What Does It Mean to Have a Heart?

Last week on Moms Talk, gave some valuable Thank you, Carrie. Here's what some of our readers had to say:

The other suggestion I would make is to stick to your list! Make a grocery list & do not deviate. Also, pull out the food in your cupboard & freezer, EAT what you have!!
@chrishogan360, financial expert & speaker

Here are some things I try to do: cook/prepare food at home (way cheaper and often better ingredients and healthier than going out to eat), bring a water bottle (better for the environment and you don't get into a jam and have to buy a plastic bottle of water for $1 or a big cup of high fructose corn syrup for $2), and give the kids an allowance (that way you don't end up buying them a bunch of junk that they don't need anyway ... and hopefully it helps teach them some money management skills as well).

Great tips. Thanks for this. Maybe it is that Coupon Hoarder show, but I have actually started clipping coupons. At first I was embarrassed, but whatever, if I can save $4 at Safeway and still buy organic, that is a Starbucks! BTW, this Friday, at the LG Safeway, paper towels and TP are $5.99. I think it is the big packages of Bounty and Charmin. :)

Now, onto this week's topic. What does it mean to have a heart?

As we embark on the month of February, one symbol radiates in our minds. The heart. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, all of us are inundated with visuals of hearts everywhere we go. I think sometimes things are so "in our face" that they start to lose meaning.

Having a heart to me means having the passion to give back and to make the world a better place for loved ones and others. It means to reflect on how each of us can make a difference in people’s lives by sometimes doing something very small. My favorite quote is one by Jim Henson, founder of the Muppets before he died. “My legacy is to make the world just a little bit better by having been here.” Having a heart is the act of compelling your mind to stay true to that mission.  We must use our hearts every day and not just on Valentine’s Day or during Breast Cancer Awareness month or during a school funding campaign, but every day because it is every day that we can tell someone we love them, raise money for a needed cause, or simply help a beloved cat cross a street. It is every day that we can make something just a little bit better because we bothered to do so. It is every day that we can change the world.

To that end, I’m proud that I work for a company that holds dear to its heart that same mission. This Friday, Plum District is launching its “Fundraising Friday” campaign. Being that it is a California-based company focused on moms, they are putting "their money where their mouth is" to make a difference. It’s no secret that California kids are being negatively affected by educational cuts, so starting this Friday Plum District will be partnering with local merchants to offer fundraising deals that will benefit each of our local schools and thus our community at large. 

Los Gatos experiment—can we all inspire each other in our collective community to find creative ways to "be bothered" to use our hearts this month? Together we can make our world a little bit better in the process.

And ... we want to hear from you what you think it means to have a heart. Please share with us in the comments!