This past week has been one that needed extreme strength out of me. I had to make some tough decisions. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” –Philippians 4:13 I had to stop following that verse the way I thought it needed to be followed, which was to keep doing everything because God would give me strength, and instead stop and listen to what He was really telling me. I had to rely on Him for the strength to make some important decisions in my life. Battling for two years many types of healthcare issues and being in denial about them, I had to come to terms with the fact that I am ill. I just have lost so much over the years due to illness, and with all I’ve accomplished in the business world and community, I finally thought that I was doing something important and not letting my health get the best of me or hold me down. But what of importance is more important that healing myself so that I can live life to the fullest with my children and for my children? Having three small children and 2 step-children, I realize that how I help to mold their lives is far more important than what amount of board of trustees I sit on. I came to the realization that I’ve been so busy trying to help others that I haven’t taken the time to really help myself and my family as much as I should. Sometimes we must take time for quiet reflection on changes in our lives that might be leading us in a different direction than the path we’ve been seeking. I know I am important because I have a man who loves me only for me, not for what I accomplish. I know I am important when my kids throw their arms around me and tell me how much they love me. I enjoy going to their activities and seeing them grow. I like nurturing them towards a successful life. I was diagnosed with undifferentiated connective tissue disease several years ago, but though I thought I accepted it and wasn’t letting it get me down, by not paying attention and giving myself an opportunity for proper treatment, I was really denying and accepting what has been chosen for me. God will give me strength to make the decisions I need to make at each point along the way. This week I am battling pneumonia and strong antibiotics and steroids will hopefully be able to make me feel better. After that I will start a new journey to better healthcare. I’m switching doctors and asking for different treatments. I’m going to balance my work and children and not take on more than I can. Many things in my life have led me to want to seek out the applause of others in all I do, but I don’t really need to do that. I can just be me. And something about that is so totally liberating.
September 21, 2009
September 5, 2009
In Honor and Hope for Breast Cancer Awareness
It is that time of year again that I love. Fall smells, colors, crisp air, and sweatshirts. It is also time for me to embark on hosting another year of the In Honor and Hope for Breast Cancer Awareness Contest. That name encompasses all that goes into this event. An artistic contest, a Chamber luncheon for women during National Business Women’s Week in October, and an auction to raise funds for the Ashland County Cancer Association.
Last year I had a name for the contest called Express Yourself for Honor and Hope. I supposed I’d still like to think that works for the contest. Just don’t want to get everyone confused during the marketing of the concept. But that is what starts it all, and embodies what I’m trying to do. I want women everywhere, and of course in my community, to come together and express themselves through their talent. Some women may paint beautiful watercolors, or another might quilt or crochet, another may write poetry, and another may make gorgeous jewelry. I want everyont to be able to be included with their particular talent. I just ask that it be PINK, BREAST CANCER AWARENESS related, therapuetic, feminine, or serene. Some will partake in the most artistic part of it all, which is to decorate a padded bra in a themed design! Yes, decorate a bra! This is the greatest way for us to share our womanhood and honor those who’ve been dealt the card of breast cancer. Tastefully done, can you imagine what creative display that will be able to show our community? The bras will then be auctioned off in the silent auction taking place this year at the ACCA’s Taste of Ashland event.
If you consider making a bra, buy about a 36 C padded bra. Paint or dye it a color you want. Decorate it with a theme and give it a fun name or write a story to go with it. Below, I will add photos of some other bras decorated across the United States. There are a myriad of items out there that you can decorate a bra with and make it into a piece of art that any woman would love to display.
If decorating a bra isn’t your thing, please enter the contest with your talent. There are so many things that come to mind when you THINK PINK!! For a contest entry form, please go to my Web site at www.addisonscompass.com under fundraisers, or e-mail me at erin@addisonscompass.com
Watch for more updates and writings on this cause here and join the Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/InHopeandHonorforBreastCancerAwareness. Hope to hear from you!
