ENTER JNP’S “INSPIRED BY MOM” MAY GIVEAWAY DRAWING!
Mother’s Day may appear as only one day on the U.S. calendar, but as special tribute to Helen, Dona’s mom, JNP is honoring the awesome contributions of moms to our lives during the month of May. We’d like to hear from you: how has your mom helped you to become the person you want to be? Share with us a few sentences about how you’ve been inspired by your mom on this webpage: http://adventurestoawesome.org/contact/ (Please use the contact form in the middle of the page.)
Enter between May 11-June 4, 2015 to be automatically entered for a giveaway drawing to be held on June 5, 2015. The prize: one (1) set of the first three books in JNP’s new illustrated children’s series, Jane & Jake’s Adventures to Awesome (the book Prequel: The Journey Begins; Book 1: Jane & Jake’s Adventures to Awesome Truth; and Book 2: Jane & Jake’s Adventures to Awesome Kindness. Three softcover books in total.)
One entry per household, please. You must be at least 18 years old to enter.
Enter today! We can’t wait to read how you’ve been Inspired by Mom.
PAYING HOMAGE
My incredible mother passed away a few weeks ago. A deep hole is left in me.
Although my heart is heavy, my spirit soars…all because of her!
Both of my parents came from families who made the difficult voyage to America looking to “better their lives” and themselves. My mother (Lithuanian heritage) was a first-generation US citizen. (Her parents left their country in their early 20s, never to see their families again.) My father (English/German heritage) came from Pilgrim family lineage that came to The States on the Mayflower.
I was born in Camden, NJ, the only child of my two much older parents. (Camden was then—and still is today—a tough, crime-heavy region, with a crime rate five times higher than the country’s average.) Yes, we were a lower-middle class family who lived in an area of low-income households. But now I see my family experiences and upbringing as “super-upper-classy class” because of the incredible love my two parents gave me.
Raised in the 60s and 70s, I was educated by Camden County’s public school system, graduating from public high school, and continued my education into the 80s. Despite the danger of the city where we lived, my mother constantly showed a positive ethic of hard-work, pride-of-self, and pride-of-family—and she strongly instilled those amazing, awesome qualities in me.
As a small child, I felt ashamed of my family having “too little of everything” (material). To my eyes I always had less than families in my neighborhood and kids in school. Everything I owned seemed “used” or “hand-me-down,” and most of my clothes were made by my mother. Even thought my mother was a fantastic seamstress and hand-crafting artisan with “golden hands,” I still felt as if I didn’t have much.
Yet, beginning in my kindergarten days, Mom would say to me, “It doesn’t matter if your clothes are old, as long as they are clean and perfectly pressed. Wear them with pride, so the outside of you shows pride of your appearance. But, it is the INSIDE YOU THAT COUNTS MOST. Be strong. Be honest. Be kind. Be loving. Be giving. All that comes from the inside, not the clothes or things you have. Your inside-self is who you are.” Year after year, my incredible mother was teaching me about my inner awesome, building me up, making me believe in myself.
I hated going to the public schools I attended. I begged my parents to send me to the local parochial schools. Even though we didn’t belong to their churches, I didn’t care because I wanted to be with the kids who were getting the “better” education. Those “good” schools didn’t have drug-sniffing dogs that checked the lockers, etc. each school day like my school did. But my parents didn’t have the income for private schools. Instead, my mother consistently told me that “education is the key—it is everything, and you can learn, and you can study just as much as any child in any school. It is up to YOU to decide what you want to learn, and how well you want to be educated in anything you want.”
“YOU,” I came to understand, was the key. I would have to make my way, to do for myself to become the who I wanted to become.
Mom repeatedly said that she and dad would support the good choices that I made, that they believed in me, and that they would be there for me in all my positive efforts. They always were.
I remember when things got tough, and I didn’t want to study any more, or go to work at my second job because I was tired, or work harder to pay for my car. Then I would remember Mom’s positive encouragement, and I would push forward—which made her, and dad, proud of me. For every teeny-tiny or large milestone I achieved, Mom would pat me on the back and tell me, “Well done.” That motivated me.
Years later, as I tried to build the Jane NOT Plain (JNP) brand and business, not everything I attempted was successful. Yet, through the ups and downs, I got that pat on the back from Mom. Her never-ending belief in me fueled me to continue.
Three years ago, Mom became bed-ridden. In the last two years, during the beginning development of JNP’s Jane & Jake’s Adventures to Awesome books series, I brought to the nursing home draft decks of these stories to read to her and her roommate. Their smiles and cheers of “Wow!” were simply priceless. They confirmed that the stories were well written, engaging and fun, with positive values and encouragement for kids. After each JNP story was created and finally became a real book, I shared each with Mom and everyone at the Home who cared for her (my other “family”). The positive energy of their responses was overpowering and felt like a major pat on the back.
Now that she is gone, I will work to make The JNP Project successful, which means becoming a global brand that nurtures character, courage, and confidence in all children, starting when they are young. We will build their inner-awesome strengths, just as my amazing mother empowered me.
My mom, Helen, gave me the tenacity to make this self-esteem movement possible. The success of JNP will be the ultimate pat on the back from her. I will make her proud.
Thank you, dear Mother, for everything you’ve done throughout my entire life to help me “make” myself—shining from the inside-out!
Mom, you are now JNP’s official Angel Ambassador.
~~~~~~~
Postscript: Recently I received a short condolence note from a business executive with whom I had discussed JNP’s mission. The note said:
“It is hard to let go, but also we have the joy to celebrate a life of such beauty, graciousness and commitment. After all, your mother did produce you and I don’t think I have met a more passionate and giving person than you!”
Still inspired by Mom, I move forward. I hope and strive to fill her shoes…
ENTER JNP’S “INSPIRED BY MOM” MAY GIVEAWAY DRAWING!
Mother’s Day may appear as only one day on the U.S. calendar, but as special tribute to Helen, Dona’s mom, JNP is honoring the awesome contributions of moms to our lives during the month of May. We’d like to hear from you: how has your mom helped you to become the person you want to be? Share with us a few sentences about how you’ve been inspired by your mom on this webpage: http://adventurestoawesome.org/contact/ (Please use the contact form in the middle of the page.)
Enter between May 11-June 4, 2015 to be automatically entered for a giveaway drawing to be held on June 5, 2015. The prize: one (1) set of the first three books in JNP’s new illustrated children’s series, Jane & Jake’s Adventures to Awesome (the book Prequel: The Journey Begins; Book 1: Jane & Jake’s Adventures to Awesome Truth; and Book 2: Jane & Jake’s Adventures to Awesome Kindness. Three softcover books in total.)
One entry per household, please. You must be at least 18 years old to enter.
Enter today! We can’t wait to read how you’ve been Inspired by Mom.
Join Jane, Jake and all their friends on the adventures to discover your inner awesome, together!
~ ~ ~
Note: This Blog is a chronological diary of a start-up-company—The JNP Project’s Journey—reading it from the start, will broaden your understanding of the path we are on, together, and hopefully, positively influence you in some way!
No comments yet.