When Colored Plastic Begins to Fade
Monday, August 30, 2010
The first week of another school year was met with many a tear. Some of these tears may have been for joy, but my guess is most of them were an outward sign of the passing of time. Even though I am blessed with one last year with our youngest son before he enters kindergarten there is no escaping it, I am no longer a young mom.
We all find ourselves at crossroads as we traverse the terrain of our lives. Whether your crossroad is at the moment the colored plastic begins to fade, or the season when your heart feels torn out as your baby leaves for college, the choices are the same. We can turn in sadness and lament the loss of our youth, or we can turn in gratitude and excitement for the dawning of a brand new self.
As Colored Plastic Fades
I thought I would never see the day
The colored plastic began to fade
But today as you turn 4 and 6 and 9
I realize my babies are no longer mine
Today, upon gazing down the hall
Large colored plastic toys replaced by small
Your hands once awkward, clumsy, and tight
Now balanced, manipulative, and precise
The days of chaos and clutter too will pass
Tears will fall wishing them back at last
Heartbroken I am, ever wishing them away
The day the colored plastic began to fade
Mom 2009
So we move on, never wishing them away but trying not to be imprisoned by the beautiful memories of the past. We work to always stay in the present and thank our lucky stars for the special friends we have to share the journey. We were never meant to go it alone.
I received the honor of having an essay included in a very special book about this journey. “From the Heart,” is a collection of stories and poems that track the fun, the challenges, and the truly phenomenal aspects of parenting. All proceeds from this collaborative effort will go to children’s charities helping fund medical care and research to find cures for some of life’s most devastating diseases.
The book is a perfect gift for mom, grandma, or any child mentor.
Below is a Q&A with Beth Davis the founder of Write for Charity to provide you some more information about the project.
Q: Tell me a little bit about this project.
A: From the Heart is the brainchild of the ladies at Write for Charity. After finding out that her youngest daughter needed surgery, our chief editor, Beth Davis, felt a driving urge to make a difference in the lives of children, particularly sick children. The idea of writing a book for charity had been thrown around our office for some time, but she jumped in with both feet to get it moving.
Understanding that writing a book in a short period of time would be an unrealistic task, the ladies went full steam ahead in search of collaborators. They searched magazines, the blogosphere and writers groups from around the country for the best and brightest writing talent they could find, extending invitations as they went. After sorting through over 300 submissions over the course of several months, From the Heart was born. The book is a creative collaboration of nearly 100 different stories and poems from all aspects of parenting. July 1st was the kickoff to our 90 Day Challenge and we’ve been moving ahead with book sales ever since!
Q. What is the 90 Day Challenge?
A: The 90 Day Challenge is a book sales drive that represents a goal that we set for ourselves and the collaborative authors who are choosing to participate. The goal is to jumpstart sales of From the Heart in the first 90 days by selling 10,000 copies of the book and raising a large lump sum of money for charity immediately.
The book is currently only available for sale on our website at www.writeforcharity.com, but it will be available at many other retail locations following the 90 Day Challenge.
Q: Why not make it available through a national distribution channel during your 90 Day Challenge?
A: We elected to sell the book at www.writeforcharity.com during 90 Day Challenge and wait to distribute the book into bookstores like Barnes and Noble and Borders and on website like Amazon.com due to the costs associated with a distributor. By selling the book on our website, we are able to control in house costs, raise profit margins and, in turn, donate more money to our selected charities.
Q. Who will benefit from this project?
A: The desire to contribute to children’s charities has driven this project from the very beginning. Since the minute we decided to publish this book, we knew that children’s hospitals and juvenile disease research foundations would be the beneficiaries when it came to fruition. All of the profits from this book will be split between various Children’s Hospitals and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Center.
Q: So, 100% of proceeds from this project go to charity?
A: One hundred percent of profits will go to our selected charities. Obviously with a project like this, you have printing costs, but other than that, we have committed all of the funds to our selected charities. Our authors have donated their work, our editors have donated their time and our graphics people have donated their talent. We are very lucky to have such a wonderful group of talented people involved in this project. For a list of contributors, visit www.writeforcharity.wordpress.com/the-authors.
Q: Tell us something we don’t know about your project.
A: Well, the biggest thing would definitely have to be the caliber of our contributors. We have several nationally recognized writers in our group of nearly 80 contributors and many of our contributors have been featured in nationally distributed publications, on popular websites or on television. Their willingness to donate their work to our cause is admirable and I know that everyone who reads this volume will enjoy their poems and stories. Together with our contributors, we have begun a grassroots effort to raise funds for our wonderful charities that is growing by the day. Their eagerness to help get the word out about the book is admirable and we appreciate their support.
Q: What’s it in for me to support this project?
A: The charity situation on a national level has taken a severe beating as of late. Many incidents of run ins with unsavory “charities” have appeared in the media in the past several years. Many individuals and companies have completely lost trust in those trying to do good work because of a few “bad eggs.”
Many individuals have contributed time and effort to put this project together. Our authors contributed their work out of the kindness of their hearts and our editor, layout artist and designers all contributed time as well. Because they believe in the mission behind this project, to help children in need, we hope you will take the time to support us and purchase a copy of the book. The book in itself is a fantastic product and by purchasing, you are helping a good cause.
Q: How can I support Write for Charity’s From the Heart?
A: There are a number of different things you can do to support the project. First and foremost, you can click here to buy a book! On our website, we have the ever popular blog buttons which I have starting seeing crop up all over cyberspace. You are welcome to download the “supporter” button for your own website if you are so inclined.
