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.

Eight long tentacles and a smile that can brighten any room, Susan the Octopus is a fun loving animal of the ocean!  She can make friends with any passing squid, and is always ready for a celebration. Spending her days sun-bathing near the top of the water, Susan enjoys watching the families on the beach in front of her.  She often likes to swim just close enough to feel their presence, but not so close that she scares them. Susan has a secret: she longs for her own family to build sandcastles with. One day, Susan was relaxing in the waves and enjoying a brunch with her fish friends as she heard something from the beach ahead.  A panicked yelling from what Susan knew had to be a mother.  She could not find her small child anywhere, and the lifeguards were beginning to search the waters.  Susan knew she could help.  She dropped her prawns and went completely still.  She tried to tune everything else out and listened for a sign of the child.  In the distance, Susan heard a faint “Mama” cry, but more intensely she heard a pounding heartbeat. She sprung into action.

Kane is a Blue Whale, a mammal belonging to the baleen whale family.  He comes from a very long line of mighty Blue Whales.   Weighing in at 190 tons, Kane is use to others fearing him.  But Kane is nothing to fear, for he has a loving and giving heart.  He can sense when there are troubles in the sea and is always looking to help.  He provides rides to those smaller than him, a wonderful hiding place to anyone scared, and uses his strength to move, lift, and help any animal in need. One day, the seas turned rough.  The waters became darker and sands began to churn.  The animals of the ocean knew to stay home, for a great storm was on the surface.  But Kane could not sleep.  Even through all of the underwater storm sounds, he heard something: something new.  He knew he was being called to help. Kane set out against the waves and rough seas, following the sound that was calling to him.  He followed it to the surface, where he saw a sailboat struggling in the storm.  The night sky was painted dark blue, with clouds covering the moon.  The nearest land could not be seen.  This boat was in trouble.  Kane heard the sound grow louder as he swam closer to the small boat.  He had never ventured this close to humans before, but the sound called to him.  Suddenly, he could see aboard the boat: Humans, two of them.  The sound grew louder, the sound of a heart beating, but it was not from the man or the woman.  The noise that had beckoned Kane was a baby’s heartbeat. These humans were growing a baby! And this tiny, unborn creature was in danger tonight.  There was a family aboard this vessel and they needed Kane’s help to find their home.

'Tis the season for making goals that are never kept.   Let’s change that this year.  You may not keep every resolution, but there are a few ways to break down and prioritize the list of things you’d like to add into your life (or delete from it!).