"Finding The Good in Life"

1. As we all know that is what my site is all about "Finding The Good". I have come across some amazing stories all different that I would like to share with you...Having it be February and in CT it's snowy,gloomy,grey...I wanted to add a little light to this month and cheer us all up with some "Good stories"..Enjoy! More to come throughout the month...


Love that you seek the goodness in life...that is what my work (and life!) is about. I have a not-for-profit natural health and healing website (Heal With Hope.com) where I share all of the philosophies, treatments & techniques that helped me to heal from a more than 10 year chronic illness. From that my line of positive intention t-shirts was born: Wear Your Intention. This line of organic cotton shirts have beautiful zen designs with inspiring and empowering messages. I continue to develop and create products that will help people to live their best life and to keep their focus on the positive. Let me know if you need any additional information!!

Positive wishes, Andrea Chervenak http://www.healwithhope.com/
http://www.wearyourintention.com/ "We're changing the world...one t-shirt at a time."
~ Wear Your Intention


2. Terry Grahl, founder and president of Enchanted Makeovers (http://www.enchantedmakeovers.org/) in Taylor, Mich., would be an ideal candidate for a story.

A homemaker and mother of four children, currently ages 10 to 16, Terry launched her nonprofit organization three years ago when she was asked to help paint at Grace Centers of Hope, a shelter in Pontiac, Mich., in 2007. An award-winning interior decorator, Terry immediately saw the potential in the dreary, dimly lit and sparsely furnished rooms. The women and children living there were searching for hope, and Terry felt God calling her to help fill that need. “Transforming the shelter took more than just my decorating skills,” she said. “It required finding and organizing enthusiastic volunteers and donors nationwide to help me carry out my vision. Six months later, the makeover was complete, and it was amazing. Even more amazing to me was that I had found my true calling. I wanted to use all of my talents and skills to provide refuge, solace and hope to people in need.”

Terry hasn't looked back. The following year she completed another makeover at Grace Centers of Hope. And just this past year, she organized more than 200 volunteers and donors for the 2009 Vision Project at Vista Maria, Michigan's largest private, non-profit residential and community-based treatment agency for at-risk, abused and neglected adolescent girls ranging in age from 13 to 18. Dozens of local volunteers painted, sewed, hung mirrors and inspirational signs, and installed new lighting fixtures and closet doors in 11 bedrooms; numerous others from across the nation and around the world (some from as far away as Singapore) created beautiful handmade gifts such as slippers, dolls, stuffed animals, journals and embroidered pillowcases. “It’s all about using beauty—down to the smallest of details—to show each girl that she’s worthy of love,” Terry said.The dorm transformation marked the final chapter in the 10½-month-long project that included a Celebration of Cooking Event in June. Enchanted Makeovers volunteers also helped the girls plant and harvest a vegetable garden over the summer.

“Enchanted Makeovers isn’t just about dorm makeovers and pretty gifts,” Terry said. “Although that’s probably the most visible of our outreach efforts, we’re also involved in numerous other events throughout the year that are designed to build strong relationships and great memories with the women and children who live in the spaces we transform.”

One example is Project Traveling Sanctuary, an outreach in which Terry has helped organize volunteers from around the world to make handmade pillowcases with inspirational cards and small gifts to send messages of faith, hope and love to women and children living in shelters. In January 2010, Terry traveled to New York City with a group of women she organized for a shelter outreach event benefiting Safe Horizon. In March, she'll be in Kansas City, Mo., working on a project for Newhouse.

As a woman who has carefully balanced the often thin family budget to enable her to be a stay-at-home mom, Terry has limited resources at her disposal. But she has a tremendous amount of courage and faith, and it is these qualities that are enabling her to make a difference in the lives of so many women and children who are struggling to find hope. She wears a mustard seed on a small necklace as a reminder of the power of faith. And truly, she is moving mountains.



3.There's good in everything and it starts with each of us.We spend so much time criticizing and complaining about bad customer service experiences. I've decided to make an effort to compliment people who give great service. Those that really try. Don't take it for granted. Not just a "thank you" but a "great job." Recognize their efforts. People just shine when you give them more than just a "thank you." They just beam when you tell them they give great service - extra mile, great smile, eye contact, voice, etc. It takes time to send notes or complete a survey but I try to do that. I've decided to focus on the those that do good rather than dwell on those that find it challenging to provide excellent service. I know that's not what you meant - finding the good to me is finding the silver lining - the positive. There's always a window open. There really is. You have to train your mind to spend 10 seconds on the bad and 50 seconds on the good of everything. lboesen@talent-innovations.com