How was your Thanksgiving? I hope it was memorable. Ours was one of the best ever. We all loaded up and headed to Baltimore because the NFL decided the Ravens would play on Thanksgiving night. Now, I was perfectly happy about this scheduling as not only did I not have to cook, I didn’t even have to drive around and pick up food. It was just perfect. I told SJ, “You can either have a game dog or chicken tenders, and if you are really good, I’ll throw in a funnel cake.” Can it get any better than that?

The Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers and at one o’clock in the morning, we were happily sitting around Michael’s kitchen table munching on odds and ends that were in the fridge. I thought to myself, we didn’t stress for days chopping and dicing and running to the grocery store three different times because we forgot the pecans or ran out of brown sugar. No, we ate hot dogs, with a happy heart, and simply enjoyed getting to spend quality time together as a family.

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Shock, disbelief, fear, guilt, and empathy…you ask what is she talking about now. Those are the emotions that went through me as I sat this week in the Chicago airport mindlessly gazing up at the TV waiting for my delayed flight to board.

CNN had just reported the poverty level has risen to 16% in this country. I certainly don’t think that CNN is an authority on anything so that percentage could vary a bit in either direction, but however you want to adjust it, that is still a staggering statistic! The first thing I thought as I looked around at the people sitting and waiting at the gate area with me was are they having the same reaction? Is their heart breaking for everyone who falls into that percentage as mine is? Then I asked myself, “How did we get to this point in our country?”

CNN went on to say by the year so and so one out of fifteen people would be homeless and on and on with these distressing numbers. What has happened? I am one of those eternal optimists. This country was built on the blood, sweat, and tears of people who believed in opportunity for everyone and hard work meant social mobility. This country was built on being a working nation. Most of us were raised thinking that even though we start out with very little that if we did everything correctly that one day we would have the opportunity to be successful and get ahead. Unfortunately, this seems to no longer be the case.

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Who is that special person in your life who you call a friend? Do you have one? Do you wish you had one? Do you know how to be one? How many times has someone asked you what you look for in a friend? Did you know how to answer?

Friendships seldom happen in a hurry. Statistics show that people with friends are less likely to develop physical impairments and as a bonus are likely to lead a more joyful, productive life. Friendships don’t develop overnight. They require time, energy, loyalty, listening skills and unselfishness. When you meet someone for the first time, your history with them is like a blank book. You will be the one who fills in the pages; you can be the hero of the story or you can be the villain of the story. It’s up to you.

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Our Tuohy Trivia winner this past Tuesday was Caren Vendetti.  When asked where she would like to contribute her $25 prize donation, Caren chose One Mama, an organization that strives to empower women, families, and communities around the world to be healthy, educated, and financially successful.  To learn more about One Mama  please visit their website at http://www.onemama.org.

MIH received the following e-mail from Caren, who reminds us that we can all make a difference in our community.

Thank you so much! There are so many ways we can make a difference. I am a teacher and believe it or not did not want to see the Blind Side at first. I knew I’d love it and cry, but I teach kids like Michael every day and I was afraid Hollywood might have glamorized it and wasn’t up for it. When my students started telling me I was just like like “Sandra Bullock in that movie” I knew I had to see it and I was never so flattered in my life. For them to see in me the fight and passion that Leigh Anne has and know that I have their back means so much more to me than the battle we wage for our contract, salary, evaluations (all based on one test score when there are so many other factors at play). I always wish I could do more, so winning this and helping Siobhan (a friend of mine since 6th grade) with a project she started from scratch is such a blessing! I am also blessed to be able to work in my community as a volunteer with so many projects through school and the Miami Dolphins (I know, I know, they aren’t doing too well right now…) that also help me reach the students. And in the end, they are our future. When they see that they are cared about and that little things make a difference, we all have hope. Thank you again!

Sincerely, Caren Vendette (aka @carenwake on twitter)

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To play Tuohy Trivia, remember you must follow and respond to Leigh Anne.

“Change your thinking and you change the world.” This was said by the late Norman Vincent Peale. I can tell you from personal experience that he was spot on. When we challenge our mindset and realize that just because that is the way it has always been doesn’t make it accurate, we suddenly have an understanding that maybe, just maybe, we can make a difference in this crazy world we live in.

I’ve said it to you before - get out of your comfort zone. I can see a puzzled look on your face; no really I can. For just a minute, think about if your views on race, religion, socioeconomic standards, priorities, perceptions, values, and even your behavior were altered. We could only hope that people would look at you and think, “Something’s different about that person.”

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