Pass It On

October 2010


My name is Suzanne

and I'm a recovered

news addict.

September 11, 2001

caught me off guard.

I was bustling around,

getting my first-grader

ready for the bus and

my toddler fed that

fateful morning when

the telephone rang.

My husband was in

Chicago on business

and told me to turn on

the television.

{via Maciek R. on Flickr}

He shared the last rental

car out of downtown

Chicago that day,

which he rented in

the shadow of the

Sear's Tower.  I

remember praying

that Chicago wasn't

on the terrorists' radar.

Had he not called me,

I would have kissed

my daughter good-bye

and waved to the bus,

with strains from a song

from PBS Kids in the background;

music to our morning.

September 2001

An ordinary day.

But as you know, this

was not an ordinary day.

Thus began my addiction

to the news stations on

TV and on the radio.  I was

afraid that if I wasn't

clued in at all times, that I

would miss something

critical like I did the morning

of September 11th.

{via Zeetz Jones on Flickr}


But the problem with most

of our media outlets is this:

They mainly report bad news.

And that gets in your head

and in your heart and like

the cloud over the Peanut's

character, Pigpen, it can

envelope you.

So, I made a conscious decision

last spring to scale way, way

back on my news viewing 

and listening.....And to seek

out sources that would tell

the other stories....the good news

that exists in our world.

About the same time, I started

to notice public service announcements

and billboards from an organization called

 The Foundation for a Better Life.

Completely endowed by the private

funds of a philanthropist, The Foundation

has this as it's mission statement:

The Foundation for a Better Life

began as a simple idea to promote

positive values.  We believe that

people are basically good and just

need a reminder.  And that the values

we live by are worth more when we

pass them on.

I love that.  

The Foundation's award-winning

Pass It On TV spots almost always

make me cry, even though I've

seen many of them numerous times

over the last year!

Click image to watch

Their Pass It On 
billboards are equally

warm and thought-provoking.

Focusing on positive values, The

Foundation's website, values.com,

began with a brief list of good

values and has grown to over

75.  Radio messages, podcasts

and quotes and stories related

to values can be found on the

website in ten different languages.

There is even a section called

Good News that links to positive

newspaper and magazine stories

across the USA and the world.

I don't know about you, but

for me, this is the kind of thing

that I want to focus on and

bring more of into my life.

The Foundation for a Better

Life does not accept donations.  

They simply ask that you 

exemplify positive values that 

can be passed on to others.

How cool is that?

I'm adding The Foundation's

link to my sidebar, where

their quote of the day will

be shown, each day.  You

can also sign up to have the

quote of the day e-mailed

to you, here.

I want to keep

accentuating positive

values as I make my

way through each

day.  The words from

the values list that sang

to me were

kindness

gratitude

courtesy

encouragement

and 

optimism 

Will  you  join me in 

passing on positive

values that speak to 

your heart?

I'd love to know

which ones you'd

choose.

Those who wish to sing,

always find a song.

~ Swedish Proverb

Happy weekend,

sweet friends!

xx 

Suzanne

images:
Flickr {click pics for more};
The Foundation for a Better Life