Brat Pack Heart Throb Celebrates 25 Years Sober

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May 12, 2015

Rob Lowe is celebrating 25 years sober, and we’re thrilled that he’s made a public announcement about it on Twitter.

To those struggling with addiction, there is true, real hope. 25 years ago today, I found recovery; and a life of promise. #Grateful
— Rob Lowe (@RobLowe) May 10, 2015

A quarter century ago, Lowe, who had his first drink at age five, winningly entered rehab after a series of events leading to a rather low–and public–bottom.

To this day, he maintains that it was the best decision he ever made.

Often, we hear about celebrities who are out all night partying, getting DUI’s, or ducking in and out of rehab. The media loves to descend on celebrities who just can’t “stay on the wagon,” rather than focusing on those who’ve made an honest and successful go at turning their lives around.

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By openly celebrating his long-term recovery, Lowe is an inspiration to alcoholics and addicts everywhere—both those who just can’t imagine life without picking up a drink, and those who have committed to racking up the years one day at a time. Lowe demonstrates that it’s possible, and the rewards are great if you’re ready to do the work.

Lowe is joined by Robert Downey, Jr., Bradley Cooper, Colin Farrell, Edie Falco, and Tim McGraw, who have each logged some serious time and made their long-term sobriety public.

(Share your own success, and theirs, below)

Why Butterflies Are Swarming Thanks to Local Vineyards

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Terry Turner

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May 12, 2015

Vineyards experimenting with the elimination of pesticides have stumbled upon a pleasant side effect — attracting swarms of butterflies.

Washington state wineries, seeking more organic forms of pest control, have been creating habitats for so-called “good” insects which feed on bugs that harm crops. Researchers have discovered that these “habitat-enriched” vineyards are hosting three times the number of butterfly species and four times more butterflies than conventional vineyards.

The vineyards never intended to attract butterflies, because they don’t actually help protect the grapes at vineyards, as they don’t eat pests. But butterflies thrive in the native shrubs planted to attract the insects that do–and they provide a pleasant visual for people visiting wineries.

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“To have butterflies flying around could be part of a tourism drive and an attraction for visitors,” said David James, an associate professor in Washington State University’s Department of Entomology. “In these days of organic production and not wanting pesticides on food, butterflies can be a symbol of that.”

James was among the WSU researchers who discovered the new diversity of butterfly species and populations popping up around the vineyards. Their paper will be published in the June issue of the Journal of Insect Conservation.

Butterfly populations have been declining as more and more farms continue to take over natural habitats, but James says these vineyards have shown that agriculture can live alongside, and even preserve, nature.

Photo by Washington State University

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How This Smartphone Case Charges Batteries Out of Thin Air

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Terry Turner

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May 12, 2015

How many times a day do you scramble around looking for a power cord and outlet to recharge your mobile phone? A new smartphone case promises to top-off your battery life–out of thin air.

The Harvest phone case grabs the power your phone wastes and puts it back into the battery.

About 90% of your phone’s power is spent pumping out radio waves just trying to keep its wireless connection – even when you’re not using it. The case “harvests” those stray radio waves and converts them into electric power. The Harvest case is able to stretch your battery life by nearly a third.

Nikola Labs’ Will Zell explains in the video below how the phone case is able to turn radio waves into electricity.

Ohio State University came up with the technology and licensed it to Nikola Labs to build and sell. The case, available only for the iPhone initially, is expected to launch later this month on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter. It will cost $99 and be available four months later.

Photo by closari – CC

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Starbucks to Stop Bottling Water in California Due to Drought

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Good News Network

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May 12, 2015

For each bottle of Ethos Water sold, a small contribution is funneled to water charities around the world–but those benefits came at the expense of California’s water supply.

Last week, in response to the serious drought conditions and water conservation efforts in California, Starbucks, the company’s owner, announced it was moving the sourcing and manufacturing of Ethos out of state.

“Beginning the first week of May and over the next six months, Starbucks plans to move production to its Pennsylvania supplier, while simultaneously exploring alternatives to transition to a new source and supplier to serve the company’s West Coast distribution,” the company said in a statement.

