Thursday, May 29, 2014
Tough Mudder | WTM 2013 Documentary | Official Event Video
The Worlds Toughest Mudder 2013 Documentary video was finally released and I am officially signed up for 2014 to once again run for Soles4Souls. Grace in my life and the passion to run for others to brnig hope and love helped pushed me through to 75 miles. I Run for Them. #GiveShoesGiveLove
Featured at 3:38, 9:20 and 10:43 and 13:46
Enjoy and here is to 2014!
Your Mrs. Great Plains International 2014,
Maggi
Monday, May 26, 2014
Honoring our Hereos
Here is to wishing you and your family a Memorial Day that is full of memories and thoughts of those who have paid a price for our freedom.
#HonoringOurHeroes |
| Picture Courtesy American Heart Association |
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Life. Death.
There has certainly been a lot going on in my life recently with a major Soles4Souls shoe drive and American Ninja Warrior which I will be posting about next week, but this post has been on my mind alot with a topic near and dear to my heart...the loss of loved ones in our lives.
He passed away Saturday during surgery, age 35.
She died from a heart attack getting ready in the shower for her cardiologist appointment, age 48.
He killed himself age 38.
She died in a car accident, age 24.
She died of a brain aneurysm, age 8.
Over the last 14 days there has been a cloud of death of people I am close to, or someone I am close to who is best friends with the person who passed. Regardless, a loss of life is a loss of life and it can make anyone's heart hurt.
Eyes straining to stay open driving home from a late night prepping for our Greatest Shoe Drive on Earth campaign, pulling in to my garage phone buzzing in my pocket with social media notice's. Sitting in the garage the bright screen awakened my eyes a little, but scrolling through the news feed I saw something that brought me from groggy to gasping with alertness. A friend's best friend took his own life. The light in my garage turned off, and now sitting in darkness with a steering wheel covered in tears it felt like I could not text my friend fast enough to see if they were doing ok. I am not a crier per say, but this. This hit home. 30 minutes passed, but in darkness and the quite of a car it was the most comforting place to be at that moment.
Every single day...and I mean every. single. day. I think of my brother and my best friend. Some days it feels like I am still there, standing next to their coffins at two different points in time. The world standing almost still as other people mourned and grieved. It was a time of quiet for me at the funeral's, reality did not set in. Moments of tears came and went, but briefly. The sobbing that emerges from the depth of your soul came months later. Two suicides. Pain. Suffering, tormented minds with feelings of no other option or a gleam of hope. Missed opportunities to love someone who was silently crying out for help.
THIS is why I do what I do. My calling is to love people beyond boundaries, prejudice, judgement, beliefs and any situation. All of the things I did not do before in a life lived in a constant selfish state of achieving goals for personal gain. Present day...now taking the gifts I was given and using them to open doors of opportunity to show and share a message of Love, Hope and Never Giving Up. Sitting at the feet of children washing them letting them know they matter. I feel like it is the story of the man walking along the sand with thousands of starfish strewn across the beach picking them up one by one to throw them back in the ocean. He may not be able to save everyone, but the one's he holds in his hands and shows them love...to that one it matters. As ideal as world peace would be, we don;t live in that world. We DO however live in a world that still has alot of good. One at a time, that is something ALL of us can be a part of.
On our fridge at home, there is a photo of my brothers and I when we were very young. It is at eye height and it catches my gaze many times during a day. Someday's just standing in front of the fridge staring at it. A moment of joy. Happiness. Innocence. A time when the world seemed wonderful and we were too young to know any better.
People often wonder how I have the energy to do so many things constantly. Number one is God and Grace. Number two, a fire burns inside fueling me to Never Give Up on bringing love and hope to people across the globe. Number 3, my family, helping raise a generation of caring, compassionate leaders. It is what keeps me moving through 24 hour obstacle races, global travel, 38 hours of setting out and collecting shoes.
If there is someone in your life that needs to be loved by you today. Do It. Can people open up to you easily to share what seems so scary to share, but once they do it is freeing? Put yourself in a position to be there for others, what are you waiting for? If you already do, that is absolutely wonderful because people need you.
Live Inspired. Live with Passion. Live with Love,
Maggi
Your Mrs. Great Plains International 2014
He passed away Saturday during surgery, age 35.
She died from a heart attack getting ready in the shower for her cardiologist appointment, age 48.
He killed himself age 38.
She died in a car accident, age 24.
She died of a brain aneurysm, age 8.
