Inspiring – Feminine 1st

Today’s Fabulous Friday Female is Savannah Hensley

January 10, 2014/0 Comments/in /by Claire

Needing to call an ambulance because you have intense chest pains and can’t breathe is a pretty scary experience.

…even more so when you’ve just sat down to read your 5 year old daughter her bedtime story.

But that was the situation that Frank Hensley found himself in.

By the time the dispatcher got on the phone, Frank was no longer able to speak, so he did the only thing he could…he passed the phone to his daughter.

A lot of children might have panicked, or frozen, but not Savannah Hensley.

In fact the calm way she deal with the situation is not only adorable, but probably saved her father’s life.

I highly encourage you to watch the video below where you hear excerpts of the 911 call…including Savannah’s concern about being in her ‘jammies’ when the paramedics are on their way:

So I’d like you to join me today in celebrating Savannah’s ability to keep cool in a crisis and helping the paramedics to save her father’s life (and yes, even her jammies too!).

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As you know, I would love to acknowledge, honour and celebrate the women and men who have inspired you as well.

So if there is someone that you believe should feature as a Fabulous Friday Female (or Fellow!), then send me an email (claire@feminine1st.com) with 3 simple details:

Who is your Fabulous Friday Female / Fellow? (Her / his name and location in the world)
Why is she / he a Fabulous Friday Female / Fellow to YOU? (How do you know her / him? What does she / he do? In what way is she / he inspiring?)
A photo or link to a picture of her / him online (if there is a reason that you would prefer not to include a photo, just let me know)

So help me to share with all of our lovely ladies the real women and men who inspire YOU.

…and remember, as always, to Stay Fabulous too!

Claire x

This Week’s Thursday Thought: Being Anti-Men is not Pro-Women. Being Anti-anyone means everyone loses

January 9, 2014/0 Comments/in /by Claire

This week’s Thursday Thought:

Being Anti-Men is not Pro-Women. Being Anti-anyone means everyone loses

Thursday Thought Quote: Being Anti-Men is not Pro-Women. Being Anti-anyone means everyone loses

This Week’s Thursday Thought: A friend is the person with whom you can be completely, unreservedly, unapologetically yourself & know you will always be accepted

December 19, 2013/0 Comments/in /by Claire

This week’s Thursday Thought:

A friend is the person with whom you can be completely, unreservedly, unapologetically yourself & know you will always be accepted

Thursday thought quote: A friend is the person with whom you can be completely, unreservedly, unapologetically yourself & know you will always be accepted

Today’s Fabulous Friday Female is the little girl called Faith

December 13, 2013/0 Comments/in /by Claire

One of the biggest challenges in relationships these days is the fact the people don’t tend to be very good at taking personal responsibility.

We’re too quick to point the finger at other people, and look for where it ISN’t our fault…rather than how we can own our part in it.

So when I heard the story I’m sharing today, it warmed my heart.

Because this is the story of a 5 year old girl who made a mistake, and accidentally broke something at a department store in the Christmas rush.

Nobody at the store knew that it had even happened, so it would have been easy for her to have ‘gotten away with it’. But this little girl wanted to make the situation right.

So she wrote a note to the John Lewis store, apologising for the accident in which a Christmas bauble was broken, and including in it £2 to cover the cost of the breakage.

The store was so touched by the note, that they’ve spent all week trying to find the little girl to thank her and offer her a gift from the store to recognise her honesty.

They’ve since found the little girl in question, but because she is so shy she’s reluctant to come forward. But whether her identity becomes known or not, I’d like for you to join me today in acknowledging her for her honesty and desire to do the right thing.

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As you know, I would love to acknowledge, honour and celebrate the women and men who have inspired you as well.

So if there is someone that you believe should feature as a Fabulous Friday Female (or Fellow!), then send me an email (claire@feminine1st.com) with 3 simple details:

Who is your Fabulous Friday Female / Fellow? (Her / his name and location in the world)
Why is she / he a Fabulous Friday Female / Fellow to YOU? (How do you know her / him? What does she / he do? In what way is she / he inspiring?)
A photo or link to a picture of her / him online (if there is a reason that you would prefer not to include a photo, just let me know)

So help me to share with all of our lovely ladies the real women and men who inspire YOU.

