Friday, February 18, 2011

Fab Forum Friday

Today's Question:

Who has inspired you lately?

Give specifics. It could be that you've been inspired by how a friend organizes her pantry, a co-worker who has a really positive attitude, or good ol' Oprah. Who has inspired you and how will it change your life? Please share. Chances are, the inspiration will spread!

6 comments:

  1. My neighbor helped inspire a better chore system for me. She does one major chore (like mopping floors) every day. So each day has a specific chore atached to it. I LOVE it! It works so well and I know when things have gotten done.

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  2. My friend Kris inspires me, through all her and her families trials of health and finance she continues to push on not only with a smile but to help and serve others! She volunteers with organizations and also just sees the friend that's a little down and goes the extra mile to serve. Recently we've all had the chance to serve her and this first week she is back on her feet she is again thinking of everyone else! Just love her and honored to call her my friend!

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  3. Mine would be my friend, Lorey! She has a HUGE heart and is constantly thinking of others! She is there for me no matter what, and has been a big help through this past year! I am so grateful for her friendship, her example and that we have a friendship I know that will last forever!

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  4. My sister has inspired me a lot with parenting. She reads a lot of books and gives me lots of pointers. She is always trying to be a better mom and that helps me want to keep improving too. I guess it's not just with parenting either, she just lives well and does all she can in any given situation. If she wants to know about something, she checks tons of books our of the library or she practices new skills. She's just great and I love learning from her.

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  5. Last Tuesday I read an article in the Denver Post Life-style section that featured various Coloradans who have made a difference in the lives of others, despite the challenges of busy lives and tight budgets. One woman's story inspired me. Her name is Ashley Devery and she is from Lafayette, CO. She went to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for her 40th birthday. She met up with a high school friend who showed her some of the remote villages where the Tanzanian girls had no services, no rights, no running water, no library, no food bank, etc. After she got home from her trip, her friend contacted her and they decided to start a school for girls there. Check out nurturingmindsinafrica.org to see their progress. They have a wonderful video clip too. Last Monday, Nancy Gibbs wrote an article for Time magazine entitled "To Fight Poverty, Invest in Girls." She quotes Larry Summers while he was chief economist of the World Bank saying, "Investment in girls' education may well be the highest-return investment available in the developing world." Because when girls and women earn income they re-invest 90% of it in their families. They buy books, medicine, bed nets, etc. An extra year of primary school boosts girls' eventual wages by 10-20%. An extra year of secondary school adds 15-25% Currently 9 out of 10 youth programs are aimed at boys. Nancy suggests that success in helping girls depends on "infrastructure, on making fuel and water more available so girls don't have to spend as many as 15 hours a day fetching them." And that leads me back to Ashley and her friend Polly who have found a way to help one school of girls at a time. They know they don't have the resources to solve the problem immediately, but that doesn't stop them from working hard. That inspires me.

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  6. I have to be totally honest, I have thought about this question all weekend. I tried really hard to think of a specific person who has inspired me. But I couldn't think of just one. I truly have been inspired by many women. I have been very blessed to have wonderful women brought into my life. I had young women leaders,friends, neighbors and family members be great examples to me. I have a Sister who with everything she has been through (which is a lot) has kept a smile on her face and has not giving up. She inspires me. I truly have fabulous neighbors who inspire me who have taught me so much of all aspects of life. They have inspired me to want to run a half marathon, learn to sew, cook more, be better at serving others. I feel so blessed in my life to have such wonderful women in my life everyday. Sorry I couldn't pick just one. Their are many more who keep inspiring me everyday! Thank you women out there for such great examples you give to us all.

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