Actions Do Speak Louder Than Words

Most of us can talk a pretty good game, but do your actions match your words?  If you keep saying you are sorry, but you don't change your behavior, most rational human beings are eventually going to stop believing you are really sorry.  If you keep making promises, and then you break them, most will eventually walk away because the pain of dealing with constant disappointment is simply too great.  This is just food for thought on a more personal level, but today I want to go much broader, focusing on community involvement.

If you are really committed to a cause, it is through your actions that you really prove it, not just words.  By now, I can only hope I've proven my commitment to promoting healthy relationships, education and helping families.  These are my causes, which is why the last 15 years I've volunteered so much for the DC court, local bar assocations, and my alma maters.  The last 5 years, I have really enjoyed lecturing at the law schools and interacting more with students, meanwhile thanks to the media I've been able to share my ideas on a much broader level, especially through my published works and appearances on tv and radio.  All these efforts have been made possible through tremendous support from my friends, and for that I am eternally grateful, but let's be real, I can't change the world by myself and I'm not going to live forever, so I really want to encourage everyone in whatever capacity you can to do your part to help improve our society.

Writing a check is easy, but actually taking the time to connect with young minds is a truly special gift that all of us are able to make-- whether it is agreeing to be a mentor to someone from your former schools, being a chaperone on a field trip for your child's class, or picking a local non-profit that helps those in need.  Thus far, out of 48 shows that have aired, I've featured 10 organizations that help families in our area, including:

     Manna;
     The Self Help Center in MoCo;
     Living in Pink;
     JSSA;
     National Institute for Relationship Enhancement;
     Living Classrooms;
     Becky's Fund;
     College Tracks;
     Parent Encouragement Program; and
     Junior Achievement.

There are more scheduled for this season of Making It Last, and I hope these episodes will inspire others to get a bit more involved in helping families in our community.  The best way to show you that these experiences are immensely rewarding is to try and showcase some of the amazing work these groups are doing.  This week's episode with Junior Achievement, which promotes financial literarcy for kids in grades K-12 is particularly dear to me, as I got to share my own experience as a volunteer this spring.  Hope you enjoy the show & for more info on JA check out: www.myja.org