Healing Hearts

Children of Seperation and Divorce Center, Inc. / Columbia: 410-740-9553

Matt Lawrence, 30, of Catonsville, MD, ran in the first annual Comcast Baltimore Marathon. He raised over $1000 to support the programs at COSD. We talked to Matt two days after the 26-mile long run to ask him about his goals, training, and inspiration for the run.
How did you come to choose to raise money for COSD? Well, my parents separated when I was 10 and my little sister Sally was 5. Sally got a lot of help from COSD and she is still involved as a peer counselor. I went to a couple of multiple family sessions, where I got to know Sally better> I still keep in touch with COSD as well. It is a great cause.
How did you train for the marathon? I started running with a friend 6 months ago. Right after that, Baltimore City announced that it would be having its first marathon. We found a 16-week program on the internet and followed it. I shed a few pounds and got stronger from the training. I was also turning 30 and I think that I wanted to prove to myself that I could be in as good condition physically as I had been when I was younger.
What would you say to kids

who feel inspired to help their community in some way but don’t know where to start? It’s amazing how easy it is to help people. Hold a carwash or bake sale, get donations from businesses and raffle them for a good cause. It’s really simple!
Do you have any final words of advice for our readers? Try to stay positive; it always makes things easier. Always have a goal to strive for. Once you’ve accomplished it, set another one.
 

Healing Hearts/ Volume 1, Issue 5 / Page 2 of 3

in their own lives, their families and their communities. The message of this newsletter is that we can each do our part to make our own lives full of hope and meaning. Maybe each one of us can start by choosing just one small act of kindness to make our home, street or school a better place. Your small act might be inviting a new kid to sit at your table at lunch or resolving to communicate your needs to your parents. What is important is that your act of kindness is meaningful to you and touches someone else’s life.

After the tragedies that affected all of the families in the United States, many of us teens are left wondering what we can do to help. We have been told to donate money and give blood and many, many of us have done those things, but we want to do more. This newsletter has inspirational stories of what people have done to overcome difficulties

The TV Is Broken.
By T.J., 12

The TV is broken. “Mom look at this,” I said. Mom said that we would fix it later. I went back into the bedroom and looked at the TV.  It had a 24- inch square hole in it. Then I saw two people on the TV start to fight. They were saying, “Drop dead!” and “Shut up!” I looked again. The TV was not plugged in. The people in the TV were my parents.

Q: I have been feeling down. I mean really, really down. I am sleeping a lot at my mom’s house and I just stay inside and watch TV at my dad’s house. They don’t get home until late and I am alone a lot. I feel like I am in a rut. What can I do to climb out of it?
M.L., Elkridge, MD

Dear M.L.,
It’s ok and very normal to feel sad sometimes. It sounds like, though, your “rut” is interfering with your life.

It is time to get some help. First, tell a trusted adult, like a parent, other relative, school counselor or teacher how you feel. Just sharing your feelings can relieve some of the loneliness you wrote about. It is also very important to look at what is making you feel sad. A school counselor would probably be able to help you sort things out. Second, you’re going to need some medicine for the mind – fresh air and exercise! Cut out the naps and reduce television watching. Walks,

Do something healthy every day. Eat nutritious foods and get 8-9 hours of sleep per night. Try to keep yourself busy and healthy. There is so much to think and talk about with feelings of sadness – too much for one letter! The most important thing is that you get help for yourself to feel better.
If feelings of despair and sadness overwhelm you or if you have ever considered hurting yourself, it is very important that you ask for help right away!

Short stories can engage the reader quickly and contain powerful messages.

Flower Puzzle, by Stephanie, 12

Matt Lawrence with his sister, Sally

Here is a word find called Inspiration!

Word List: Inspiration, Create, Do, Try, Dream, Accomplish, Work, Play, Start, Finish

W N J L L S T A R T T N V C X Y U O R E N E C K L O P B W W B R O
R R C L O D K S I S O Q T P E J E
K F I N I S H U R E  G R L E S R E
N M P C B E B A R S V T R Y  R R
S C T O M N E M P Q E V M C H P
H R I N S P I R A T I O N V S W Q
I  E O R U T T L O E P A C M N L
N A O U L O I P C N O L P R C B I
E T S M A C C O M P L I S H Y D
R E N P O S E M E N S T H E H F
M O V Y E D R E A M D S L E D I