Making Compassion a Habit
Growing up surrounded by Colorado’s natural beauty not only inspired a love of nature in the Weeks sisters, but also a passion to protect it. As a high school student, Abbie Weeks founded Ecological Action, a school club committed to learning about and sharing sustainable environmental practices then taking action to make it happen around the globe. Now her sister Riley is EcoAction’s president.
In this season of excitement, busyness, parties, shopping, and stress, it is easy to get lost in the holiday chaos. If you, like I, are in need of some inspiration for slowing down and reconnecting with yourself, look no further than to nine-year-old Sara Asker.
The family separations happening at the U.S.-Mexico border over the past year have left many of us feeling sad, hopeless, and desperate to help. As of December 2018, approximately 15,000 children have been separated from their families and detained. Many of us wonder, when will it stop? How can we support these families? How can we show them we care?
For the past year and a half, middle school students at Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School in Moraga, CA have given up their lunch period to make lunches for a homeless community just a few miles down the road at the Oakland/Emeryville border.
It is almost impossible to imagine going through what the Brown family has endured in the past four years — two family members battling cancer, daughter Finley and mom A.J. Not only have they survived, but Finley’s fighting spirit and A.J.’s unwavering gratefulness are nothing short of astounding.
Continue reading “Mindful Family Spotlight: A Mother & Daughter Story of Resilience and Gratitude”
Thousands of people look forward to Lisa Rueff’s daily social media posts spreading love and light into the world. A Sausalito-based humanitarian who’s endearingly nicknamed “Chief Love Warrior,” Lisa has been waking people up to the power of love in her community and around the globe for more than 22 years.
Continue reading “Mindful Big Spotlight: Lifelong Humanitarian Lisa Rueff”
Millions of people around the globe have looked to motivational speaker and author Tony Robbins for personal and professional development over the past four decades. But for one 12-year-old girl from Northern California, watching just one of his videos about his childhood struggles with poverty and the incredible compassion his community showed his family was enough to inspire her to spring into action.
Continue reading “Mindful Little Spotlight: One Young Leader Brings Basket Brigade to Families in Need”
Kids can be so observant, but it’s not everyday you encounter kids with the pragmatism and dedication to translate what they see into a way to help others. When Northern California siblings Olivia and Alex Metz saw an opportunity to reuse Halloween costumes, they started the nonprofit Costumes4Kids to make sure those costumes found their way to kids in need.
We talked to Olivia and Alex, 10 and 17, about their work with Costumes4Kids and what motivates them to help others, both locally and around the world. Continue reading “Mindful Little Spotlight: Olivia and Alex Metz Deliver Halloween Costume Cheer”
When one of the biggest pop stars on the planet invites you to help young people build a kinder world, you say, “Yes!” That’s exactly what happened when Lady Gaga tapped Northern California mom Maya Smith to help create Born This Way Foundation six years ago. Today, she is the foundation’s executive director. Continue reading “Mindful Big Spotlight: Maya Smith, Executive Director of Born This Way Foundation”
Mindfulness and compassion have been in Laura Traxler’s blood for as long as she can remember. A longtime Orinda resident, Laura consciously planted seeds of compassion in her two sons throughout their childhood that are now beginning to bloom as they enter adulthood. How did she do it? And what can us mothers of young children learn from her that we can incorporate into our lives now? Here is Laura’s story …
Continue reading “Fostering Compassion Through “Voluntourism”: One Mom’s Inspiring Story”