The Power of a Sacrifice

May 12th marked the death of a 98 year old lady named Irena.

During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist ...

She had an ulterior motive...

She KNEW what the Nazis plans were for the Jews, (being German).

Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of her tool box she carried, and she carried in the back of her truck a Burlap sack, (for larger kids).

She also had a dog in the back, that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in, and out of the ghetto.

The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog, and the barking covered the kids/infants noises.

During her time and course of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants.

She was caught, and the Nazis broke both her legs, and arms, and beat her severely.

Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out, and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her backyard.

After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it, and reunited the family. Most of course had been gassed.

Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes, or adopted.

Last year, Irena was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize ...

She LOST.

Al Gore won, for doing a slide show on Global Warming.

Check out more of her story here: http://www.irenasendler.org/

I wanted to share this story because I thought it was rather incredible how unselfish this woman was ... not only to sacrifice her own life, but to ultimately lay it down for someone else. Hmmm ... it reminds me of another familiar story, that you all might already know ... it's about a man named Jesus, and how he came and died so that we might live ...

Recent Photos ...

Here are a few recent photos I took ... the first is on a storm-filled night ... the sky was amazingly beautiful, and vast ... it was rather breathtaking ... the next is from a small park near downtown South Bend. The geese there are plentiful, and rather amusing from time-to-time. I snapped this while a grandma, it looks like, and her two grandkids were admiring the beautiful creatures ... the third is a little abstract ... through a park bench in downtown South Bend, near the College Football Hall of Fame ... sometimes, the most awkward of photos can make the most presentable ... ENJOY!

What Would You Do ...

So, tell me one thing you'd LOVE to do, but are afraid to do because you're fearful of failure?

Poetic Thoughts ...

I’m amazed at how selfish we can be …
The lack of humility that each of us has …
We pride ourselves on others pain …
Yet, we are hurting ourselves …

I often underestimate the power of a touch …
And, most days, I reminisce of how it used to be …
I miss the days when life was easier …
Yet, I believe the days ahead are going to be the best yet …

It’s a beautiful, crazy, wonderfully complicated place we live …
Beauty surrounds us …
Embrace life … embrace it before you no longer can …

HERO Youth Ambassadors to Embark on Journey of a Lifetime!

You might remember a few months ago, I wrote a post about the HERO Youth Ambassador Program. If not, you can read it here: http://untitledentityunveiled.blogspot.com/2008/02/become-hero-youth-ambassador.html.

The HERO Youth Ambassadors Program selects a number of teens from across the U.S. and Canada to travel to Africa to work on Protecting Futures, a program by Tampax and Always to help girls stay in school during menstruation.

For more info about the program, check out: http://www.protectingfutures.com/.

I was just informed that the youth ambassadors for 2008 have been chosen!

Among the students chosen, only one Canadian was selected, Natasha Clark, who is a native of Coldstream, BC.

Natasha’s active involvement at school and work with children in her community illustrates her passionate commitment to helping others. She is scheduled to depart on June 27th and is currently working to raise $5,000 to help fund her mission to Africa.

To learn more about Natasha and the other 2008 Youth Ambassadors, or to help support Natasha’s fundraising goal, visit: http://www.heroaction.org/site/c.gpIPKZOAJoG/b.3750887/ to learn more!

It will be a journey of a lifetime in which they will never forget! Support them today!

A Song to Ponder

I was listening to this awesome song the other day ... not sure if any of you out there have ever heard of Linkin' Park. I can imagine you have ...

Nonetheless, it's a new song, called 'Leave Out All the Rest'; and basically, it talks about leaving all the hurt, pain, the bad behind ... forgetting all the 'stuff' that sometimes, we can take with us to the grave ... we resent sometimes the things that have happened in our past, and sometimes, we don't let go until it's to late ... the song simply 'asks' to leave out all of what we can't change, and remember something good ... not only remembering the good in others, but also in ourselves ... it asks to leave out all the rest, and remember what went right ... it's a powerful message, with forgiveness behind every word ...

Let Love In ...

If I may be so bold, I’d like to pose a couple of questions to you all, my ‘blog friends’ … they are questions, that perhaps might evoke some emotion, but they’re questions that I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts on … so, here goes:

Why do you think people judge others?
Do we have the right to judge another person?
What ever happened to LOVING someone first?

