AA Gifts & Baskets Idea & Advice Blog

A gift is a form of giving, to someone you know, a small piece of your affection for that person. A tip on the other hand is a small present of money given directly to someone for performing a service or menial task; like a gratuity: As in: “He gave the waiter a dollar as a tip”. A Tip can also be in the form of some information, from which a person can prosper, like a stock market tip or a tip on a horse race.

Speaking of stock market tips normally by the time an ordinary person hears about a stock market tip, the professionals on Wall Street, or in the various stock exchanges world wide, have heard about it for days, if not weeks. It is normally too late for the average investor to ‘buy low and sell high”. However, and here’s a gift to you, the reader, there may be a way around this problem.

Lawyers have a saying that goes something like this: “Greed has not patience.” This means that where greed is concerned, people are not willing to wait until the money comes to them, they want it now. If the professionals on Wall Street know about a specific stock that will go up in value, they will start to accumulate it at once. So if a stock with a small capitalization starts to become one of the most actively traded stocks of the day then it may mean that something is going to happen to that stock. (Small capitalization means that the particular company has not issued gazillions of shares. As such there is more chance of the shares climbing higher that with a large capitalization stock, because there are fewer shares available.)

One example of this would be the XYZ Company, or whatever the name is, whose shares normally trade at, say $30 each. You notice that this is one of the most actively traded stocks of the day and want to keep an eye on it. Just ask your broker that if it goes to $35 then you wan to buy some shares. This may sound strange to you as you can buy them today at $30 so why wait until they are $35 to buy some shares. Well the fact that they are actively traded may mean that they are on their way down to $5 per share. If they are on their way up and finally hit $35 per share and you decide to buy some shares tell you broker that if they drop down to $31 then please sell them. As the shares go to $40 then tell your brokers that if they drop back to $37 then please sell them. This is called a stop loss order. In this way you can ride the stock right up to $100 or $200 per share and keep your stop loss orders growing higher and higher as the stock climbs. Eventually it will decline enough for your sell order to kick in and your broker will sell the shares and hopefully send you a check for your profit.

You may be using an electronic computer system as a stockbroker. If you are and can find a practice stock market site, you can practice this technique using virtual money before you invest any of your real money.

Back to the normal use of the word tip, a tip is a payment to certain service sector workers beyond the advertised price. The amount of a tip is typically computed as a percent of the transaction minus taxes. These payments and their size are a matter of social custom. Tipping varies among cultures and by service industry. Though by definition a tip is rarely required, and its amount is at the discretion of the person being served, in some circumstances failing to give a tip when one is expected would be considered bad manners. In some other cultures or situations, giving a tip is not expected and offering one would be considered condescending or demeaning. In some circumstances (such as tipping government workers), tipping is illegal. A tip is sometimes called a gratuity, between 10 and 15% is common

Some restaurants pool tips and divide them to include back room support employees. This means that servers pay a certain fixed percentage of their sales to the other staff. Thus when someone leaves a small tip, the server receives less than what you have left them. Tipping is not expected when a fee is explicitly charged for the service. When a service charge for all patrons is automatically added to the tab, for example, there is no tipping as a rule. Some establishments forbid their employees to accept tips; professionals are never given tips.

Sometimes a gift is more desirable than a tip. Often when I travel I will take along little plastic pins with my home state or country’s flag and give them out in addition to tips or when tips are not allowed. Sometimes a small flower can be an attractive and memorable gift to a particularly pleasant server.

We always try to encourage our children. What kind of parent would we seem if we took a different approach and discouraged them? As strange as it may seem I have found myself lately in a dilemma of not knowing which is the right thing to do.

My son joined the Army Reserves, Infantry Division with the Princess Louise Fusiliers in October of 2004. The following summer while he was in C.F.B. Gagetown doing his Soldier’s Qualification and Infantry Training Courses I received a call from him telling me that he had put his name down to volunteer to go to Afghanistan. My first reaction was panic, was he absolutely crazy? Did he realize what he was doing? I calmed down and thinking more rationally realized that he had only joined reserves nine months previously, had only the most basic of courses under his belt and was only 19 years old, they surely would not choose him to go. Over the next months, I did not worry about this too much, however that was soon about to change.

