Greatest Love Of All

"Greatest Love Of All" "I believe the children are our future  Teach them well and let them lead the way  Show them all the beauty they possess inside  Give them a sense of pride to make it easier Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be  Everybody searching for a hero  People need someone to look up to  I never found anyone to fulfill my needs  A lonely place to be  So I learned to depend on me. I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadow  If I fail, if I succeed  At least I live as I believe  No matter what they take from me  They can't take away my dignity  Because the greatest love of all  Is happening to me  I found the greatest love of all  Inside of me  The greatest love of all  Is easy to achieve  Learning to love yourself  It is the greatest love of all I believe the children are our future Teach them well and let them lead the way  Show them all the beauty they possess inside  Give them a sense of pride to make it easier  Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be And if by chance, that special place  That you've been dreaming of  Leads you to a lonely place  Find your strength in love"  Written by:  Michael Masser and Linda Creed Linda Creed wrote these lyrics in the midst of her struggle with breast cancer. The words describe her feelings about coping with great challenges that one must face in life, being strong during those challenges whether you succeed or fail, and passing that strength on to children to carry with them into their adult lives. Linda Creed eventually succumbed to the disease in April 1986 at the age of 36. You may think this blog is about Breast Cancer Awareness but it is not. Although the cause is very dear to my heart because my beloved sister Charlotte passed away from the disease a the age of 53, I find inspiration in this song for so may reasons.  Having just turned 57 my thoughts turn to my own mortality and what the life of my children and grandchildren will be without me. My hope is that each of them can depend on one person, and that is themselves. Our experiences in life, in friendship, and in love teach us how to do that. If not for the love of my Billy, family and dearest friends I would not have had the strength to meet my demons head on and overcome them by myself.  We must teach our children how to depend on themselves, how to overcome the daily trials of life and to be responsible to each other and the world.   Children, so many of our Earth's children, are starving. And not just in third world countries but right here in the US, in your town, down the street, around the corner. There are many organizations to donate to, like Feed the Children, local Food Banks, or the Salvation Army. But the real work starts with education. Teaching our young adults to use birth control and what it means to have too many people on this earth and not enough personal resources.

If I had the resources I would have a houseful of foster children. I would try to keep siblings together. I have always been a caregiver for as long as I can remember.  I adore my own children and can't imagine not being a mother myself. We are proud to be a part of the "Sleep Train" foundation that gives so much to foster children. They supply clothes for school, supplies, pajamas, coats and so may other donations. We love shopping to donate and bring to Sleep Train, their web site tells you exactly the donations go.If you are interested here is the web site.  http://www.sleeptrain.com/local-foster-kids.aspx This is not a lecture, although it probably feels like one, but just thought, my thoughts and my blog.  Good night little ones all over the world.  Edited by: Lezlie Mayers