Texas Family March/April 2008

The latest issue of Texas Family Magazine is out. This one, I really like.

I got a kick out of the Play It Again! piece, in which we profiled a dozen toys from our childhoods that have been remade for today's kids. Think Slinky, Monopoly (now with debit cards,) Twister, and Radio Flyer (what I call the pimp-my-ride set for kids.)

There's also a great piece on the Sandwich Generation, those who are in the position of simultaneously taking care of their parents and their children. We also incorporated natural and organic products and living into many of our features/sections, and we rounded things off with travel stories on Amarillo, Texas, and Amelia Island Plantation in Florida.

Plus, a bazillion other topics and pieces - all of which I could probably recite! : )

Not Good Bye, Good Luck!

Those of you who have been following my blog for a while know that I have a very, very dear friend Prabhakar. Well, Prabhakar moved away this past weekend. To Canada.

I told him I am just pretending he is away on one of his business trips, that this is not good bye. And, it's not. But, truth be told, I'll miss him. He's definitely one of the good ones.

My Statement at the Press Conference

We are joining with Crime Stoppers and others to help capture child predators who are on the run. Take a look at their website to see if you recognize any of these predators. I hear they have already caught the first fugitive as a result of this initiative!
Here is a video of my statement at the press conference, kicking off Child Abuse Prevention Month. All the local stations and most of the local outlets were there so I assume we got some good coverage. And, we are on about 50 billboards across Houston.
My statement is cut into two parts on YouTube. I start at about 8:50 into Part One and then am at the beginning of Part Two. In total, it's about four minutes. I encourage you to start with Part One.
Oh, and in case you can't figure it out, I'm the one in the red dress, standing next to the congressman. :P

The Sweetest Thing

Baby Jackson and Big Sister Alivia Rose.

I visited and met my nephew Jackson for the first time! He is extremely expressive with his face, constantly changing his expression in cute and remarkably original ways. He also smiled at me when I rubbed his head. : )

And, yes, he is in his "Class of 2030" Texas A&M hat, much like Alivia's "Class of 2029" hat. : )

The sweetest thing happened: Alivia heard Jackson let out a cry in the other room. Immediately, her expression changed, and she darted away toward him. (Well, to the extent one-year-olds can dart.) She grabbed a pacifier and went straight up to him to try to give him the pacifier to soothe him.

She's one. And, he is only a week old. Talk about some real love, there. I thought it was one of the sweetest things I'd ever seen.

Good Things

I think an important part of life, and in feeling good about our purpose in life, comes from helping others, which is accomplished through loving others. If we could boil down everything that matters in life, I believe the result would be love. And, this love is all around us, every day, in both small ways and grand. I find I am the most inspired and the most filled with love when I am around people who are serving others.

This weekend, I had the privilege of helping kids with cancer and kids honoring those with cancer paint and decorate lucky horseshoes that will serve as centerpieces for the Cattle Baron's Ball, which will benefit The American Cancer Society. Because of the nature of the event, I asked God to send me in with extra angels that day, and I could feel their presence the entire time. The knowledge of that goodness is almost overwhelming, but in a good, good way.

I am also helping with a campaign on which I definitely will be asking for the assistance of God and the angels. In conjunction with Crime Stoppers, we (via my Texas Family platform) are conducting a month long campaign during Child Abuse Prevention Month to capture child predators who have failed to register as sex offenders or who are wanted for victimizing children. We'll be having a press conference Friday, and I am trying to get the word to as many media outlets as I can because, ultimately, it is people in communities who can make the difference. What we are asking is that people look at the Crime Stoppers website to see if they can provide any information on the wanted felons.

Here is my quote from my press release: “Sometimes child sex predators are hidden among us, within our trusted groups of friends and family, and we learn of their horrors only once it is too late, wondering if there are signs we should have recognized,” says Caroline A. Shearer, Editor in Chief of Texas Family Magazine. “Other times, such as with these wanted sex offenders who already have violated children, the law, and the justice system, we can take purposeful action to stop them from causing further harm. We implore you to help us capture these predators by providing Crime Stoppers any information on their whereabouts.”