Over the last 14 days there has been a cloud of death of people I am close to, or someone I am close to who is best friends with the person who passed. Regardless, a loss of life is a loss of life and it can make anyone's heart hurt.
Eyes straining to stay open driving home from a late night prepping for our Greatest Shoe Drive on Earth campaign, pulling in to my garage phone buzzing in my pocket with social media notice's. Sitting in the garage the bright screen awakened my eyes a little, but scrolling through the news feed I saw something that brought me from groggy to gasping with alertness. A friend's best friend took his own life. The light in my garage turned off, and now sitting in darkness with a steering wheel covered in tears it felt like I could not text my friend fast enough to see if they were doing ok. I am not a crier per say, but this. This hit home. 30 minutes passed, but in darkness and the quite of a car it was the most comforting place to be at that moment.
Every single day...and I mean every. single. day. I think of my brother and my best friend. Some days it feels like I am still there, standing next to their coffins at two different points in time. The world standing almost still as other people mourned and grieved. It was a time of quiet for me at the funeral's, reality did not set in. Moments of tears came and went, but briefly. The sobbing that emerges from the depth of your soul came months later. Two suicides. Pain. Suffering, tormented minds with feelings of no other option or a gleam of hope. Missed opportunities to love someone who was silently crying out for help.
THIS is why I do what I do. My calling is to love people beyond boundaries, prejudice, judgement, beliefs and any situation. All of the things I did not do before in a life lived in a constant selfish state of achieving goals for personal gain. Present day...now taking the gifts I was given and using them to open doors of opportunity to show and share a message of Love, Hope and Never Giving Up. Sitting at the feet of children washing them letting them know they matter. I feel like it is the story of the man walking along the sand with thousands of starfish strewn across the beach picking them up one by one to throw them back in the ocean. He may not be able to save everyone, but the one's he holds in his hands and shows them love...to that one it matters. As ideal as world peace would be, we don;t live in that world. We DO however live in a world that still has alot of good. One at a time, that is something ALL of us can be a part of.
On our fridge at home, there is a photo of my brothers and I when we were very young. It is at eye height and it catches my gaze many times during a day. Someday's just standing in front of the fridge staring at it. A moment of joy. Happiness. Innocence. A time when the world seemed wonderful and we were too young to know any better.
 |
| Left my Brother James age 10, me in the middle age 1 and Brother Mark age 8 |
People often wonder how I have the energy to do so many things constantly. Number one is God and Grace. Number two, a fire burns inside fueling me to Never Give Up on bringing love and hope to people across the globe. Number 3, my family, helping raise a generation of caring, compassionate leaders. It is what keeps me moving through 24 hour obstacle races, global travel, 38 hours of setting out and collecting shoes.
If there is someone in your life that needs to be loved by you today. Do It. Can people open up to you easily to share what seems so scary to share, but once they do it is freeing? Put yourself in a position to be there for others, what are you waiting for? If you already do, that is absolutely wonderful because people need you.
Live Inspired. Live with Passion. Live with Love,
Maggi
Your Mrs. Great Plains International 2014
Sunday, May 11, 2014
"I did the best I knew how...." a tribute to my mom
Preparing for the coming week I started to think about how much my mom has supported me for evvvverythin. I want to celebrate her like she has for me my whole life. A late night #MothersDay Message to my #mom #loveher #mymomrocks
http://youtu.be/vskRSADN7bY
here's to my mom, Maggi Escudero
Hope you enjoy celebrating this Mother's day or being celebrated if you are a mom!
Warm Regards,
Maggi Thorne
Mrs. Great Plains International 2014
Thursday, May 8, 2014
I Can't...
Combing the crowd through thousands of children looking for my sons best friend, at my side a young girl was tugging at my sash looking up with bright eyes. She quietly muttered "can I take a picture with you please?". As we stood side by side grins ears to ear I knelt down after taking the picture to ask her a few questions. Her name, what her favorite color was, what her favorite things to do were. She replied with a shy grin to each question clasping her hands together swaying side to side. As I was about to stand back up, she muttered "I wish I could be a princess". Kneeling once again, I looked right into her eyes and reminded her she was already a princess and she did not need a crown and sash to make her special. She said "Well, I CAN'T have one anyways because I play sports". HOLD UP! There is not a more perfect statement a young lady could make to me. My hand rested on her shoulder as my eyes looked right into her eyes and I told her "You can do ANYTHING you want in life. I play sports, and in fact I love sports because they help me stay healthy for my family. Anything is possible". Her shyness immediately went away as her eyes lit up and she exclaimed "REALLY?!". As our conversation came to a close, the pep in her step as she skipped away with joy filled my heart with happiness knowing a little girl just believed in herself.
