Friendship – It’s What Matters

When I was younger…OK when I was in my teens…I really wanted friends – lots of ‘em.  I wanted to be in the “Popular Crowd” though I didn’t quite no why other than that anyone associated with them was, well, popular.  And then one day my Dad said to me -

“Lisa, it’s not the number of friends you have because there will be quite a few people that enter your life, that come and go.  Lots of people.  You don’t call them all ‘friends’.  Your friends are the select few, the ones that will be there for you all the time.  That’s what you want; not the numbers but the friends.”

I remember at the time thinking, “Yeah, right, Dad.  Whatever.  You don’t get it.” Little did I know that he did.

Today, I am proud to admit that my Father was right (Yes, Dad, I just said you were right.  Now, stop smiling!).  I can honestly say that I have eleven wonderful women in my life that I consider friends.  Two ladies live in New England – my best friend from high school, Merideth, and my best friend from college, Erin.  Then there is Wendee, my totally bohemian friend from Houston.

Right here in the Triangle where I have made my home these last five years, that’s where the rest of them are.  First there’s my very talented friend, Miss Rozlyn Sorrell, the woman with the incredible voice & the HUGE heart.  Then, the kindred spirit I have found in my friend Crystal.  Finally, the six absolutely lovely ladies I had the distinct pleasure of working with the last two years at NBC 17 – Ashley Sue, Courtney, Jennifer, Jessica, Jessica, and Teran – four of which spent the evening with me the other night as we celebrated Christmas together.

Jennifer, Ashley Sue, Courtney, Teran, and I

With all of these women, I can whole-heartedly say I experience joy, laughter, sadness, pain, and, most importantly, love with.  Each one is unique and special but most of all, they are all special to me.  I am thankful every single day for their presence in my life and what they bring to it.

So tonight, I reflect on not only the meaning of friendship but the beauty of it.  There’s nothing like “girl” friends.

Thank you, my girls for being who you are and for gracing my life with your presence.  I feel truly blessed!

Smiles,

Lisa

Schools and Segregation – Really?

As a former educator, I am still very passionate about the subject of education and lately there has been some interesting debate in this part of the country regarding not only that topic but the issues that come with.

The year 2009 was an election year for county school board seats in various counties throughout our state.  Whether the issues were who was the best candidate to fill the available seats, school finance, overcrowding, busing, what have you, the debate really heated up in Wake County (NC), the county with the largest population attending public schools.

Recently, the new Wake County School Board was sworn in and one of the first issues they addressed is the County socio-economic diversity policy which currently allows for busing students cross-county to ensure student population is balanced (see this story at http://www.wral.com/news/education/story/6531903/).  Newly elected School Board Officials proposed an assignment change that would end that policy and instead promote the idea of “neighborhood schools”.  Some are applauding the efforts of the school board while others are protesting that the very idea sends us backwards in time to segregation.  I believe that philosophy is further from the truth and let me explain why.

What Thanksgiving Means To Me

OK, so I realize that the American holiday we call “Thanksgiving” has come and gone but I can’t help reflecting on what it means to be thankful.  So, indulge me for a few moments will you?

It’s amazing to me that (for the most part) we spend one day a year in thanksgiving of our blessings.  We get the day off from work, we travel to visit family (or they come to us), we stuff ourselves to the point of near sickness, and we give thanks to God for all that he has done in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

But, it’s just one day that it’s recognized.  How sad is that?

Yet, it’s a reality, isn’t it?  Sure, we say our prayers every night and we thank God for each blessing we receive as it comes upon us but we don’t celebrate it all but one day a year.  Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it?

I’m guilty of it myself.  I do exactly as I write – I say my prayers of “Thanksgiving” each day and I celebrate that one special day each year.  But, this year…this year I decided to do something a bit different – I got myself and my family (which is really my husband and I) involved in as many charity events as possible, most involving food drives… and I’m so glad I did!

Honor a Veteran Today

In America, the land that I love, the land in which I can say I am FREE, we celebrate and honor our Veterans today for the sacrifices they make, for allowing us to have that freedom, and for some of them, dying for it just the same.

Each year that this holiday rolls around I am always amazed at its significance, not reminded of it, but amazed by it.  For the everyday American, if you really think long and hard about it, you realize that you made the choice not to serve our country in the capacity in which others do/did.  And that’s no fault of yours or anything.  It’s just a fact of life.  I know I didn’t choose to serve my country.  I did choose a couple of boyfriends back in the day that did though, however.  A bad attempt at humor there.