On a Thursday evening of April this spring my son went to his regular Reserve evening I was at home relaxing and watching television, a call from the Armories where he works came in, “Mom, my D.A.G. papers are green, I’m going to Afghanistan!”, you could practically hear this kid jumping around in his combat boots. I cannot describe what I felt at that moment as I could hear the excitement in his voice and I knew that this was something that he had wanted and I was happy for him but at the same time my heart dropped. I really did not know what to do with this information, my brain was thrilled for him, very proud that he was doing a job that the Military thought he was qualified enough to do, very proud that he wanted to help the people of Afghanistan, very impressed at this brave child I had raised in the past nineteen years, but, at the same time I am his mother and my heart said differently. This is my child, how can I possibly be excited or thrilled that he was going into harm’s way, how could I possibly encourage him when I was scared too death for him?

May 1st was creeping forward, that was the day he was to be at the Battle School in Aldershot, Nova Scotia to begin his Task Force Training for Afghanistan, the previous weeks were a blur of getting all his kit list together, shopping for what he would need, making his bill payment arrangements, getting vaccinations up to date, etc. The next seven months he would be training, training hard and it would leave no down time for him for him to do any of these things. About a week and a half before he was due to go we were sitting one evening and he turned to me and told me that he did not think that he could do it. Talking with him I learned that his concerns were not about going or being in Afghanistan but were the first phase of the course which was the physical fitness end, he didn’t think he was good enough as they would be setting the standards high. I told him that he would do just fine, this is what he wanted and that he had the drive and determination to get through it. If he quit before he started he would always wonder if he could do it, to go and try his best, not to set the goal as Afghanistan but to set the goal as to getting past each phase of the training. A word of encouragement, that’s what I’m supposed to do is it not?

The next months were busy for him but difficult for me, he was training in everything from weapons, specialized battlefield first aid, Afghani language, and so much more. It seemed a lot to deal with in such a limited time period. Coming home some weekends he was telling me what the training involved and it was beginning to become more and more real to me as to what he would be facing. I still kept encouraging him even if he had a really hard week and seemed to be really discouraged himself. During this time the news reports from Afghanistan made it clear that the situation was steadily getting worse, I was now watching Repatriation ceremonies bringing our Soldiers home to Canada in flag draped caskets. I began doubting my encouragement, maybe this was something that I shouldn’t be doing, and after all what if something were to happen to him while he was deployed, would I ever be able to deal with the fact that I gave him that encouragement? That maybe if I hadn’t he would be safe? During this time that I seemed to be struggling with this there was an article in our local newspaper that a mother of one of the reservists also on Task Force with my son had written and she was so discouraging towards her son and what he was doing and I thought” How can you say those things to him, that seems so cruel”. I then realized that as mothers of these young brave men and women about to face something that we cannot possibly comprehend we all have our own ways of dealing with it, there was no right or wrong way.

Towards the end of the summer my son had gotten home on leave from a phase of his training in Wainright, Alberta and I had asked him if he had heard about the latest deaths of our Soldiers, and was he still sure that he still wanted to go. He looked at me and said “Mom, it’s not even about 9/11 anymore”. He didn’t have to say anything else, I understood that it was now about our soldiers losing their lives and the doubts I was having were gone.

Am I still terrified for his safety? Yes.

Do I still wish that our Soldiers were not over there in harm’s way? Yes.

Do I think that our troops should be pulled out as the Canadian polls show? No.

Ask our soldiers what they want, I’ve learned the answer to that and I think they should have our support and encouragement 110%.

It will still be the hardest thing that I ever have to do as a mother, seeing him get on that plane about to fly into some kind of hell that I am certain that he isn’t even sure of yet, but I will now be able to do it with an understanding of why and a pride in my heart that I cannot express in words. Encourage or discourage? There is only one answer to that.

As the days grow shorter and shorter and my nights alone with my thoughts grow ever-so-painstakingly long, my son prepares to leave. I am constantly reminded of the words spoken in the movie Saving Private Ryan in fiction and in life…

Gen. George C. Marshall wrote: My dear Mrs Ryan: It’s with the most profound sense of joy that I write to inform you your son, Private James Ryan, is well and, at this very moment, on his way home from European battlefields. Reports from the front indicate James did his duty in combat with great courage and steadfast dedication, even after he was informed of the tragic loss your family has suffered in this great campaign to rid the world of tyranny and oppression. I take great pleasure in joining the Secretary of War, the men and women of the U.S. Army, and the citizens of a grateful nation in wishing you good health and many years of happiness with James at your side.

