By Grace I have overcome much adversity, fail often, but have learned to laugh in the midst of it all. Pursuing Purpose with all my heart 24 hours a day!
Did you know that heart disease is the #1 killer of women and kills more women than ALL cancers combined? It's true and most women aren't aware of the risks. Last year I had the honor of becoming one of the co-chairs for the first ever Passion Committee in Lincoln for the American Heart Association. The journey has been wonderful being able to help women and families live a healthy and active life because some day, their lives could be at risk...but heart disease is PREVENTABLE!
My husband Fred's dad and grandfather have both battled heart disease since their 40's. After numerous heart surgeries and lifestyle changes, they are still going strong, but this means my husband is at extremely high risk. Our family does not have perfect diets, but we strive to live healthy and active using the American Heart Association tools and resources. This is not just for us, but for our kids and future generations to give them the gift of us being around and knowledge to live out their years healthy as well.
February 7th is the American Heart Association Go Red Day and people across the nation will be "Going Red" to help raise awareness. There are numerous ways people can Go Red, and the more the merrier because by participating, YOU can change a life with the gift of knowledge that Heart Disease is the #1 killer of women. Simple :) Whether you are an individual, team, running buddies, workout buddies, a business, a family or even four legged furry friends, get out your red and snap your photo and post it with the following American Heart Association official Go Red Day hashtags:
#GoRed
#WearRedDay
#GoRedChallenge
#HeartMonth
To post your Go Red photos , visit here: https://www.goredforwomen.org/wearredday/challenge/
If you live in Lincoln,NE Thursday February 6th will be our "Red Dress Dash" which will be one mile from downtown to the state capital where Governor Dave Heineman will light it red in honor of Go Red Day. Full information can be found at this link or join the facebook invite here: https://www.facebook.com/events/773668042662482/
Below are a few more American Heart Association Healthy tips to get you started on a journey to a heart healthy you!
It is
significant that our first astronauts, while being trained for their
moon flights, were required to give twenty answers to the query, “Who
are you?” Take the same test yourself. When you have made your list and
run out of things to add, ask yourself if you have truly answered. Do
you really know who you are? Scientists agree that our desperate search
leads all humans to seek heroes and to imitate others, to “paste bits
and pieces of other people on ourselves.” We make love as some actor
would. We play golf in the style of Jack Nicklaus. Part of this process
is natural, for we learn by imitating others. The tragedy is that the
person we assemble is not genuine. “Who am I?” you cry as you roam the
world looking for yourself. Consider this: there are three of you. There
is the person you think you are. There is the person others think you
are. There is the person God knows you are and can be through Christ.
My twenty answers to the query "Who are you?"...here is the Real Me:)
I am a Believer
I am Happy
I am a Wife
I am a Mother
I am a Daughter
I am a Sister
I am a Friend
I am a Servant
I am Graceful
I am an Advocate
I am a Pageant Representative
I am a Humanitarian
I am a Seeker of Truth
I am an Individual
I am Competitive
I am Healthy
I am an Athlete
I am an Employee
I am Ethical
I am Dedicated
My favorite role...Mommy
Have a wonderful week,
Your Mrs. Great Plains International 2014
Maggi
At the start of the year, our church challenged everyone to set some goals and have some keys words to focus on for 2014.
So many times we can get wrapped up in a laundry list of items to get done or checked off a magical list, but can feel discourages when that checklist sits with so many empty box's. I know I've certainly been there!
This week we had Internationally recognized author Jon Gordon speak at my work to our team. His focus was on "What's YOUR word"? This reminded me of the challenge from our church and did not take me long to re-affirm what my word for 2014 is: Sacrifice.