The Ethos water had been sourced from private springs in the town of Baxter, in the Sierra foothills and bottled it through a Safeway plant in Merced, which will continue its operation.

More beneficial to California is Starbucks’ claim that it decreased its in-store water usage by 26 percent across the state.

“We are committed to our mission to be a globally responsible company and to support the people of the state of California as they face this unprecedented drought,” said John Kelly, Starbucks senior vice president of Global Responsibility and Public Policy.

Since Starbucks acquired Ethos Water in 2005, the company has invested over $12 million in water, sanitation and hygiene education in coffee growing countries in Africa, Indonesia and Latin America.

However, the bottled water industry carries enormous costs in other areas– energy, oil, and the carbon footprint of manufacturing and shipping those bottles.

Stranger On Bus Gives 5-Year-Old Wonderfully Inspiring Note

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Ashley Williams

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May 11, 2015

Kindergarten may be scary for some 5-year-olds, but the kindness of strangers can go miles to calm your fears.

Ella Mitchell told her mom that she was really nervous about starting school – especially learning how to read. A stranger on the bus overheard their conversation and decided to write her an encouraging note. He left it with the mother and it read:

“When you practice letters enough, and the sounds they make, they’ll start to work together and make sense, and then you’ll be reading. When you can read, you’ll know what EVERYTHING says. All the signs, all the names, all the books, writing is EVERYWHERE if you look. Soon you’ll be able to read books, and everything there is to know is in them! You’ll be able to find out whatever you want! It probably won’t be easy, but it won’t be hard forever. It’s going to be so exciting! Good luck!”

Afterward, her mother told King-5 News that even though Ella doesn’t know how to read, she already has memorized the touching and encouraging note.

(WATCH the KING-5 video above, or READ more at Yahoo Parenting)

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Built by Quarterback Tim Tebow, Children’s Hospital in Asia Opens

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Terry Turner

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May 11, 2015

NFL quarterback Tim Tebow has scored a win for suffering children in the Philippines. His foundation has opened a five-story, 30 bed hospital in Davao City. It has three operating rooms and will specialize in orthopedic surgeries for children.

“I was born in the Philippines while my parents served as missionaries, and I have always had a great love and passion for the Filipino people,” Tebow said in a statement. “It is so exciting to be able to provide healing and care for these incredibly deserving children halfway around the world.”

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The Tebow Foundation broke ground on the hospital three years ago. The foundation and CURE International will run the Tebow CURE Hospital with a 54-person staff, serving children with orthopedic conditions such as clubfoot, bowed legs, cleft palate and other congenital abnormalities.

(READ more at ABS-CBN News)

Hospital photo by Tim Tebow Foundation – Tim Tebow photo by sportiqe, CC

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43 CEOs: Climate Debate Is Over, Carbon Cuts Are Good for Business

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Terry Turner

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May 11, 2015

CEOs from 43 global companies are declaring themselves “ambassadors for climate action” in an open letter to businesses and government leaders around the world.

The CEOs represent a diverse group of companies, from manufacturing and banking to construction and energy, a list that includes Dow Chemical, Volvo and Toshiba.

“The science debate is over – climate change is real and addressable,” the letter reads. Also included is a promise to focus on solutions to climate change while creating new economic opportunities.

Slowly, Asia’s Factories Begin to Turn Green

The letter says the private sector has the power to move the world away from using fossil fuels and to create what they call a “climate-resilient economy.”

The groups hopes to utilize technological innovations to reduce their own companies’ carbon footprints, and plans to consider climate change risks during the decision making process going forward.

(READ more at NBC News)

Photo by otodo, CC

Quarterback Fulfills 4th Grade Promise to Take Girl with Down Syndrome to Prom

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Good News Network

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May 11, 2015

When Mary Lapkowicz and Ben Moser were in fourth grade, their teacher, Tracey Spogli, noticed how hard Ben worked to include Mary, who has Down syndrome, in games and activities.

“He watched over her constantly,” Spogli recalled, as the students posed for photos outside Mary’s home on May 8, 2015. “If she was looking like she wasn’t having fun, he would go over and talk to her. He would pull her in to what ever activity they were doing.”

“I thought Mary was sweet and easy to get along with,” Ben told the Patriot-News.