Nothing, not even the safe return of a beloved son, can compensate you, or the thousands of other American families, who have suffered great loss in this tragic war. I might share with you some words which have sustained me through long, dark nights of peril, loss, and heartache. And I quote:

“Dear Madam: I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.

I pray that our heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours very sincerely and respectfully,

Abraham Lincoln.”

Yours very sincerely and respectfully,

George C. Marshall, General, Chief of Staff

A proud mom of a Princess Louise Fusilier

We’re just back from the dentist, whom I suppose I should now refer to as the orthodontist. It’s ordinarily a pleasant enough place where they go out of the way to make the children comfortable and happy, and neither of my kids ever gives me any trouble about going. That’s a good thing, I suppose, since it looks like we’ll be going more often.

The orthodontist suggested, if I’ve gotten this straight: overtime and/or a second job; instant liquidation of any paper assets; a second mortgage; high-interest, unsecured loans; and begging on the streets when family is fully tapped and declines any further pleading. Oh, and at least a weekend in Vegas with a lucky rabbit’s foot. If all of that goes smoothly, my son will have a winning smile, she said. She also, I’m sure, told us all she would actually do to the boy’s mouth. There was something about expanding his palate, pulling some recalcitrant baby teeth, putting on the braces, etc. The details, I confess, escape me. I guess I was lost in the forest of mounting debt.

Of course I want my gorgeous son to have a winning smile. Still, when he popped off a small piece of front tooth this summer, I declined having a custom-fitted veneer put on. He’s got years of sports and mouth pieces ahead of him before he even hits puberty. Why drop $500 on fixing a corner of tooth, when there’s every chance he’ll have to have it done again, and again, and again-and he really doesn’t care? I’m not sure the orthodontist’s assistant understood my reasoning at the time. I noticed that raised-eyebrow, ‘what kind of low-rent mother are you’ sneer when I said not to bother. It wasn’t enough to guilt me into buying, though, I’m proud to say. We can fix his tooth when he’s done with lacrosse; until then, his winning smile will have to be a little less of a jackpot.

Orthodontia these days, however, is not marketed as cosmetic. It seems that without proper expanding and straightening, my son’s jaw and teeth could cause him all kinds of problems. His maladjusted mouth will lead to universal maladjustment: from head to neck, spine, hips, legs, etc., he will crumple physically and cognitively all the way to psycho-emotional freakshow.

And straight teeth are now guaranteed in the U.S. by constitutional amendment, if I’m not mistaken. At least that’s the impression I got from the orthodontist. Not straightening his teeth would be comparable to keeping him from school, or even cutting off his ears. I’m not sure what guarantees the money for orthodontia, since so far the U.S. government has been a little slow to earmark dental expenses per family. So, I have to take it all up with the insurance company, apparently, which should be a walk in the park. Insurance companies are always so helpful and forthcoming about this type of thing.

But just in case, I’m booking Vegas next month.

The Aztecs were credited with the discovery of chocolate. The Olmec Indians of South and Central America, ancestors of the Aztecs, were the first known to use the fruit of the cacao tree. Mayans first created a beverage made by roasting and pounding the raw cacao beans with maize and Capsicum peppers and letting the mixture ferment. Cacao is the Mayan word meaning “God Food”

The Aztecs could not cultivate the cacao tree, as they existed at a much higher altitude where the climate was not suitable. They acquired the beans through trade - and war. The Aztecs used cacao beans for religious services, gifts and even as currency.

The Aztecs created their own beverage by roasting the beans and grounding them into a paste. They mixed them with water and maize flavored with chilies. It was called xocolatl (pronounced “shoco-latle”).

In 1519 AD, Montezuma introduced Spanish explorer Hernan Cortéz, to the drink. Finding the name hard to pronounce, he called it Chocolat - which was later changed to Chocolate. Montezuma, who valued chocolate more than gold or silver, said of it, “The divine drink, which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food.”

