"Just Tryin' to Matter"

I watched the Academy Awards last Sunday and I LOVED Reese Witherspoon's acceptance speech. I can't get these quotes out of my mind:

"to my parents....who were proud of me whether I was making my bed or making a movie"

and

from June Carter Cash "I'm just trying to matter"

Even as an adult, I want to make my parents proud. I want to make my husband proud. My kids proud. Myself proud. I've only thought of it from MY perspective. Reese's speech made me think of it from a child's perspective. Do my children feel the same? Do they want and need me to be proud of them? Of course they do! So now I have committed to making it a priority to tell my girls how proud I am of them. For doing kind things for others, for being polite, for helping around the house.....for being themselves.

As for "trying to matter" - I love that phrase. I told Dave it is going to be my motto. "to matter" through my work, through my friendships, through my children, through my family, through my community. The hard part is to figure out how I can "matter in the best way possible." Where do I focus my time, energy, love, skills - when there are so many important issues facing our world? Education, environment, disease, poverty. Elderly, children, babies. Saftey, security, peace. Direct vs. indirect support. Money, time, skills. Rochester, Minnesota, USA, World. The big picture is too overwhelming. Lately, I've been spending my time on education initiatives (through my work and through my involvement with the Montessori School).

I've had nagging thoughts, however, that I need to learn more about the political process. Who are the local and state representatives? What do they stand for? Whom can I support and how? I am getting frustrated reading the paper, listening to the news and feeling (or perceiving) negative things happening in our world. To my generation and to my children's. Of course, it seems everything you read or hear has another side - of which you need to search out to get the entire story. Because much of what is out there is put there by people with a specific view on the subject. How can I get to the facts. All of the facts. So that I can make intelligent, well-informed decisions?

because - after all, aren't we all "just trying to matter"?