Mothers and mother figures are an important part of most of our journeys. Whether a birth mother, stepmother, or someone who you view in a maternal light, today is a perfect day to honor them. Today, in Japan, America, Canada, and other countries, we celebrate Mother’s Day. While we are all familiar with Mother’s Day, worldwide, we don’t celebrate it on the same day. Some countries celebrate it in March, while others, like us, celebrate it on the 2nd Sunday in May.

Blood is essential for all life.  It helps deliver oxygen and important nutrients to our cells, removes waste from our bodies, helps fight infections, and many more things that would drastically decrease your quality of life.  More than bodily functions, it connects families.  It saves lives.  Today, we celebrate World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant.

Ronald McDonald House Charities Japan is a nonprofit organization that funds accommodation facilities for families with children undergoing medical treatments.  Its concept is “A Home-Away-From-Home, a second place where people can feel at home. The Houses should be a place that families accompanying sick children can spend their time as comfortably as if they were at home.

Pay It Forward is a term that many of us have heard.  However, do you know the meaning behind it?  The easiest way to define paying it forward is receiving money or help from someone and feeling moved to ‘pay it forward’ to the next person.  If this feeling compels the next person, the result is usually a long chain of people helping the next person.  The ‘pay’ can be the same thing you received or something that you see someone needs.