International Best Selling Author Jon Gordon
As 2013 rounded out and 2014 approached, it was put on my heart that tough decisions and alot of choices would have to be made in 2014. First and foremost I want to be a better Mom. At the end of 2013 I was a bit spent and have had to negotiate time better, and focusing when in the moment with family. My phone goes on the counter when I get home and does not come out until the kids are in bed. Next, since competing in elite races is a part of my platform support for Soles4Souls, I have had to tighten up my training and live it out 24/7. Supporting Soles4Souls is in how I sleep, eat and live. Sacrifice is a common word in athletics and can come down to sacrificing our comfort zone, our security and our bodies. The picture of the below quote is what is on the top left hand side of my computer screen so I can look at it every day. Being a student-athlete at the University of Nebraska set the table for me as a student-athlete....and left me hungry for more in life outside of college athletics. Last year was when God really put on my heart that I could take everything learned and the abilities entrusted with, and use it for a bigger picture to help others than would ever be able to understandable...but I had to trust, and make sacrifices.
I don't know what the true impact will ever be for the groups that allow me to work with them...but I know tomorrow, and the next day and so forth, I will wake up and daily make a decision to choose others over myself and focus on one word: Sacrifice.
So what do you think...What is YOUR word?
For resources and tools from Jon Gordon, visit his website here: http://www.jongordon.com/tools.html
I am not sure I can fully put in to words what the Soles4Souls Haiti
shoes distribution trip was like, but I will give it my best effort:)
This may be my longest blog, but I want you to feel like you were
there with us...along for the ride with Team Soles4Souls.
The
Travel:
Our team consisted of 16 members from all
over the country and even included Soles4Souls CEO Buddy Teaster with family in
alongside him. Kelly Hoskins (who is truly amazing) led the charge as the
travel coordinator from Soles4Souls. We arrived on January 2nd, 2014 at the
Miami airport sporting our Soles4Souls travel t-shirts so we could recognize
each other. Through cancelled flights and missed connections because of
weather, we all mustered through it to arrive on time and head out to Haiti as
a group. I had been traveling since January 1st and due to snow storms/delayed
flights, missed 3 connections and found myself huddled in my travel blanket on
a seat at the Chicago airport awaiting the next available flight which was now
the morning of January 2nd. At one point I began to look up how far it was to
drive to Miami because I did not want to miss out on traveling to Haiti!
The view of the snowy Chicago airport around midnight
After greeting everyone with small talk at the Miami airport, we gathered up and
headed out for Port au Prince. Our guides Paul and Sam greeted us at the
airport and upon arrival we all gathered our bags...except me. Yes, my luggage
had been lost and for some unknown reason never made it out of Miami. Travel
abnormalities honestly make me chuckle because they truly happen to me often.
There is nothing I can do about it but smile because in the end, life works out
and eventually everything will be fine:) This was my second trip to Haiti, so I
was very anxious to be back. I had missed the people, the culture and bringing
hope to the children of Haiti.
Since our flight to Haiti had been delayed, we
arrived when it was dark and headed straight to the hotel. The first night was
full of extended greetings, Haitian cuisine and our first team picture.
We listened to some wonderful stories of people who had
previously been on Soles4Souls trips and how their lives had been impacted
after the experience. After reviewing our schedule, it was time to call it a
night.
Day
One:
We prepped for the official "Day
One" of shoe distributions with a 7am start. The team sorted shoes by size
in the lobby of the hotel along with some toys we had to hand out.
The team sorting shoes for the distributions in the hotel lobby
Two vans pulled up to the hotel for the teams
and a bus for the supplies...off we went!
My roommate Annie from Texas
Children were lining the streets of our first
stop and one car load with at least 30 children inside pulled up to the site.
The basics of a Soles4Souls shoe
distribution are three steps:
1.Size, 2.Wash, 3.Fit (dishing out hugsto the children could technically be step 4!)
1. Sizing
One of the team members checks the child's shoe size with a chart
2. Washing
Each child gets their feet washed and dried before the fitting
3. Fitting
Soles4Souls Travel Coordinator Kelly Hoskins doing the fitting
Soles4Souls CEO Buddy Teaster holds a little girl who just received her new shoes
The unofficial #4. Hugs and High Fives!
