On Helping People

Ola Friends!
Ok so this will be a very short post as there TONNES to read on the site I'll be redirecting you to- so hold on to your keyboards peeps!

So there's this charity I am apart of called Living Stories Foundation- and it is involved with the publishing of short stories of children living in harder conditions of life- poverty, abuse, trafficking etc. And here's the catch: the stories are ALL written by the children themselves!

The charity was founded and is run by high-school students themselves, which is just MIND-BLOWING!

It seeks to empower the children it helps. To not speak on behalf of the children it serves, as most children charities to do. Rather, to enable their own voices be heard. All funds generated from the sales of these short stories collections go back to helping the children themselves, and reaching out and aiding others in conditions similar to them.

However, it is a relatively new charity- and needs all our help to get it off the ground.

That's where you all can help:

1) Share this post with all your friends, family, and associates. Raising Awareness is one of the major goals of Living Stories Foundation (ie through its publications). They need all the publicity they can get!

2) Visit their site @ http://livingstoriesfoundation.blogspot.co.uk/ for more information on how to take an active part in realising their project.

3) Or contact them directly at:  livingstoriesfoundation@gmail.com to show your support for what they do, and for the effort the KIDS themselves put into writing those stories- it can't be easy.

BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE!!

Love always,
CATHY.

Things I'd love to do with/for my future Daughter

Hey!
Ok so I'm the kind of girl whose been dreaming about the perfect husband and having kids, since I was 10(or younger).
I'm still pretty young- almost a full-fledged adult( interpret that as you will, noting that adult could mean above13, 16, 0r 21 given the context)
Anyway, I was listening to Ed Sheeran's 'Small Bump', and couldn't help dream about the things I'd love to do with my future daughter. This serves both as a post for you guys, but also a reminder for me when I'm old(er):

• Take pictures/ document all aspects of their childhood( within reason)
• Take mother-daughter ballet classes and dance with her (i know- they exist!)
• Braid her hair in the cutest styles, and dress her in the cutest baby dresses
• Bake with her
• Play classical music for her both as a kid, and when she's older
• Teach her piano, or any instrument she enjoys
• Get her to keep some form of journal or notebook
• Share my reminder book with her(my own version of a journal)
• Teach her to love writing, especially poetry
• Read her princess stories, but also real-life stories of hardship, pain, and charity.
• Ensure she reads:
• - The Princess Diaries(Meg Cabot)
• - Beautiful Child(Torey Heyden)
• - Ps I love you(Cecilia Ahern)
• - Where Rainbows End( Cecila Ahern)
• -House Rules (Jodi Picoult).
• A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseini)
• The Kite Runner(Khaled Hosseini)
• When I'm pregnant with her, write little notes or letters to her, about my experience with her, myself, hopes and dreams and advice for her as she gets older(maybe by milestone birthdays? too cheesy? i like cheesy). Stick it in a book, that she can read, and always have just in case anything happens to me.
• Let her find God her way, but help and encourage her every step of the way- make sure she finds Him, like I did.

Subscribe? ;)

Dear guys,
Not that I stalk or anything, but I have noticed an increase in the number and variety of my pageviews lately. Of course I am ecstatic( Sri Lanka? Germany? Wow).

And even though- as sad as it is- my only followers are my brother and myself (I have 4 siblings- thanks guys), I know that some people still read this anyway- just without subscribing or commenting.

But it would still be nice, anyway, if some of you subscribe just to let me know you're even vaguely interested in what I write. It would just be a little encouraging- and I would really appreciate it.

Even if you CAN  read all my posts without subscribing- I would really like you too anyway.

Or, even( and I'm just throwing this out there) possibly comment?

Well, either way I'll still be here writing for you, and for me.

Sincerely.

Things I'll never know......

Dear all,
During my childhood, I did a lot of travelling. I've spent long periods of time( 2 years minimum) in a variety of countries, across continents.
For most part, I love the life I've lived. The different cultures I've experienced all formed some unique part of me, that makes me such an open-minded, diverse being, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

HOWEVER, that doesn't mean there aren't any nuances that come with the life. Recently, I was flashing through pictures of old friends from when I was younger- most of which I have very little relationship with now, because we were far too young when we'd met to keep in touch( basically, before Facebook had peaked amongst 8-yr olds).

And as I skipped through each album, clear-cut memories of different faces, friendships, experiences, and moments soared through my mind- all with a strange mix of happiness, humour, and sadness). I though I'd share them with you:

Have you ever found yourself wandering about the things that never were, are now, and could be?

• I wonder what ever happened to Ahmed?
• I wonder how Rose and Henry broke up?- did they ever go out?
• I wonder if Ido ever learned English properly? Now that I think of it- I don't think it was only language that was the underlying problem in the way he communicated.
• Did Yodi find someone else?
• Did Yabseera- after the countless days of silent( and unnecessary) competition- finally win Yodi over?
• And what ever happened to Adam? And the summer of my 15th birthday, when we first flirted innocently, after years of playful teasing at family holidays?
• I heard he sailed a boat round the world one summer, by the look of things- it did him well.
• I wonder if Lilay kept on acting- if the years below acted out the same play we had starred the leads in- Pandora and her Greek-god husband?
• I hope he's forgiven me for being so openly upset that it was he, not Yodi who got the part.
• And how did Rose end up with that quarter-back type alpha male guy of hers? Don't know why I thought it was never her type.
• Timid 'new-girl', Asma, too- spread her wings and flown. I wish I'd been there to watch her grow.
• And Benjamin(Yodi's best friend) whose actually Bemnet- did I really mistake his name all those years?
• He was always the one who listened, who took me seriously- even at that age when girls had cooties and boys smelt bad.
• And I'd never noticed him- the mellow, thoughtful best friend.
• Was it Bemnet,not Yodi, all along?

I've noticed a pattern.....

Dear peeps,
scrolling through previous posts i can't help but notice that the vast majority of mine happen to be love-related.
And honestly, I find that kinda sad.

I'm actually not that love-obsessed, honestly.

No seriously- I mean it.

Anyway, today I had a get together with my long-time friend and fellow blogger Duby!(http://backindavyjoneslocker.blogspot.co.uk/ ; i sorta co-own it too- basically same stuff, only with her posts as well...)
All the while we were together i could only think of Peaches and Herb's Reunited, playing in the background slow-mo style.


It was so great catching up, and it felt like we'd never missed a beat.
I don't care what anyone says- with some people, distance doesn't mean a thing.

Love,
Cathy

She, for him

And as she sat there with him, on the ledge of the bridge, she'd made a deal with herself. She would tell him, finally, how she felt. After these past 2 months that had felt surreal, like she was constantly on a cloud- floating. She would show him her heart- tell him how much she loved him.
But she wouldn't wait for his reply.

'I think, I might just be falling for you'
And in that sane second, with all her strength she pushed off the stony leadge, and for that second air-borne- she was finally free. The nearest thing to how she now felt.

And as soon as she could breathe again, with the thrill of the plunge and the cold water, she swam.

She'd barely heard him call her, heard a glimpse of his perplexed laugh.

And she smiled, if he felt thhe same, he'd jump in- she knew it.

And he did

As fast as she could; she  paddled to the shore and ran- bare feet gritty with sand-turned-mud, till  her saoking clothes and air-deprived lungs wore her down.

She turned and faced him, grinning that foolish-yet knowing- grin he'd known so well.
She smiled
he smiled.


They kissed.


-Cathy