For Local BlogWhat’s the best thing that happened to you today?
Posted and written by Kakie Fitzsimmons
I have recently been networking out on a website called TwitterMoms. The other day someone reached out to ask me to join her as a friend. She also asked me “What was the best thing that happened to you today?” As a writer, it is sometimes easy to forget little moments to be thankful for each day. For many of us authors, those are the things that motivate us to “pick up the pen” and start writing.
My response was the joy that came from watching kids excitement at William’s (aka Bur Bur) sixth birthday party. A few of the real life Bur Bur and Friends characters were there as well. Bur Bur and Friends is an award winning children’s book series that uses a cast of multicultural characters to educate kids about sports and outdoor exploration through their experiences.
One of the many reasons it was so great is that in addition to celebrating William’s special day, we were very fortunate to have a surprise guest, CRUNCH at the party. Call this the sporting news for those of you who don’t know, CRUNCH is the NBA mascot for the Minnesota Timberwolves and is very funny.
CRUNCH started his cameo appearance by quietly sneaking into the back of the bowling alley where the party was held, climbing on top of the, setting of a bunch of confetti with a bang which caused heads to turn and the looks on the faces of those kids was PRICELESS. The kids came running and he motioned for all of them to line up, then proceeded to give each child a basketball jersey, some headbands and personalized autographed pictures.
Once the gifts were passed out, he pretended to take a picture with an imaginary camera. Once again, he motioned all of the kids to gather together in a different location to pose for a picture. He orchestrated the crowd like a pro and made sure to put all of the right accessories onto the set including balloons and bowling balls for kids in front to hold.
Finally, he slid onto the floor to strike a pose (seen below) with the group.
As parents, we always talk about how quickly the time passes as we watch them grow. It can be so easy to get caught up in being busy, that we forget to take time out and soak in the moments like the one above.
Please help us out and share below: What was the best thing that happened to you today?
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January 7th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
My 3 1/2 year old picked out her own outfit this morning, (didn’t match worth a stich, I didn’t care) and she was so proud of herself, after getting dressed, she exclaimed “I’m so cute!!”
Nothing beats a childs wonder and excitement.
January 7th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Kakie, I love this question and it was so timely for me, today. I posted this on my blog at The School Library Journal and am now reposting here. I hope this is okay?
Here’s my post about my day, today…
My son left his lunch bag home this morning and I was furious, since I did not want to be late for work. And the rain wasn’t helping – driving was treacherous. Thankfully though, the anger I had only boiled inside. My son never even realized he left the bag until we were on our way back home, after dropping my daughter off at her school. I had to count to myself and take deep breaths.
Was it the end of the world? No. Do these things happen? Yes. Was there was traffic? Yes. Was I late? Yes. (This is with no coffee mind you.)
I did manage, however, to log on to my twitter account and check the ed. tech. happenings – and no sooner than I do, up pops a tweet about a drumstick? Play the video, please. (my blog has the video link)
It is titled: Stop Complaining! “Are You Going To Finish Strong?”
I tell you, an adult’s influence on a young person’s life can deflate it, or inspire it. Which is why getting this video from two of my Twitter friends made me stop in my tracks and reflect on my morning. And if you’ve already seen this video of Nick Vujicic, it’s worth seeing again. It’s more than inspiring, it’s education the way it SHOULD be.
January 7th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Hi Amy, wow that was a really powerful and timely video. Thank you for sharing it and for all of the great writing you do on “Bowllan’s Blog” for The School Library Journal I love subscribing to your feed and highly recommend others to do the same. It is, as you said, “education the way it SHOULD be.”
January 7th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Now, THAT’S a birthday party to remember! So great.
The best thing that happened to me today was much less exciting. Rummaging through the kids’ “craft cabinet,” I found something I’d thought been lost when we moved here (6 years ago!) since I never unpacked it. It is the photo album from my honeymoon. I spent over half an hour looking through it with my daughters, and they were just fascinated. They talked about it for such a long time. It was a very good morning.
January 7th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Thanks for sharing that MudslideMama. It is fun to see when our kids take interest in our past through photo albums, yearbooks or old videos.
January 8th, 2009 at 1:34 am
Wow what a powerful video. It is truly amazing to see the effect it had on all the kids. What a fantastic way to inspire and education young people today. The best thing that happened to me was meeting two new friends who inspired me to so the best I can do.
January 8th, 2009 at 7:02 am
A great question, that I seem to lose site of. Just the other day I was at the park with my kiddos. My son who is 6 w/ Angelman Syndrome always crawls up the stairs to play on the slides & such. Now mind you he can walk but I think it is a security & balance issue. Well this day he stepped onto the stairs and holding onto the rail walked right up just like the big boy he is! I was floored & so proud of him for doing this!
January 9th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
By the time that video was over I was crying too. Thank you so much for sharing. I work with children with special needs every day. You can only imagine how inspirational that video can be for someone struggling with a disability that forces them to “try again.” Oftentimes we give up thinking we can’t be successful, but Nick Vujicic proves we should never stop trying no matter what adversity we are facing..We can be successful.
January 11th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Samantha, Coletha and Helen, thank you for your comments. Sometimes those moments that inspire us to pick up a pen, or think differently about something are some of the most priceless life has to offer.
January 12th, 2009 at 5:45 am
Well today has just started, but I am happy to have gotten up and gotten my yoga session in.
January 12th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
The best thing that happened to me today is when my daughter woke up before I was awake, and snuggled in bed with me. I woke up with her smiling face inches away from mine. These things are really simple, but it is such a good way to start my day.
January 13th, 2009 at 12:20 am
How about my “almost” 3 year old proclaiming to me that she’s a big girl now and can put on her own clothes without my help.
I proceed to tell her that if she’s a big girl now, then she can go potty on the big potty just like big brother.
Her response?
“Ummm, no, I’m still a baby.”
Oh well, we’ll try again later.