I met a real live ANGEL today, her name is Tawanda Jones…you can see her and learn about her inspiring story on the Dancing With The Stars website.
After watching her package before the show, I sat in my dressing room and thought about what it’s like to make a difference in other people’s lives and how important it is to give. As a mother, I give to my family every day, automatically and often unnoticed. But when I give to them, I see how positively it affects them.
I try to tell my kids positive things every day. I try to support them, their goals, and their efforts. I try to praise them and fill them with confidence. But sometimes I get lost in busy work and I forget to tell them once a day how wonderful they are. That advice was given to me as a young mom and I whole-heartedly believe that our children will be great if we tell them so, and remind them every day how special they are. If they hear that enough, they will believe it. It only takes 5 seconds….”you are so special, you are a beautiful person, you are very important.”
I saw the power one woman had over a group of children. How she touched them, gave them hope and something to believe in. Too many kids aren’t that lucky. She made me want to be a better mom and do more as a person.
I’ve been working on a trip to go on a medical mission with my husband and older children to assist Operation Smile. When describing the event to my kids, one asked, “Will there be a pool there Mommy?” I was angry to hear that. Angry that my daughter wasn’t thinking of the purpose of our presence there. She wasn’t getting what our mission would be and how far it was from a family “swimming pool vacation”. Then I realized at her age she doesn’t have the concept yet of what it’s like to be selfless, only give and not receive. It’s a tough life lesson. But I know the only way is to expose my children to philanthropy and to teach them by example how to make a difference, give and participate in meaningful things.
I hope that as we attempt to help change lives on our medical mission that our lives will be changed too. It’s not easy to teach a teenager about the importance of charity, but to allow one the experience first hand could be invaluable. I hope.
Tawanda Jones made me want to do more and made me hope for more people in the world like her. Find out more about her amazing after school program and contribute if you can to CamdenSophisticatedSisters.org.
