Dear Stevenson families,

In addition to my duties as FFS President and PTA Corresponding Secretary, I have also been asked to deliver the “Inspiration” at each meeting. I’ve always collected quotes, so this isn’t too difficult a task for me, but this month I found myself struggling a bit. Given the current state of our nation’s economy, it’s hard to find many quotes that are inspirational without sounding cheesy or trite. Until I came across this one by Carol Pearson:

Focusing our attention – daily and hourly – not on what is wrong, but on what we love and value, allows us to participate in the birth of a better future, ushered in by the choices we make each and every day.

As parents and care-givers, we are shaping the future of this world and it is up to us to insure that it is a better future. Each day we have a choice to make – let the news of the day get us down OR focus our attention on what we love and value. We can allow fear and anxiety to consume every moment, OR we can take a few moments to see the wonder and hope that shines in the eyes of our child. We can choose to accept state budget cuts, OR we can choose to raise the money our school needs to offer dance and arts instruction. No, I can’t solve Wall Street’s woes with a cheesy, inspirational quote, but I can help my child learn how to dance, draw, sculpt, and sing. So can you. And there’s nothing trite about that.

~ Carrie Brown