As screaming kids swarmed around us, darting through the lawn of Nebraska's state capital with race heats about to start it was a genuine moment, and the kind of opportunities I look forward to interacting with our future generations. There were a lot of young ladies I was fortunate enough to talk to, but this particular young lady has been on my mind and this blog post has been simmering in my mind since the moment her and I finished speaking.
There have been so many moments in my life when someone took the time to look in to my eyes and let me know they believe in me and anything is possible. There have also been moments when people told me it was not possible and I could never do it. I've been teased and picked on and more times than I can count was told "It's impossible".
The ability to believe in yourself is not one to be underestimated. We were all made by purpose for a purpose. One of my favorite bible quotes is Ephesians 2:10. Once we not only accept, but celebrate how we were made and live on mission...literally anything is possible. As someone from a low income background as the first college graduate through generations, who started her career picking up litter, vacuuming suites, setting up tables and other odd jobs in to designing and managing multi-million dollar athletic construction projects along with designing custom furniture, outfitting the building and doing our integrated branding....through hard work, commitment, grace and belief it was made possible. Were there nay sayers, you bet. But I knew what I was made to do an put 500% in to it. Waiting for your "dream" job? Go get it, you can do it! Trying to meet a weight loss goal to live a healthier life style but in your mind is "I CAN'T"...YES, you CAN. It takes work. It takes sacrifice and determination and a positive mindset that YOU CAN. It just takes on step and just as that little girl took steps of courage to talk to me and share an insecurity, yet walked away a confident child, you can own that same confidence. Best thing is...confidence is free because it is already in you...just let it shine!
 |
| Some of the young ladies I was able to meet at the race |
 |
| My son with some of his friends before they ran |
As screaming kids swarmed around us, darting through the lawn of Nebraska's state capital with race heats about to start it was a genuine moment, and the kind of opportunities I look forward to interacting with our future generations. There were a lot of young ladies I was fortunate enough to talk to, but this particular young lady has been on my mind and this blog post has been simmering in my mind since the moment her and I finished speaking.
There have been so many moments in my life when someone took the time to look in to my eyes and let me know they believe in me and anything is possible. There have also been moments when people told me it was not possible and I could never do it. I've been teased and picked on and more times than I can count was told "It's impossible".
 | |
| Scrawny Me "carrying" the groceries. Sometimes I feel like a caterpillar that became a butterfly! |
The ability to believe in yourself is not one to be underestimated. We were all made by purpose for a purpose. One of my favorite bible quotes is Ephesians 2:10. Once we not only accept, but celebrate how we were made and live on mission...literally anything is possible. As someone from a low income background as the first college graduate through generations, who started her career picking up litter, vacuuming suites, setting up tables and other odd jobs in to designing and managing multi-million dollar athletic construction projects along with designing custom furniture, outfitting the building and doing our integrated branding....through hard work, commitment, grace and belief it was made possible. Were there nay sayers, you bet. But I knew what I was made to do an put 500% in to it. Waiting for your "dream" job? Go get it, you can do it! Trying to meet a weight loss goal to live a healthier life style but in your mind is "I CAN'T"...YES, you CAN. It takes work. It takes sacrifice and determination and a positive mindset that YOU CAN. It just takes on step and just as that little girl took steps of courage to talk to me and share an insecurity, yet walked away a confident child, you can own that same confidence. Best thing is...confidence is free because it is already in you...just let it shine!
One of my absolute FAVORITE things about the International Pageant System is EVERY woman is celebrated Just.As.She.Is.No one has ever tried to change me from the core of who I am or what drives me to strive for global change. I never look at another contestant as a competitor, but family and a encouraging voice. It is wonderful to walk alongside all of the ladies involved past and present as we all are encouraging future generations as a titleholder with our crown and sash each outreach opportunity we have.
Believe in YOU and never let tell anyone tell you otherwise. I don't, and I know you can too!
Achieve the impossible!
Warmly,
Maggi Thorne
Your Mrs. Great Plains International 2014
Two friendly reminders:
(1) If you have any used shoes, you have until May 17th to donate! Find out how at www.GreatestShoeLNK.org
(2) Online voting at Mrs. International continues! Half of the proceeds go to the Go Red for Women program through the American Heart Association. You can vote here! http://www.mrsinternational.com/voting.php?id=736
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