Brad Aronson's Blog » Inspirational

Everything Counts–Third Grade Teacher’s Small Act Still Inspires Baseball Legend Jim Abbott

Brad Aronson — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:14:03 +0000

Jim Abbott won an Olympic gold medal, played professional baseball, pitched a no-hitter, wrote a bestselling memoir and has positively impacted the lives of thousands of people through his inspirational talks.

With all of that success, Jim still enthusiastically recounts how one of his greatest inspirations was one of his earliest — Don Clarkson, his third grade teacher.

Jim Abbott was born with only one hand. Like most young kids, when Jim was in elementary school he desperately wanted to fit in, but it wasn’t easy. Jim recalls being singled out as different. Kids would sneer at him on the baseball field, classmates would tell him they didn’t like his prosthetic arm and classmates would even cry because Jim’s arm scared them.

Jim kept his prosthetic hand in his pocket as much as he could so people wouldn’t notice it.

Even the seemingly little things were a big deal. One of those things was that Jim couldn’t tie his shoes. Each morning Jim’s mom would tie his shoes in a jumble of knots to give his shoes the best chance of not coming untied all day. The knots were a painful reminder to Jim that he wasn’t like everyone else. And, if his shoes came untied he was embarrassed that he couldn’t tie them again.

Jim talks about shoe tying and his third grade teacher in his book and in speeches he gives…

“Mr. Clarkson greeted me one morning with a great smile and a hand on my shoulder. ‘I’ve got it!’ He said. ‘I figured it out.’ And I had not the slightest idea what he was talking about. ‘I know how you can tie your shoes,’ he said. … [H]e turned on the projector, occupying the rest of the class and dragged two chairs in the hallway.

“And we went out there and he had this method of tying shoes. And I know it doesn’t sound like a big deal, but he had two hands. And I think of him at night…with a clenched fist and working with those laces and pulling them tight and then coming that day and pulling me out of class and saying ‘We can do this.’ And I think that attitude permeated throughout my career…”

Perhaps it took Don 2 hours or maybe an entire night to learn how to tie his shoes with one hand. It doesn’t matter. Don Clarkson taking the time to teach Jim how to tie his shoes had such an impact that 36 years later, when Jim Abbott wrote his memoir, he mentions this moment as one of the most inspirational in his life and a contributor to his success.

Since his success, Jim Abbott has met with hundreds of handicapped kids to inspire them and has often been seen teaching many of those young children how to tie their shoes.

Sometimes the small acts of kindness can make the biggest difference.

For a great read, check out Jim Abbott’s Memoir, Imperfect: An Improbable Life

Conor Grennan–Quest for a Good Pick-Up Line Leads Him to Save over 350 Abducted Children

Brad Aronson — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:41:53 +0000

Anish’s parents probably hadn’t seen a white person before. Now, not only was there a white man in their village, but Conor Grennan had pictures of their missing son, Anish, whom they had mourned every day for the past 4 years.

Both parent sobbed. This was the miracle they had prayed for daily. Their son was alive and they would see him again.

It’s a safe bet that Anish’s family and the 350 plus other families Conor Grennan has helped reunite would be surprised at how Conor got into the business of saving kids . . .

Right before his 30^th birthday Conor Grennan planned a year-long trip around the world. As part of his trip, Connor decided to volunteer at an orphanage. Conor said he saw two benefits to spending some time volunteering. First, family members and friends would stop criticizing his planned trip as self-indulgent. And, he saw volunteering as a great line for picking up women.

When Conor arrived at the Little Princes Orphanage in Nepal, he regretted his decision. “I hadn’t realized until that moment how much I did not want to walk through that gate. What I wanted was to tell people I had volunteered in an orphanage, [not actually do it],” he said.

Yet, while volunteering at the orphanage Conor Grennan fell in love with the children and his job. Sometimes all you have to do is spend time helping others, and you grow to embrace it.

It was towards the end of the volunteer stint that Conor met the mother of two of the children in the orphanage.

From the mom, Conor learned the truth about the children in his care.

They weren’t orphans.

They had been abducted.

At the time there was a civil war in Nepal and the Maoist army would come into villages to take male children for their armies. So, the parents would go bankrupt to send their children with government officials or other people who promised to bring the children to schools in safe areas of Nepal.

Parents sold their homes and moved into single-room huts with their neighbors, sold their land, livestock and possessions and borrowed money. Families went into debt for the rest of their lives and put the rest of their family at risk to save their children.