September 2, 2009
WonderWomen: Women’s Issues for Today’s Society
The Wonder of Overcoming Obstacles and Odds
Women entrepreneurs are surging to the forefront these days. They are small business owners, mompreneurs, network marketing magicians, and consultants. Commonly known as “the queens of multi-tasking,” women certainly know how to be mothers, wives, philanthropists, business owners or employees, and more. They take on the role of caregiver, nurturer, provider, teacher, taxi, coach, and amid all of that, try to stay true to themselves and their dreams. This is a tremendous balance of time, energy, and self. It takes great commitment to life.
The Bible tells us about a good woman in the passage Proverbs 31:10-31. She is often referred to now as just “the Proverbs 31 woman.” Being like the Proverbs 31 woman has been a goal for many women for generations. This model woman takes care of the children, the home, a business, investments, servants, does charity work, lends a hand to a neighbor and friend, and more. She does it all with joy and a seemingly unending amount of energy. Though this woman has been something for many to strive towards, it also has been an enormous stressor for many, too, who feel that they must accomplish this all, or they are not the woman that God would expect them to be. Somehow, they are less than a woman and can’t live up to the standards. So, what happens when a woman somehow falls from perfect health? Or a chronic disease strikes a woman’s physical well-being and makes her feel even less of a woman? She must learn what tasks are the most essential for her to keep undertaking. Sometimes lesser priorities can wait. Sometimes a meal isn’t cooked and the dishes aren’t done.
Women overcome obstacles and odds of all shapes and forms. But what women struggle with the most is forgiving themselves and knowing that no matter what they do, it is enough as long as they do it all with love in mind. Love for children, for spouse, for work that makes them happy, for friends, for church, for others, and yes, even for people with whom they struggle.
My insights into overcoming obstacles in life are:
- Self-talk! This isn’t just looking into the mirror each morning, but rather it is talking to yourself mentally throughout the day and giving yourself a pep talk. Don’t rely on others for reassurance or motivation, it comes from within. The nicest compliments you can get are from yourself. Motivating yourself builds your character.
- Do the things that make you happy. If you are happy inside, then it will show on the outside. Finding joy in your life can help you deal with your snags and hiccups. Life is never perfect, but finding happiness amid struggle is an even better feeling of accomplishment.
- Surround yourself with quality people. Sure, we all want people to be a listening ear, but we also want people that remind us about the joy in life, motivate us to be the best person we can be, and soar in our successes.
- Have a strong faith. As long as Jesus is by your side, you are never alone. What a great comfort that is! It is so wonderful to be able to uplift our cares to Him and surrender them to Him. What a reassurance to know that He does not give us anything that we cannot handle with His strength and mercy.
- Center yourself. Organize your life on paper (or computer or blackberry!) and plan ahead. Even the most impulsive of people can still do this. It doesn’t mean there aren’t times for play; it just is a way of de-cluttering the list and focusing the mind in order to be able to complete goals. The less clutter we have, physically AND mentally, the better we feel.
I hope to explore different women overcoming obstacles and odds in their lives and remaining optimistic and successful. If you know of a woman like this, please drop me a line and suggest her to me. Maybe you are even one of them. I would love to connect. E-mail me at erin@addisonscompass.com.
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August 28, 2009
July 12, 2009
What does the Reformatory, Polk Cemetery, Olivesburg General Store…have in common?
Yesterday, Tim and I participated in The Amazing Race, from Ashland to Africa–a Scavenger Hunt Road Rally! Our team of four was Tim and I and ShaNa and Jeff Benner, all of us not even knowing what to expect beyond that ShaNa was extremely competitive and would whip us all into shape. Hence, we had them drive!
