Birthdays ... Incredible Memories ... Attitude

Hello and Happy Monday, gang!
I hope you all had a good weekend. Mine was wonderful. Saturday morning we braved the cold for NAMI Walks. I know, I know ... I'm using the word "cold" very loosely. In February we'd consider the conditions balmy. At any rate, we had a great time and a great turnout. If you've missed our NAMI stories and want more information on mental illness, support and recovery visit www.namiiowa.com.

Birthdays
Mine was Tuesday of last week and it was great. I really had no expectations for the day since it fell on a weekday and I was working. Michael sent cupcakes and flowers and we had a nice dinner that evening. Some of us in the newsroom got to talking about birthdays when we were kids. I remember the anticipation leading up to the birthday party - whether it was an outing to the skating rink or a sleepover - there's something so special about the day. I was reminded of that the day after my birthday when I met with my "Everybody Wins" student. He is the sweetest boy and he had this funny little grin on his face. We chatted for a bit and then he said, "Guess what I saw on the news yesterday?" "I don't know," I said. "What did you see?" "It was your birthday!!!" he replied, and he pulled a homemade card out of his pocket. He told me he made it at home. It is the cutest thing, and I had to chuckle because he'd written "Happy Brithday." I didn't tell him about the misspelling ... it's the thought that counts. "Everybody Wins" is one of the highlights of my week. If you can spare a lunch hour once a week, it's well worth it. www.everybodywinsiowa.org.

Incredible Memories
My meeting with my student had me thinking a lot about how kids process and remember things, especially important events. Sometimes the things they say and do are hilarious, which brings me to this photo and the story that goes with it.

Thirty years ago Pope John Paul II visited Iowa. I've heard countless people share their memories of that day, but few rival my husband's. He is the little guy being embraced in this picture. We talked about that day quite a bit this weekend. I can hardly wrap my head around the idea of meeting a world figure, much less as a four year old! Michael says he remembers being somewhat confused by the whole event. He knew very important people were coming to the church, but he didn't fully understand who they were or why they were coming. What he did know is that there was a potluck after church and his mother had made Irish Whiskey Balls. It's not hard to imagine a four year old boy being more interested in cookies and Kool-Aid than what was going on that day. Michael says he remembers sitting in the pew with his parents and brothers, hearing the choppers landing outside and the church bells ringing. Then the rear doors of church opened and huge men wearing red and white robes were striding inside. That's when little Mikey jumped off his seat and under the pew. John Paul saw him, picked him up, gave him a blessing, and hugged him. Amazing. I think Michael's family was probably mortified, but you can see His Holiness smiling and laughing. What a moment. And shortly thereafter, it was off to cookies and Kool-Aid.

Attitude
Recently someone told me I seem a lot happier lately. I am, and most of it has to do with attitude. Sometimes you just need to take control of your own brain and heart and stop letting outside influences ruin your outlook. There are a lot of bitter, nasty, clueless people in the world who really enjoy dragging others down with them. As my Grandma Susan used to say "Water seeks its own level." So true. But we don't have to let it happen. I've been tuning out the toxicity and it has improved my mood dramatically. Give it a try and see if it works for you.

Dinner time!
Have a great week,
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com