Tag: compassion

For the Girl in Row 5

Judith Staff

It’s easy money. Walk slowly, hands behind your back, checking no one is cheating. Up and down the rows of desks, quietly handing out tissues, pens. For a teacher of 5 year olds, exam invigilation with 16 year olds is a breeze. Some children look anxious, one girl is biting Read more

Judith Staff

Judith Staff’s background is in teaching and early years education. She still teaches occasionally, though now her main focus is in child welfare and safeguarding children. Her work includes delivering training, presenting at conferences, and engaging in collaborative projects with schools around child abuse awareness and sexual violence prevention. She enjoys writing blogs and poetry on topics she feels passionate about. Judith loves running, gym classes and karate. She is married to an art lecturer and they live in Northamptonshire, England with their three free-spirited children, a 12- year-old son, and daughters aged 11 and 9.

Being Homeless is NOT for Cowards

Renee DeMont

Red lights were spinning tenaciously atop both cop cars; sirens silenced, as if in anticipation. Something happened, but what? Uniformed men had convened near the store exit talking, in a tight-knit group of about five or six officers, holding ground in a relaxed stance that only surfaces once the enemy Read more

Renee DeMont

Renee DeMont is a SURVIVOR. She was born into poverty; spent much of her childhood homeless, living on the streets of Los Angeles, and in foster care. Renee learned early on: life is about adapting to adversity. The greatest gift she ever received? No one expected anything from her. By 18, she was ready to experience life on her own terms. First one in her family to attend college. After college, her focus and determination earned her a spot working at Paramount Studios, on the #1 show in television, "Cheers". At 29, Renee gave entrepreneurship a go and began a Biomedical engineering business out of her garage. Twenty years later, that risky venture grew into 8,000 square feet of success. She broke the cycle of poverty that plagued her family for generations. Recently, Renee turned fifty, filed for divorce (he declared WAR), and trudged through a debilitating nervous breakdown. Through therapy and writing, she reclaimed her sanity. Sold her half of the business to the ex, and now she has clarity and choices. Renee is personally and financially independent. With her new found freedom, she chooses to write in a sincere effort to reconcile her past with her present. Hopefully, through this cathartic process, the second half of her life will be led by her soul's desire, rather than by the fears and doubts of her first half. Currently, she lives in South Orange County with her teenage son and daughter, and her high maintenance yet lovable dog, Joe. Soon to be an empty nester, she plans to downsize the big house in the OC bubble, for a bigger life in the real world. Her days are spent gently launching her almost grown children into adulthood, and passionately penning her memoir. In the mean time, you can find her essays on pain, positivity, and empowerment at: onedropofgrace.blogspot.com

My Grandmother’s Love: The Legacy of Alexandria Frahm

Louisa Frahm

It’s been a year, and yet it feels like just yesterday. A year ago this week, my grandmother, my idol, my mentor, my best friend, received her angel wings. She was 95. Through her life, she set the ultimate example of how to live with compassion, humor, and grace. Making Read more

Louisa Frahm

Louisa Frahm was born and raised in San Diego, California. After graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a journalism degree in 2012, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of working in entertainment. Thus far, her career path has taken her from retail, to online marketing, to a specific niche of online marketing called SEO, which is now her specialty. Though her journey was a roundabout one, Louisa eventually found her way back to her one true love: entertainment. Currently, she is the SEO coordinator for E! Entertainment, specifically E! Online. When she isn’t performing website optimizations and tracking trending topics in her day job, Louisa is running her pop culture blog popoflouisa.com and expanding her writing portfolio. Louisa prides herself on her positive attitude and optimistic perspective on life. The perennial people pleaser, her life’s mission is to bring joy to others. Nicknamed “happy baby” at birth, she lives up to her reputation, always encouraging others to look at the glass half full.