Chocolate has long been thought to help improve libido and was given as an offering by the Aztecs to the God of Fertility. Casanova was known to take a cup of cocoa before bed as an aphrodisiac. Science has proven that there are valid reasons for these claims. The following elements support this theory:

• Phenyl ethylamine - is similar to an amphetamine, which raises blood pressure and blood glucose levels and gives a person a natural high.
• The amino acid, Tryptophan, also contained in chocolate is the same thing that is in turkey. It helps the body produce the B-vitamin Niacin, which in turn, produces a calming agent in the brain known to play a role in sleep. Consuming chocolate also produces endorphins.
• Endorphins are a group of substances formed within the body that naturally relieve pain. Their chemical structure is similar to morphine. They have an analgesic affect and are thought to play a part in controlling the body’s response to stress and determining mood.
• Another chemical in chocolate, Ana amide, targets the same cell membrane receptors as the active ingredient in marijuana and hashish. Experiments have shown that this chemical plays important roles in the regulation of mood, memory, and appetite and pain perception.
• And lastly, chocolate contains caffeine. Most of us are aware of the affects of caffeine on our bodies. At moderate levels, caffeine can cause pleasant effects with improved attention and concentration.

So, the next time you’re feeling stressed but don’t want to make it worse by eating, consider a chocolate bar! It may very well be better than “an apple a day”, and in any case, it certainly tastes better!

Corporate gift giving offers a unique opportunity to build or strengthen business relationships. That lasting gift impression allows your company to flourish in an ever increasingly competitive market. Adding that personal touch to your gift sets you apart from the rest. The days of the key chain logo or coffee mug have given way to creative ideas such as gift baskets that leave lasting impressions.

Say thank you to the people that help your business succeed on a daily basis. If they feel important to your operation the incentive to make your business succeed continues to grow. Motivate employees by offering them appreciation on a yearly basis or for accomplishing a large project. Treat them to cookies, cheesecake, or chocolates to add that special touch to a company outing.

Celebrate with affiliates and employees on their special occasions. Many gift baskets come in keepsake containers so your thoughtfulness continues to be remembered long after the gift has been received. Welcome baby, send your sympathy, or offer congratulations on a new home.

The bottom line is to make people feel important with that personal touch. Gift baskets allow you to send a unique gift that is not “run of the mill.” Make that extra effort to leave that lasting impression so that your business continues to grow - think outside the box.

When mankind and womankind first walked upright on planet Earth, our Maker gave them a unique gift. The first human beings to walk upright were ‘hunter-gatherers’. When the game was plentiful and the nuts and berries were ripe and in season they feasted and when the game was scarce and the natural foraging was slim, they endured period of famine.

So mankind and womankind was given a great gift called insulin. When food collection times are good, our blood sugar increases and insulin kicks in letting our bodies know to convert the extra sugars into fat and store them for the times of famine. Unfortunately we in North America and elsewhere don’t experience ‘famines’ that much anymore. So every day we convert our food intake into fats that get stored on our hips and around our waistlines.

However science had given us another gift to help us manage this item. In England, about 30 years ago, a scientist undertook to conduct some studies on foods effect on the body. He researched which foods cause our level of blood sugar to increase greatly and which foods had smaller effects on us. He found that some foods took up to 25% more energy to digest than others. This was all correlated to an index called the Glycemic Index (GI). The higher the number, the easier it was to convert that particular food to fat.

Foods like all-bran cereal, apples, carrots, chick peas, grapes, green peas, kidney beans, oranges, peaches, peanuts, pears, strawberries, and sweet corn have low Glycemic Indexes (GI). Foods like popcorn, watermelon, whole wheat flour bread, white wheat flour bread, sweetened cereal, linguine, macaroni, spaghetti, white rice, and baked russet potatoes have high Glycemic Index (GI).

Now this is not to suggest a specific diet plan or anything, but if you look at any diet plan book at the bookstore or at your library and they mention Glycemic Index then they are on the right track. The interesting thing about these books that use the Glycemic Index approach is that you can eat the same amount of food and still loose weight. So you get two gifts in one. First, you don’t feel hungry and secondly, you get the satisfaction of feeling like you have beaten the system. The system says you have to eat a great amount of highly processed foods, which are easily converted to fat, in order to feel satisfied.