Unfortunately, the traffickers didn’t place the children in schools. The traffickers made the kids beg for money, abandoned the children or sold them into servitude or the sex industry far from their parents. And, as if the kids’ plight wasn’t bad enough, traffickers convinced kids that their parents were dead or didn’t want them. That’s one reason why the kids who wound up in orphanages rarely spoke about their parents.

The parents figured out that their children had been abducted after walking days to get to a phone to check in on their kids. The numbers the parents had been given were fake.

After discovering this horror Conor began working to reunite the kids in his orphanage with their families.

Conor got all the information the kids could remember about their families and then visited the remote region of Nepal where the children were born searching for and finding their parents.

As Conor started reuniting families, he heard from other families looking for their children and began helping to reunite kids from other orphanages with their parents.

Conor also worked with authorities to find children who were being exploited and bring those kids to orphanages. Then Conor would try to find their parents.

He co-founded Next Generation Nepal (NGN) in 2006 a nonprofit with the mission to save and reunite children with their families.

How fortunate that Conor Grennan seems to have had a mid-life crisis at the age of 30 and needed a trip around the world. And, that it turns out saving kids was his calling.

As for his pick-up line, he met his wife, Liz, when she read about NGN and emailed Conor for some advice about volunteering. They now live in Connecticut with their two kids. Conor Grennan is President of NGN, which continues to bring Nepalese kids and their families together.

Conor Grennan’s story provides a great reason for everyone to give volunteering a chance. Who knows where it might lead.

Conor Grennan’s book, Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal, is an amazing read about his experience in Nepal and his nonprofit NGN.

46 Small Acts of Kindness that Will Make You an Everyday Hero

Brad Aronson — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 11:29:23 +0000

How great is it that our small acts of kindness can make someone else’s entire day?

Here are 46 good deeds and small acts of kindness that can help you feel amazing.

Some of these are new ideas that I haven’t seen online before. Others aren’t as original, but a reminder certainly never hurts.

The first suggestion below inspired this post. I know Amy, and after liking her Facebook page, I felt so happy that I wanted to find more easy ways to help others and to feel great. Here’s what I came up with . . .

Acts of Kindness

Take 5 seconds to support a young person’s dream. Amy is an awesome 11-year-old who has a great attitude and is battling cancer. She’s hoping to meet Taylor Swift by getting Facebook likes. What better way to spend 10 seconds than to click to her Facebook page and like it!
Create a holiday to celebrate someone you love. I have “Mia Appreciation Day” for my wife. Your appreciation day can be as simple as declaring the date of the holiday and writing a note of thanks each year to read out loud on that day.You can also invent your own fun or crazy family holiday.
Put 50–100 paper hearts or smiley faces in a box. On each cutout write something that is special about your lover or a good friend. Give her the box and tell her to pull out a heart or smiley face anytime she gets lonely or wants a pick me up.
Find opportunities to give compliments. It costs nothing, takes no time, and could make someone’s entire day. Don’t just think it. Say it.
Your compliment could be something silly, yet endearing. Here’s a post from Pinterest.
“Upon entering the Magic Kingdom, one of the security guards said to Alli ‘Excuse me Princess, can I have your autograph.’ I could see that the book was filled with children’s scribbles as the guard asked the same question of many little Princesses. Alli could not get over the fact that the guard thought she was a real princess.” From Pinterest.
Take five minutes to send “happy mail” (postal or email) to sick children who are fighting serious illnesses and want to receive mail. When you get to the home page, click “enter” and then click to the “getting started” page.
On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, remember any friends who have lost a parent the previous year, and check in with them. Those will be tough days.
Collect soda can tabs to donate to Ronald McDonald House for sick children and their families. The charity gets paid for these.
Put a surprise note or sketch in with your spouse’s or kid’s lunch.
When it’s summer and hot, give out cold Gatorades to your mail carrier and garbage men.
Cook an extra portion of dinner (or dessert) for someone who needs it. Aid for Friends is a Philadelphia area nonprofit that delivers about 500,000 meals yearly to people in need. It started with one woman’s small acts of kindness. She made an extra meal each night to give to someone who needed it.
After a wedding or party donate all of the flowers to a nursing home. If you want to see the impact of these acts of kindness, personally deliver a flower to each resident. You could also bring the flowers to a hospital and ask the receptionist to distribute them to patients who could use them.
Tell someone the truth.
Say “thank you” to someone who made a difference. . . .Send a card to people who dedicate their lives to helping us – soldiers, police officers, fire fighters and teachers to name a few.
A student at Mango Elementary gave the police officer patrolling her school this note after the Sandy Hook tragedy.

