Several years ago, we had a flood in our basement. Although we lost a lot of “stuff,” the thing that I was most worried about was the box of cards and letters to and from my dad that I had been storing there. Thankfully, most were recovered, albeit crinkled, smudged and water marked. There were letters I wrote when I went to school in London, Father’s Day, Birthday and Christmas cards that he saved and I found in his drawer after he died.

Reading them again recently reminded me of things I hadn’t thought about in a while. For instance, my sisters and I used to call our dad’s repeated stories, warnings and advice, “tapes,” because he would play them back over and over again! We’d make up numbers for them. Like Tape 25: The story about his being a young entrepreneur, selling his horse’s manure to neighbors so he could buy his first car. Tape 57: How he walked to school in the snow - uphill, probably barefoot - with a hot potato in his pocket to keep his hands warm and later would eat it for lunch. (That was his story to illustrate how lucky we were to always have food to eat and parents to drive us to school when we missed the bus!) Funny as they were at times, these “tapes” were always meant to share some bit of wisdom with his daughters.

As I dug through my hope chest today in search of inspiration for my pre-Father’s Day newsletter, I hoped I’d find a card he gave me for my 21st birthday. I remembered it looked like a candy bar with a pocket for money — only my dad enclosed a check for the remaining balance of my college tuition. Talk about a gift! I was so happy when I found this card because the best parts of who my dad was in life really come through.

To this day, his message moves me and I hope it will inspire you, too.
Here it is, word for word:

January 9, 1985

Happy 21st Birthday. This check represents the last 12.5% of your education.
Over the last 21 years, I have tried to show you love, care and understanding,
but most of all help you build up your self esteem by allowing you to learn
through your own experiences.

Life is only what you put into it. My mother used to say to me, “Sky’s the limit.”
It always helped me keep my sights set high. So I’ll pass the same advice
on to you. Carrie, you have everything it takes to reach the top. So go for it!

Happy 21st Birthday!
Love ya,
Daddy

I’ve barely left my laptop today, yet I’m having the most amazing day. The sunshine is calling me to go outside, take a walk, but here I am writing. Why? I think this sums it up:

“When you create something from a place of love,
the most amazing people show up.”

I just thought of that, so I think it’s an original quote. And it turns out, the amazing people have been showing up via phone and email, and Facebook. Which is why I haven’t left my desk in hours. Here’s what happened:

While on a business call this morning (not WIBN related), I heard a beep that I had a call coming in. I noted who it was and called her back as soon as I was free. The caller was a business acquaintance turned client turned friend turned fan of WIBN. That happens a lot. She is one of those “amazing people” I refer to in my quote. Nancy and her daughter were on my site recently when she became reacquainted with my son’s medical condition on my b-cause page. She remembered that I told her about his special diet and the challenges we face. That triggered her to think of someone else she knows who has a son who benefited from the ketogenic diet as treatment for his seizures. Nancy made an introduction and now I have a new friend whose professional work really inspires me and who knows what we go through as a family living with a medical condition and challenging diet not many people understand. I am so grateful for the “instant bond” (as my new friend called it) and am looking forward to the possibilities this path will lead me to.

What lessons come from this? A few: First, whatever you do, do it with a loving heart and you will attract people into your life that really matter. (That’s what happened with WIBN!) Second, don’t put off returning phone calls and emails from friends because you never know what “magic” they have to share with you. Third, share your stories. People need to hear them so they know they are not alone. And lastly (for now anyway), be open to possibilities for new friendships, new ideas, new information, a new journey. I can’t wait to see where mine is going!

“Sometimes the person who needs your kindness most is you.”

I just thought of that. I’m not sure if someone else said something like it before… but right now, it feels original. Today, I bestowed a little kindness on myself. After working very hard for several days — late nights, early mornings, running my kids to various activities, doing a workshop for a class of 5th graders (you get the idea) — I decided to take the afternoon off. I had been up since 5am working, only taking a “break” to get my kids off to school. Five concepts delivered by 9am and two conference calls later, I decided to call it a day. It was 11am.