After meeting up at Park Street Church in Ashland we proceeded to race, with the first stop being ShaNa and I’s neck of the woods, good old Polk, Ohio. Following a clue, and a famous story about the last public hanging in Ohio being in Polk for murder, we found the tombstone of one of the men who was publicly hanged. (Note to self: This may have been why I was scared of my own backyard growing up!) Then we raced off to find Fowler’s Woods, a state park out in the middle of nowhere ville rural Ohio near Olivesburg. A great boardwalk and looking like a very cool place to actually take a LEISURELY walk and enjoy the birds at some point, we were in a race and splitting up, we lost each other. Needless to say, I found myself along walking the board walk at about the fastest pace I have gone in years giving the fact that I have possible rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. The burn and the pain actually felt good though as the thought of what was next lied ahead. I did enjoy the trees, the woodpecker homes, the yellow wildflowers, and the peaceful cracking of limbs in the woods. (For another day to fully enjoy….).
Once they found me, almost dead (LOL), we were off again, stopping at the Olivesburg General Store, established in like 1883 and still a full functioning very small town old-fashioned store with ice cream, penny candy bins, antiques, and more. I’d like to go back and look sometime when we aren’t frantically trying to find a .o1 cent gas reciept, giant jaw breaker, and horseshoe cookie cutter.
Once we got our clue we found ourselves off to find the location where The Shawshank Redemption was filmed, none other than the Mansfield Reformatory of course. What a great architectural structure up close. We raced to make words dealing with prisons, and caught a glimpse on the second floor of the old crumbled jail cells stacked on top of each other. Wow, I can’t imagine a life such as that. I would love to go back and take a tour. If you are interested, google online the Mansfield Reformatory for the various tours and ghost encounters. It was even featured on Ghost Hunters!
We then had to race to Mifflin where we spent way too long driving and turning around, driving and turning around, trying to find the Mifflin cemetery which was actually right under our nose! Had we not lost so much time doing this, our next clue would have been about the Copus Hill Massacre, where a family of settlers was killed by native americans during the time of the Indian Wars. It sits near Greentown and the Charles Mill Dam. It was so much fun doing this drive around the Ashland area.
We came back in to the church to have a wonderful meal, part of which was cooked for us by a native Kenyan woman. MMMM, the best salsa with cilantro I’ve ever tasted! The goat meat in the rice, not so much, but would have been better had I not known it was goat. We really enjoyed the presentation about Empower Worldwide Outreach. This organization, led by Kathy Ditlevson from Ashland, is a wonderful grassroots project that is helping orphans and grandmothers in areas of Kenya not yet touched by another organization. Fresh off a mission trip in June, Kathy and some of her other mission helpers, discussed building chicken coops for grandmothers who are taking care of 5 to 10 orphans in their mud and stick, sometimes metal roofing, homes since their children (the orphans’ parents) have died of AIDS. HIV/AIDS is killing 700 Kenyans a day! Empower is teaching children to be “empowered” to make change. Showing how to have good relationships with the opposite sex, not just sexual relations. Showing how life can be more, such as through the youth soccer initiative that teaches team work and leadership. Building the chicken coops so they have eggs to feed the orphans and teaching them to sell the eggs to have a business and money to buy other food. I suggest that you take a moment to go to www.empowerworldwideoutreach.com and see what this cause is all about. We are God’s children and God has told us to take care of the widowed and the orphans, which is just what this cause is doing. This is God’s work and we truly should take a moment to do our part.
Empower Worldwide Outreach limits the spread and impact of HIV/AIDS in children of sub-Saharan Africa through prevention education, the empowerment of caregivers, and sustainable micro-enterprise. If you have more questions, or want to know how you can help, please e-mail Kathy at kdit@empowerworldwideoutreach.comand tell her you saw my blog.
