[ when stars align ]

sooooooo... i had real trouble breastfeeding (that's a whole other blog right there) & when oscar was 11 days old i made my first trip out with him to a breastfeeding class with enough supplies & equipment to have safely overcome almost any emergency & survived for 3 months. seriously it looked like i was going on vacation!

little did i know that this class was the foundation to so many adventures & meeting so many wonderful people.

a few of us have kept in touch & have been great support.

last august, one of these people announced she was going to help out in haiti. first of all, i had no idea what a devastated country haiti was, without electricity, clean water, food, medical treatment...  & secondly i couldn't believe my friend jenn whose 3 children were all under 4 at the time had the ambitious drive to organize this & go, i was in awe...

if i had been asked to go i probably would have thought of a million excuses as i'm sure jenn could have but she didn't & she went on her way raising money collecting formula & supplies. i felt kind of guilty but very proud of her & wanted to help as much as i could. i posted the list of things she needed on free cycle & went round collecting items from generous people.

jenn returned with lots of stories, photos & a big piece of haiti in her heart.

she started up a charity with darren & christine ~ For This One   www.ForThisOne.org  *(please see below for the story that inspired the name)

and now... the earthquake

needless to say jenn, darren & christine have been selflessly working around the clock raising money, organizing drop offs etc etc  please visit their website www.ForThisOne.org

there are some people you meet in life that make you a better person, jenn, for me, is one of these. her enthusiasm & passion for this cause as well as juggling a job & family have inspired me to do more to help.

trying to think of a way to raise money i contacted mr RAY to see if he would do a children's benefit concert. i knew deep down he'd do it if he could & he is! he also has 4 guests lined up too!

(if you've not heard of this rock legend look up this older blog [ oscar & flynn's party! ~ featuring mr RAY ]  )

www.mrRAY.com

so please come out & show your support for this cause ~ SPREAD THE WORD!

here's the flyer:
http://tekprosystems.com/forthisone/mrRAYhaiti.pdf
Saturday, Jan 30, 10:30 am (doors open at 10 am)
Mr. RAY performs a benefit to HELP HAITI!
Robert Wood Johnson Hamilton Center for Health and Wellness

also we are looking for some cool stuff to auction off! & please let us know if you know of any other ways of publicizing this, radio etc

info@forthisone.org

i'm just off to deliver a car load of donations from kiddie academy princeton ~ thank you guys sooooo much!!

*(inspiration to For This One name)

The Star Thrower

Once upon a time, there was a man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer, he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?" The young man paused, looked up and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked, Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"

"The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die."

"But young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves. "It made a difference for that one!"

His response surprised the man. He was upset. He didn't know how to reply. So instead, he turned away and walked back to the cottage to begin his writings.

All day long as he wrote, the image of the young man haunted him. He tried to ignore it, but the vision persisted. Finally, late in the afternoon he realized that he the scientist, he the poet, had missed out on the essential nature of the young man's actions. Because he realized that what the young man was doing was choosing not to be an observer in the universe and make a difference. He was embarrassed.

That night he went to bed troubled. When the morning came he awoke knowing that he had to do something. So he got up, put on his clothes, went to the beach and found the young man. And with him he spent the rest of the morning throwing starfish into the ocean. You see, what that young man's actions represent is something that is special in each and everyone of us. We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference. And if we can, like that young man, become aware of that gift, we gain through the strength of our vision the power to shape the future.

And that is your challenge. And that is my challenge. We must each find our starfish. And if we throw our stars wisely and well, I have no question that the 21st century is going to be a wonderful place.