This is the first anthology we have done and with the success we are already seeing with it, we know it won’t be the last. Contact one of our editors at press@writeforcharity.com for more information on how you can contribute to one of our upcoming projects or help to support our current project.
We all find ourselves at crossroads as we traverse the terrain of our lives. Whether your crossroad is at the moment the colored plastic begins to fade, or the season when your heart feels torn out as your baby leaves for college, the choices are the same. We can turn in sadness and lament the loss of our youth, or we can turn in gratitude and excitement for the dawning of a brand new self.
As Colored Plastic Fades
I thought I would never see the day
The colored plastic began to fade
But today as you turn 4 and 6 and 9
I realize my babies are no longer mine
Today, upon gazing down the hall
Large colored plastic toys replaced by small
Your hands once awkward, clumsy, and tight
Now balanced, manipulative, and precise
The days of chaos and clutter too will pass
Tears will fall wishing them back at last
Heartbroken I am, ever wishing them away
The day the colored plastic began to fade
Mom 2009
So we move on, never wishing them away but trying not to be imprisoned by the beautiful memories of the past. We work to always stay in the present and thank our lucky stars for the special friends we have to share the journey. We were never meant to go it alone.
The book is a perfect gift for mom, grandma, or any child mentor.
Below is a Q&A with Beth Davis the founder of Write for Charity to provide you some more information about the project.
Q: Tell me a little bit about this project.
A: From the Heart is the brainchild of the ladies at Write for Charity. After finding out that her youngest daughter needed surgery, our chief editor, Beth Davis, felt a driving urge to make a difference in the lives of children, particularly sick children. The idea of writing a book for charity had been thrown around our office for some time, but she jumped in with both feet to get it moving.
Understanding that writing a book in a short period of time would be an unrealistic task, the ladies went full steam ahead in search of collaborators. They searched magazines, the blogosphere and writers groups from around the country for the best and brightest writing talent they could find, extending invitations as they went. After sorting through over 300 submissions over the course of several months, From the Heart was born. The book is a creative collaboration of nearly 100 different stories and poems from all aspects of parenting. July 1st was the kickoff to our 90 Day Challenge and we’ve been moving ahead with book sales ever since!
Q. What is the 90 Day Challenge?
A: The 90 Day Challenge is a book sales drive that represents a goal that we set for ourselves and the collaborative authors who are choosing to participate. The goal is to jumpstart sales of From the Heart in the first 90 days by selling 10,000 copies of the book and raising a large lump sum of money for charity immediately.
The book is currently only available for sale on our website at www.writeforcharity.com, but it will be available at many other retail locations following the 90 Day Challenge.
Q: Why not make it available through a national distribution channel during your 90 Day Challenge?
A: We elected to sell the book at www.writeforcharity.com during 90 Day Challenge and wait to distribute the book into bookstores like Barnes and Noble and Borders and on website like Amazon.com due to the costs associated with a distributor. By selling the book on our website, we are able to control in house costs, raise profit margins and, in turn, donate more money to our selected charities.
Q. Who will benefit from this project?
A: The desire to contribute to children’s charities has driven this project from the very beginning. Since the minute we decided to publish this book, we knew that children’s hospitals and juvenile disease research foundations would be the beneficiaries when it came to fruition. All of the profits from this book will be split between various Children’s Hospitals and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Center.
Q: So, 100% of proceeds from this project go to charity?
A: One hundred percent of profits will go to our selected charities. Obviously with a project like this, you have printing costs, but other than that, we have committed all of the funds to our selected charities. Our authors have donated their work, our editors have donated their time and our graphics people have donated their talent. We are very lucky to have such a wonderful group of talented people involved in this project. For a list of contributors, visit www.writeforcharity.wordpress.com/the-authors.
Q: Tell us something we don’t know about your project.
A: Well, the biggest thing would definitely have to be the caliber of our contributors. We have several nationally recognized writers in our group of nearly 80 contributors and many of our contributors have been featured in nationally distributed publications, on popular websites or on television. Their willingness to donate their work to our cause is admirable and I know that everyone who reads this volume will enjoy their poems and stories. Together with our contributors, we have begun a grassroots effort to raise funds for our wonderful charities that is growing by the day. Their eagerness to help get the word out about the book is admirable and we appreciate their support.
Q: What’s it in for me to support this project?
A: The charity situation on a national level has taken a severe beating as of late. Many incidents of run ins with unsavory “charities” have appeared in the media in the past several years. Many individuals and companies have completely lost trust in those trying to do good work because of a few “bad eggs.”
Many individuals have contributed time and effort to put this project together. Our authors contributed their work out of the kindness of their hearts and our editor, layout artist and designers all contributed time as well. Because they believe in the mission behind this project, to help children in need, we hope you will take the time to support us and purchase a copy of the book. The book in itself is a fantastic product and by purchasing, you are helping a good cause.
Q: How can I support Write for Charity’s From the Heart?
A: There are a number of different things you can do to support the project. First and foremost, you can click here to buy a book! On our website, we have the ever popular blog buttons which I have starting seeing crop up all over cyberspace. You are welcome to download the “supporter” button for your own website if you are so inclined.
This is the first anthology we have done and with the success we are already seeing with it, we know it won’t be the last. Contact one of our editors at press@writeforcharity.com for more information on how you can contribute to one of our upcoming projects or help to support our current project.
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