“Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary.  What we need is to love without getting tired.”
Mother Theresa

Alright Fabulous Girls on the Run folks!  I was in Cincinnati last week and had a wonderful time meeting with some of our networkers and contributors, as well as the fabulous people at Proctor and Gamble with Secret Deodorant.

I got home the other night after numerous delays…around midnight!  Being a bit wired after some roller coaster flight turbulence, I tried to wind down by reading through a few emails.

That’s where “Kate” comes in.  Kate had just finished reading my book, “Girls Lit From Within: A Guide to Living Life Outside the Girl Box.”  Kate is also a card-carrying, bona fide, real-deal, loving-it ‘Girl on the Run’!

As some of you may know, there is a chapter in that book that is dedicated to gratitude.  You will also see gratitude as a major “player” in the new curriculum we are introducing!

Well, Kate really wanted to share her gratitude list with me and so I’d like to share it with you. (These are her words…)

Things I’m Grateful For:

My Wonderful Family;
My Friends in the Different Cities Where I Have Lived;
My Education;
Girls on the Run;
My Sports Ability;
Cousins;
Grandmother;
My House;
My Books;
My Thoughtful Brain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So…Kate got me thinking.  When I started Girls on the Run, thirteen very brave girls showed up.  And now…NOW, we are in more than 150 cities across North America with over 60,000 girls currently participating!  For those of you who know me personally, you know how important and how invigorating it is for me to spend time with our girls. As the founder of this organization, I must keep my finger on the pulse of the girls we serve.  Plus there is, at least in my opinion, no better way to stay REAL, GENUINE and AUTHENTIC, than by hanging out with kids. They teach us so much about being ourselves!

However, due to the extensive amount of travel this wonderful growing program now requires of me, I don’t get the one-on-one experience with our girls as much as I’d like.

Therefore, thanks to Kate, I’m launching another blog specifically designed for girls…girls both in and out of Girls on the Run. The topics will be relevant to their lives and each post will explore a variety of tactics girls can use to stay out of the “Girl Box.”

So…if you feel like check it out at www.mollybarkerontherun.blogspot.com.  And please, if you know any girls (whether they are in or out of Girls on the Run), let them know I’d like to “meet” them…over there on the fun, wacky girl-side!!!  Also, please consider how you might utilize this blog to further our connection (and selfishly MY connection) with the girls.  Your coaches might like to print the blog entries out and give them to the girls.  Or better yet, print a little something up and provide to our Girls on the Run  caregivers that explains the blog website and how much I REALLY DO WANT to hear from the girls.

AND…based on the ready-flow of emails I’ve been getting from Kate…there will be many more stories and inspiring words to come…from the girls who write me!

Thanks everyone!