Because my very good friends, the Matthews Family have told me so.
(picture courtesy of the It Takes Brains website)
And I believe them because they have an intimate relationship with autism.
Here is their story…
I know that organ or brain donation is not for everyone. But it is for me. My personal beliefs are that I want to go out doing as much good for other people as I can. If you happen to be standing nearby when I make my exit–get my organs on ice ASAP! My driver’s license has me listed as an organ donor. And make sure that you contact the Autism BrainNet 24-hour Hotline (877- 333-0999) as soon as possible and inform the medical personnel of my intent to make a brain tissue donation. Tell them that this brain (as weird as it might be) is for the Matthews family.
I would greatly appreciate your support of this family and other families with autistic challenges. Please do what you can–sign up to use your brain for something good. You can do that HERE. You can also share this blog with everyone you can. Or use your own platform to pass the IT TAKES BRAINS website along to others. And please feel free to use the comments below to pass on your love and encouragement to a family that could really use it at this time. The details are personal–but the Matthews family has more than their fair share of challenges right now. So let’s give them more than our brains–let’s give them a little bit of our hearts too. <3
In general, life is too short to reread books–even great ones–when there are so many amazing books out there that I haven’t read yet. There are mountains of books to be consumed and I’m greedy. But there are always exceptions to general policy LOL!
Unfortunately, this year I’m slower than usual in my reading, making every opportunity to read something, that much more valuable. So, to find myself doing more rereading than usual surprises me. I lost huge chunks of time when we moved and when my boys changed schools. But when I took a peek at the book I do have under my belt for 2014, I found that more than any other time I can remember, a large percentage of these books I’ve read before. In my read column 4 out of 33 are rereads and in my currently reading column I have another 2 books that are rereads with the potential for more. (I have a couple in the que of my iTunes audiobook list.)
As I noticed the number of rereads creeping up higher, I began thinking about why I was returning to these books. I discovered I had a variety of reasons…
*I’m rereading books with my younger boys that I’d read with my older son. He had a different school schedule and we’d pick out books he and I could share in the car when the other kids weren’t around. If we loved the story (audiobooks aren’t cheap) we’ve been happy to recycle. THE AIRMAN by Eoin Colfer and UNGIFTED by Gordon Korman were fabulous rereads for everyone.
*I’m also sharing great books I’ve read as ARC’s (and didn’t have time to read with the boys) or books they weren’t ready to read with me before, but now they are. Like BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY by Ruta Sepetys
*I also love reading books on craft using a tangible paper copy I can underline and make notes in. I feel writing books are meant to be written in, but I often like to do follow-up reads of the same amazing book on audio. So far I’ve done this with Stephan King’s ON WRITING and I’m currently soaking up BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lamott. I HIGHLY recommend BIRD BY BIRD on audio BTW–it is amazing. I am also confident that these amazing books will be listened to over and over again over the years. Inspiration and motivation!
Do you reread your favorite books? Do you reread books in new ways, like a paperback and audio versions of the same story? What’s your favorite reread and how many times have you consumed it? Inquiring minds want to know.
Today I’m blogging over at YA Outside the Lines and this month we are taking about our hobbies and how they inform our writing. I’m spilling the beans on my secret hobby, so you might want to pop over there and check it out.
Here’s your teaser…
Do you have a secret hobby? If you do–I want to hear about it.
Today is the next BIG game in World Cup Soccer. It’s USA vs Belgium and it’s do or die for the US team.
Photo courtesy of US Soccer
Everything rides on this game–well not actual life or death–but world cup elimination. And this team has become the scrappy underdog of the World Cup. And with each touch of the ball they are endearing themselves to their country and beyond. I’m trying not to get my hopes up to high, but I can’t help it–I haven’t been this jazzed about an American Team since the Olympic Men’s Hockey Team that beat Russia to take the goal when I was a kid. Miracle on Ice! Thinking of that still twists my gut and gives me chills. This team has the heart to go further than any US team has ever gone before. And because soccer is my favorite sport ever–I am giddy with excitement to see what happens today.
Why is this US team so good? In my humble opinion, t’s their teamwork, their dedication and their heart. They are also pretty darn classy. Soccer is a rough sport, but they haven’t bit anyone in frustration. *shakes head*
But that’s not all they have, this group of guys also has mad ball skills. Okay–maybe their not always as good as some of the other teams. (That’s where all that heart and dedication fills in the gaps) But they are pretty freaking competitive. And just like everyone else–writers included. (I know you were waiting for that transition LOL!) They have to practice. If you want to excel at what you do, you have to hone your craft daily. Whether it’s touches on the ball or words on the page–you have to put in your time. Just like this…
When you do–magic happens.
I love this commercial so much, I’m even willing to post it knowing it’s from MacDonalds *sigh* Not my favorite company. But when I look at the people and the message beyond “buy my horrible food” I think it’s a good one. THERE SHOULD BE JOY IN THE PRACTICE OF YOUR CRAFT. You should be exhilarated by what you do. And proud. So, please help me root for our boys today. They deserve our support. And make time to passionately pursue your art. And don’t eat at MacDonalds–seriously–I’ll feel bad if posting this video backfires. Go get some healthy, chemical free, sustainable food by a farm or company that provides humane treatment to it’s animals and staff. You can’t be your best self if you consume crap.
Do you love soccer? Have you been following team USA? Are you writing daily? Do you notice the difference when you put in the time?
Some days I don’t intend to write about what I write about, but everywhere I turn the same message is slapping me in the face, asking me to dig deeper. And the weird part is that the messages comes from very different, unrelated directions. I used to ignore these kinds of “coincidences” but I’ve learned to pay attention and listen to what the universe is telling me. It’s usually important.
This morning I stumbled across a very long and emotional FB post by a dear friend. She is an amazing person and mother, despite the challenges that have been thrown at her–things that might have broken someone else because of their weight. Today she was talking about running. Not just running for pleasure and exercise, which is something she does when life allows it. But she was talking about running away emotionally and the even harder thing to handle–not running away.
“The certainty of this circumstance eliminates my usual option of running. If I can’t run from this inexpressible pain WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!?”
That is an epic question.
And “coincidentally” another one of my very good friends (who doesn’t know my other friend–yet) unknowingly answered her so beautifully when she wrote a letter to her daughter. You Are Youer That You: A Letter to My Daughter.
If I were to take that amazing blog post and turn it into a mantra for my other friend it would go something like this…
Before you take flight…
Know I love you.
You ARE going to make mistakes.
These moments will require you to be brave.
Remember you are not alone.
Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about.
So be kind.
Always.
It will get harder as you get older, but remember…
Friends are the family you choose for yourself.
Listen.
Work hard.
Give life everything you have and life will give you everything you need.