…and remember, as always, to Stay Fabulous too!

Claire x

This Week’s Thursday Thought: Find a reason, any reason, to celebrate today

December 12, 2013/0 Comments/in /by Claire

This week’s Thursday Thought:

Find a reason, any reason, to celebrate today

Find a Reason, Any Reason, To Celebrate Today

Today’s Fabulous Friday Fellow is Jeremy Loveday

December 6, 2013/0 Comments/in /by Claire

Today’s article is a real edge for me.

I’m not someone who tends to shy away from controversy, or is afraid to share things that might make people a little uncomfortable.

But there is one word, one subject that I find really challenging.

Rape.

As a woman, just typing that word brings up a physical reaction in my body. It makes me want to recoil, hide, protect myself.

Any time I hear it…even used colloquially for another purpose, it has the same reaction…and it’s not something I’ve ever spoken about here on Feminine 1st.

Part of me wants to pretend that this awful part of the human experience doesn’t exist.

But I know that it does. In fact, I know several women, friends of mine, who have been victims of rape.

So when I saw this video by Jeremy Loveday, I realised that it’s not only men that have to take of their masks…it’s not only men who need to talk about it, it’s us women too. Because it is a reality of our world. …and until such time as this horror is no longer a part of our culture, we need to keep talking about it, keep shining a light on it, and keep saying in words of one syllable: Rape is wrong.

I toyed with the idea of sharing this in the New Year…not wanting to put it out there during the Christmas season. But let’s be honest, rape doesn’t stop for festivities. It’s as relevant now (if not more so with the plethora of alcohol-fuelled celebrations) as any time of the year…and wanting to delay sharing it is just another way of avoiding the reality.

It’s not pleasant. It’s uncomfortable. It’s difficult to face. But it’s also a real problem that needs to be faced head on, by people who have the courage to step forward and remove the masks that are hiding us all from the truth.

..and I encourage you, no matter how uncomfortable it is, and how much you want to pretend that it’s not a part of your world, to watch and share this powerful video.

So today I would like you to join me in acknowledging Jeremy for his courage to speak out, and his brave words that echo in the minds and hearts of every person who has ever shied away from this topic. We need to make a stand together…thank you Jeremy for encouraging me to use my voice to speak out about this as well.

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As you know, I would love to acknowledge, honour and celebrate the women and men who have inspired you as well.

So if there is someone that you believe should feature as a Fabulous Friday Female (or Fellow!), then send me an email (claire@feminine1st.com) with 3 simple details:

Who is your Fabulous Friday Female / Fellow? (Her / his name and location in the world)
Why is she / he a Fabulous Friday Female / Fellow to YOU? (How do you know her / him? What does she / he do? In what way is she / he inspiring?)
A photo or link to a picture of her / him online (if there is a reason that you would prefer not to include a photo, just let me know)

So help me to share with all of our lovely ladies the real women and men who inspire YOU.

…and remember, as always, to Stay Fabulous too!

Claire x

This Week’s Thursday Thought: Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful

December 5, 2013/0 Comments/in /by Claire

This week’s Thursday Thought:

Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful

This week's Thursday Thought Quote: Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful

Today’s Fabulous Friday Fellow is Ben Macnaughton

November 29, 2013/0 Comments/in /by Claire

I’ve often wondered how military families do it.

How do they live with the constant distance between them and the fear that any day they may receive bad news?

I don’t know if I would be strong enough to do it…it was bad enough having friends serving in war zones, let alone a member of your family.

So when I heard today’s story it touched my heart in a way I can’t possibly describe.

10 year old Ben Macnaughton’s dad, a Squadron Leader in the RAF has visited a war zone every year of Ben’s life and is currently serving as the Brigade Air Liaison Officer, with 12 Mechanised Brigade, Bulford, Wiltshire.

Since 2003 Ben has lived in the shadow of war and has spent approximately 50% of his life separated from his father due to his father’s military commitment. Sqn Ldr Macnaughton throughout Ben’s life has deployed continuously to Iraq and Afghanistan as well as other war zones

So how has Ben dealt with this?

