Keeping the Spirit Alive

In years past, I have always had an "after Christmas lull", between Christmas & New Years. There was so much excitement surrounding Christmas, especially once we had children, but when the day was over there was a real sense of the BLAH'S. This year has been completely different.

I have felt a tangible shift in all areas of my life in the last year & especially in the last few months. I know that Operation RHYSpirit has had much to do with that. It is so easy to have an attitude of gratitude when there really is so much to be thankful for. Every where around me, there are reasons to be grateful; from the simple things like the sunshine on my face or the diamonds in the snow after a fresh snowfall, to big things like my childrens health & the true love of my husband. With so much busy-ness in our world, it is easy to forget to slow down & smell the roses, or to be silly & dance in the rain, but it is in those things that we truly LIVE.

It has been a fabulous Christmas, I am looking forward to 2010 & the most incredible gift I received this year was in realizing that I am one of the luckiest people I know. And I plan to make time every single day to remember that by being grateful.

Happy Holidays to All!

Real Hero's

I don't know if it is just the close proximity to Christmas, or if my big, mushy heart has expanded tenfold in the last month, but I have been absolutely overwhelmed with the response to Operation RHYSpirit. The people who work with the children's oncology units have been nothing short of amazing; next to the kids themselves, these people are REAL hero's. I cannot imagine a job as difficult, yet so completely rewarding as working with sick kids every day & yet they'll still give you 100% of their attention to outside projects such as ours.

In a short time through phone calls & emails, I have been given a glimpse into a completely different world from which I live, one filled with pain & sadness, but endless strength & a real sense of HOPE. I could not do their job, I know that without a doubt, but I am so grateful there are so many people who can & do, and do it with all of their hearts.

I have been hugging my kids a little tighter since beginning this project, saying "I love you" more often, even enjoying the frigid cold winter air on my face every chance I get; simply enjoying LIFE more. Who knew that a "giving back" project would actually end up being such a gift to my own life.

Operation RHYSpirit

We are thrilled to announce our donation of Baby Rhys Bandana Hats for the precious children enduring cancer treatment in our country. What began for us as a small, local charitable idea has proudly expanded to a CANADA WIDE project!

Operation RHYSpirit

You’ll see that we have given a name to our project & we are happy with the multiple meanings it represents. “Rhys” (pronounced Reece) is the name of our President/CEO’s first child & the namesake of our company; so it’s fitting that he should continue to be the inspiration behind our donation. In addition the project is pronounced as “RE-spirit”. Although not a conventional English dictionary word, it implies a giving back to the spirit.

SPIRIT was the very first word that came to our mind when thinking of children; we should all be so blessed to have as much spirit as the sick children who are helped in our hospitals every day.

As mothers of young children ourselves, this project is so close to our hearts. Although we have thankfully never needed the services these hospitals provide & hope to never have to, we remain fully committed to making a difference in this field no matter how small.

We hope that the bright colors of our hats will brighten these brave childrens lives during their most difficult fight & that someday in the not too distant future, cancer will be a thing of the past.


With Warm Hearts,

Pam Liyanage, President/CEO
And
Kristen Ferguson, Marketing Director

For Baby Rhys Adventure Gear

Perfect Timing

Isn't it amazing that the very mention of a topic can often bring it about, almost instantly.
Take last week as an example, on the topic of SHARING. A great topic any day; for many aspects in life, but particularly enchanting at this time of year as we enter the holiday season.

Well, call it a coincidence, or the law of attraction, or plain perfect timing, but just as soon as I posted that article, we at Baby Rhys were introduced to a company who agrees that the act of SHARING applies to business as well.

Natural Pod ( www.naturalpod.com ) and all the wonderful members of their team have decided that Baby Rhys (and OUR wonderful team!) would be able to share in some of our collective knowledge & contacts to collaborate. Imagine our mutual glee at the fact that our 2 successful businesses could offer something to the other in order to help GROW that success. It really is THAT simple. As small as this world feels sometimes, the roads that each business takes, although intersecting, are rarely after the same things. The wealth of knowledge we can offer each other to pave the road to success in turn helps us reach our greatest heights.