On Friday, the 17-year-old pals attended prom together.

(WATCH the video above or READ the full story, w/ prom photos, from the Patriot-News)

Pig Named Lucky Saved Family’s Life During Fire

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Good News Network

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May 11, 2015

We’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of a noble rescue worthy of the movie, Babe.

After an early morning fire broke out at a Mount Carmel, Illinois home, Lucky the pet pig flew into action, screaming, squealing, and slamming into the bedroom door.

Lucky’s alarm saved the lives of Ina Farler and her two grandchildren just before 5am.

“He loves my grandkids to death,” she said of their potbelly pal. “Pigs are loving. They can be very protective.”

(WATCH the video above from WFIE)

10-year-old Saves Classmate From Choking on Chicken

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Good News Network

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May 10, 2015

A South Carolina fourth grader is credited with helping save the life of his classmate who was choking on a chicken nugget at lunch.

The 10-year-old said at first he thought his friend was joking, until he realized the boy couldn’t breathe.

(WATCH the video below, or READ the full story at WBTV)

Story tip from carilyn

Parents Doubt They‘re Good Enough, Until They Hear From Kids (WATCH)

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Good News Network

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May 10, 2015

When parents were asked how they thought they were doing, they expressed doubts and fear that they weren’t living up to their own goal of being good parents.

But when their kids were asked to give their evaluation, the answers reminded parents that they’re doing better than they think.

On Mother’s Day, tell a parent or grandparent something they might not have heard: “You’re doing better than you think.”

(WATCH the moving video from Minute Maid below)

Stephen Colbert Auctions TV Desk, Uses $800K to Fund SC Teachers

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Good News Network

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May 9, 2015

For nearly a decade, Stephen Colbert sat at a desk hosting his amusing late night talk-show on the cable channel Comedy Central. Though many don’t agree with his politics, everyone is talking about his latest contribution to education in his home state.

He’s using the money raised from auctioning that desk to help fulfill every grant request made by South Carolina public school teachers.

The donation of $800,000 will fund nearly 1,000 projects in more than 375 schools.

(READ the full story in the Washington Post)

Check Out the Surprising Products Being Made From Coffee Grounds

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Good News Network

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May 9, 2015

More and more, we’re seeing brilliant uses for household items once discarded as trash. You will never look at coffee grounds the same way after seeing the furniture, jewelry, and coffee machine housings that Adam Fairweather has brought to life using humble coffee waste.

The UK designer, who has become an expert in recycling technologies, started exploring the idea of using coffee grounds to create new materials ten years ago when Starbucks began opening stores in Britain. He wanted to find a way to unlock the value inherent in these steamy, brown leftovers.

“The idea that it already had this high value but we only use a little of it, that was interesting because I felt that there was a way of tapping into this perceived high value the product has intrinsically,” he told the Guardian.

The initial result was Greencup. The service delivers organic, Fairtrade coffee to offices, caterers and restaurants around the UK. Then, it collects the coffee waste and recycles it into valuable fertilizer.

With access to such a supply of coffee waste, Fairweather, an inventor at heart, envisioned the creation of more products. He opened an industrial design and manufacturing nonprofit, called Re-worked.

The Guardian reports that after Google began using Greencup’s closed-loop coffee service, it purchased furniture from Re-Worked that was made from a hybrid material comprised of 60% coffee grounds. Jeweler Rosalie McMillan has mixed the same material with gold and silver to create designer bangles. Sanremo has used a concoction of 70% coffee grounds to create a decorative housing for its Verde coffee machines.

Fairweather hopes to scale the process of making materials from coffee waste, but only if he can remain true to his vision of a fair trade “circular business”.

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Why is This 97-Year-old on a School Field Trip? The Kids Owe Her.

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Good News Network

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May 9, 2015

Vivian Bailey, 97, has spent the past 15 years fundraising for the children at Running Brook Elementary School in Maryland, so they can go on educational field trips. When she was growing up, attending a poor school in the South, they never had such opportunities, which is why she wanted to make a difference for these students.

Finally, last week, she got to travel on one of her own, to the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. It was her very first field trip.