June 25, 2009
Reaction to 1957 Margaret Sanger Interview
Today a friend sent me the video cast from a Mike Wallace 1957 interview show that he did with Margaret Sanger, who for those of you who don’t know was a leading controversial woman against those, primarily Catholics, who believe that using birth control is a sin. First of all, let me say that beyond the interview itself, Mike Wallace’s promotion of Phillip Morris cigarettes, his smoking during the interview, total endorsement of their product and incessant love for smoking them disgusted me. End infomercial for NOT smoking. I am going to post the link to the interview at the bottom of this blog post and I hope that whether you are male or female you will watch his interview with Mrs. Stanger. It reminds me as a woman just how much I take for granted. We as women can choose to take birth control in order to choose when and if to have children at a time that is good for us in our lives. We as women can make the choice to not have children without having to be abstinent. We as women can have marriages, happy and loving unions, without the first and foremost reason being to procreate. We as a society can make sure we can feed our children. We can make sure it is the right time so we can fully love and care for our children. International countries such as Japan can help keep the population under control. There are so many things that this woman stood for at that time that we as women should be proud of now almost 50 years later. Underlying is the right of a woman to make choices. Men do not dictate our choice to have a career. To take care of our bodies. To not become weak from mulitiple births. To not pass on disease to a child. I am proud to be a woman and blessed to have been able to both have children and a career. I am glad to be able to make the choice to take birth control, as one more birth would probably make my arthritis even worse and more unmanageable. Proud to be a woman, but I am even prouder to be able to make choices as a woman.
http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/multimedia/video/2008/wallace/sanger_margaret.html
June 10, 2009
The Way We Live
Often people attempt to live their lives backwards: they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then, do what you need to do, in order to have what you want. ~ Margaret Young ~
I came across this quote today and it epitomizes the thoughts I have had about much of our culture today. Everyone is so focused on work and money. I like to work because I like what I do. And if I can make enough money for our family to be stable, then I am happy. I want to make sure there is a balance so that I can have time to express myself, know myself, change and grow, live and learn. I want to have time to read as much as I can because I absorb it like a sponge. I do believe that if we take time to evaluate ourselves at the core and embrace our personalities and dreams, we can TRULY be happy. Money doesn’t bring happiness. We bring happiness to ourselves by accepting who we are and empowering ourselves; this happiness then permeates the rest of our lives and makes us more productive and successful.
June 9, 2009
Don’t know if I could do it….
Today I had another opportunity to speak with Ruth Adkins. This amazing woman is walking 3300 miles across America in 4 to 5 months, starting from Walter Reed Medical Center in DC on Memorial Day and ending in San Diego, CA. Since her step off at the end of May, she has put one foot in front of the other in hopes to increase awareness for our troops and returning veterans that she assists with her non-profit organization called Inspiring Alliance (www.inspiringalliance.org) to find the much needed resources that they need upon returning from war…..it is unbelievable how many people don’t realize that these men and women come home to their families and can’t get a job, don’t have a home, have severe brain injuries or post traumatic stress disorder, have lost their limbs and are battling depression only to have to wait sometimes 18 months or more to get their VA benefits, which aren’t always even enough to live on. In order to raise funds to assist them with their transition, Ruth is walking and hopes that people will go online to www.troopwalk.com and offer a donation. She is visiting VA hospitals along the way and meeting with veterans. She is encouraging them and letting them know that someone cares. It is hot and though Ruth is somewhat in shape, she is 50 and she walks many miles a day. She has no income because she left her job. She needs housing at night and meals. Anything you can do along the way to help would mean the world to her. Tonight she is staying in Athens, Ohio at a room I assisted in obtaining at no cost to her and she got a warm meal in her belly. Such a simple task from me uplifted her by so many more leaps and bounds that I could have ever imagined. She even called to thank me and bless me. I know that meeting her friend Monika (http://thewinningwoman.blogspot.com) and being introduced to helping Ruth was truly a request from God. I wish her well on her journey. I look forward to helping her more. I hope you do too. Follow her on www.troopwalk.com
June 1, 2009
Welcome to Addison’s Compass Public Relations
I love writing and all things PR. I wanted to be a writer all my life, and after going to school for journalism and english, and spending over 10 years in the public relations, information, and marketing field working for others, I decided two months ago to take my side freelance business and make it into my own full-time business! My first blog is on blogger. It is more personal and it can be found at www.erinalmehairi.blogspot.com, but now that I have the time to focus on Addison’s Compass PR, I hope to make this blog very useful and inviting for many. Really, I can’t wait to write again on my own terms, with my own thoughts, passions, opinions, and PR insight.
I am so excited to be able to have the time to listen to the ideas, concepts, dreams, passions, and products of others.
