Just Like You and Me

Although we are all different in our own unique ways, we are the same. We are the same in the fact that we all need the same basic necessities to survive: food, water, clothing, shelter, oxygen, and love. As human beings, we crave touch...both physically and emotionally. We crave interaction, whether that be in close life-long friendships, a boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse relationship, or a friendly wave or 'hello' from a random stranger on the street. All of these interactions make us feel connected to one another. Over the last year, we've seen the world become more divided and more isolated than we've ever seen before. At times, it can seem like we're on our own island disconnected from one another. We're very much aching, yearning for that connection again, and a positive connection that brings us closer together in a tight bond. After all, we are our brother's keeper. In order for us to have a life-well lived, we first need to ensure we have sustainable life on Earth (and beyond). Caring for one another is a great first step in that process, for if we truly care about one another, we would see that a lot of our disagreements, not seeing-eye-to-eye moments, and misunderstandings are trivial in the grand scheme of things. Making a positive difference in each other lives is the best thing we can do to make the world a better place. We can't lose if we do that--it's positive domino effect. Lifting each other up with compliments, positive words of affirmations, and well wishes is exactly what the proverbial doctor orders. Tearing each other down with condescending remarks, negative banter, and harmful words is exactly what we should NOT do. Just some food for thought for today...

In looking back over the years of making a difference, there is one idea that continually surfaces: Everyone is like one another when it comes to basic human necessities. Instead of shutting down a great idea or writing someone off before truly giving them a chance (because of gender, skin color, etc...), we should be embracing diversity and the fact that all of us have something truly great to give one another: Love. Since we mainly work with those in the human services field (especially those with developmental disabilities), we were inspired to write a children's picture book and song using a short story about someone with cerebal palsy as the main character guiding the way.

Here's the book, 'Just Like You and Me' or https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/jim-gaven/just-like-you-and-me/paperback/product-1km2kwm5.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Here's the song, 'Just Like You and Me' or https://jimgaven.bandcamp.com/track/just-like-you-and-me

Feel free to check it out, share it with family, friends, and anyone whom you feel might be interested, and remember to take care of one another. We're all in this thing called life together, so we might as well work together to make it the best experience for all of us. We owe it to ourselves to do so.