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If You Were President
We recently featured a wonderful essay written by Fawzia Koofi called "If I Were President" and it was one of the most popular pieces of the week.
Fawzia Koofi is Afghanistan's first female speaker of Parliament and a noted activist for women and children’s rights. She is currently a leading candidate for Afghanistan's presidential elections in 2014.
When I was growing up, my grandmother would always ask my brothers, cousins and myself: If you were president, what would you do? Once we would answer, she would go on to the next grandchild. And so on. Eventually, she would be satisfied with our answers and we could go play!
The truth is: it's a question all of us can ask ourselves. The presidential office is open to all natural-born citizens of United States. Many of us choose not to even consider it, but I think it's an interesting question to ask ourselves in this election year.
If you were president, what would you do? What problems would you try to fix?
Think and reflect. Go beyond party. Go beyond the obvious. Narrow it down to three things and share your best ideas.
Alzheimer's and Caregiving
May 16, 2012
Searching For Cecy: Reflections on Alzheimer's
Editor's Note: Judy Prescott's mother, Cecy, died right before publication of this essay, on Monday, May 14, 2012. We send Judy and her entire family our deepest sympathy for their loss.
After compiling my book, Searching For Cecy: Reflections on Alzheimer's, I thought, “Okay, you’ve dealt with it, it’s all there, time to move on.” I wanted to believe I had achieved the elusive closure I so desperately desired.
I had chronicled my mother Cecy’s journey into early-onset Alzheimer’s disease through a series of poems written over an eight-year period, matched with artwork contributed by four talented family artists.
What I didn’t know at the time was that, closure or no closure, this was the beginning of a life-changing journey for me as well as for Mom. I see now that this unsolicited adventure with Cecy has helped me to grow in important ways while continually testing my mettle.
When I discovered that the mother I had known all these years was about to skid off an icy cliff into a slow-motion free fall, I didn’t think I had the stuff. Ironically, I needed my Mom to turn to for advice.
Tips for Transformation
May 11, 2012
Mother’s Day Without Mother
For most people, Mother's Day brings to mind bouquets of sunny flowers in pink hues, often-obligatory brunches, and lingering in the aisles trying to find the perfect greeting card to sum up gratitude for a lifetime of love and care.
However for those of us who have suffered the loss of a mother, or a child, Mother’s Day can be a muddle of complex emotions.
On the one hand we want to be mindful that it is a celebration, but it is simultaneously a painful reminder of roles and people that we have lost.
The question of the bereaved mother is, “What do I say when well-meaning strangers ask how many children I have?”
For a bereaved child or adult missing your mother today, you wonder, who will pick you up when you fall? Who will you call when you need a recipe or a favorite uncle’s birth date?
How I Did It
May 14, 2012
How I Did It: Bonnie Marcus, Founder of the Bonnie Marcus Collection
In 2002, while six months pregnant with my first child, I launched my stylish stationery company, the Bonnie Marcus Collection “where fashion meets paper,” from my kitchen table in Westport, Connecticut.
Whereas some moms-to-be pour over parenting books before their baby is born, I chose to read all the business books I could find. I was determined to start a business that I could work on from home.
I had a strong background in event planning as a New York City wedding planner for many years, as well as the Director of Special Events at the 92nd Street Y (a major cultural center in New York).
I had enjoyed planning all sorts of events, from beginning to end, but as an art major in college, my favorite part of the process was helping clients with their invitations, as they set the tone for everything to follow.
A Quote to Start the Day
"Never be passive about love."
Dr. Robert Epstein
Sponsored Love
What's New'
May 15, 2012
My Life in the Third World of America
Photo caption: Previously homeless for six months, mother and child celebrate their new lives in an apartment of their own.
In November 1979, an article appeared in the L.A. Times describing hundreds of children of all ages living in the decaying, transient hotels of L.A.'s Skid Row.
Within days, a woman possessed, I began seeking a way to help and soon created a nonprofit organization, Para Los Niños (For the Children).
Within one short year, we opened a childcare center in a renovated warehouse for 90 children from 6 weeks to five years of age, pulled from streets, alleys, and hotels of the area. And that was just the beginning.
I soon found myself in a pivotal position in Skid Row as major changes began to occur around me. Thus began my 30-year career in what I call the Third World of America.
"Searching For Cecy: Reflections on Alzheimer's" by Judy Prescott t.co/4d1JUfUn
17 hours 20 min ago
Inspiration to Start Your Day... t.co/Y4MfrZsS
17 hours 40 min ago
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