Sometimes all it takes is a dream. Walt Disney said that it all started with a mouse. That little drawing of a little mouse has now turned into a multi-billion dollar empire in many countries that keep his dream alive to this day. Howard Schultz bought out a coffee shop in Seattle to fulfill his dream. Now its pretty hard to go a mile without seeing the green Starbucks sign on the side of the road or a building. Both came from humble beginnings and had a little dream that they turned… Read More

Yesterday, I was sitting in the transfusion center waiting for my dad to get his blood transfusion due to a decrease in his hemoglobin. As I sat in the waiting room I watched all the people coming in to get their chemotherapy treatments and blood transfusions. What amazed me most was the number of people of all ages that came in alone. It reminded me of my trips to my grandmother in her nursing home where so many never received visitors at all. It got me to thinking about how thankful we… Read More

Yesterday, I saw a quote on my friend Marilyn’s timeline that said “Don’t let the potential of hurt outweigh the joy of the journey.” This was a pretty powerful message that got me to thinking. Often in life we expect that things are just going to come our way without work or adversity. Why? Because we deserve it and it should be so. However is that really reality? We all know that many times those things that bring us the greatest joy sometimes bring us the greatest hurt along the journey. Things… Read More

On Saturday, after I finished watching the show at The American Adventure at EPCOT, I was leaving the theatre and saw this statue. It was the Statue of the Spirit of Compassion and this got me to thinking. Although we see enormous amounts of compassion in the Bring Smiles to Seniors program, it seems that in other parts of our world compassion has become somewhat passé. Is it that we have become such a “me” society that compassion takes a back seat to everything else? Or is it that we don’t see… Read More

No, your eyes aren’t blurry. Yes, my friends we have crossed the 30,000 mark for cards delivered this year! What an unbelievable accomplishment for an amazing group of people. To every donor, card artist, decorator, team member, school/civic group participant and supporter we say thank you from the bottom of our hearts!! Because of you many seniors are smiling. bringsmilestoseniors.com #cardcrafting #bringsmilestoseniors #connectingthecircleoflife #StampinUp! #actsofkindness #papercrafts #greetingcards #inspirationalposts #seniorsmiles. Sign up for our daily inspirational posts at morningswithron.com

There are times in our lives where we get in our heads and hearts that we want to do something and we go at it full force. We take on more than we can handle, give every ounce of strength to our goal and exhaust ourselves in the process. We are so keen on achieving what we desire in the least amount of time possible that we sometimes fail simply because we have taken on too much. It is during these times that the old saying,”Rome wasn’t built in a day” rings… Read More

As we go about our lives we encounter all types of people. Whether it be at work, in our civic groups, encounters during our day or sometimes even right at home. We run into people that are just downright unpleasant. No matter how hard we try to be nice to them, or what courtesy we may extend, what we receive in return is quite the opposite. It makes one wonder just what has happened in these peoples’ lives to make them they way they are. When a person is mean, it is… Read More

When I started the Bring Smiles to Seniors program, I did so to ensure that seniors in senior communities were not forgotten and were reminded that they were loved. So many people no longer had visitors, received cards or had other contact from family and friends. Many have reached the age where there is just no one left. What I did not expect was the impact the program was going to have on those people that chose to get involved in what we do and go on this amazing journey with us…. Read More

Since the beginning of the Bring Smile to Seniors program, I have had the pleasure of interacting with some of the most talented people I have ever encountered. The handmade cards from card artists across the world have been unique, creative and beautiful. I have come to learn that the people behind the cards are equally as beautiful. When I started this program we bought cards from the stores anytime we could find them on sale. Then we made the decision to start a Facebook page and start advertising to try and… Read More

This weekend when I was home for Father’s Day, as I usually do I stopped by the cemetery to pay respects to Grandma Lola. There is something calming about having one on one time there, even though the person isn’t in front of you. This visit and a prompting from my friend Kim last week reminded me of something that I wanted to share. As my mother well knows, one of the hardest things in dealing with people who have dementia is when you come to the point where their reality is… Read More