Your Story Matters

I’ve been thinking a lot about dreams lately. Not the kind that you have when sleeping but the ones you pursue…

Credit: Flickr User DeeGirlDee

Today, thanks to author, presenter and Twitter user @NancyDuarte, I learned about the amazing photographer, Camille Seaman. Nancy invited Camille to visit her company and then later posted an interview with her.

Read this excerpt from Nancy’s blog:

Photographer Camille Seaman’s daughter was watching Storm Chasers on the Discovery Channel one day, when Camille stopped what she was doing to admire the storm’s light.

Her daughter noticed her and said, ‘Mom, you should do that!’

Three days later, she was.

You know what I love about that? Camille’s daughter thought enough of her mom that she believed she could be a storm chaser!

Now, take a look at this interview quote:

Nancy: You’re so busy, successful and adventurous. What’s it like to be a mom and be so dedicated to producing amazing work?

Camille: I think it’s really important for my daughter to know that being a mother does not negate the necessity for her to live her purpose, to follow her dreams, or to do what she feels is important. In fact, it amplifies it. Being a mother really made me want to stand up and say, ‘I cannot leave this planet in the shape that it is for my child.’ She’s, in many ways, been the inspiration.

My takeaway is that even as parents we still need to seek after what our God given purposes are, discover our talents and use them. I think when we do seek after our dreams and do a little risk taking. we model it for our children and they look up to us for it.

My author friend Jenny Lundquist wrote this week on her blog about “Mama Writers and Guilt”. Jenny has been pursuing her dream of being an author and has struggled with guilt for it. About the guilt, she wrote,

So this is what I figured out: I spent so much time over the past five years worrying about what writing was taking away from my children that I didn’t stop to ask myself what writing was giving to my children.
(read the complete post)

Did you catch that? It seems that when we pursue our dreams and purposes we are actually giving a gift to our children. I want to inspire my daughters to be who they were made to be. I want them to take risks. I want them to dream big and purse God sized adventure. Perhaps… my dream pursuits may actually inspire and train them.

Ann Kiemel Anderson and her husband Will adopted 4 boys. Remarkably they developed relationships to the young biological moms. To one of those moms, Ann wrote,

“I serve a giant God. And we dream big dreams for you, my God and I.”

Let’s be storm chasers.

Mom & Dad on their Wedding Day

My mom passed away in January, 2001. I still miss her and want to honor her today. She was an incredibly generous woman and always gave great gifts for birthdays and Christmas. The best gifts she gave, though, aren’t the kind you wrap up.

5 gifts my mom gave me:

1. She liked to have fun. My mom played. She really enjoyed laughing and was a bit of a jokester.
2. She saw past our faults. Though I’m sure my mistakes and those of my siblings grieved her, she forgave and looked beyond. She believed in us.
3. She tried new things. Mom was adventurous in learning new skills, going to school, building a career later in life and in traveling. She did all of this without the emotional support of my dad – that’s amazing to me. She was a strong, courageous woman.
4. She was proud of her kids & grandkids. She bragged about us and was proud to introduce us to others.
5. She liked her kids and really enjoyed spending time with us. I love that she wasn’t afraid of getting dirty or ruining her clothes. The fact that my dad wasn’t around didn’t stop her from taking us places. Some of my favorite memories with her are of going to Disneyland, South Lake Tahoe, camping or just playing games.

Today, I feel extra grateful for my mom. Writing this list has caused that. I wish I’d done this when she was alive. It would have really blessed her. Thank you, Mom!

Now your turn…what gifts has your mom given you? Have you told her?

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

I think that a correlation exists between connection and creation. Our relationships inspire us to create.

“A 185 people…12 different countries…it was all about connecting…these individuals…alone…together.’
Eric Whitacre

I’m a 17 year old kid who loves metal, rock, screamo, drum and bass, dubstep, indie, emo, punk.

But when I close my eyes and listen to this, I could be anywhere, anytime, dead or alive, and you just loose yourself and forget about everything, let your mind wander. When I listen to it I? feel weightless, timeless, detached from the degrading society that we’re forced to live in, and I’m reminded of the beauty and potential that we all posses inside. This is so beautiful, so moving. Amazing.
Rob Prouse

It’s amazing what can be created when people connect to something larger than themselves. I think we’re hardwired with the need to create and to contribute to a bigger picture…to make a difference…to leave our fingerprints on others.

(note: From reading Seth Godin‘s new book, I just learned of Sasha Dichter. It was on Sasha’s blog that I first saw these videos.)

Today I’ve been working on a new blog design. When I uploaded my new background, I remembered this clip:

Isn’t it great how Heimlich’s friends help him to realize his dream of flying?