It was just 2 months ago that the idea for The Cornerstone of Angels came into life. It has been fun, exciting, interesting, lots of research, but most of all it’s been a great ride. One that I am hanging onto tightly to see where it leads. Sometimes I feel we should be further along with the entire process and other times I think – wow – we have come a far way in just 60 days. With added passion the next 60 days will take us right up to our departure for Peru and there we’ll find more direction for this endeavor – I have no doubt. It’s going to be phenomenal.

Memorial Day brought a flood of emotion for all those that have fought in wars (popular or not depending on your opinion), for those that given their lives in exchange for protecting our freedoms. For the young men and women that are giving their time and energy and some of them – their lives – to the current military situation our country find itself in. I thought of the people who cannot defend themselves. I thought of this “angelic” endeavor I write about that has filled my heart and all the charitable organizations worldwide. I logged onto the internet and found a website that sends letters and items of need to our troops in the Middle East. Reading the requests from the soldiers was overwhelming. Some soldiers don’t get much if any mail or basic things they need from home. So this group started as a way to fill in that gap and help with troop morale directly relating to those young men and women that are serving our country. I must have read 50-60 requests – chose a few to send letters to and hopefully a few boxes of requested items and then found myself again loaded up with tears. No surprise there you say! I searched again and found other organizations that provide different types of assistance relating to battered women and children, refugees from other countries, people worldwide who live in drastic conditions because of war and internal chaos within their own countries, Red Cross, MDA, the homeless,Special Olympics, and the list went on and on and on. My new found word that keeps coming up popped up again in my head – OVERWHELMING. There is so much need in the world how do we ever begin to take care of it? How can we make a difference? Where do we start? How can we look around at all we have in our lives and not reach out to help?

Then I stopped the search and took a deep breath. Just breathe.

Help. Assistance. Support. Relief. It’s actually starts when we venture out and take the first step. Then one small step after one step after one step. We can become so overwhelmed with the “need” we end up throwing our hands in the air and doing nothing. Justifying it all by letting ourselves believe that one person can’t make a difference. BUT YOU CAN. Reaching out, touching, helping, just one person is where it starts. And don’t you know to that one person that was an answer to prayer. That gesture, that bag of food, those donated clothes, that gift box let them know that people care.

For me – I think tomorrow morning as I did on Memorial Day, I’ll head to the DFW airport and welcome home soldiers that arrive here daily on their way home for 2 weeks of R&R. Can you believe it – Daily. Wow. It’s another start. It’s a small gesture but it is a heartfelt one.

That’s how I’ll start my day – focusing on someone else. Try It – It Rocks!

Stephanie