Milestones ~ Graduations and Growing Up

I have two children. Two lovely children that I gave birth to. I am fortunate enough to have lots and lots of other kids that I call my own. My husband and I worked with young people for twenty years. We had the honor of watching so many kids grow up from awkward middle schoolers into interesting adults. We worked with a lot of young people over the years, and they all took a little piece of our hearts. This time of year the graduation announcements start rolling in and I always get a little nostalgic. This is my letter to all of those young people.

Dear Child of Mine,

I spent a short time with you, but your presence in my life has been a lasting gift. God called us to work with young people and I was blessed beyond measure to be called to love you. Yes, you. John got to do all of the planning, paperwork, and office hours and I got to be the volunteer. I loved you when we laughed together and I loved you when we cried together. You might not believe me, but I loved you even when you were being a butthead. I was honored to know you even when I knew way too much about you. I was honored when you shared your dreams with me and when you shared your broken hearts. Oh how I wish we could escape adolescence without a broken heart, but I'm not sure it's possible.

I know that you might think I don't remember you, but I do. There are so many quote boards and funny stories. We have had charts to keep track of how many times you washed your face and charts to make sure you showered at least once on the weekend. I will always smile when I think of you trying to pull off falling down the stairs and I laugh out loud when I think of all the fun we had with the fart machine. I still can't believe you were brave enough to endure blindfolded Fear Factor Snack and I really wish you weren't brave(stupid?) enough to break a bottle over your head. I love that for a year you spoke to me only in movie quotes and I seriously love that you got my daughter to potty train herself so you would babysit for her. I love that you put all of the dishes in the dishwasher right side up, and I love that we got to teach you how to do laundry. And I love that I can still kick you in Speed, except for you, you know who you are. I love that you taught me so much about faith, and will always be grateful that you shared your faith with me.

You have grown up so much but you are still becoming who you are going to be. There is so much I would love to say, and I know it's been said before, but here is my top ten.

1.  Remember that whatever happens, God still loves you (even when you aren't so sure about God.) 
2.  Always Love. The world will try it's very best to make you cynical. Always Love.
3.  Make Good Choices. 
4. Speak the truth in love. You will have difficult things to say, say them with love.
5. Laugh a lot. 
6. Keep learning even when you think you're done.
7. Take risks.
8. Being smart means nothing without heart.
9. Laugh some more.
10. Remember that whatever happens, the Hodges love you(and God does too)

With so much love,
Amy



Somewhere in this post, it became a Top Ten Tuesday post! Go to Oh Amanda to see other Top Ten Tuesday posts about a variety of topics!

The Minnie Mouse of your Nightmares

I'm working on a few Disney related posts and thought I would whet your appetite. This has got to be the weirdest, scariest version of Minnie Mouse ever!

Food Bank Kids Summer Stock

I don't know about you, but I am so ready for summer. I am ready for my kids to be out of school and to have less of a rigid schedule. We have plans for vacations, the wedding of a wonderful friend, conferences to attend. We have so much to look forward to. Not everyone looks forward to summertime. In our area there are over 30,000 children who will not get three meals a day. Take a minute to let that digest. 30,000 children.
During the school year the majority of those children are served by our free or reduced cost breakfast and lunch programs. During the school year they can count on getting fed twice a day. During the school year. Now that school is almost out, a significant number of those children will be hungry. We are fortunate to have the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina serving our area. The Food Bank works diligently every summer to reduce the number of children going without meals. The Food Bank is wonderful but they cannot do it without our help.

The Kids Summer Stock campaign tries to make sure that families have access to food. Over the past three years the Summer Stock program has provided over 4 million meals. The program will run from June 2nd until July 15th. The question I am hoping you are asking yourself is "how can I help?" and I have an answer for you.

• Donate. Pick up a few extra things at the grocery store. See what staple goods are on sale and add a few to your cart for the Food Bank.
• Hold a Food Drive Organize a food drive of your own. Reach out to summer camps, your church and your neighborhood. It's easier than you think to put one together!
• Spread the Word I didn't realize the extent of the hunger problem until I got involved with the Food Bank. Get informed and tell people. Tell your neighbors, your Facebook friends and your Twitter friends.

One last thing you can do? If you are in the Wilmington, NC area you can join us next Thursday, June 2nd for a Social Media Mixer at Zoe's Kitchen in Mayfaire. The mixer will start at 6pm and go until 8pm, but if you eat at Zoe's anytime from 4pm to 9pm a percentage of your bill will go to the Kids Summer Stock program. If you bring food to donate, you will be given a raffle ticket. The Food Bank usually comes up with some fun prizes for their mixers! 

If you don't live in this area, please find out what you can do in your area. Unfortunately there are children going without meals all over our  country. We might not be able to solve some of the world's problems, but we can reduce the number of children without access to food. 

Images and information provided by the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. I am honored to serve as a Social Media Ambassador for the Food Bank CENC.