Write a letter to a deployed or wounded member of the military through Operation Gratitude. Soldiers say that’s the most meaningful part of care packages they receive.

Send thanks to military members through military Facebook pages.

It’s never too late to say “thanks.” I sent a note 7 years after someone had helped me, and she told me it made her feel terrific. I’m glad I got over my embarrassment at how much time had passed and finally sent it.
There are so many ways to make people feel great by sending letters:
Send a crazy letter or postcard to make someone laugh.My nieces love mail so much, that my wife and I regularly send them postcards, stickers and anything we find for that matter, and it makes their day.

Send a letter just to “let you know how much I care about you.” How wonderful would it be to get that?

Cut out an article and send it to someone. “I thought about you when I saw this…” or “this reminds me of…” My grandmother always did this, and it made me feel great. For other ideas from my grandma see: Grandma’s Great Advice on Sex, How to Be a Better Person, The Perils of Tight Underwear and more.

Take a cute photo of someone you love and mail or email it to them.
Keep an extra umbrella at work, so you can lend it out when it rains.
If you’re a business, leverage what you do every day to do good and perform acts of kindness.
Plaza Cleaners in Portland, OR posted the above sign.

Rotation Records in Norristown, PA heard about an 11-year old battling Cancer whose dream is to be a singer. They offered her an opportunity to have a recording session and red carpet party at their studios, which was a huge hit.

Sometimes we shy away from people when we know they’re having a rough time. We assume we should wait for them to approach us, so we’re not intruding. Instead, ask them how they’re doing. If they don’t want to talk, they’ll say they’re “fine.” Many people will be relieved to have someone to talk to. If you don’t ask, they might never mention anything to you. They might not want to burden you with their problems.
Listen. Don’t interrupt. Something I learned from my wife is that people don’t always want us to suggest a solution. They just want us to listen. We underestimate how important and comforting it is to be listened to.
If you see someone who looks lost and might need help with directions, don’t wait for him to ask you for help.
Do something special that you know your significant other will appreciate – like when my wife surprised me with chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. The little things matter. For more related to the little things, see How a Frosty Strengthened My Marriage.
Photograph tourists. See a person or a couple trying to take a photo of themselves? Offer to take it for them.
Stop at a kid’s lemonade stand and buy a drink.
Leave a big tip.
Help great people get recognized.When you see someone being amazing, tell her parent, her spouse, her friends, and so on.When you get great service tell the person who helped you. Then, tell a manager. Go to the corporate web site and submit an email.Write a positive online review of a business you like. It makes a difference. Our mason and electrician said that over 50% of their business comes from online reviews.
Encourage someone to pursue her dreams. And, help her achieve her goals.
Donate your stuff. Instead of saving things in case you need them in 10 years, consider giving stuff to someone who needs it now. Here is a list of where to donate clothes, furniture, old phones, inkjet cartridges, children’s clothes and books, appliances, electronics, cars, eyeglasses and more.
Everyone is important. Learn the names of your office security guard, the person at the front desk and other people you see every day. Greet them by name. Also say “hello” to strangers and smile. These acts of kindness are so easy, and they almost always make people smile.
In the middle of December, contribute to Operation Santa Claus. Go to the Post Office, snag one of the letters to Santa, and fulfill a wish for someone who needs help buying gifts.
Cheer up a friend who needs it with a surprise visit or lunch.
Loan money to a third world entrepreneur through Kiva. These tiny investments change the lives of the families who receive them, and 99% of the loans are paid back.
Invite someone to dinner – especially at the holidays, when it is difficult for some people to be alone.
Make a helpful introduction.
Call your parents. Hi Mom and Dad! :-)
Buy a small gift for someone. Just because.
Share a great book you’ve read.(I recently finished and loved, Conor Grennan’s book,Little Princes, One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal.)
Don’t ignore the next homeless person you see. Buy him food. Enjoy his smile when you give it to him.
Let another car merge in front of you, or stop to let a pedestrian cross the street.
Hold the elevator.
If you print an Internet coupon before going to a store, print a few extras to give to other customers.
Call someone you love. Tell him you love him.
Allow someone to help you. Let her enjoy performing an act of kindness.

