On Mother's Day I showed a video featuring Pam Cope, who turned the grief of losing her teenage son into an incredible ministry of rescuing child slaves in Ghana.  Her book, Jantsen's Gift, tells this powerful story.  Here's an excerpt:

"The concept of a bad day for my kids is when the cable goes out, or there's a not enough milk for their Lucky Charms. I want my kids to know a different life than that; to have a different understanding of what constitutes hardship. The best way for me to do this is to do what I regretted not having done for Jantsen: teach them, through the way I live my life, that the world is not as big as we think and it's my responsibility--and will someday be theirs--to take care of people who need our help, even if those people look nothing like us, or live someplace that seems far away and foreign. I see many of my friends trying to shield their kids from pain and disappointment the way that I did when Jantsen and Crista were young, but I can't continue to do that. I don't want them to be crippled by fear. I want them to take chances and live adventurous lives. I want them to live their dreams, and the best way I can teach them to do that is to let them watch me live mine."