Dig Deep Thinker

Here are the people, articles or topics that stopped me in my tracks this week.

Threads of Love

This weekend, my mother-in-law was knitting a baby’s cap, small enough to cover the tiny head of a 2 1/2 pound premature infant. She doesn’t know the name of the baby who will wear the cap, nor whether the premature infant is struggling to live or has died from complications.

None of that matters, because Katie does it out of love as do the other women in the  local Threads of Love chapter.

Threads of Love, a non-denominational organization, began in Baton Rouge, La., in 1993 to provide handsewn clothing, blankets and other items for tiny premature and sick infants.  Today, there are 162 chapters across the United States, Canada and Europe.

As you’ll see from their website, this is a simple group without a lot of bells and whistles. Everything is donated, and if you can count to five, they can put you to work.  Threads of Love simply extends the priceless gift of comfort (and prayer) during a time of uncertainty for parents who have just lost, or may lose, their newborn.

When I asked my mother-in-law if she prayers while she knits the little pastel-colored caps, she smiled and said, “Oh, of course I do.” Knowing what a faith-filled woman she is, I have no doubt that the parents of that little 2 1/2 pound baby will sense the unconditional goodwill  tucked into every stitch.

Dan Caro

You’ll think twice about uttering another wimpy, ridiculous excuse after you encounter Dan Caro.  A freak  flash fire engulfed Dan at the age of 2, and it burned 80% of his body and took both of his hands and feet.

His harrowing treatments and rehabilitation didn’t deter him from fulfilling his dream of becoming a musician and drummer. I dare you to “meet” Dan without shedding a tear. You’ll resolve to look differently at the challenges at your doorstep.

P.S. I discovered Dan while watching Dr. Wayne Dyer’s latest PBS program called Excuses, Begone. If you see it, stop and watch it.

Carolene Mays

Indianapolis Woman

There are no chance encounters, so when I met firecracker-of-a-woman Carolene at the June 4  Whale Hunting Women Summit, I took notes.  Mays choreographed the turnaround of the Indianapolis Recorder as the CEO/Publisher of the nation’s third oldest African-American publication.

Impressive? Yes. But that’s the least of her story.   Mays survived life-threatening domestic violence, which fuels her efforts to tighten domestic violence legislation. See her influence in Indiana Senate Bill 32.

Every year, 5.3 million women are abused. This isn’t just a dark horror for the victims; domestic violence creates a costly ripple across society. The health-related costs of rape, physical assault, stalking, and homicide by intimate partners exceed $5.8 billion each year.  Carolene inspired me to learn more and pass it on.

Sharp Brains

SharpBrains is the leading research group that focuses on cognitive science and neuroscience, specializing in the areas of education and health care. Their brand new book about brain fitness shot them to the top of my Top 5 Click List.

Even if you aren’t reading it as a parent, educator or trainer, you’ve got your own brain to think about — and you’ll be amazed at how much influence you have over the health and longevity of your noggin.

It is simply impossible to walk away from this book without seeing an exciting glimpse of what’s possible for everything from attention disorders, the aging population, to Alzheimer’s patients and brain-trauma recovery.

Ten Rules for Being Human

I found this thanks to a tweet from Tim Ferriss (author of The 4 Hour Work Week).

Filed under: Citizenship, Communication, Inspiration, Leadership Tagged: | Domestic Violence Legislation, Inspiration, Leadership, LinkedIn, Newspaper, Philanthropy, Premature Infants, Threads of Love, Turnaround, Volunteerism