It’s 26 Tuesday on the ol’ blog and last week’s Sandy Hook honoree was Ms. Charlotte Bacon, age 6, who liked dresses. I decided that my first act of kindness for Ann Curry’s 26 Acts of Kindness campaign was going to be to donate dresses I no longer wear to a local home for youth (who are from troubled homes).  In addition the DD decided she would clean out her closet and donate some old prom/band banquet/drill team banquet dresses, too. The teens from this home often don’t have a lot of money to use for dressy occasions, like prom. Since I used to volunteer at this home, it was such a simple and happy thing for us to do!  I hand wrote a card stating why we were donating and noted this site. Why? Because I’m hoping that doing that will help others find “26 Tuesday” here and increase the tally of kindness! Between the two of us we donated 17 dresses and 2 skirts. While the LSH hasn’t said he is participating, I personally watched him do two acts of kindness this week as well. He would probably not want me to elaborate on his acts of kindness, but let’s just say he did well and that this is very much in keeping with his personality!

Yesterday, another reader said she was blessed more than the recipient by participating in her act of kindness this week. That is awesome and I think I feel similarly.

How about you? What did you do for your act of kindness this week? It’s okay to just say that you completed your act of kindness. But, I’d like to hear from you just so I can keep a tally of how many acts of kindness have been done as a result of my favorite readers! So, as of right now, the tally stands at 5–1 from me, 1 from the DD, 2 from the LSH and 1 from an MIP reader. Not a bad start. Care to up the tally?

Below is this week’s honoree, courtesy of CNN:

Daniel Barden, 7

Daniel earned his missing two front teeth, his family used to say. His “fearless” pursuit of happiness and life also earned him ripped jeans.”Despite that, he was, as his mother said, ‘Just So Good,'” his family wrote in a statement published in the New Haven Register. Taking after his musician dad, Daniel and his siblings — brother James and sister Natalie — formed a band, in which he played drums. He loved to ride waves at the beach and make s’mores around the bonfire with his cousins. “He embodied everything that is wholesome and innocent in the world,” the family said.

The youngest DS plays drums, as well as the LSH, so this is already giving me a lot of ideas. Hmmmm….

Tomorrow: Part 3 of 2 Heart Attacks Too Soon…What’s Love (and Laughter) Got to Do with It?

Good morning, Word Lovers! It tickles me to see some of the $ 20 word discussions at the FB web site page. Oh. My. And I am in utter love with the submissions from last week’s post on the definition for last week’s word. And that leads me to…

For those of you wondering, fanfaronade was the Word of the Week last Monday and its definition is “empty boasting.” So, does this mean I get partial credit for my 3rd definition???

Today’s Word of the Week is: (Where are the percussionists in the family when I need a drumroll?) baba. (I may actually be able to pronounce this one!)

Same rules apply as from last week–no dictionaries allowed! Thus, submit a comment with your definition and we’ll see who gets the closest.

Here’s my attempt:

baba (bä-bä): 1. the sounds a baby makes when a sheep walks by. 2. the slang version of “baby” when Rudy Huxtable is lip-syncing a song from her parents’ era in honor of her grandparents’ wedding anniversary 3. the sounds an MIP blogger makes before she has her morning coffee.

If I get it right, do I get to engage in some fanfaronade? ;D Your turn!

Tomorrow’s blog: Have you finished your mission for 26 Tuesdays? Last chance to let me know so I can include you in this week’s tally. 🙂

If you read yesterday’s post, then the following will make sense to you. If you didn’t, why are you here? Get to yesterday’s post now! 😀

• Age is nothing to be ashamed of…it’s a victory dance.  I’m 52 and still here.  Don’t like the wrinkles, sags, cellulite, spacey-ness, and aches and pains that come with it, but that’s just proof I’ve gotten to see almost 14 more years with those I love here on planet Earth. 
• You can reverse aging. It’s called yoga and weightlifting.  It’s the fountain of youth.  Pick up a barbell instead of your wrinkle cream. 
• You can have a heart attack even if you don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t have diabetes, have a healthy weight, eat right, exercise regularly and are young.  You can have one even if you don’t have a family history of early heart attacks.  There’s your motivation for getting on your treadmill today. 
• If you’re sick, you can’t help others.  So, guess what?  Exercise and eating less and eating right really are more important.  There are shrinks for the “chocolate moments” of your life.  Other people can take care of things for you while you take care of yourself.  Exercise is its own therapy when life gets rough.  People are counting on you and stuff happens, so you have to be proactive and take care of you FIRST. 
• Sometimes doctors just don’t know you like you know you.  Be your own doctor.  Do the research on a reputable site.  Ask questions.  Argue, if you must.  Get a new doctor, if you must.  Trust your gut.  Doctors aren’t God.  God is inside you, remember???  So that little nudge from your gut is probably God speaking.  It saved my life nearly 14 years ago when my head said, “You are too young to have a heart attack.” 
• Persist.  When I succeed in doing what I think is impossible, the rewards are beyond belief.  Of course, my Tempur-Pedic bed would probably argue with me most mornings. 
• Life is too short to do stuff you will never master.  So, I chose to focus on writing, teaching/coaching/mentoring/counseling/and encouraging and organizing stuff (as long as it’s not stuff in my house). I am not a “Martha”–I don’t like to cook and thus, probably will never become Paula Deen, but I don’t want diabetes anyway. 😀
• Sometimes encouragement comes in a simple “thank you.”  Seriously, when you thank someone or they thank you, don’t you feel better?  I’m still not really good at the giving thanks part, but when I remember to say thank you, it’s a good day.  
• Money isn’t everything, but sometimes you gotta splurge.  I do agree that the household funds should go for long-term benefit stuff like charity, our kids’ education, paying off the mortgage, etc.  But, I also am a happier person while in my speedy blue Lincoln, while eating at a nice restaurant on a special occasion and while antique shopping in some little boutiquey-type town with the LSH, sipping a Starbucks latte and holding his hand.  After all, that latte may be the last one I have and more importantly, it may be the last time I hold his hand.
• I CAN change.  Before I didn’t think so; now I know better.  I don’t always succeed at changing and I regress a lot, but when I put my mind to it, I can change permanently.  Even at 52.

