In the Beginning...

Thank you so much for reading my very first post.  I hope that each and every one of my posts positively affects change in us all.  I decided to start blogging because I tend to think that I am usually right and that I have something valuable to say.  And by usually, I mean always.  LOL.   But...when I think about life, and how much I have learned and changed over the years, I have to admit that maybe I have not always been right all of the time.  I have learned so much from my family, children, friends, people who I have spent hours volunteering with, co-workers, and even from people who have almost driven me crazy with the things that they do.  To be honest, I have learned A LOT from that last group - A lot of what not to do.  Throughout my learning process, there has always been one underlying theme that has always crept up in almost everything.  It Takes a Village to do all things well.  From cooking dinner to raising our children, there is no way that we can truly be successful without the help of others.  We do not necessarily see the help that we are getting, but trust me, it has definitely been there.  We just need to open our eyes and our hearts to it.  I truly believe that when this happens and when we acknowledge the help that we receive from others, and acknowledge how we help others on a daily basis, that our world will become a better place.

I know, I know...I can hear it now - "I cook dinner all by myself; I am a single parent raising my children all alone; I work out of my home with no one around...

All of those may seem like things that we are doing alone, but they really are not.

The food that you are cooking came from somewhere.  The grocery store, farmer's market, or maybe you grew some of it yourself.  There are so many people involved in getting that food to your home and eventually to your plate, from the person who sells the seeds, the person who tills the ground that the food is planted in, the person driving the truck to get it to the grocery store, to the cashier, and yes, finally you.

I know that raising a child as a single parent has significant challenges and I wish everyone who faces those challenges the very best.  My sister did it for a while and I saw some of what she went through so I know that things can be difficult.  Although she was alone as a parent, she really did have a support system behind the scenes.  Her children went to school, they read books, played sports and instruments and wrote stories. Every one of those activities involved so many people at different stages, people who I am thankful for.

I too have worked out of my home all alone and I know that it can be both a challenge and a blessing, but I definitely did not do it all by myself.  Without the people who built my home, put together my furniture, installed my internet service and sewed my pillow top mattress where I work occasionally, I would not have been able to enjoy life as much.

So yes, it takes a village even to have a simple meal.  If we truly accept that and appreciate what it means in our lives, then maybe everyone will start treating each other with greater kindness and respect.  One of the things I often talk to my friends about is the idea of everyone just being nice to one another.  If we all treat each other well then things will start changing for the better in our lives and hopefully some of the chaos in the world will go away.

From one Village Member to another...Thank You for all that you have done for me, both directly and indirectly.