Here are acts of kindness that were added after this article was posted:

Make little gift baskets for the kids in your neighborhood. One of our neighbors made our son an Easter basket (also a Halloween and Christmas basket). It made our son, my wife and me feel great. The cost of each basket was probably $5.
When you see something good, share it. Tim, a friend who teaches, said that when his students are doing really well he calls their parents. Tim teaches at an alternative school where parents usually receive calls from the school when their children are in trouble. Tim said he likes to make sure he also calls with good news. How great for the kids and their parents. Keep an eye out for the positive and share it.
Involve your kids in community service. Donna mentioned in the comments below that she takes her son to pass out food to people who need it.
During the holidays my cousin takes her children to a store to pick out and buy a gift for a child who might not get many gifts. This year, instead of getting 8 gifts for Hanukkah, her kids got 7 and the 8th gift was one they picked out for someone else. Toys for Tots is a great recipient of these gifts.
On Memorial Day or Veteran’s Day, go to your local memorial or event and pass out mini flags or flowers to Veterans.

Seek out an opportunity to help every day. Hold open a door, offer assistance, help someone trying to get a stroller down the steps or take any small acts of kindness.

When you look, you’ll find opportunities to perform acts of kindness. When you take those opportunities to perform acts of kindness, you’ll feel great.

Please add your thoughts or additional acts of kindness below.

Don’t Be Afraid to Fail

Brad Aronson — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:20:32 +0000

You’ve failed many times, although you may not remember.

You fell down the first time you tried to walk.

You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim, didn’t you?

Did you hit the ball the first time you swung the bat?

Heavy hitters, the ones who hit the most home runs, also strike out a lot.

R. H. Macy failed seven times before his store in New York caught on.

English Novelist John Creasey got 753 rejection slips before he published 564 books.

Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times, but he also hit 714 home runs.

Don’t worry about failure.

Worry about the chances you miss when you don’t even try.

My grandmother sent me a copy of this poem 20 years ago, and I had it hanging in my room for years. I recently shared copies with a class I’m teaching and thought it was worth posting here. I hope you enjoyed it.

Don’t be afraid to fail.

This poem, Don’t be Afraid to Fail, was published in the Wall Street Journal as part of an advertisement from United Technologies Corporation.

If you liked this post, you’ll also enjoy the story of Jack Andraka, who as a 15-year-old created a pancreatic cancer test that is 100 times more sensitive and 26,000 times less expensive than current tests. He received 199 rejections before a lab finally allowed him to use their space to develop his test.

11-Year-Old Cancer Patient Inspires and Lives Pop Star Dream

Brad Aronson — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 03:53:00 +0000

It was a star-studded night. After recording her new song at Rotation Records, Amy Hosmer left the studio. She was greeted by about 75 enthusiastic fans. It was an eclectic bunch, ranging from toddlers to middle-aged men. Amy smiled shyly and thanked everyone for coming. Not what we’d expect from a rock star. Probably because Amy isn’t a typical star.

Amy is similar to most little girls I know. She loves the color pink, Barbie, jewelry and makeup. She loves to perform and wants to be a professional singer. The 11-year-old receives a lot of attention, but she’s far from self-absorbed. After praying recently, she told her mom, “I always ask God to take away your pain if anything happens to me.”Amy prays for the people she loves, even when she has so many reasons to pray for herself.

Amy has brain cancer. Her cancer was discovered when she was two-and-a-half. Early treatment reduced the size of Amy’s tumor so that it wasn’t life threatening. Since then Amy has had regular MRIs to check her health. Doctors recently discovered that the brain tumor was growing. On January 30, they operated and removed 80 percent of the tumor. Amy will be undergoing chemotherapy for the remaining tumor.

You have so many hopes, dreams and plans for your kids. You think about what they’ll enjoy doing, what they’ll do in school, how they’ll react to a sibling. You even start thinking way down the line—about them getting married, what their kids will be like, and so on. Then, with news like this, you must suddenly be focused on two things – survival and doing all that you can for your child and the rest of your family.

Amy told her mom, “If I had one wish, I’d wish to meet Taylor Swift and get hints on my singing.” Swift is Amy’s inspiration. Amy’s mom, Etta Hosmer, wanted to support her daughter, so she set up a Facebook fan page to try to help Amy meet Taylor Swift.

When the executives of Rotation Records in Norristown, PA, heard about Amy, the offered her a contract to record a song in their studio. The recording was written and sung by Amy. Rotation Records added instrumental music on top of Amy’s singing and published her single, This Camp, on iTunes. Amy was “beyond thrilled” and practiced every day for weeks before her recording session. Taylor Swift sent Amy some gifts and an autographed photo, which were waiting at the recording studio. Of course, Amy also loved the after-party.

Etta said that the Facebook fan page and the recording contract have been great for her family.