So if I've said in a hundred times, I'll say it again. SHARE. In life, in business & of YOURSELF.
The rewards are priceless.

Now check out our BABY RHYS GEAR & all the other wonderful products Natural Pod carries & SHARE this with your friends :)

Sharing

As a mother of young kids, the subject of SHARING always comes up. When they were very small it revolved around favorite toys or treats, or who's turn it was to "help" with a task. Now although we still work on all those original lessons, we have evolved into sharing our special thoughts & feelings & sharing our LIVES. Each night at dinner we share our "best & worst" things about that day. It is my favorite part of each day; my kids are growing up so fast & what they have to say is maturing as they find their way in the world. I am just fascinated by their little personalities. I hope this will begin a lifetime of sharing their lives with us & that they ALWAYS know we are a "safe place" to do so, no matter what.

I can see the amazing parallels of sharing in business as well. We all have things that we are good at, information that others don't have easy access to & knowledge that can help someone else. Just as we tell the kids, "Go ahead & SHARE, no one is going to STEAL your stuff", this applies to business as well. Everyone has different goals, separate agenda's, diverse dreams & unique offerings that they bring to the table. The ones who will reach their own success the fastest are the ones that SHARE with others. It is a simple concept that we are constantly teaching our young children, so why then would it not apply to our WORK lives.

Give it a try; what do YOU have, whether it is knowledge, a contact, a way to open a door for another, or simply TIME, that you could share with another......
You might be surprised with all of the people that will then share with you.

REMEMBER

Today is REMEMBRANCE DAY here in Canada; such an important day for all of us, although it seems too many people FORGET that it is so much more than just a day off in the middle of the week.

Apart from wearing our poppies proudly, attending the special ceremony at school & watching the coverage from our nation's capitol, we are trying to teach our children about today's importance, without scaring them. It is amazing how scary it is to simply TALK about the reasons of this day; we cannot even imagine actually LIVING them.

Experience is all relative; they are scared of the monster under the bed, or of Mommy or Daddy not being there every minute of every day, but thankfully they have not had to be directly scared of war so far in their young lives. We hope they never have to be.

So today WE REMEMBER. In a lot of ways it is much easier to think of it with a child's simplicity & so here is what MY CHILDREN are remembering on this day & always:

- We remember that we are so blessed to be FREE & grateful to those who have allowed us that gift.
- We remember to show our deep love & pride for this beautiful country while still respecting the rest of the world.
- We remember to be kind to ALL & practice PEACE everyday.
- We remember all of those; past, present & future, that fight & even die, in order that we may live in peace.

I remember holding my hands over my first very pregnant belly & wondering aloud, on Sept 11th, 2001 as the World Trade Center towers came crashing down,"What am I doing bringing children into this crazy world?!"
Now I look at that list above that my children helped write & think how could I NOT have brought these precious gifts of true PEACE into the world. Peace lies in each of our hands, just ask a child.
REMEMBER THAT.

Giving Back

Another Sunday, another busy day crossing off my never ending "to-do" list. I always get so much done on Sundays since my husband is home & loves to take the kids out for the day while I work. However our oldest child has the flu today & our youngest just wants to bounce off the walls with boredom, so my normal quiet work routine is a little off balance today!

Lucky for me, I am working on an incredible & very rewarding charitable project that I just can't wait to bring to life. The energy, excitement & joy in doing something for others is an unparalleled feeling and anyone that know me knows that I am a person who craves all the warm fuzzies in life. I am pretty sure there is a glow around me today that can be seen from space.

Whether it is in your everyday life or within your business there is ALWAYS a way to give back; numerous ways even. It doesn't always have to cost money; sometimes only time, or a little piece of yourself, which is always given back tenfold. It feels GREAT, it changes your perspectives, it allows you to count your own blessings & it contributes to the world in a way that only YOU, unique, one of a kind you, can do.

So give it a try today. It won't take long to come up with someone, or something that matters to you that could use a helping hand in some way, however small. Think outside of the box & dive right in with passion. You'll be amazed at the distinct shift in everything you do when you give of yourself.

I can't wait to share more about our secret Baby Rhys "giving back" project...it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it!