The team did an amazing job pulling together
to distribute shoes by communicating well, being willing to trade job roles to
give others breaks and sharing words of encouragement. Everyone's energy with the intense heat and fast paced activity
in a small space was astounding. It takes a few hours per distribution and it is non-stop, but
when you finally take a breath and look around to see all of the smiling adoring children...any tiredness evaporates and is refilled with joy.
The Soles4Souls travel team sitting for lunch in between distributions
After packing up we grabbed lunch, then
headed out for distribution two. Same process and more adorable children to
serve.
Distribution Number Two with Musician SaraLou Richards Singing (http://sarahlourichards.com/)
Our day ended up by distributing about 470
shoes!
We
returned to the hotel around 5pm with some free time before our 6:30 team
meeting. Someone shared with me about a soccer field close by that could be
used for running and I grabbed my sneakers to head out the door as soon as
possible. To be able to distribute shoes alone is amazing, but to get to run in
another country for those that I race for...I was excstatic! After about 40
minutes, a group of girls showed up on the field and started to run with me. My
last mile was spent holding the hands of two of the girls, we giggled the whole
way and even though I can only say a few choice words in french, sports is an
international language that crossed all barriers and we connected through our
steps. After we ran, I decided to show the girls some other things they can do
to workout. We did push-ups, stretched and some jumping jacks. One of the
children that joined us took a quick video of the girls and I doing our jumping
jacks :)
I had made my way back to the hotel and was able
to go out in to the ocean and catch sundown standing in the warm water of
Haiti.
Standing in the ocean watching the sundown, reflecting on the day
Day
Two:
We started our day with additional shoe
sorting and headed out bright and early once again. Our first distribution had
children lining up waiting and we each jumped in to job roles. I enjoyed
washing the feet during the distributions because as I looked at the children's
feet and held them in my hands, I imagined what story they told or wondered if
anyone had ever held there feet and washed them with a smile from across a
chair. With the help of others my French vocab expanded a little bit, but a
smile alone is worth a thousand words. It was also fun to fit them because we
were able to pick them up and hug them for a while.
What a neat opportunity to
hold them in your arms for a moment, my smile just writing about it right now
is from ear to ear. By our day two distribution our Soles4Souls team had
become a small family. We celebrated two ladies on the trip birthdays' and a young man's acceptance into college.
Our first distribution crowd waiting for shoes while we prep inside
Our second distribution group on Day Two
We ended up distributing over 600
shoes for day two!
After we returned to the hotel I was able to
get in one more run, but this time there was a soccer game going on. It would
have been a dream to jump in and play with them, but being able to watch
peaking out of the corner of my eye as I circled the field was exciting :)
Day Three:
Our trip wrapped up by attending a Haitian church service.
The S4S Team outside the church we attended
Our last shoe distribution, the children lined up and waiting :)
After the service, we toured a orphanage called Rivers of Hope and then distributed shoes at the church we attended.
At our last distribution letting some of the little girls try on my crown :)
After the church our team had our last lunch together seaside. Haiti's waters are so beautiful!
This picture is not edited showing the stunning beauty of Haiti!
After lunch we had a chance to visit a school where I was able to play soccer with some of the kids there...they are SO good!
Some of the girls from the school
Our trip rounded out by taking a short hike up a mountain near by where we got to play with some of the children from nearby homes and see an amazing overlook!
Standing atop the mountain overlook (with a random goat joining me ;p )
If you are interested in traveling with Soles4Souls, you can find out more information at this link http://soles4souls.org/travel4souls
I highly recommend if you have the opportunity to go on at least one trip, not only will it change your life, but the lives of many others for years to come.
If you are not a traveling type, you still have the ability to help others all over the world with as little as $1! $1 = 1 pair of shoes for a child in need. You can give at the link below and 100% of your donation goes to Soles4Souls.
Thank you for reading this blog and taking the journey with me as you read about Soles4Souls Haiti. More trips are to come this year and I can't wait to get out on the road to do more for Soles4Souls. Happy New Year again.
