always tease me when we play Scattegories because I have a certain look on my face when I say a word that I am particularly proud of. In the fourth grade, I was the grade level representative for the school wide spelling bee and I remember what my mom said to me when I lost against the fifth and sixth graders.  She said "Well, you will never forget how to spell the word ASSOCIATION again!"  She was right just like always!  

Here's the thing about words.  There are a myriad of ways to use words. A word  can be your best friend or your worst nightmare.   There is so much power in a word. At the beginning of the school year, I had a very interesting experience with words.  There were two emails in particular that I received on the same day.  The first one said not to be offended if the emails that I sent didn't receive a reply because this person receives a lot of emails and sometimes can't get to them all.  That one didn't make me feel so good. In fact, it hurt. Is what I have to say so unimportant that I can't even receive a two word reply like "Thank you?"  A few hours later, I opened up an email from a person much higher up in the "food chain" who proceeded to tell me that the email that he had received from me was "unequivocally the best email I have ever received in the eleven years since I started working in this company."  How do you think those words made me feel?  I felt like I had won the lottery and I didn't even purchase a ticket!  :) 

 If only that childhood chant we used to say so easily were true: " Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."  Now, more than ever it is easy to hurt others with your words.  In our never ending battle to fight a society who continuously withdraws and hides behind texting and emails, we must take a stand and remember that words matter. Just like sticks and stones, words can break you if you let them...

Always Stop At The Lemonade Stand

Dream BIG.  Imagine the Unimaginable.  Listen  more, Talk less.  Create  your own path.  Dare to be different.  Laugh Often. Sing like You’re a Rock Star. Smile. Be Kind to Others.  Dance in the Rain.  Run Through a Meadow.   Keep Your Friends Close.  Keep Your Family Closer.  Say I LOVE YOU.  Hug Often.  

Thank Those Who Helped You Along the Way.  Embrace Change.  Ask Questions.  Believe in Yourself. Make a Difference.

Always Stop at the Lemonade Stand.