November 2007 - Janelle's Blog

A Four-Year Old's View of God

The age of four is a curious time in children's lives. They explore new ideas and concepts. Our granddaughter, Ellie, had been learning important values at an early age. Her parents taught her that God loved her, and she seemed to understand. Then they introduced the concept of God's mercy. Her mother carefully explained it over and over, hoping she grasped such a complex thought.

Days before her fourth birthday, we gathered our family together for a dinner at our home. Ellie sat at the table among all adults. She was not having one of her best days, so she started exploring her boundaries. Her mother had told her several times to behave, but she wasn't paying attention. Then the final warning was issued, "Ellie, if you misbehave one more time, you are in serious trouble."

Let the Holidays Begin

This is the beginning of the holiday season. You think breast cancer is enough to deal with, but now you have family relationships that get magnified during the holidays.

Thanksgiving gatherings are always memorable when you open the doors of your home to relatives. You haven't seen some of them in 17 years. Others make an annual trek from far and wide for the meal of the year. Usually they show up with no food, but they bring a full array of personalities as they walk through the door.

If Life is One Big Mess

Sometimes people are quick to give you advice about moving forward in your life when you are in a mess. "Just do it," they say.

It's not so easy to undo a messed up life, but I want to show you how you can effectively start a forward motion toward the life you desire by going backward.

Stranded in the Ocean

This week in the news, the captain and crew on a tuna boat were stranded in the Atlantic Ocean. Their engine was working, but they could not move forward because the gears had stripped, leaving them abandoned with no possible help available for at least 12 hours.

This season on ABC's TV show, "Dancing With the Stars," one of the favorite dancers is Marie Osmond. The Osmond Family has been one of the most loved singing families for 50 years. You may recall the TV variety show, "Donny and Marie," that was popular in the 70's. We were all sad for the Osmond Family to hear of the death of George Osmond, the family patriarch, this week.

I have casually crossed paths with four of the Osmonds over the past few years and have found them to be some of the nicest, most polite people I have ever been around. We appreciate the generous support Donny gives NBCF with our annual Pink Ribbon Challenge.

One such meeting came a few years ago at a non-descript airport while I was waiting to board a plane.