This morning I ran into an acquaintance who also works in the parenting media world, who was kind enough to tell me how touched she was by this post I wrote about taking my children to sleepaway camp. It reminded her of one of her own favorite family stories, involving a necklace her son once made for her as a boy and a promise (that she kept) to wear it at his wedding. Then she shared something else so personal, that I can’t imagine I’ll receive a more moving birthday gift today.
We were about to say goodbye, and she says to me: “Let me know if you, or your organization, do anything with domestic violence. I’m ready to give back.”
I didn’t need to ask her to fill in the blanks, and I’m sure you don’t need me to either. What I will say is that I was shocked that she thought to ask this of me, presumably because of my writing, or some of the work that my colleagues and I have done at New York Family and the New York Baby Show, or a generally good vibe she has about all of it.
I will help her of course, and I have a pretty good idea of where to start; as it happens we have feature in the works on this amazing organization: The NYC Family Justice Centers.
But when someone thinks enough of you to put something like that in your hands, it makes you to try to do even better, at work, in your family, and everywhere else.
Eric Messinger is the editor of New York Family. He can be reached at emessinger@manhattanmedia.com