“Children out on the western part of the county where we have all these millionaires get these fabulous field trips. The parents of these children don’t have that type of money and I’m just determined that our children get the advantage of field trips,” she told WTTG-TV.

Her second trip is already in the works.

(READ the full story, w/ photos, from WTTG-5)

3D Print of Sonogram Lets Blind Mother “See” Baby in Her Tummy

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Good News Network

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May 9, 2015

Tatiana Guerra of Brazil may have lost her vision at age 17, but she still got to “see” what her little one looked like.

With a little help from Huggies, the mom-to-be was able to “feel” her unborn baby, Murilo, when the ultrasound was turned into a printed cast from a 3D printer.

Son Surprises His Mom With A House For Mother’s Day

“Mommy’s counting the days,” she says as she rubs her tummy.

Just 15 minutes after she asked her doctor to describe what the baby looked like, she was handed the cast of the baby’s face and body.

The whole thing was a surprise–check out this video to witness her reaction.

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Ten Inspiring Quotes for Mother’s Day (Send One to Your Mom)

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Ashley Williams

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May 9, 2015

Every Mother’s Day, we honor the women who have dedicated their lives in service to their children and families. To help celebrate moms worldwide, we’ve collected some inspiring quotes about the impact–and sacrifice– of motherhood.

What’s your favorite memory of your mom– something she did that no one else did, something quirky or endearing that really makes you smile? We are collecting your ‘mom-isms’ for a Good News Network Mother’s Day post on Sunday. Please share yours in the comments below, or use Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #MyMomism

mother of the bride-CC-Robby_Mueller — Mother of the Bride, by Robby Mueller, submitted

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. –Washington Irving

“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”
– Abraham Lincoln

Black-Mother-Young-Adult-Son-Smiling-CC-Loveseat Deals — Photo by Loveseat Deals (Creative Commons)

“Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials.” – Meryl Streep

Photo by mynameisharsha (Creative Commons)

“I believe the choice to become a mother is the choice to become one of the greatest spiritual teachers there is.” – Oprah Winfrey

mother child on beach-cc-Philippe Put-CC — Photo by Philippe Put (Creative Commons)

“Motherhood has taught me the meaning of living in the moment and being at peace. Children don’t think about yesterday, and they don’t think about tomorrow. They just exist in the moment.” – Jessalyn Gilsig (actress)

Black-Mother-And-Son-Smiling-CC-Blinkofanaye — Photo by Blinkofanaye (Creative Commons)

“No language can express the power, and beauty, and heroism, and majesty of a mother’s love. It shrinks not where man cowers, and grows stronger where man faints, and over wastes of worldly fortunes sends the radiance of its quenchless fidelity like a star.” – Edwin Hubbell Chapin (Preacher and poet)

mom_and_daughter_look_like_sisters-SunStar — Photo courtesy of Sun Star

“More than in any other human relationship, overwhelmingly more, motherhood means being instantly interruptible, responsive, and responsible.” – Tillie Olsen (feminist writer)

Indian-Mother-Snuggling-With-Son-CC-legends2k — Photo by legends2k (Creative Commons)

“Motherhood is a great honor and privilege, yet it is also synonymous with servanthood. Every day women are called upon to selflessly meet the needs of their families. Whether they are awake at night nursing a baby, spending their time and money on less-than-grateful teenagers, or preparing meals, moms continuously put others before themselves.” – Charles Stanley (Baptist pastor)

Photo by Sun Star — Photo courtesy of Sun Star

“Throughout my life, my mom has been the person that I’ve always looked up to.” – Mike Krzyzewski (legendary men’s basketball coach)

Share for Mother’s Day (click below)… Top photo by aarongilson (CC)

Girl Sends A Message to Dad in Space Using 11 Cars

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Terry Turner

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May 8, 2015

Can you deliver a message to space using a car? Yes, if you have 11 sets of tire tracks.

That’s how a 13-year-old girl sent her father aboard the International Space Station a short message–spread out over 1,300 acres.

The carmaker Hyundai provided the cars and the computers that turned the girl’s handwriting into GPS driving directions. Eleven cars, driving side by side, left tire tracks in a dry lake bed spelling out “Steph (loves) you.” And it was big enough for her father to see from space. The video below shows how it was done.