“It did start with a little girl’s dream of meeting her idol, but it is more than that. This site helps me keep my mind focused on positive things instead of focusing on how scary our lives have become once again. Also, it brings awareness of pediatric brain tumors. Most important of all are the people all over the world now saying prayers for Amy,” Etta said. “This party and this special day have been a great focal point for our minds.”

Hats off to the many people who have taken this opportunity to make a difference:

Rotation Records.

Sue, a Ronald McDonald Camp counselor who took Amy shopping for clothes for her recording session.

Two other camp counselors, Rosalie Hetrick and Maria Jacobs (who call themselves Hetchies Angels after Rosalie’s deceased husband who was always helping others) who organized the after-party.

The friends, family members, and supporters at the red-carpet party and on Facebook.

Amy’s classmate Katelyn and her mom Renee, who volunteered to get their hair cut to make Amy a wig. Some of Katelyn’s cousins are also donating their hair so there is enough for a full wig.

Amy’s teacher, Sandy Hager, who held fundraisers for the family and got T-shirts that say “Supporting Amy” for the entire fifth grade. A photo of the class wearing the shirts was be enlarged for Amy’s hospital room.

Amy’s family, who works so hard to support Amy and her younger brother and to make ends meet with such expensive medical care.

Amy, who chose as her recording session song the one she wrote thanking her counselors at Ronald McDonald Camp.

And you! Support Amy’s dream to meet Taylor Swift by liking her Facebook page and sending messages of support. It’s easy and fun and sure will make Amy feel great.

You can also help defray her family’s medical costs by sending a donation to Amy Hosmer, c/o Merrill Lynch, 1650 Market Street, 29^th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103.

When asked what she’d like to tell her fans, Amy said, “I’d like to thank everyone for all the nice things you have done for me, and one day when I’m famous I’ll throw a free concert for everyone. Taylor Swift inspired me to sing and I hope I inspire people, too.”

Amy, you do.

Family Traditions — Creating the Best Holiday Ever; 20 Family Members Dressed Head to Toe in Orange Plus 50 Stuffed Monkeys Is a Good Start

Brad Aronson — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 23:32:21 +0000

“Don’t get shot with your pants down! By using…Blaze Orange toilet paper instead of standard white TP, you let other deer hunters know you’re not Bambi’s white flashing tail.”

So reads the label on the orange toilet paper we now use every year at our holiday extravaganza. Why do we use orange toilet paper? And does it stain your butt? Let me explain . . .

Our craziest family traditions started innocently enough. One year we couldn’t make it to Seattle to visit my wife’s family for Christmas. My parents were concerned that Mia would be disappointed, so they visited us for Christmas, and my brother and his family came as well. That was awesome, and a holiday visit to our house around Christmas became a tradition. We called it Hanumas because we were celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas.

Apparently, I wore the same orange fleece top to Hanumas three years in a row. Although I didn’t notice, everyone else did. It was a big joke that third year and I was teased about it at other family events throughout the year.

That led me to give everyone orange fleeces at the following year’s Hanumas. I also declared that in the future everyone had to wear at least one piece of orange to Hanumas. We started slowly, with some orange shirts and hats, but over the years, things progressed nicely.

My brother found orange pants and got a pair for every guy. My parents got everyone orange socks, and eventually there were wigs, jewelry, crazy hats, nail polish and more. At this point we have two entire closets filled with Hanumas gear – orange lights, a giant orange tree, decorations, plates, cups, serving trays, placemats and so on. Monkeys became the mascot of our holiday, so we also have monkeys and monkey items all over the house during the holiday season. Many of those monkeys don orange headbands, tops and wristbands.

An early Hanumas–before orange

Some years we sent out crazy postcards announcing Hanumas. Our annual holiday cards to friends and family became “Hanumas cards,” and we started having friends over the night before Hanumas for “Hanumas Eve.”

Over the years, more Hanumas family traditions developed:

- We craft or cook every year, creating placemats or cups we’ll use in future years, building gingerbread houses, decorating cookies and so forth.

- One early year my mom cooked a dessert that leaked all over my brother’s pants on the drive to our house. Rob claimed it was because the dessert was too watery and my mom complained it was because Rob ruined her dessert in the car. The rest of us just made fun of Rob looking like he peed his pants. This led to Rob, who can’t cook, declaring he would make a dessert every year. He’s kept his promise. His desserts are usually nasty (and before our oldest niece could understand, always looked like poop — see photos below), but God bless my dad who eats his entire portion every year and claims it’s delicious.

