He Finished It!

Raina Birden2 Comments

Have any of you ever written a book? It sounds great and wonderful. But after watching my husband go through the process. I am not sure I want to tackle that any day soon. I applaud those of you who have taken on this task.

My husband, JJ, wrote his first book this last year, “When Opportunity Knocks, 8 Surefire Ways to Take Advantage”, amid his other countless responsibilities. I am so proud of what he has accomplished. He started out with a bang of writing but with all the things that have to be taken care of when you are providing for a very large family the writing had to take a back seat. He had to write in the small pockets left over. There were times we would have a little mini staycation, meaning we used points and went to a local hotel so he could write. Those times were very productive for him. He was able to stay focused on his writing. I have to admit they weren’t so bad for me either. I love a good book but don’t get the chance to read very often, so I took those times to catch up on my reading or work on my own projects. One large project last year was graduation videos. I create a graduation video for each graduating senior and I had two last year, so that was a good time to focus on that. I will have to share my process with you sometime. We have another senior this year so I am deep into that along with everything else. 🙂

JJ has always wanted to write a book. He has had some great experiences in his life that have made into some great stories for the chapters of his book. He has had to go through some tough obstacles, but he never let those challenges take him down. His book highlights those experiences and he shows us how he overcame them but also how to help us to overcome our own challenges in able to succeed. Here is an excerpt taken from his website that sums up his book:

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Throughout JJ’s life, he has dealt with many obstacles. Yet he has never allowed those obstacles to prevent him from achieving success on various levels.

For instance, during his quest to reach the NFL, many people said at 5’10” and 157 lbs, he was too small to play a big man’s game. Instead of allowing such negativity to break his focus, he used it as fuel to prove the doubters wrong, and went on to have a very successful NFL career.

JJ says, “I have met so many people over the years, who could have achieved some amazing things. Yet they allowed someone or the day-to-day challenges of life to get in the way. Therefore, they spend the rest of their life in a state of regret. In life we all have opportunities, no matter who we are, where we come from or our personal situation. The question is do we seize these opportunities and when we do, do we take advantage of them? My goal with this book is to share 8 key principles to help anyone seize their opportunities in life.”

I have had my small part in his book writing process. Besides being his cheerleader, I have been with him for most of his meetings with his mentor & editor, Dr. Will Moreland. I have also helped work with our book cover designer, Ruby James, which I have to say for me is the best part! Now I will have a part in getting the books into the hands of his readers. We just launched autographed pre-orders! It is very exciting times!

I hope all of you will check out my husbands new book, you won’t be disappointed. I think that JJ’s former Kansas City Chiefs Wide Receiver Coach Al Saunders who wrote the forward says it best:

 “This book certainly is not exclusively for the sports fan. Professional football just happened to be a passion JJ had and the National Football League the platform that was presented to realize one of his dreams. The reader will find it speaks to anyone who truly has a desire to succeed, a unique talent to develop or difficult challenge to overcome.

 Whether young or old, male or female, amateur or professional JJ’s words will motivate, inspire and challenge you to be the very best you can be in every phase of your life. He presents a plan for you to take advantage of those opportunities that can make a positive difference.” 

Here is a link if you would like to pre-order “When Opportunity Knocks, 8 Surefire Ways to Take Advantage!”

Have a fabulous week!

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
― Maya Angelou

Change

Raina Birden6 Comments

Wow, I am sorry it has been a long time since my last post!

We have a lot going on in the months of  April and May. A graduation to prepare for and … you have to keep reading to find out what other milestone is happening with the Birden’s. 🙂

“Why is he leaving me”?

I have found myself saying this a lot. I am taking it very personally as many mothers probably do. I can’t be the only one right! It took me some real reflection to accept that he is not actually leaving me. He is growing up and finding his own way in this world. But he is one of my babies all grown up and the first one to leave home. He is not just moving down the street or to the next town. He is moving to another state, 1350 miles away! I know I am certainly not the first mother to feel the pain of your child leaving home for the first time and I won’t be the last.

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When I think about him leaving, the feeling of loss is overwhelming. I can only imagine what it will be like when he actually is gone. It’s hard, I want to be supportive of his choice to move away. I want him to feel good and confident on this move and me not supporting only could result in bad feelings. He is such a smart, funny, well-rounded young man and I know he is going to do well. But ugh I am a little, just a wee bit emotional about it all. 🙂

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I remember when our children were little and I would think about this inevitable day. Ha! I thought then that hey, it will be great, I will have done my job and I will be ready to release them into the world. Whoa boy was I naive, it’s not easy. I remember crying when my oldest graduated from High School, thinking “no I am not ready for him to grow up”! But I have been able to have them home through their college years, maybe longer than some mothers have had, but finally it’s that time! So how am I going to deal? How will that void be filled? Well really it won’t be filled but I have found some advice on how I can cope successfully. Hopefully right!

  • It’s normal to feel very emotional. Whew! Cry when you need to cry but also give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done!
  • Understand motherhood is an evolution. You won’t stop being a mother to your child, you will just do it at a distance and in a different way.
  • Remember your child isn’t moving away from you, he/she is moving toward their own life.
  • To help ease the transition of not physically seeing your child. Technology is amazing today, so Skype, FaceTime is a great way to see your child as you communicate.

Our home will always be open to any of our children if they need to come back. I had to move back home during college so I know it happens. I am determined to be supportive and be his cheerleader as he moves into this next phase of his life. He knows we are sad to see him go, but he also knows we love him and support him in this move. He has his own normal emotions he is dealing with, excitement for his new adventure but sadness about leaving his family and friends. He is not moving to somewhere he has never been, he was raised for a large part of his life in Oregon. He will have family and friends there too.

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So although I am sad at seeing this funny, loving little boy who has grown to a very funny, loving, intelligent young man leave home. I am also excited for his new adventure!

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“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new”
– Dan Millman