I went to a colleague’s book signing at noon. Then had sushi at a health food store at 1:30 while enjoying the new book I purchased (a joy to be able to read during daylight hours without fear of falling asleep with a book on my chest). After lunch, I went to a jewelry store and bought myself a plain silver charm bracelet — not because I was feeling indulgent, but because my sons gave me six silver charms for Mother’s Day and I had nothing to put them on. While I was there, I bought myself a little flower charm — a token gift to myself. It seemed like a metaphor for the day: Lovely. The jeweler asked me how I wanted the charms arranged and without thinking too long about it, I told her that no matter what, the heart had to be in the center. The other charms could be evenly positioned on either side. It seemed significant somehow to have the heart in the middle.

Before my few hours of solitary bliss came to an end and the reality of who gets picked up when set in, I grabbed an iced latte at Starbucks and sipped its coolness slowly. Ahhhh.

OK, so I’m a proud mom. Proud of both my boys. Jack, whose least favorite subject is math, pulled a B+ on a recent test. He also wrote an amazing essay last night — so imaginative and well-written. Then just a few minutes ago, Ben showed me a poem he had written for his English class. It’s so simple, yet beautiful and profound. Just like him. I had to share it.

Where Does Poetry Hide?
by Ben Wittenstein

Poetry hides in the meadow
Poetry hides in the forest
Poetry hides in the stream.
Poetry hides in your dreams.
Poetry is a piece of art,
It is hidden in your heart.

This weekend, I exhibited at a festival called Mamapalooza. It was a lot of fun. Talented musical performers, artists and vendors representing a variety of businesses — many women-owned. I met some great people — both new customers, people interested in WIBN programs and workshops at schools, a wellness center that wants to sell WIBN merchandise because their philosophy is about the healing power of love (love that!) and a company that wanted WIBN to help them celebrate their tenth anniversary. There was even a representative from national company that sells women’s workout wear. They loved WIBN hats so I’m hoping, hoping, hoping they get in touch.

But there’s one thing that has been lingering in my mind since the event. It was an interaction with a visitor to my table who asked me about Wouldn’t It B Nice?. First, she asked me if WIBN was my idea — my brand. To which I said, “Yes.” Then she asked me what Wouldn’t It B Nice was all about. I gave her my 30-second answer. I told her it gets people thinking about how their way of “b-ing” can inspire others and make positive things happen in the world.

To that, she asked me what planet I came from. I still don’t know how to take that. Was that a compliment? Does she think I’m crazy or that unusual in my aspiration to make a living making a difference? Or has she really encountered so few people that believe in the transformational power of kindness?

Since starting Wouldn’t It B Nice, I have actually discovered more people who ARE doing great things… who are performing acts of kindness every day… who are sharing kind words and deeds, inspiring others every day. I’ve mentioned how much I love the 29-Day Giving Challenge, a place where people challenge and inspire each other with their daily “gives”. My friend, Melissa, who founded Operation Nice, blogs about being proactively nice. Every day, she encourages people to do nice things — and they do and write to tell her about it. When I read what her followers are doing, I’m convinced that I’m not alone in my thinking. (I actually met Melissa in person last month and she is as nice in person as she appears in her blog.)

So, am I really from another planet? If so, I’m in good company.

This past Mother’s Day was the first in seven years that I got to spend the day (in fact, the whole weekend!) with my entire family: my mom and my two sisters and all of our children. Between us, there are seven kids - all boys! - which is so funny since we grew up in a house where my dad was in the minority!

I think having so many boys around us all the time makes me appreciate the time we have to “just be girls” - talking about girl stuff, doing girl things. Despite the occasional regression to our childhood roles and humor, my sisters and I share a close friendship and strong commitment to each other and our family. We celebrate birthdays and successes; we follow fights with forgiveness; see each other through challenges with perseverance, hope and compassion. We get it from our mom, who often gets mistaken as one of the sisters. She is our mother, our friend, our confidante, and my hero. I find that the older I get, the more I want to be like her.

I think about my amazing mom and sisters, as well as my friends and all the women I know who, whether they are moms themselves or not, find ways to mother those around them with laughs and love, hugs and kindness every day. Then I say a little thank you for having them in my life.