More spirit a few years later

- We do a gag gift exchange, which has gotten much tamer since our kids got older. My favorite was when our prim and proper Chinese Au Pair, who had been in the U.S. for only two months and spoke minimal English, wound up with a pouch. It was hilarious when she finally understood a relative’s explanation that it was a kangaroo scrotum that a family member picked up in Australia. I can only imagine what she told her family back home about crazy American holidays and family traditions.

- We take a family photo every year. One is “normal” and in one we all make “crazy faces.” At our celebration we put all the photos up for display, which makes for great conversation and laughs. It’s also a great record of our changing family.

Growing family and spirit

- My brother and his wife created their own holiday–-Samunah. This one comes in the summer and is Hanumas spelled backwards. We wear all blue (the opposite of orange).

Hanumas and Samunah are fabulous family traditions. Because we can schedule them any day we want, there’s never a conflict with anyone else’s holiday schedule. Our kids love it too – no one else celebrates the orange holiday.

Perhaps it might be a bit embarrassing for some of the kids when they get older. That being said, one young relative’s girlfriend came last year, and she fully embraced the holiday spirit and our family traditions–-she actually introduced us to the orange toilet paper when she brought it as a gift.

As we get older we forget things, but I don’t think family traditions are forgotten. Family traditions are special and fun. They can be as simple as deciding that July 1 is banana split ice cream sundae for breakfast day, creating a family Olympics, having Friday be pizza night or having chocolate pancakes once a month.

Our family traditions started small – with a yearly dinner and special dessert– and it was like that for the first 5 or so years (it’s been about 15 years now). Then our family traditions gradually evolved into the fabulous orange extravaganza with special toilet paper that it is today. A family tradition we’ll never forget.

By the way, the toilet paper doesn’t stain your behind.

Happy Hanumas!

Grandma’s Great Advice on Sex, How to be a Better Person, the Perils of Tight Underwear — And Other Life Lessons

Brad Aronson — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 04:45:45 +0000

It was a warm Tuesday night, four or five years ago, and I was outside a convenience store drinking the Gatorade I had just bought. As I often did that summer, I was participating in the Philadelphia skate club’s weekly Rollerblade through the city. We were about halfway through the skate and on a drink break.

I knew I had about ten minutes, so I gave my 85-year-old grandma, Nanny, a call to check in.

When she heard my voice, she said, “Brad, I’m so happy you called. I have some important information to share.”

She paused and then continued.

“I think your underwear is too tight. That’s why you’re having trouble having babies.”

I was surprised (to say the least) and unsure of what to say.

“Thanks, I’ll wear looser underwear,” I eventually replied.

It was amazing that my proper and elegant grandma, in her mid-80s, offered this suggestion, which I think was pretty far out of her comfort zone (and mine, too, by the way). A perfect example of why grandparents are so awesome.

Nanny taught my relatives and me many life lessons. Between her kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids, there are about 40 of us. What we all remember about her is so similar that it provides some lessons about what we can do to make a difference and an impact on others’ lives.

Karate Nanny
Have fun. At one point, I had this crazy idea of creating a family tree with each member of our family shown in a Karate pose. At the time, my 80-something year-old grandma thought it was an excellent idea, so she enthusiastically posed while I took photos. Why not try to make everything fun and go along with ideas from your goofy relatives?
Every little bit helps. In the early days of starting my company, things were sometimes rough. Through it all, Nanny sent me coupons for restaurants – usually Boston Chicken. She always wrote, “I wanted you to have this, because every little bit helps.” Nanny’s actions showed that she was always thinking of us. Remembering this made me recently decide that I’m going to start sending packages of stickers to some of our young relatives every few months – just because.
Charting Growth on the Door
Special little family traditions matter. At Nanny’s house we always had lamb chops, shell noodles and brownies. I still love that meal. I also remember it, because it was a tradition.
We were all measured regularly on her closet door, which had marks for our heights over the years. Everyone loves that door. Make your own traditions – even small ones. (Here’s a story about a toddler that inspired 65,000 other families to start a tradition of having banana split sundaes for breakfast once a year.)
It’s good to spoil your loved ones once in a while. We always got two juices and extra sandwiches and snacks when she made our school lunches. One cousin mentioned that Nanny would send her letters and put $5 in with them “just because.” When we went away on vacation and came back, our refrigerators would be filled – compliments of Nanny. It’s the extra little touches that matter.
The entire family counts.My wife once started receiving Martha Stewart Living magazine. We had no idea why until months later, when Nanny told me she got it for Mia because she noticed that Mia loved to cook and craft.
I used to call Nanny regularly. When I went away on business trips, Nanny would call Mia just to make sure she was okay. My cousin-in-law’s parents once mentioned that they received the nicest notes in the mail from Nanny.