But seriously, what our Vets do on our behalf is so incredible, so giving, and what their families do to support them is just as much.  What we need to do and should be doing each year is finding some small way to honor those that fight for our freedoms and their families.  Whether it be sending a care package to a soldier,  sending a simple letter, saying a little prayer, tending to the grave of a fallen one (even one we don’t know), or sharing our thoughts (as I am doing right now) via a blog post, we should be doing something to honor our soldiers, our heroes.

Being Tested

Harbor Town, Hilton Head SC. October 09.

The normally positive, cheery, upbeat smiling Lisa Sullivan has had a TOUGH time being all that this week…and I don’t like it one bit!

I am generally a positive person.  I have never made it a secret that it comes from my strong faith.  That is what gets me through each day – knowing that God has a plan for me, directs my path, and will reveal the next piece to my life’s puzzle in His time.  I trust in Him and I have never doubted otherwise… until this week.  Believe me, I know it’s the enemy talking. Not God.

But still, this week has been a very trying week for me.  The enemy has made his presence known and I have used every weapon I know to defeat him – prayer…LOTS of it, scripture, surrounding myself in His light through the power of Christian music, everything.  And I thank GOD that I can do that!

You Should Feel BLESSED at 40…or at ANY Age!

(Note: this was written on my last full day of my 40th Birthday celebration week.)

I am just barely into my 40^th year of life and as I sit at my beach house this morning, all I want to reflect on are the incredible blessings my life is full of.  I have difficulty finding the words to describe how happy I really am.  It’s been nearly seven months since losing my job and yet, I feel more blessed that ever.  How do you describe that?  I mean, really.

This has been an absolutely wonderful week of what I have been calling my “Rest and Relaxation Week”.  Looking for another job, gaining my own clients for my freelance work, all the while keeping up with maintaining a well-kept home, not to mention the stresses financial burdens can put on a couple, that all takes work.  I’m tired even as I type!  A week away from it all was needed and I’m so very grateful that we have had this opportunity as we spent time in one of my favorite places on earth – the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

That’s one blessing.

Can Social Media Harm Your Job Search?

Yes and no. 

This post stems from a Tweet yesterday by my local NBC affiliate and not because they Tweeted it.  Rather, because of its substance -

Some employers are asking job candidates for their social media passwords

First and foremost, that’s a complete invasion of privacy.  Period.  That should be the end of the story but it’s not.

I don’t know which I’m most angered about – the idea that a prospective employer wishes to engage in the invasion of a candidate’s privacy OR that yet again that this implies that there’s this perception out there that social media should be considered as scary.  Come on, people!  How many times do we have to tell you it’s not?!

I get that employers need to know the personality behind the prospective candidate.  They need to know that s/he can be trusted with confidential company information.  They need to know that s/he is a professional and perhaps that the potential employee is a good “fit” for their company.  I totally get that.  BUT, to ask a person to fork over their personal passwords to further research that same individual to that extent, I’m sorry but that’s where I personally draw the line.

Thank GOD For This Win

Yesterday was Week 3 of the NFL football season and while I most definitely thank God for my Patriots pulling out their win, that’s not what this particular post is about.  Rather, I pay tribute to a team full of players that got down on their knees thanking a higher power for their win AND the members of the opposing team who joined them.

For 19 straight games, the Detroit Lions have lost.  That’s quite a streak and one I’m absolutely positive they were not proud of.  But, yesterday with just over 5 minutes left in the game, the Lions posted a Touch Down and held off the Washington Redskins D for the remainder of the game sealing their win with a score of 19-14.  There’s that number 19 again.  Maybe that’s their lucky number?

While the game itself was interesting to watch – two fairly equal teams (though the Lions looked to be the better of the two in the first half) vying for the better record, it wasn’t the win and the broken streak that struck me (no pun intended).  Rather, it was what happened afterwards…and I wish someone had captured this on film somewhere.

After the game as the two teams came together to shake hands, hug, slap high fives, what have you, there was a small group of Lions players huddled and knelt to the ground that were joined by a few Redskins opponents.  What were they doing?  Praying.

I was particularly impressed with the praying but I was MORE impressed by who was praying.  In that one moment, it wasn’t two teams fighting it out for the win.  It was the men of those teams coming together as a united group in prayer.  For me, it was a tear-jerking moment…and I’m not even a fan of either team!