The other gifts that mankind, in a way gave itself, was the herding instinct. By that I mean they thought that human beings should gather together for self-protection. Apparently when we were hunter-gatherers, there were lions and tigers that hunted us as well, and people who study those times suggest that humans may have gathered together and created an outside fence of thorn bushes to keep the nighttime predators away.

I imagine that one of the first gift that one human gave another was probably the gift of food. It may have been provided or given to encourage another human being to join the group for mutual self-protection. In fact Wikipedia describes gifts or presents as: ‘A gift or present is the transfer of money, goods, etc., without the direct compensation that is involved in trade, although possibly involving a social expectation of reciprocity, or a return in the form of prestige or power. In many human societies, the act of mutually exchanging gifts contributes to social cohesion.’

A gift can be an ordinary object that you have bought or made yourself. It may be an object created for the express purpose of gift exchange, such as those given at a gifting party, like a bridal or baby shower. It may be an alternative gift such as a donation to a charity in the name of the recipient. Lastly, perish the thought; it may be a re-gift of an unwanted gift previously received by the giver.

In the following articles, each one about a page long, we will explore the different types of gifts and gift giving. The purpose of these articles is to describe various gift-giving circumstances and allow you to decide which sort of gifts and occasions you feel comfortable with and fit into your individual style.

 When I was in the fifth grade, the school nurse set aside a special time when she pulled all the girls out of the class. Sequestered in a room without any males (apparently their presence would be detrimental to us females for the next 45 minutes), the school nurse proceeded to show us a video that explained the basics of the female reproductive system. The next week, the boys were given their own video session.

 Too bad half the girls already had started their periods and half the guys were able to demonstrate via jokes a working understanding of what guys were supposed to “do” with girls.
Schools have been teaching sex education in late elementary school for years. The problem is, that just doesn’t cut it anymore-kids are reaching sexual maturity at an earlier and earlier age, and as parents, we need to have a concept of what is affecting the development of our children so that we can be prepared.

First, genetics has some influence over when a child matures. If you’re a woman who was a late bloomer, odds are you’ll have daughters who are, too. The same goes for men-if your voice didn’t drop fully until you were 17, don’t be too anxious if your son is still able to sing alto in choir his freshman year in high school.

Secondly, nutrition plays a role in development in that a child’s body cannot mature sexually if it doesn’t have enough vitamins, minerals, or caloric intake. Girls who don’t eat enough for one reason or another, for example, have been shown to start menses later than girls whose diets are nutritionally sound.
The third factor that affects sexual maturation is weight. Sexual maturation is tied to the body fat ratio (the ratio of body fat to lean muscle tissue)-the body needs fat to carry out the sexual maturation process because energy is used by the body to make reproductive tissues and organs grow. Once a person’s body fat ratio is high enough, their body is able to develop the reproductive organs, regardless of whether or not the person is of “reproductive” age. For this reason, children who are overweight are more likely to develop faster than their thinner counterparts. Thus, it is little wonder that, in a generation experiencing what has been called an “obesity epidemic,” earlier sexual maturity is on the rise.

All this being said, it’s important to point out that every child is different. There is no surefire way to pinpoint when your child will need “the talk.” Even so, it’s best to play it safe and be early instead of late with information. If your 8 year old can figure out how to reach the highest cabinet in the house when you have your back turned, chances are they’ll be able to grasp the puzzle pieces concept with men and women and how that all works, too. Sure, they might be a bit grossed out at first, but I, for one, would much rather have my kid grossed out than freaked out.

I stalk my neighbor. I lurk in my own doorway, hoping the tree out front hides me from view. I wait and watch, ready to pounce at any opportunity. Then as soon as she steps outside, I’m on her.

It’s her fault, really. She’s the one who turned me into this. I wasn’t a walking creepshow before I knew her. I was reasonable, level-headed-at least as normal as any other mother shut inside for hours at a time with young children.

 It started when she and her husband-his fault, too, no doubt, enough blame to go around-were so darn nice to my kids. My kids learned early to prefer them to me, since they had no kids of their own yet and hadn’t fully developed a forceful ‘no.’ My kids hung out with them, across the street, gardening, chatting, getting generally played with without anybody coming down on them. It was a little heaven for them over there, and for our part on this side, we were thrilled to have them in it.