Unbeknownst to his parents, he wrote a song in his music lessons with 80s music producer, Anthony Clark called Messed Up World asking the world to give peace a chance.

Believe me when I say it’s a song that pulls on the old heartstrings…

When asked why he wrote the lyrics to the song, he said. “I want the fighting to stop so that children don’t need to be away from their parents anymore. I don’t think children should be away from their parents.”

“Did you write it because daddy goes away so much?”

“Yes.” He said.

Ben has never been to stage school so it’s very homemade and he is keeping it real. However, he has lived his whole life in the shadow of war so he wanted to raise money for other children in the same position as him. So the song has been released in aid of SSAFA

SSAFA provides lifelong support for our forces and their families. It is a charity that does whatever it takes to get things done. They provide practical support and assistance to servicemen and women, veterans, and the families of both, every single day of the year.

You just need to read the lyrics to understand why this 10 year old wants peace:
“It’s a messed up world
But I won’t let it get me down
As long as I can hold my ground
I will be safe and sound

Fighting everywhere
There is no more peace in the air
Bodies lying everywhere
I am really scared
Everything is grey and black
Smoke is coming out of my hat
A glimpse of light comes from the sky
And everything is once again fine
People are alive and singing

The world can be so lovely yes it can
We should all be happy and never sad
If we could stop the fighting and end the war
We could all be happy for ever more
Forever more”

So if you would like to support Ben on his mission to spread the word of peace and support the SSAFA in the process then you can purchase the song here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/messed-up-world-single/id766580199

I hope his message spreads far and wide this Christmas…

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As you know, I would love to acknowledge, honour and celebrate the women and men who have inspired you as well.

So if there is someone that you believe should feature as a Fabulous Friday Female (or Fellow!), then send me an email (claire@feminine1st.com) with 3 simple details:

Who is your Fabulous Friday Female / Fellow? (Her / his name and location in the world)
Why is she / he a Fabulous Friday Female / Fellow to YOU? (How do you know her / him? What does she / he do? In what way is she / he inspiring?)
A photo or link to a picture of her / him online (if there is a reason that you would prefer not to include a photo, just let me know)

So help me to share with all of our lovely ladies the real women and men who inspire YOU.

…and remember, as always, to Stay Fabulous too!

Claire x

This Week’s Thursday Thought: Gratitude makes what we have Enough

November 28, 2013/0 Comments/in /by Claire

This week’s Thursday Thought:

Gratitude makes what we have Enough

Gratitude turns what we have into enough

Today’s Fabulous Friday Female is Sarah Nelson

November 22, 2013/0 Comments/in /by Claire

If you’ve been with us at Feminine 1st for a while now, you’ll know that I have a couple of weaknesses…

One of these weaknesses is cupcakes and another of them is random acts of kindness…

So when I saw a video that combined both of these, it made my day.

Sarah Nelson is an incredible little girl. She’s only 10 years old and has already started her own business to build up her college fund.

This in it’s own right is pretty impressive…But that’s only half the story.

Because Sarah has decided to share her profits with a good cause…and it helping to transform the lives of people less fortunate as a result…

So please take a few minutes to watch this story that will touch your heart (you may need a tissue or two)…

Sarah Nelson is an incredible girl who I have no doubt will hit her next target with ease and transform many peoples’ lives in the process.

I hope her story inspires you and many others to share their own random acts of kindness…

…and if you’d like to support Sarah in her mission to help others, you can connect with her via her website here or on Facebook here.

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As you know, I would love to acknowledge, honour and celebrate the women and men who have inspired you as well.

So if there is someone that you believe should feature as a Fabulous Friday Female (or Fellow!), then send me an email (claire@feminine1st.com) with 3 simple details:

Who is your Fabulous Friday Female / Fellow? (Her / his name and location in the world)
Why is she / he a Fabulous Friday Female / Fellow to YOU? (How do you know her / him? What does she / he do? In what way is she / he inspiring?)
A photo or link to a picture of her / him online (if there is a reason that you would prefer not to include a photo, just let me know)

So help me to share with all of our lovely ladies the real women and men who inspire YOU.

…and remember, as always, to Stay Fabulous too!

Claire x