'Feature Friday': Life Passion

I have a real passion for people. I love all ages, from kids to teens, to older adults. I just truly LOVE people! I love the diversity there is in our world. I, myself,  have friends and loved ones from all corners of the earth, with a wide range of backgrounds and I can appreciate so many different things about each and every one of them. I love meeting new people and most of all, I love helping people. I get a sincere joy from knowing I have made a positive difference in someone's life and believe that a simple smile is the heart's greatest reward. I have many passions...I am passionate about my family, my faith, and many other things and I really have a great love for Life. My heart's desire is to leave this world in better shape than how I found it. I want to do my part, even if it may seem like a very small part, I still want to dedicate my life to helping and loving others.

I have been involved in various aspects of the pro-life community for several years but really felt like there was more I needed to do and more I wanted to do to help build a culture of life in our communities and our country. So late last year I created my own non-for-profit organization called Life Inspired Love with the goal, and purpose being to reach the hearts and minds of men and women across the nation by educating them about the value of each individual, encouraging healthy relationships and promoting positive life-affirming choices.

I started by creating a blog where I could post facts and information about life and making healthy, positive choices and then created a Facebook page in order to expand my social outreach and I hope to, one day soon, develop a website to help spread the truth with love. I also began speaking at high schools about self value and healthy relationships and sharing my own personal testimony in hopes that our youth will be encouraged to enjoy a life filled with happiness and success as a direct result of their own personal commitment to self-respect and making positive choices. (you can view my presentation and personal testimony *here*)

I spoke at South Vermillion High School in Indiana today and was encouraged by the youth in those classes. I really felt like they not only listened to the message but they HEARD it. I believe in my heart that at least one teen in there walked away with a new positive perspective on sex and relationships. They were so respectful and so attentive and were asking questions that showed they did care, and they did want more knowledge about how to enjoy healthy relationships. They were all so down to earth and down right fun to be around too! :)

The teacher of this particular class actually came up to me afterward and said "You are a breath of fresh air, these teens need to hear a positive message like yours from a hero like you" And while I was flattered by his comment I really don't see myself as a hero at all!! I just want to see our young people succeed, I don't want them to go through the heartache of failed relationships and consequences of poor choices, that's why I have a sincere passion for speaking at these schools. I wish someone had stood in front of me when I was in high school and shared the truth with me before I made some of the mistakes I did growing up and that is why I feel a calling to be that person for our future generation.

I am so grateful for the loving support of my husband, my family and my friends. I would not have had the courage and strength to do what I'm doing without you. Thank you for standing with me and standing behind me on this. It means the world to me!