Point to Ponder Challenge # 1: Exercise today for at least 30 minutes to maintain your current weight.

Point to Ponder Challenge # 2: Exercise today for at least 45 minutes to lose weight.

Monday: Word of the Week # 2…were you right about fanfaronade?

Today is “Go Red for Women” Day in the U.S. Why? Because February is National Heart Month and heart attacks are the number 1 killer of women each year in the U.S. Yes, that’s right. It’s not breast cancer or AIDS or suicide or a rabid partridge in a pear tree. It’s heart attacks and Go Red for Women Day is…well…near and dear to my heart. What you are about to read explains why  and was, in its original form, written for the FB faithful. Since it’s quite long, I’m going to break it up into several parts. And while it’s directed at my gender, the same holds true for my male readers, too. Here is “My 2^nd Birth-day…”

In 1999 I had to abandon my afternoon plan to pick up corsages for my children’s elementary school music teachers…to go to the hospital.  On May 18th, 1999 I, out of the blue, had 2 back-to-back heart attacks (It just felt like one long nightmare and pain to me.) at the tender age of 39 with no risk factors for heart disease.  Do I focus a lot on this anymore?  Not really–too busy living life!  But I feel that, since I narrowly escaped literal death almost 14 years ago, that I should draw a little attention to the number 1 killer of American women and remind my sex to do something very out of character for us–take care of ourselves FIRST.  (You’ll see why later on here.) Today I choose to focus on the “God lessons” I learned, but the rest (on a variety of topics) are coming in the days ahead:

• Heaven is for real–not just a book title or a recounting of visiting Heaven by Colton Burpo.  I had that “hovering over my body” feeling during my incarceration in the hospital back then.  Of course, it could have been the “dope” I was on to help me cope with the pain.
• Heaven is not a scary place to go to.  The calmest days of my life were spent approaching “the valley of the shadow of death.”  Yep, that’s right.  If you believe in the Lord, just go with God and you’ll be all right.
• God hears our prayers.  While I clearly knew I couldn’t forestall my own death and I felt confident that the eldest DS and the DD would one day join me in Heaven along with the LSH, I couldn’t say the same for 4 year old youngest DS.  And I couldn’t see how the LSH was going to raise 3 children on his own while trying to live on the road to provide a roof over their heads.  I asked God to let me stay here a little longer, so I could finish the mothering job.  Now, do I think the LSH and his family would have figured out a solution and made sure my kids were well provided for?  Yes, but why make their lives more difficult???
• God is still in the miracle business.  My crazy heart condition means that 1 out of 2 die when a heart attack occurs.  The doctors were stumped as to why I was having heart attacks, until God showed them my problem “in action” as they were ready to take the scopes out of my body.  While I was in the CICU, 11 out of 12 of the patients there that week died.  I, alone, walked out, healthy as a horse.
• Love the one you’re with.  Since I could croak at any minute literally, I trust God to put me where I’m supposed to be and to minister to the person in front of me to the best of my ability.  Do that one (not as simple as you think) thing and your life will be immeasurably blessed.  I have a growing list of “adopteds”, thanks to a benevolent God and to living this little strategy. 
• One encouraging word changes lives.  Ask God to make you a blessing to those you encounter and even the silly things you say may be the one thing that helps someone move forward in their lives.
• One disparaging word keeps you up at night.  Unfortunately, my tongue is my worst enemy.  What I’ve learned is that if I go to the person I’ve hurt with said tongue and ask for forgiveness right away, they are amazingly forgiving and I sleep better.
• Read your Bible.  Probably should be # 1, hunh?  But, unfortunately, I seldom remember to do this first thing every day.  But, God seems to know exactly where I am in my life and what kick in the pants I need for the day when I do.  (God and I have a very weird relationship…He kicks; I whine about how much it hurts and then I reluctantly, grudgingly and slowly give in and He just smiles knowingly at me and then I roll my eyes at Him.  We should probably go to counseling except that He keeps arguing HE’S the Counselor. So, why do I have a counseling degree?)
• God is okay with who you are.  Even if you argue with Him, whine at Him, and roll your eyes at Him.  He still thinks you’re worth the effort.  Now, if I could just get okay with who I am!
• God is yanking out my “selfish weeds.”  I just wish they came out a little easier and faster.  In the last 14 years, I have learned to care less about my well-being and more about other’s.
• Trust your gut…every…single…time.  Unless your gut is saying, “Go commit a crime.”  God invented the Twilight Zone…we just have to be brave enough to embrace it and visit it.  But, when we do, it blows your mind.  Let God in.

Point to Ponder Challenge: Wear red and be thankful you’re taking up oxygen on the planet.

Stay “tuned” tomorrow for Part 2…Age & Fitness!