SEEDS OF RESILIENCY - Snap Out Of It!

Snap Out Of It

So about three days ago I woke up and was going through emails and posts from both pages and the website.  To be honest it was early, I was tired and overwhelmed and it wasn't even 7am.  I had been struggling with balancing all that I needed to do.   I had music projects that needed serious attention, I needed to do tons of paperwork from my other job and I was feeling a little sorry for myself that I hadn't been to yoga in a very long time... I was having a poor Michelle moment. 

Then I received an email from a women who had been following the "Cancel The 2012 NYC Marathon" page.  She asked me to look at a film and to consider posting about it.  I watched the trailer to "Seeds Of Resiliency" and it was just what I needed to see at that very moment.  It was kind of a whisper ... saying snap out of it. 

Needless to say I wasn't exactly in the midst of a tragedy, I was just a little overwhelmed.  But humans need lots of reminding - about lots of things.  I got the reminder that I needed and instantly wanted to work with the creators of this film.   I knew this was the perfect reminder that so many of us (especially in the NYC) may need at this time.  A reminder that we are more powerful and able then we know...  I encourage you to take the time this coming week and make your way to see this movie... it will be worth it!

"To help overcome

our darkest tragedies

and endure

our traumas

we need to appreciate

the flowers

that grow among 

the weeds

We need to

plant the seeds

for our own unique

garden of resiliency

As these men and women have done."

Susan Polis Schutz

RESILIENT PEOPLE FEATURED IN “SEEDS OF RESILIENCY”

Candace Lightener, Founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.  Her daughter was killed by a drunk driver in 1980.  Candy’s anger led her to form M.A.D.D.  She has worked tirelessly to change public attitudes, modify judicial behavior, and promote tough new legislation, and numerous bills have been passed. All these years later, she is still active as ever and has been credited with saving over 600,000 lives. 

Aaron Fotheringham, a young man of 19, who has spina bifida and is an extreme wheelchair athlete who performs tricks that have landed him in the Guinness World Records.  He has traveled around the world and doesn’t consider himself handicapped at all.  He regularly meets with young people who are handicapped to encourage them in developing their strengths.

Ernest Michel is a survivor of the Holocaust.  After the Nazis came to power, he was forced to separate from his family, whom he never saw again, and was forced to serve in a variety of Nazi labor camps, including Auschwitz.  Today he is a retired executive vice president of the United Jewish Appeal-Federation of New York and now devotes his time to speaking about the atrocities of the Holocaust.  

Michael Stevens, a six-year survivor of Stage IV Lung Cancer.  He’s been active as a spokesperson for the American Lung Association and has lobbied for increased funding before members of Congress.  With an incredibly warm personality, he regularly counsels others, who consider him a hero.

Fanny Lebovits, another survivor of the Holocaust, who lost 32 family members during the Holocaust. Only she and her sister, Jenny, survived.  When she shares her story with others she often times stops herself because it's too much for her to bear.  “It's part of my obligation to let other people know about the Holocaust,” she said, nevertheless. “Maybe that's why I survived.  In the concentration camp I slept on straw.  I dreamed every day of sleeping on white sheets.  I never lost hope.” 

Dr. Edie Eger, another survivor of the Holocaust.  She is a nationally recognized psychologist, author and speaker.  When she was a young girl, she and her family were sent to Auschwitz. Her parents died at the concentration camp, but she always believed that her mind was free and that if she survived another day, she would escape, with her spirit intact.  She, too, wants people to never forget the Holocaust.

Rufus Hannah, homeless and alcoholic for 23 years.  A businessman in San Diego became his mentor and helped him turn his life completely around.  He now manages an apartment complex and speaks to schools and community groups, and has helped other homeless people see there’s another way to live life.

Walter Lam, a political refugee from Uganda, forced to flee his country because of political persecution. He lost his son in Uganda.  He made his way to the United States and was eventually able to bring his family.  He eventually formed The Alliance for African Assistance to help other refugees from all over the world and has a staff from 16 different countries.  He has helped relocate 1000 refugees a year.

The famous South Korean geophysicist and professor at Seoul National University, Dr. Sang-Mook Lee, now a quadriplegic, who went back to work immediately after recovering from an automobile accident in 2006.  He uses his mouth to operate a bottlelike computer mouse linked to his laptop to communicate to audiences from the Atlantic to the Pacific.     He works very hard to help alleviate the stigma of being “disabled” in South Korea.  He is a true hero in South Korea.