Color Me Goodness

Last year I made the decision that I would attempt to cut back a bit on some of my super crazy train projects at work. I wanted to amp down a bit. It was a good thought. I opted to replace the PGM run and chat with something else. It has been increasingly taxing on my emotions sharing so much and running at warp speed. I figured a tweak wasn't a bad thing.
It wasn't a bad thing at all. As we opted to initiate Seneca's first ever color run what better name than Color Me Goodness? My belief is that the decisions that we make in life are so very important. We can live for ourselves or we can stretch beyond our comfort zone and live to serve, impact our communities and look at people's hearts instead of solely external features. 

It wasn't an easy task, but my Seneca kids managed to kick out 600 pounds of color powder. It all entailed lots and lots of patience, experimenting and aiming for absolute goodness. I went through countless dust masks, tweaked a myriad of color powder recipes and spent hours upon hours blending a vast array of colors. Cutting back on hours and crazy had good intentions...e for effort.

The day of the run could not have been any more glorious. The sun was shining, faces were smiling and legs were ready to run a totally awesome 5k with eight chutes, 600 pounds of color and heaps of peeps super ready for being doused with color. Was it worth it? Totally. I think of the day when I will look back at the craziness, the long hours and the experiences so many have had that will be long lasting. It's a pretty cool thing. 

My hope is that the 400+ who participated will not only take away a lot of dusty color, but the realization that life is indeed precious and we have the ability to truly color the world with a heap of goodness! 

We Can

I believe in the concept of never settling, always dreaming and inspiring others to catch the concept of having lofty visions of life. About a year ago Tay and I were at the World Cafe Live in Philly where Jesse Ruben was performing. He's headlined with some pretty impressive musicians. As I listened to his lyrics, got a pulse of his personality and outlook on life the wheels began to spin. I leaned over to Tay and said, "we need him at Seneca." She just smiled.
I always have music playing in my office. A few months later one of my students and I were talking when she stopped me mid-sentence to ask who was singing the song on pandora. Jesse Ruben. Bam! Molly managed to inspire and motivate her peers to tweet, fb and message the heck out of Jesse who proceeded to reach out to me via email asking, "who are these kids? where are they from?" They wanted Jesse at Seneca and man, did those guys hit the ground running. After a few emails and phone calls a date was set...Jesse was heading to Seneca. 

But prior to his performance at Seneca the Drug Squad had a private jam session with Jesse performing in my living room. It was pretty amazing watching these kids bask in good tunes and the satisfaction that they had succeeded in getting Jesse Ruben to Seneca High School. How cool is that? 

The following day he tag teamed with three assemblies to over 1,200 students performing his hit song, "We Can." The dude can sing. What impressed me most was his ability to relate to the kids, inspire his listeners to go beyond complacency and dream big. Our life is not about us. To remain stagnant is unacceptable. A great guy, great tunes and a super amazing evening that these kids are not soon to forget. Thanks, Jesse!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Aj9E5lCn0

Sista-hood

Earlier this week was National Sibling Day. I'm not sure if this has been around for a while and I'm just out of it or someone out there just kicked out another holiday. Whatever it is, I think it's a great idea. Any hour, day or week we set aside to count our blessings and reflect is a good thing. Family is one of the most important things in life and how often we take those we share so much in common with for granted. 

I am thankful for my sisters. As today marks the fourteenth year since I last saw my sister I am so very thankful to have had her in mine and Jessie's life for seventeen years. I have to say I miss her more than words. As I write this my heart aches and tears flow. It's still pains me to think about. 

This year I decided to step away from the Precious Gems Run as well as the talk I give each year at Seneca. It felt like it was time to let go a little bit and my heart needed a bit of a breather. It wasn't easy, but it seemed like it was time to step away. 

I come to find out that a local college approached our organization with the intent of redoing the Precious Gems video to distribute to high schools throughout Jersey and Pennsylvania. Just when I thought the chapter was closing it seems to be, yet again, extended. 

I try to consider all of the good that has and continues to come out of the loss of the girls. I realize that my name, along with the other four families, is forever synonymous with the events of April 6th, 1999. There is a sense of comfort in the fact that good has come from hurt, but the reality is that every once in a while I find myself thinking about what Shana would be doing, what she would look like and where all of us would be if the crash never occurred. It's a million what ifs that can drive you crazy. 

So even though my heart still pains I will remember and I will cherish the time that we were given. I am thankful for all the pictures, the memories and the goodness Jess, Shana and I had for so long. Each memory is tucked away in my heart and will stay with me as long as I walk this earth. I am thankful and look forward to one day having the three of us united smiling, hugging and picking up where we left off. A three-fold cord is not quickly broken....

Floridian venture

Spring Break could not have arrived at a better time. Winter feels like it has been filled with chill, gray skies and non-flip flop approved temps. Hopping a plane to Florida was definitely the perfect remedy for funky winter blues.



The four of us, Taylor's friend, my parents & Tristan made our way to the sunshine state. It was nice to have a little bit of time with my parents and Tristan. It's still a challenge for me not seeing them as much as I would like. But it was great seeing them get to chill a bit and get a few days away from the farm.


The weather was pretty good, the sun was out and it was nice to be out of Jersey for a few days. After a bit of Disney and a few hours of surf it definitely left me very ready for summer. 

Women-ly Goodness : )

Last week I had approximately 24 hours of super goodness along with feeling tremendously humbled by through the words and encouragements of my family, friends & colleagues. A bit ago I was informed that I was one of five other women of the year for Burlington County. It wasn't until the day of the event that it all sort of clicked in.
The day began with my colleagues throwing me a Pancake Palooza. I was overwhelmed with the hugs, words of encouragement and love bestowed upon me by so many. It is a blessing to work with so many awesome people that challenge me to be a better person and finding ways to better our staff and our kids.


Later in the evening Keith and Taylor accompanied me to the banquet that was being held for the six of us being honored. It takes a bit to jar my emotions, but being in the midst of the honorees and my PGM moms added fuel to my spirit. How encouraging it is to hear how our words and determination can and is making an impact. Not only is it an honor to hear what is being accomplished, but it further reinforces how very important it is to align the words we say with our actions. It's so easy to just play the role on the clock, but it's a whole different ball game allowing the message and the values spread on the clock into the remaining 24 hours of the day. Our words matter. Our passion matters. I believe that the fight is worth fighting even on the most intense of days.
Sitting in a room filled with pretty amazing people just reinforced that this life isn't about materials. It isn't about serving ourselves because that's fleeting. My heart's desire is to make an impact, to love other's as Christ loves us and to be an example of what the love of God is. Because without God, without the example of true love I'm pretty done over. Love is good. God is love. Bam!