Give a little respect...

Blog Project 3.0 has been going on for about two years, even though one of the group members changed after a few months. I love blogging with this group and I hope we can continue to inspire each other.

This week, Moma Rock chose the topic: Respect

First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic. I will be only posting links to posts on this same topic from my group. So check back if you were hoping to read their blogs and don't see a link yet.

Darwin Shrugged (included in 2/4/16 post)
Froggie
Moma Rock

The word respect can go so many ways, but today I want to use it for good, to talk about someone I truly respect. (In this case, the word means "admire.") Recently, I was given a writing prompt to talk about someone I consider a hero. I feel like revering (another word for respect) someone as a hero is close to idol worship, so I wanted to use today's topic to talk about this person.

First of all, I don't feel I need to use her initials because she knows everyone. (Even though she will debate this and say that I know everyone.) I will just refer to her by her first name, but chances are, you're probably friends with her already. :) If you're one of the 1% who somehow doesn't know her, I'd like to introduce you to Dana. By the time you're done reading this, you'll want to know her too! I met her a little over six years ago, as our kids were in the same school and have the same first name. It works out well that our son's last initials start with A and B. Makes it less confusing when we talk about them. Anyway, we instantly became friends and eventually started getting together, either for play dates for our kids or girls' nights out.

Those of you who watch The Goldbergs might know about the 12 year-old version of her. Yes, Adam Goldberg knew Dana when they were kids and he based the character of Dana on her. She even got to meet some of the cast when she was visiting the set of this show. I just started watching it, so I haven't seen her yet, but I'm excited to!

Anyhow, I respect Dana for a whole bunch of reasons. I'll list just a handful here or I'll never get anything else done.

*She started her own company to provide accessibility solutions for people with disabilities. She's well-versed in all areas of accessibility and answers questions about it in a way that is understandable to those who don't have as much experience in the field.

*With all the time she puts into her work and all the traveling she does for it, she still finds time to be an invested and caring mother. She does fun and creative things for her kids and gives them her full attention when she's with them.

*She's done some really cool things and is so modest about it when you bring it up. She got to be a sign language interpreter at a legendary musician's concert. (I won't say the name or you'll just get really jealous.)

*While she doesn't keep Kosher, she will make sure that when people from the community come to her house, all the food is Kosher. When she hosted book club, she even had a friend [who keeps Kosher] bring over their water heater for making tea and coffee. She's even kashered her kitchen to have friends over for a full meal.

*She's a terrific friend. Even with work, parenting, and other stuff going on (which I'll get to in a moment), she finds the time to meet for lunch, invite me over for tea, go out for karaoke, etc. And I'm one of her multitudes of friends, just in this community alone. Yet she makes time for everyone and also gives her friends her undivided attention.

*Last year, she injured her eye. From what she told me, she managed to keep control of the situation when it happened and then made lemons out of lemonade by using photos of herself in ads for her business.

And last, but certainly not least...

*She started Support the Girls, a charity for homeless women and teenage girls to provide bras and feminine hygiene products. It's grown exponentially since she came up with the idea last summer and is inspiring women all over to contribute. If you're interested in helping or learning more, visit Support the Girls on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

How does she do it all? Check out her post at The Balance Project blog. (And this was before she even started the charity!)

I'm just thankful to not only know her, but also to call her a friend. She's one of my favorite people and I hope this list gives you an idea of how great she is.

March 2015 at a banquet from my Shul.