Our family became her family.
Be there. She said she knew running a business could be really hard, and I should tell her if I ever needed help. I don’t know what she would have done if I’d needed her, but I know she would have done something. She offered and she meant it.
Wise Advisor on Men & Making Babies
Advice from grandparents, and perhaps anyone who isn’t your parents, is great (since we, of course, know so much more than our parents). I got lessons on how babies are made (if I didn’t have any, I must need help), and my female cousins got lessons on boys. When Katy got married, Nanny said, “Don’t feel nervous about having sex on your wedding night. I was nervous for my first time, but then I just told myself, ‘If the queen of England can do it, you can do it too!’” (I also love that Nanny thought we were all so innocent.) To Betsy, she said, “Sometimes you need to date a creep so you can check out the crop.” Conversations we’ll never forget.
Pay attention to the details. When Jewish boys are born they have a circumcision ceremony called a bris. I once served as the photographer at a bris for a friend’s son, and watching (let along snapping photos) was unbearable. Yet, Nanny always sat up front for each grandson’s bris to make sure she could “stop the rabbi” if he was making a mistake.
Everyone is special.When I worked for Microsoft (MSFT), Nanny cut out every newspaper article that mentioned MSFT, and she underlined every mention of MSFT in the article, so I wouldn’t miss it. I got stacks of articles every week (at one point she read three newspapers). I read all of the clippings – how could I not, when she went through so much effort? Twice the clippings gave me answers I otherwise wouldn’t have had when the head of our division asked me questions.
Better yet, when we were all talking about our memories of Nanny at her recent memorial service, all of the grandkids mentioned the personal clippings she sent. Before this, I had tried not to mention mine, because I thought I was the only one to get them. As my cousin Richard said, “There were 40 of us, and every one of us thought we were her favorite.”

When my family tells stories about Nanny, and when I think back to life lessons from my Popop Al, and my other amazing grandparents, one thing stands out: no stories are about work or about the fact that someone got a car or giant gift. Always, the stories are about the lives touched, the kindness done, the fun we had, and the little things that were really the big things. Something important that I’ll try to keep in mind as I make my own family memories– along with ensuring that all of my underwear is at least a size too big.

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll also like, 7 Easy Ways You can be a Better Person as well as 42 Small Acts of Kindness that Will Make You an Everyday Hero.

Nicholas Winton – How a 29-Year-Old Stockbroker Saved 669 Lives on Nights and Weekends

Brad Aronson — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 03:09:15 +0000

Nicholas Winton is surprised when he realizes he is in an audience filled with children whose lives he saved. This emotional video clip is from the BBC television program “That’s Life”.

“I was told that my sister and I were going to be sent to England. I was only 9 and not aware of the situation. A lot of us thought it was an adventure. We didn’t know what was happening.”

Here’s what happened. Milena Grenfell-Baines and 668 other mostly Jewish children were transported from Czechoslovakia to England in order to save their lives before the outbreak of WWII.

The man who made this possible was Sir Nicholas Winton. In 1939, Winton and a friend, Martin Blake, were supposed to take a skiing vacation. Instead, Blake, who worked with refugees, told Winton, at the time a 29-year-old stockbroker, that he should visit him in Prague and help with the refugees fleeing Hitler’s advancing armies.

Nicholas Winton did go to Prague, and he was deeply affected by what he saw: thousands of refugees driven out of Sudetenland, a Czechoslovakian area recently under Nazi control (Britain and France agreed to allow Hitler to annex a large part of Czechoslovakia in an attempt to avoid a World War and the Nazis had started to take control of the country.) There was no plan to save the refugees from the looming danger of the Nazis.

So Winton decided to act. He told the BBC, “The task was enormous but I had to do something. The so-called Kindertransports—initiatives to bring children west—had been organized elsewhere, but not in Prague.”

“Everybody in Prague said, ‘Look, there is no organization in Prague to deal with refugee children, nobody will let the children go on their own, but if you want to have a go, have a go.’”

Nicholas Winton contacted multiple governments for help, but only England and Sweden agreed. The British government approved his bringing children to the UK if he could find them homes and make a deposit of 50 pounds for each child.

From March to August 1939, Nicholas Winton worked as a stockbroker by day and a rescue worker at night to get the kids to the UK. Winton advertised in British newspapers and in churches and temples to find families. He raised money for transportation and managed logistics—even forging entry permits when the government was moving too slowly.