What a fantastic way to end a winning game – to give thanks to the One that helped make it happen for them even if you were a member (or a fan) of the opposition.  That was something!

Smiles,

Lisa

(Image courtesy of ESPN Sports, AP Photo/Dan Sancya – http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/photos?photoId=2341371&gameId=290927008)

What I LOVE About…the Triangle (one reason)

A few months back I started a blog post category called “What I LOVE about…”  I’ve already talked about Raleigh and “Mayberry” but I haven’t gone into the whole Triangle area until today.  Even now, I’m not going to talk about ALL of the things that make up the vibrant wonderful community that is “The Triangle” (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill).  I want to focus on one particular item – technology and social media.  OK, maybe that’s two.

Last month, Raleigh played host to Ignite Raleigh, a fantastic evening in which Triangle-ites gathered together to listen to other Triangle-ites “ignite” the crowd with research, ideas, or a combination thereof.  It was a fascinating and inspiring event.

That’s just one example of the vast amount of social media/technology opportunities that exist in our community each month.  Between Triangle Social Media Club, Triangle Tweetup, Social Media Breakfast Raleigh, Triangle Ladies Who Tweet, etc. there is always an opportunity to learn & grow with as well as meet other like-minded individuals.  And if you’re just discovering social media or you don’t consider yourself a “techie” but wish to learn more, it’s all within reach because there are folks here that are willing to share their knowledge & expertise with you.  I love that!

Next month, the guys from Our Hashtag, LLC are organizing two very cool events in this area that cannot be missed:  the Deep Fried Triangle Tweetup (in conjunction with the folks at the NC State Fair) on October 22nd and the Social Media Business Forum at  NC Central Univ in Durham on October 23rd. Here’s the video announcement about the Deep Fried Triangle Tweetup:

The Social Media Business Forum the very next day is a fantastic opportunity for businesses to learn more about how to use social media marketing in their overall marketing plan as well as connect with other businesses investigating those same options.  It should be a fabulous day of learning & connecting!

I could go on and on about the opportunities here but I’ll let you investigate for yourself.  Check out the Social Carolina Calendar & sign up for their newsletter to get the latest info each week!

But, seriously, I’m so glad I live in a region of the country that is movin’ and shakin’ with the times, technologically speaking that is.  Now, if we could just get our educational system up to par but that’s for another post.

Smiles,

Lisa

Share Your Blessings!

No matter what your circumstances are, you are blessed.  Do you know that?  For one thing, if you are able to read this, you are already blessed because you can read it.  Your eyesight may not be 20/20 (or it may!) but the mere fact that you can read this blog, read the newspaper, read the important flashing emergency sign on the highway, whatever it may be, you can read.  Do you see my point?  You are blessed!  Despite whatever your circumstances may be God has blessed you.

So why not share your blessings with others? 

This week, I am an avid & active volunteer for my local Christian radio station, HIS Radio WRTP.  It’s their annual Sharathon and I’m taking pledges on their behalf. 

HIS Radio WRTP is completely listener supported.  That means whomever they touch either via the FM dial or online are the very same people that bless the station with their gifts of support.  None of what they do is even possible without that.  HIS Radio doesn’t even receive grants.  It’s all from the people.  It’s all about the people.

I listen to HIS Radio Praise online nearly every single day.  It’s the kind of music that keeps me inspired to conquer whatever tasks lay ahead of me.  While there are plenty of online outlets for this kind of music, I choose to support, HIS Radio because not only is the selection of music fantastic but I’m supporting my local folks that help make it happen.  Though my gift may be small and while I feel blessed that I not only support them financially, I am able to spend three hours each morning this week assisting them with their annual effort.

So this post is a plea to all those out there that believe in being blessed, that are blessed, and equally as much are willing to bless HIS Radio WRTP with a faith donation today.  It doesn’t matter what you give.  It just matters that you give!

Help HIS Radio WRTP continue to bless the community, not just Raleigh, the Triangle, and Eastern North Carolina but also the community of listeners online (like me!).  I listen while I work but there are countless people out there that listen to just to get a “pick me up”  or perhaps while they are receiving their chemo treatments or while driving in their cars.  There are so many untold stories.  Your contribution will be appreciated more than you can imagine.

So, please consider giving.  Sharathon will be going on all week 6am-6pm (#866-447-9787) or online at any time at www.hisradiowrtp.com. 

We appreciate your support.  Thank you!

Smiles,

Lisa