But my kids weren’t the only beneficiaries. I loved, and still love, talking with her, too. She and her husband-yep, still his fault as well-are fun and easy and understanding. No matter how bad my day stuck in with the kids was, I could get a moment’s peace just chatting across the road. That, no doubt, was one of the things that kept me sane. Knowing my neighbor was there was every day’s little gift, a present of presence to put a pun on it.

Now my neighbor has her own baby-a baby so irresistible I swear he could stop wars. Just pass that baby around the Pentagon and hearts would turn, I know it. Now my neighbor is stuck in a little more often and feeling the strain of developing that forceful ‘no.’ Now her life is a little busier, even crazier, and I have a chance at payback.

So I stalk her. I look for every chance to get my hands on that baby. She’s carrying in the groceries? Oh my, I can take baby! Running out to the gym? Leave baby with me, it’s no problem. I try to lure her out a little, maybe with a neighborhood moms breakfast, maybe to share a glass of wine on the step in the evening. I share my stories of the mommy wars, and how many times every day I say ‘no’ compared to how many times every day I say ‘no’ and it sticks.

Most of all, I listen, just like she used to listen to me. Some of the themes are familiar, some are new, but I wouldn’t miss a minute of it. I can’t hope to mean as much to her, but I can try to mean something, to be a little token of appreciation at least even if I can’t be the giant gift she was to me. So I have to go now, I think I hear her door opening…

Fortunately for me, my parents were both educators and artistic. My father was a drama director, and my mother was a math teacher. Reading was a favorite pastime in our home, and our TV time was limited to PBS and educational programming. We played board games and card games regularly. I spent equal time on the Atari video games as I did with educational electronics of the day such as “Speak & Spell” and “Merlin.” Our board games consisted of “Master Mind” (code-breaking), “Othello” (strategy & planning), and the timeless games of chess and checkers.

Now, as a parent of three young daughters, I strive to provide them with a home environment that encourages problem-solving, literacy and free-thinking. My girls just passed standardized tests with flying colors, being placed in the public school as “gifted” children. Whether or not you subscribe to nature or nurture as the source of our intelligence and personality, there is significant influence from the atmosphere you provide for your child as he/she develops.

The following list of suggestions can prove as learning tools no matter what your budget or your family dynamic:

1. Surround your youngster with books. A child who reads is a child who thinks. It is proven that reading increases skills in spelling, writing, vocabulary and verbal communication. It also opens their minds to new ideas and nurtures the imagination far more than movies or television. Reading to your child also provides a quality time unrivaled by most other activities. A public library card can be a treasured gift for a child to learn to make their own choices for entertainment.
2. Turn off the television. While there are several choices for children’s programming with cable and satellite dishes, the studies are overwhelming to show decreased brain activity when a human being is in front of the “idiot tube.”
3. Play games. A good board game can involve family and friends. They are an inexpensive source of entertainment and learning that encourage strategy, social skills and healthy competition.
4. Go on outings to provide new experiences. Search the internet for one-tank trips to museums, art galleries, community concerts, arts & crafts expositions, nature walks, camping excursions, sporting events and dance recitals. Many free activities for the family can be found in local papers, web sites, and the bulletin boards at the public libraries.
5. Set an example of learning. Do your recreational reading in front of your child. Practice your instrument with him in the room. Practice your fitness routine and invite your daughter to join. Share your experiences when you return from a night at the theatre. Let your child know that all learning experiences are accessible and encouraged.
6. Get involved in your child’s school. Take time to learn what they are learning. Research a paper with them. Enforce a topic from school with a special book, meal, song, discussion or craft. Your excitement about your child’s school work can be contagious.
7. Be the educator over summer break. If your child attends a traditional school year, you have three months to provide alternative learning encounters. This is the time when you can add a personal touch to involve your children in your hobbies and interests, and you can watch them make decisions and pursue what interests them.

As human beings, we naturally grow and learn and develop. But, the love of learning must be acquired. A passion for wanting to know more and wanting to be more is learned from those in our lives who care for us and show us the benefits of stretching our minds, honing our skills, and letting our talents shine.