Winton saved 669 children, working until war broke out and kids could no longer leave Czechoslovakia.

Winton stresses that he receives too much attention and that his collaborator in Prague—Trevor Chadwick—and everyone who participated deserves credit.

In fact, Winton kept his heroic deeds to himself for almost 50 years. His wife, Grete, didn’t even know about his rescue efforts until 1988, when she found his scrapbook in the attic, with records, photos, names and documents from his efforts. With his wife’s encouragement, Winton shared his story, which led to his appearance on the BBC television program That’s Life. The emotional video clip in this article is from that show—you’ll see the moment when he realizes that the studio audience is composed mostly of people he rescued.

The rescued children, many of them now grandparents, still refer to themselves as “Winton’s children.” And Winton said that hardly a week goes by when he isn’t in touch with one of the children or their relatives.

Vera Gissing, one of the rescued children, said, “If he hadn’t gone to Prague on that day [instead of on his skiing vacation], we wouldn’t be alive. There are thousands of us in this world all thanks to him.”

When asked by a class doing a history project for advice, Nicholas Winton said “Don’t be content in your life just to do no wrong. Be prepared every day to try to do some good.”

There is currently an online petition you can sign to nominate Nicholas Winton to receive a Nobel Peace Prize.

If you enjoyed this article about Nicholas Winton, you should also check out: The Amazing Story of Hilde Back–How One Woman’s Small Acts of Kindness Changed Over 350 Lives.

Ryan Roberts, Toddler, Inspires Over 65,000 Banana Split Parties

Brad Aronson — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 15:36:51 +0000

Erik and Diane Roberts’ 21-month-old son Ryan was born with a heart defect and Down’s syndrome; he has undergone surgeries since he was four days old. Ryan’s parents were recently told that there is nothing more doctors can do for him, and Ryan isn’t expected to live much longer. A parent’s worst nightmare.

The Roberts try to make the most of their time with Ryan–creating special moments and memories with Ryan. They had him pet a puppy, ride a bike (with help from dad) and Ryan even shared his first beer with his dad for his 21-month-old birthday (root beer).

When people found out about Ryan they started reaching out to his family and asked what they could do. In an interview with MSNBC his mom said that his hospital room “looks like a . . . toy store.” She asked for no more gifts or cards.

The Roberts’ tribute to their dying child is encouraging other parents to create memories they’ll never forget. “Go out and create a memory with your kid. Throw a banana split on the table for dinner,” Diane said. “Wouldn’t you remember having banana splits for dinner one night when you were a kid?”

In early June one of Diane’s friends setup Ryan’s Banana Split Party on Facebook, inviting 200 of her friends to have banana splits as dinner and post the pictures. That was just the beginning. As of today, over 65,000 people have signed up to have banana split parties in honor of Ryan.

Sometimes we might get stuck in a routine. Why not do something crazy and memorable a little more often? Maybe some of those crazy things could even become yearly traditions? Banana split party replaces dinner every June 21? A crazy yearly holiday you invent just for your family?

This story is a good reminder to live life to the fullest, have fun every day and create special memories with the special people in our lives. Let’s not take anything for granted.

If you enjoyed this article, you’ll also like: An Ordinary Person Doing Extraordinary Things–How a 29-Year-Old Stockbroker Saved 669 Lives on Nights and Weekends.

42 Small Acts of Kindness that Will Make You an Everyday Hero.

Inspirational Photos

Brad Aronson — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 14:42:14 +0000

A friend forwarded me a collection of “21 pictures that will restore your faith in humanity” from Buzzfeed. There are actually about 40 photos that go with 21 inspirational stories. The inspirational photos were great. Below are photos from three of the stories along with some research I did on each.

Plaza Cleaners in Portland Oregon put up this sign, which reads, “If you are unemployed and need an outfit clean for an interview, we will clean it for free.”

Manager Kathy Butters told The Oregonian, “We discussed it…ya know, it’s a way to pay it back or pay it forward.”

Butters said 12-15 people generally take them up on the offer each month. She also said that two of the people who took Plaza Cleaners up on the offer got the jobs they applied for and are now paying customers.

Good Karma

This is simply a nice letter from a little girl and a response from the company that made me smile (I loved that the person put their age as 27 & 1/3). Eventually, the company even renamed their bread “giraffe bread” due to this little girl’s letter going viral. Here’s the article from the BBC.

I couldn’t verify this image anywhere, but I still love it.

You can see all 21 of the stories and the 40 inspirational photos that go with them on Buzzfeed. Definitely worth checking out.