Today's Thought

Inspire a child today....make the world better for tomorrow.

Never Enough Time

Do you ever get to the end of the day and wonder, "Where did this day go?" I do, almost every day! Between working, getting my kids to sports and music lessons, and attempting to make something resembling dinner, the day seems to evaporate like fog in the desert sun. I have tried to be more organized, yet the piles on my kitchen counters reveal how successful that has been. My kids consider it a lucky day if they can find clean underwear before school.  Maybe if days were officially changed to 48 hours.......

Until this happens, I have decided to take matters into my own hands. Even though I'm a person who needs a solid 8 hours of sleep, I pledge to drag myself out of bed before 5:59 a.m. every week day morning. In these precious morning hours when the rest of the family lies in angelic sleep, I will begin my day and attempt to make my newly found hours mean more. I know I will want to hit that snooze 4 or 5 times.  But I have to do something differently.  If you have other ideas on how to get more out of a day, let me know, or if you decide to join me in my pledge I'd love to hear what you do in the precious hours before dawn. Otherwise, if you see someone asleep in the line at the grocery store, it's probably me.

Have a great day and try to enjoy at least some of your hours today!

Kathy

Stones Into Schools

I just finished reading Greg Mortenson's newest book, Stones Into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs in Afghanistan and Pakistan. I recommend it to everyone! I thought it was even better than his best seller Three Cups of Tea. He has an extraordinary story. Through his Central Asia Institute, (CAI), Greg and his team in Pakistan work to build schools, in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Many of these schools are all girls schools or women's centers. They overcome an amazing number of obstacles, from hauling building materials over non-existent roads with a series of yak trains, people and trucks to evading the Taliban. Many of the places they work have never had schools before. The wonderful people inhabiting these villages have been seemingly forgotten by their government which provides them no services. In spite of their dire situation/ or maybe because of it these same villagers have a hunger for education. They see their children's education as the hope of the future and will go to great lengths to provide schooling even with almost no resources. Greg describes how in one area he passed an old public toilet that was packed with children and a teacher, using it as a makeshift school. Many villagers travel days just to see Dr. Greg, as he is known over there, to petition him to build a school in their village.

At the printing of the book in 2009, the CAI had built 131 schools throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan. The CAI operates through the generous donations of people throughout America, but they are always in need of more funding. For donation information check out the CAI website at www.ikat.org. Greg is passionate about eradicating illiteracy around the world.

Greg's work is tremendously inspiring. After reading his book it almost makes me want to head over there to help out. Then I realize I can help out over here. Teaching children is already my passion but I can do more to help. I can make helping women and children everywhere be my number one priority.

Women in the News: Elena Kagan

Solicitor General, Elena Kagan has just been nominated by President Obama to the Supreme Court. President Obama has called her "one of the foremost legal minds in the nation." If confirmed, this will bring the number of women on the nation's highest court to 3. Before becoming Solicitor General, Kagan was the first woman to become dean of Harvard Law School. She comes from New York City where she went to a public high school. She studied at Princeton, Oxford and Harvard and was a clerk for Justice Marshall. Though officially a democrat, she will most likely be confirmed as she has not been extremely vocal on political issues and has in the past worked well with both Republicans and Democrats. Good Luck Elena!

To all of you Imagine Today fans, keep up your hard work doing what you are best at and learning what you're not!

Educate Yourself and Others

Start learning something today. Find a book on a topic that you have always wondered about. Check the library, bookstore or online for information that will stretch your mind. It doesn't matter what topic, just be passionate about educating yourself.
In the U.S. our educational system is failing. We are part of the problem. Adults don't always show interest in continuing to educate themselves. When was the last time the TV was turned off?  We need to be excited to learn new things if we expect that from our children.
My life is so hectic, how could I possibly add something else to my list? That was my question. With three kids involved in activities after school, my working, and running our household where could I possibly get more time? Well I started squeezing in reading while I sat through ballet lessons. Then I started checking out books on cd and listening to them in the car. I sometimes even listen to historical biographies with the kids in the car. They complained at first but now they actually enjoy some of them (plus it keeps them from squabbling in the car). Now I am so hooked that I actually listen to books while I am doing all sorts of household chores, like dishes, laundry and cooking meals. It is amazing how fast a book goes when your listening and how much you can learn while your getting your everyday responsibilities taken care of.

Welcome. With this blog I hope to create a space where we can inspire one another to achieve our goals and stay strong in the face of criticism from others. Together we can help build a better world.