Author: GMH

Operation Showers of Appreciation

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InspiredON by Giving — Kimberly Felshaw was featured in the most recent People magazine (Aug. 16, 2010 – cover photo of Chelsea Clinton’s wedding) for throwing baby showers for expecting military families. Her Operation Showers of Appreciation was born out of one of the most inspiring times of her life and one of the most tragic.

Kimberly is an ex-active duty Marine, and her husband, Josh, is a sergeant in the Corps. Their church threw them a baby shower when they were expecting their baby, Allysa. However, Allysa was born with a terminal condition and died at just three weeks. Kimberly’s thoughts drifted back to the shower that their church had organized for them; she says she didn’t know many of those who contributed gifts for the shower. That helped inspire Kimberly to create what is now Operation Showers of Appreciation (OSOA), which has been able to provide $250,000 of baby-related items to some 500 military families, according to the People magazine story. Continue reading “Operation Showers of Appreciation” →

Inspired by the Divine

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From PR Urgent, a free press release service: “Barbara Bernard Miller, author of Mighty Inspiration, offers hope to child victims of Haitian earthquakes. … While many in Haiti suffered terribly, no one has suffered more than the children of Haiti.

“Poverty, poor development, unemployment affecting over 2/3 of the population and one of the highest percentage HIV rates in the world make the situation for Haiti’s children even more distressing. The latest figures from 10 years ago show that there were only 200 orphanages registered in Haiti. One might well ask what God intends in a situation so desperate it seems overwhelming. Barbara Miller, author of Mighty Inspiration, offers words of hope not only to the people of Haiti, but to those who suffer everywhere. She is intimately familiar with the challenges children in orphanages face, as she spent time in an orphanage as a child.

” ‘I wrote this book,’ ” stated Ms. Miller, ” ‘as a way to capture my personal experience and divine inspiration. God has a message that He wishes all people to hear. They are Continue reading “Inspired by the Divine” →

A Teacher’s Inspiration

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InspiredON by Teachers — Linda Muhl, a retired English teacher from Dr. John Horn High School in Mesquite, Texas, is the summer recipient of the Texas A&M University Inspiration Award for Exceptional Secondary Education.

Teachers selected to receive this award – believed to be the first of its type sponsored by any university in Texas – are nominated by one of their former students who are set to graduate from Texas A&M.

Ms. Muhl was nominated for the award by one of her former students, Emily Southerland, who will receive her business degree Friday, Aug. 13, during commencement ceremonies.

Read more of the story behind Ms. Muhl’s nomination for the Texas A&M inspiration award at: Texas A&M Information Services.

Surviving a Shotgun Blast to the Face

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InspiredON by Perseverance —According to Chrissy Steltz, the survivor of an accidental shotgun blast to the face as quoted in a special report done by the Portland Oregonian, “When anybody finds out how I went blind, their first comment 99 percent of the time is, ‘I’m sorry.’ And my response to that is: I’m not. I lived. There’s nothing to be sorry about living through something like that. Don’t be sorry for me. Be happy for me. Be proud of the fact that I have gone on with my life.”

Police officer, Bob Baxter, who responded to the scene of the shooting also was quoted in the Oregonian story: “Most of her face was gone. There was just this gaping hole in her face where her eyes and nose and most of her mouth had been. I thought she was dead. I just figured this was going to be another homicide scene.

“Then I saw her fingers start to move — ever so slightly. And it looked like she was trying Continue reading “Surviving a Shotgun Blast to the Face” →

‘I Dreamed a Dream’

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InspiredON by Music — A year ago, a woman walked onto the stage of the British TV show, ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ and was laughed at by the audience, their eyes rolling when she said she wanted to be as big a singer as Elaine Paige, who has been called the First Lady of British Musical Theatre.

But when she sang, the audience’s collective jaws dropped, people gave her a standing ovation throughout much of the song, and she humbled the three judges, including the often cynical Simon Cowell.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk]

Susan Boyle’s rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ from Les Miserables, captivated the Continue reading “‘I Dreamed a Dream’” →

Today’s Quote

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“I’ve missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot … and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

– Michael Jordan

‘Temporary Home’

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InspiredON by Music — Carrie Underwood’s evocative song, ‘Temporary Home‘ is a story that talks about wherever we are in life, we have to remember that the place we’re in is just temporary — we’re just passing through. She wrote the song after reading Pastor Rick Warren’s book, ‘A Purpose-Driven Life.’ The song threads the temporary home theme through the experiences Continue reading “‘Temporary Home’” →

John Cappelletti’s Heisman Trophy Speech

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InspiredON by Family — Usually it’s the top athletes who inspire boys to dream big dreams of being the star on the field and doing great things. This story flips that notion upside down. This time it’s an 11-year-old boy, stricken with cancer, who inspired his older brother, Heisman Trophy winner John Cappelletti. In 1973, in one of the most moving speeches in the history of college football’s top award, the Penn State running back dedicated the trophy to his 11-year-old brother, Joey, who was battling leukemia. What follows are some excerpts from his acceptance speech that night, and a video highlight of the evening.

John Cappelletti, from direct transcripts of the speech:

“My mother and my father, there isn’t a greater couple around. Continue reading “John Cappelletti’s Heisman Trophy Speech” →

A Gift of Life

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InspiredON by Family — On a day in which star San Diego Chargers running back Ladainian Tomlinson scored two rushing touchdowns to move into third place on the all-time TD list, and on the same day surpass Pittsburgh’s Franco Harris and Buffalo’s Thurman Thomas to move into 12th place on the NFL’s all-time rushing list, something interesting happened before Tomlinson set foot on the field. It was a gift from his wife, LaTorsha, that served as a source of inspiration. Read all the details in Fanhouse senior NFL writer Nancy Gay’s captivating story: Unexpected Gift Rejuvenates Tomlinson.