by Tammy L. Hopper, Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer

Are you tired of thinking of gifts? Various faith traditions often include some element of thinking of others and demonstrating some level of appreciation via a gift. Angel trees, toy drives, and stocking stuffers – this is a time so many are thinking about giving and experiencing the stress that comes with these thoughts. Will they like what I picked out? Can I afford what they asked for? How will I explain if I can’t give them what they want?

Getting to Know Your NSPN Family: What is your favorite holiday movie or special?

There’s a subtle chill in the air and all of the leaves have fallen down. The holidays are approaching and on top of all of the decorating and baking that takes place, there are plenty of tv specials and movies to get you in the holiday spirit. This month we asked your NSPN family: when the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, what is your favorite holiday movie to watch?

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, which means it’s time to put on your loose pants, eat a feast and be grateful for all the different blessings in your life! Although our traditions may differ from family to family, Thanksgiving is often about sharing a meal together. For the month of thankfulness, we wanted to know: what is one of your favorite, and one of your least favorite, dishes?

October is upon us and that can bring the tricks, treats, and frights! This month we asked our NSPN Family: What is your favorite Halloween costume you’ve worn?

I teamed up with 2 friends in a tribute to the “United States of Tara” television series.  I was Alice, and they were Buck and “T,” each an alternate identity belonging to Toni Collette’s lead character Tara Gregson.  We were absolutely delighted with ourselves but apparently a little ahead of the curve, as no one we encountered that Halloween night was familiar with the show.  If folks haven’t seen it, I highly recommend doing so. – Shauna Brooks, Performance and Evaluation Specialist

The best thing about music is the fact that there is something for everyone to enjoy! With so many different genres and sounds, it’s impossible to meet someone who doesn’t have at least one song they love. Additionally, the kind of music people enjoy can say a lot about them. For this month’s staff question, we asked the NSPN Family: If you were in a band, what kind of music would you play and what would your name be?

Shauna Brooks, Performance and Evaluation Specialist: "My wife is a singer-songwriter.  If we got to make music together, we’d have 2 bands.  The first would have a quiet coffee shop vibe – just the 2 of us singing warm harmonies with an acoustic guitar.  The other would be a collaboration with other musicians - lead guitarist, bass player, and drummer - playing blues and southern rock." 

As August starts again, a new school year follows shortly behind. Though it’s been some years since, grade school and high school are huge chunks of our lives that began the mold of who we are today. This month, we wanted to reflect on your NSPN Family’s studious times for the back-to-school-season with the question, what is your favorite memory from your time in either grade school or high school?

April Carthorn, NSPN Membership Manager & T/TA: Winning my first crown! I won a popularity contest and was elected Miss 7^th Grade. I absolutely loved being a crossing guard too!

July is often a leisurely month with vacations to the beach, cookouts with the family, and more than enough sunshine. Unfortunately for us, work and stress don’t always take vacations. For businesses, any time of the year can mean deadlines, planning, and even more deadlines. For day to day life, it can seem like there’s always something new that needs to get done.

During times like this, it’s important to take a step back and appreciate the silver lining! Seeing the good in just one thing can lead to more positivity in your life, all around. That’s why this month, we asked your NSPN family: What is the best thing that happened to you during this past week? 

Written by: Elizabeth Smith Miller, Director of Marketing and Events, National Safe Place Network

May is National Foster Care Month, and the purpose of the month is to “acknowledge foster parents, family members, volunteers, mentors, policy makers, child welfare professionals, and other members of the community who help children and youth in foster care find permanent homes and connections.” It’s also a time to “renew commitments to ensure bright futures for more than 440,000 children and youth in foster care.”

Written by: Elizabeth Smith Miller, Director of Marketing and Events, National Safe Place Network

April 30th is National Honesty Day. Let’s talk about being honest! Ok, that’s a lie. I’d rather talk about lies and why we, especially our young people, lie and what we can do to help.

Written By: Susan Harmon, Director of National Safe Place Operations

April 22, 2019, is Earth Day.  You’ve probably heard of it, but do you know what it is, and how it came about?  Earth Day began in 1970 at a time of great citizen engagement and call to action.  Individuals were very concerned about the use and misuse of natural resources and the effects on the environment. Gas-guzzling vehicles were the norm, and gas shortages were beginning to become commonplace.  Air and water pollution were in the spotlight, and litter on the roadways was a national eye sore.  Earth Day was one response to this growing crisis.  To learn more about the history of Earth Day, visit https://www.earthday.org/about/the-history-of-earth-day/

Thankfulness

Written by: Tammy Hopper, Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer, National Safe Place Network

By definition – thankful is easy to understand.  “Thanks” is an expression of gratitude – gratefulness – for something we have or have been given. It seems as if this would be simple and yet for some it is one of the most challenging concepts of all.

Written by: Eric Peterson, Communications Intern, National Safe Place Network

With how hectic and complex our lives can be on a regular basis, even the basic idea of “free time” can get left behind and covered up as we deal with the various tasks and obligations that take up our waking moments. That said, when we do get time to ourselves, it can sometimes be hard to know what to do with it, and when boredom sets in, it can be hard to free yourself from it.