With the tragic event that took place in Boston this week, a number of people have asked me why I didn’t blog, tweet, or post my reaction to Facebook. While I understand it was a high priority news item —and remaining silent about it may have seemed odd—it was the right way for me to handle this situation. My instincts were telling me that whoever was responsible for creating this devastation was getting enough airtime. It disgusted me to think of the attacker at home watching the news or poring over social media—delighting in their sick success.

So Victoria Secret released a new line that appears to be targeted at young teens.

I don’t think I’m the only parent who has run from the mall screaming, “Why, why can’t there be something stylish AND age-appropriate for my 12-year-old?”  It seems once our daughters outgrow the adorable children’s stores, we are confronted with a shift in marketing, and a plethora of clothing and undergarments that sexualize young girls.

Remarkable experiences are said to be uncommon and extraordinary. And after spending so much time planning a family vacation -- not to mention a good chunk of cash to pull it off -- we all want our vacations to be just that.

But think back on your family vacations. Alas, young and old alike will forget many of them as the years pass by. All those trips to the beach begin to merge together. So do the grueling hours spent in line at theme parks.

How many times have you written an email, text message or sent any message using a form of electronics; where the message was immediately sent, without spell check? When you look back at the message, you call yourself all sorts of grammatically challenged names. You laugh and may even send a message to append to the last message, with changes. You may even follow up with a phone call. In some cases you wish you never sent it.

I wish that my nephew had a visible disability.

I have been compelled to write this post. I will be as respectful as possible and am not looking to be a martyr. I just have feelings, thoughts and insights that I would like to share, based on a recent local news event. Specifically, an old high school class mate that has allegedly committed murder-suicide on herself and two young children, ages six and seven.

Several months ago, I posted that my children were lobbying for a dog. I got great feedback, tips and opinions from dog lovers and haters alike.

Many, many months have passed and much thought has been put into the topic, and all the while my children have campaigned. What did this campaign look like? Well, there were many different projects and presentations involved.

Ten years ago, the four Mabel partners sat in my sister’s kitchen drinking champagne and stuffing envelopes to send to our friends. The letters inside announced our new business, Mabel’s Labels. We may have come close to begging them to order from our fancy new website. That fancy new website had just been created by a couple of buddies from university who did it in exchange for a foosball table.  Our budget for that evening of envelope stuffing was enough to cover about 100 stamps.

Last week I had an extraordinary conversation with Tanya Geisler on my radio show on Transformation Talk Radio, and I want to share a powerful insight.

 Her mom’s mantra was: “Don’t postpone your joy!”

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