It’s Mother’s Day weekend, and while we are all elbow deep in mimosas and fancy brunches -or laundry and dirty diapers, I think we need to take a minute to celebrate our mom friendships.  You see, I truly believe that ‘The Village’ is alive and well! The modern village may not be the same as THE village that everyone is always talking about, but like most things in life – it has evolved. Today’s village consists of tens of thousands of tribes, each one strong and supportive.  While tribes may see things differently, as a whole, the village is a force to be reckoned with. So this Mother’s Day, let’s take a moment to be thankful for our tribe, whether it be large or small – brand new or two decades old. The people who lift us up, support us through it all, withhold judgement, vent frustrations and celebrate successes.  Those we can depend on; those we view as extended family.

Perhaps you have seen the social media backlash against Old Navy and their interracial family picture.  If you haven't, here's  the scoop: April 29, 2016 - Old Navy published a coupon code for its customers along side of a beautiful photo of a family wearing some of the brand's clothing.

In the race of life, it pays off to stay at your pace, remain strong, and never give up.  There is something so special about someone who stays true to himself in the craziness around him. We would like you to meet Vincent, a determined little turtle.  Vincent has a very special story to tell.

It was a warm day, late in Spring – so close to Summer that Vincent could almost taste the afternoon rain showers in the air. Vincent knew his friends would be at the local water spot enjoying the beautiful day.  He packed a lunch and slowly made his way through his patch of the forest toward the water hole. Now Vincent is not the fastest animal, and this could be quite frustrating to some animals, but those who knew and loved Vincent understood that his patience brought a sense of calmness to their hearts.  Vincent enjoyed spending his days with friends, and today was no exception.  They swam and ate; they played and chatted. Before parting ways, a noise was heard in the distance.  It was the unmistakable sound of tears being shed. The animals all rushed toward the crying, while Vincent moved as quickly as he could.  In the hurry of running, the other animals did not have time to notice the other sound that faintly beckoned to Vincent. 

Photo credit I cannot type the news fast enough!  I am smiling ear to ear! While this news is not as huge as Netflix announcing that its employees will receive an optional year of paid parental leave, this is a small step for our country that can possibly lead to huge changes!

San Francisco  just approved 6-weeks fully paid parental leave. 

That's right.  San Francisco is paving the way. It has just become the first city in our country to require ALL companies provide a FULLY-paid parental leave for parents.  The six weeks will allow both the mother and father to take the time off, which realistically means that parents have 12 weeks between the two of them.

A dad and Navy corpsman, Brian Hill passed away leaving a devastated family behind.  He was involved in a traffic accident and sadly passed away.  While this news is life-shattering to those who loved and depended on Brian, there is another reason his story is making headlines. Brian's wife, Courtney, explained that she and her husband were trying to conceive another child the months prior to the accident in Oklahoma. The morning of Brian's wake, Courtney took a pregnancy test.  She was able to hold his hand and tell him the wonderful news before she kissed him goodbye forever. With the stress of her husband's death, motherhood, and life in general, there is no surprise to learn that within a few weeks of Brian's passing, Courtney experienced trouble with the pregnancy.  She feared the worst, but experienced something unimaginable as she was examined at the hospital.  Courtney's pregnancy was healthy, but more than that, she learned she was not carrying one, not two, but three tiny heartbeats within her womb!

We can all agree that our country has a horrible way of handling maternity (and paternity!) leave. Another story is making waves, this time it involves a second time mom who learned that she may lose her baby at 20 weeks gestation.  She was hospitalized for a month and then sent home to bedrest with hopes of keeping baby in utero for as long as possible.  Labor held off for another month before the mother gave birth 8 weeks early.  Her baby then spent another month in the NICU.  Little did she know that her maternity leave had been ticking away before her eyes.  She was under the assumption that she would be able to utilize her twelve week maternity leave from this point on.  The reality was, she only had two weeks left.