I must say … I’ve been pondering these questions the past few days … I’ve found that throughout my life, personally, I’ve been a ‘judger’ so to speak … perhaps not so much consciously, but more so because I thought something should be one way and not another … or I thought I was right, while the other person was wrong … when all along, I lacked the capacity to accept that someone else had an opinion! I think this was more in my youth … when I was in middle school, into my freshmen and sophomore year in high school …when I was naive and just ‘learning’ what it all meant to have a relationship with Christ …

However, as I’ve gotten older, my focus has become, not whether someone is right or wrong, but whether they are loved or not … perhaps that sounds a little strange, but, as I’ve learned more about the ‘heart of Christ’, I’ve learned that He just LOVES us, right where we’re at … He loves us even in our darkest days … He loves us when we’re sinning … He even loves us when we turn our backs on Him … and while that breaks my heart, I realize that I lack the way He loves others, many times … I wish I could love like Christ in moments where my anger gets the better of me … or I feel a ‘judgment’ coming into thought about someone … I wish that it was easy to LOVE at all times … but that’s where our human nature interrupts and invades … yet, I pose a challenge to those out there who call themselves ‘lovers of Christ’, including myself … instead of passing judgment on someone FIRST, why don’t you try LOVING them FIRST … Love them like Christ loves them … give them grace and show mercy, just as Christ has done so many times for you and I … it might be something as simple as a smile, or maybe it would require you to take a leap of faith, but do it! Do it today, and just let LOVE in ... when you can be overcome by the love that Christ has for you, you can then become 'in love' with those around you ... even when you don't agree with their lifestyle … even when their sin blinds them … practice LOVE first …

"Don't Quit"

When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but do not quit.

Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things go wrong that you must not quit.

Author Unknown

Sex in the City - The BOND of Friendship

I don’t know if any of you out there are Sex in the City fans. I never was a fan until I started watching the ‘edited’ versions of the show AFTER they went off the air. It’s not that I wasn’t a fan of the show when it was on air, but it was more that I didn’t have access to it! It was an HBO commodity, which I wasn’t privileged to have access to. Ah well …

Nevertheless, as I’m sure you already know, the ‘big screen’ version of the show came out this past weekend, and I was ecstatic to see it. Perhaps you’re frowning at the mention of the show, or, you’re an enthusiast like myself, but I was asked by a friend the other day, why I like the show so much.

There are many misconceptions about the show and while some just might be true, there are quite a few positive aspects to it as well.

Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte, are much more than fashionistas. Sure, they live lives that many of us could only dream of, but they also carry something much deeper than the materialism that surrounds them in the ‘Big City’: the bond of friendship. The show, and the film, showcases the friendship of women, and the struggles they share. They’re devoted to each other, through the ups and downs that life so many times, brings to each of us. They’ll fly across the country for a friend in need, and not only do they rejoice in one another’s victories, but they also share in the sorrow and disappointments of life.

They forgive and forget, love when it hurts, and encourage the beauty in each other, even in their most dire moments.

So, a fan or not, the bond of friendship these four women share, sure is something to hope for, if not fight for!

"No matter who broke your heart, or how long it takes to heal, you'll never get through it without your friends.”

“Maybe our girlfriends are our soul mates and guys are just people to have fun with.”

Alive Day ...

In a war that has left more than 25,000 wounded, ALIVE DAY MEMORIES: HOME FROM IRAQ looks at a new generation of veterans. Executive Producer James Gandolfini interviews 10 Soldiers and Marines who reveal their feelings on their future, their severe disabilities and their devotion to America. The documentary surveys the physical and emotional cost of war through memories of their ‘Alive Day’; the day they narrowly escaped death in Iraq.

Please, check it out ... it's one of the most powerful depictions of the affects of this 'War on Terror' that I've ever seen: http://www.hbo.com/aliveday/.

Whether you believe in this war or not, the men and women who are fighting it deserve our respect … they deserve honor … and most of all, they deserve our support and gratitude for fighting for the freedom we ALL take advantage of …

Watch it and be changed …


This is Marine Staff Sgt. John Jones; he is a double amputee below the knees, had shrapnel in parts of his thighs and wrists, some memory and hearing loss, and suffers from post traumatic stress disorder. However, he remains optimistic. "I hope to be a positive influence for others and to set an example for those that have given up hope."

In the Backyard ...

Here are a couple more photos for you! These were taken in my sister Melissa's backyard! It's rather beautiful what you can capture! Enjoy! (P.S. Thank you for all the wonderful comments and for continuing to visit my blog! It means so much! God Bless you all!)

Here we go again ... Dreaming!

An idea? Hmm … what is it really? Is it only a thought? Personally, I think 'raw ideas' are essentially, dreams that are resurfacing ... it's kinda' like when in our youth, we have these profound ideas, an epiphany if you will, of our lives when we are ‘all grown up’. We dream big when we are younger … when we have NO idea whatsoever of what it will take to make that dream come true … yet, as we get older and life complicates things, those ‘dreams’ or ‘epiphanies’ seem to resurface because someway, somehow, they make life worth living … they make mornings worth waking up to … and they surely make for something to fight for … to hope for … so come on already! Start dreaming again! Who knows … that ‘idea’ could just turn into what you’ve always ‘dreamed’ for …