Here I am, on a Friday night, thinking about how my intention to blog weekly about the good news of the world has slowly dwindled down the tubes. It's been almost a month, but better late than never! I could go on about how the darkled (I don't really know about this, but it's the thesaurus word of the day...look it up) days are upon us, and good news is too difficult to find. Well, yes and no. Yes, we are essentially in troubled times that the media is quick to remind us of, but the good news is out there! You just have to look a little harder!

The first thing that struck me to write about are all the people out there who lend their encouragement to those who need it. Having someone believe in you is probably one of the most powerful tools we can receive. I think everyone has (or everyone should have) a person in their life that does this for them. You know who I am talking about: they light up the room; they go out of their way to let you know they hear you; they genuinely support you. I came across this video that is super adorable and certainly made me smile. Check it out here.

I came across a great story a few days ago. Do you remember as a kid (or as an adult) going to an animal shelter and wondering what happens to the sad little dogs that do not end up adopted? Do you enjoy (please insert sarcasm) the commercials of sad, hurt animals that need your financial support? Ok...well, not all animals are lucky enough to be saved, but there is a woman in California who is turning a normally dim situation into a life-saving tool. Wilma Melville started the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation which rescues dogs who have yet to be adopted and trains them to find survivors following various disasters such as earthquakes or hurricanes. The foundation trains these animals and pairs them with firefighters to lend a helping hand (paw) in the rescue. This is a warm, fuzzy story for me, because for this important purpose, Wilma could easily train dogs from birth. It's a story of second chances--for the dogs and for the people they can potentially rescue.

All things Legen....wait for it....awesome. Wait...that's not it is it?

War...Famine...Natural disasters...world-wide, impending financial DOOM...either the apocolypse is upon us, or we are just in need of a huge dose of awesome. Well, if you are searching for the latter, you have come to the right place! Welcome to a daily (yeah right...I wish I had that kind of time) most likely weekly dose of awesome, good, totally positive news!

The first story I want to share with you is about a local girl, Rachel, that died in an accident last month. She was all of nine years old, but she had such a true, giving heart to help other people. You see, she took it upon herself to raise money for clean water in the neediest countries. She set a goal of $300 by her 9th birthday. Well, she didn't quite reach that goal, but she was optimistic that she could raise more money with a different date in mind. However, the accident took her life before she could see her vision come to fruition. People all over the state and nation began hearing about her story, and donations began pouring in. To date, Rachel's quest for clean water has raised over $823,000. What a great example of a bright light coming out of tragedy. If you want to donate to Rachel's cause click here.

You know what else is awesome? I really hope all my female friends will forgive me for saying this but....drag cars driving really fast. This weekend, our local speedway has hosted the NHRA drag races, and it is one of the (pardon my use of 80s slang) raddest things I have ever experienced. When these cars take off, you feel it in your entire body. It is definitely an experience I would recommend for everyone at least once in their life. One of the drivers, John Force, has such an infectious, positive spirit; it is extremely difficult not to smile when this guy is talking. In his interviews, you can feel his passion for his job, this sport, and life in general.

What can we learn from these two stories/lives? Well, I'm so glad you asked. What do you think would happen if we each lived a life of passion...not only in our pursuit of happiness in our own lives and overall outlook of life...but with a desire to help others? I have good news, ladies and gentlemen! It is not an impossible dream to capture! =)

So...this is blogging.

I have never been one to really "follow the crowd," but, lately, blogging just seems to be the cool thing to do. I can only resist peer pressure for so long! (Note to self: Do not allow any friends to use the former statement against you at any future date.) Anyway, I have attempted to enter the blogging world on two separate occassions, but neither attempt was a success. The main problem seemed to be that I had nothing of value to say. At least, I believed that what I had to say would serve no real purpose than for personal development and self-improvement. Well, here I am again. Unfortunately (for you) I still do not have anything of value to say. =) It is what it is, and that is to say that every once in awhile, I am going to post my thoughts in this blog in an attempt to keep my sanity and (hopefully) impart some knowledge and humor to someone along the way.