Hyundai only identified the girl as “Steph,” but ABC News reported Astronaut Terry Virts, scheduled to return from the ISS this month, has a daughter named Stephanie.

At 59,808,480 square feet, the image set a Guinness World Record for the largest tire track image — and arguably the largest billboard in the solar system.

(READ more at the New York Daily News)

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Baby Gorilla Born in Virunga for Mother’s Day (WATCH)

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Good News Network

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May 8, 2015

Just in time for Mother’s Day, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund announced the birth of an endangered mountain gorilla in the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda.

There are less than 900 of these primates in existence worldwide, so each birth is a precious gift.

The video below shows the new baby and describes how gorillas make great mothers: They sleep with their babies every night for four years and nurse the infants during their first three years of life. They also carry their offspring everywhere for the first eight months.

READ more at GorillaFund.org / Story tip from Jane Riley

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NASA Device Finds 4 Buried Victims in Nepal by Detecting Heartbeats

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Good News Network

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May 8, 2015

Four men trapped under 10 feet of bricks, mud and other debris were rescued in Nepal thanks to a heartbeat detection device developed by NASA and the Department of Homeland Security. The search-and-rescue technology called FINDER (Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response) uses a microwave-radar detector the size of a suitcase.

Following the April 25 earthquake, two prototype FINDERs were deployed to Nepal.

“The true test of any technology is how well it works in a real-life operational setting,” said DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology Dr. Reginald Brothers.

The men had been trapped beneath the rubble for days in the hard-hit village of Chautara when the FINDER was turned over to a team of international rescuers from China, the Netherlands, Belgium and members of the Nepali Army. Using FINDER, they were able to detect two heartbeats beneath each of two different collapsed structures, allowing the rescue workers to find and save the men.

“FINDER exemplifies how technology designed for space exploration has profound impacts to life on Earth,” said Dr. David Miller, NASA’s chief technologist in Washington, DC.

It has previously demonstrated capabilities of detecting people buried under up to 30 feet of rubble, hidden behind 20 feet of solid concrete, and from a distant of 100 feet in open spaces. A new “locator” feature has since been added to not only provide search and rescue responders with confirmation of a heartbeat, but also the approximate location of trapped individuals within about five feet, depending on the type of rubble.

Source: Jet Propulsion Lab / Story tip from carilyn

In His Will, Man Gives Buddies Each $5000 With Orders to Go on Holiday

By

Terry Turner

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May 8, 2015

Roger Brown knew death was coming, which gave him time to arrange a special surprise for seven of his longtime friends.

A week after he died, Brown’s closest friends in the town of Sketty, Wales, discovered they had each been given $5,400 and one specific rule — they had to spend it on a weekend holiday in Europe.

Brown was the common thread tying the group of mates together. As retirees, they all hung out in the same local pub, remaining friends for over forty years. When he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he decided he didn’t want the party to end.

War Veterans Reunite After Unknowingly Living 18 years as Neighbors (WATCH)

It took almost three years to make the arrangements, but the band of  buddies has just returned from Berlin, where they saw the sites and toasted his memory in frequent “comfort stops,” as one of his friends described their pub crawl.

“We would like to formally apologize to Roger’s two sons, Sam and Jack, for taking away some of their inheritance,” Roger Rees told the Swansea Evening Post. “We spent most of it on beer, the rest we wasted.”

Roger Brown would probably think it was money well spent.

(READ more at The Daily Mail)

Photo by Images of Money, CC

“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” – Abraham Lincoln

“Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials.” – Meryl Streep

“I believe the choice to become a mother is the choice to become one of the greatest spiritual teachers there is.” – Oprah Winfrey

“Motherhood has taught me the meaning of living in the moment and being at peace. Children don’t think about yesterday, and they don’t think about tomorrow. They just exist in the moment.” – Jessalyn Gilsig (actress)

“More than in any other human relationship, overwhelmingly more, motherhood means being instantly interruptible, responsive, and responsible.” – Tillie Olsen (feminist writer)

“Throughout my life, my mom has been the person that I’ve always looked up to.” – Mike Krzyzewski (legendary men’s basketball coach)

“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”
– Abraham Lincoln