USFW Inc.

Day 2 of three beautiful days with dear friends. ❤️
Last night’s dinner was filled with healthy, delicious food, Gogi wine, wonderful conversation and the long-awaited arrival of my dear friend—and original sourdough teacher—Jo, along with her husband, Michael.
Jo and Michael’s selfless care for the children at the Mexican orphanage they support, as well as the young people aging out of care, has earned my deepest respect. Jim and I are grateful to help support their work in our own small way.
I watch what people do—not simply what they say they’ll do—and these two are genuine doers. They keep their word, deliver results and give back wherever they are. They are helping create opportunities for children who might otherwise never have a real chance. That is what genuine care looks like.
Today began with Jo’s request for homemade blueberry-lemon scones, followed by fresh sourdough tuna sandwiches and salsa for lunch. After an afternoon nap, we’ll take them—and our chairs—down to Crescent Beach to watch the sunset before turning in early.
Tomorrow brings another gift: Jo is teaching me a new loaf of bread that will rise overnight in the refrigerator before baking in the morning. Then they’ll make their way back to the Okanagan for more precious family time.
It has been such a joy hearing about the growth of the orphanage, the lives being changed and the countless stories of quiet, selfless giving.
And yes…I may also have gifted Jo a heart-shaped Paris Hilton baking dish! 😂❤️ Oh—and zero-alcohol tequila for some proper Mexican summer margaritas!
So grateful for friendship, shared meals, sunset moments, freshly baked bread and people who genuinely live what they believe. ❤️
CrescentBeach SunsetTogether GogiWine MexicanOrphanage GivingBack HelpingChildren AgingOutOfCare TrueFriendship GratefulHeart SummerMemories

🩵🌸 BLOOM IN YOUR UNIQUENESS 🌸🩵
I’ve been thinking about flowers lately — the hundreds of thousands of varieties, each completely different from the next.
A gardenia doesn’t look at a rose and think, I wish I were you.
Jasmine doesn’t compete with a sunflower.
And a pansy doesn’t apologize for being small.
They simply bloom as they were created to bloom. 🩵
Maybe there’s something in that for us.
We spend so much of life looking sideways — comparing our beauty, success, personality, pace, gifts or journey to somebody else’s. But what if the goal was never to become more like them?
What if the work is discovering more deeply who we are? 🩵
I love gardenias for their heavenly fragrance and jasmine for its abundance. But lately, I think I might be a pansy. 😊 They’re surprisingly resilient. They can look almost finished, get a little water and care…and somehow come back to life.
And if you look closely into the face of a pansy, it almost looks like there’s a little angel inside.
I wonder who put that there? 🩵
Some things grow tall and fast with shallow roots. I’m a slow grower — and I’m short 😂 — but I hope I never stop wanting my roots to go deeper.
🩵 If you breathe, you belong. 🩵
Your uniqueness has value. You don’t need to become somebody else to prove it.
Bloom where you are. Grow deep. And bring into this world the beauty that only you can bring.
That’s part of Managing Me. 🩵🦋
SelfWorth AuthenticLiving InnerGrowth Resilience GrowthMindset SelfDiscovery Purpose MindsetMatters WomenSupportingWomen WomenInspiringWomen Encouragement LifeLessons DeepRoots BloomWhereYouArePlanted UnlockingSecretsForWomen

MY MISTAKES ARE MY SUPERPOWERS. 🦋
The only reason I am where I am today is because I’ve taken the mistakes I’ve made and tried to make something out of them.
And yes—I continue to make mistakes.
Sometimes they become growth opportunities.
Sometimes they throw me backwards and knock me right off my feet.
Sometimes other people’s cruel perspectives can knock me off my horse, too.
But I’m learning to remember that people often respond from their own experiences, hurts and broken places—just as I have mine.
And there is something incredibly healing about asking:
What can I learn from this?
What can I change in me?
How can I grow because of it?
Managing Me isn’t about pretending I have it all together. I certainly don’t.
It’s about taking responsibility for what belongs to me—my choices, my reactions, my healing, my growth—and continuing to become a little wiser along the way.
I don’t want my mistakes to define me.
I want them to teach me.
Shape me.
Humble me.
And ultimately become part of my superpower. 🦋
Because sometimes our greatest wisdom grows out of the very things we wish we had done differently.
You. Your Life. Your Way.
managingme.ca
GrowthMindset Healing SelfAwareness LearningFromMistakes LifeLessons Wisdom Compassion Empathy ManagingMeNotYou YouYourLifeYourWay

Healthy = Prepared Kids — Not Perfect Kids. ❤️

No one is perfect, so we’re not looking for perfection in our kids.

And prepared does not mean protected from everything.

There are often struggles and contributing factors in a young person's life that even the most loving and attentive parent may never see or be able to control.

This is never about blaming parents — especially those who have experienced the unimaginable loss of a child.

I have wrestled with my own parenting and asked in my prayer life, Would my kids have made different choices if I had been a better parent?

And one day a quiet thought came to my heart:
Am I (God), a perfect Father?

Of course.
Then came the thought:
Have you seen My kids?

That changed something for me.

Even perfect love doesn't give us control over another human being's choices, struggles or everything they will encounter.
Ambassadors of Compassion is a non-religious, non-political platform.
Our fundamental human value is simple: “If you breathe, you belong.”
Whatever our individual expressions of faith may be, they are our own.
Mine happens to be this.

Our responsibility isn't to produce perfect kids or control every outcome. It's to love them, prepare them, remind them of their value, give them tools for the hard things — and keep showing up.

How can all of us — parents, teachers, leaders and community — help young people remember their value when the world and social media can scream so much louder?

Healthy = prepared kids — not perfect kids.

Watch the Instagram Reel

Ambassadors of Compassion Canada USFW Inc.Chelsea Rizzo

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Freel%2FDcBmqqVx3UI%2F%3Figsh%3DMXBqZWV5OGx0ajIzYQ%253D%253D%26fbclid%3DIwcGRvZgVleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFTb2FwV0FxdTduckk1bGozc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHhF34jU563JtwXvW3WBBtWdDEtGKTwYPCsc9c-Ys2BkNRstayolqxNuGc3iJ_aem_D9BJcLNQVFQqwWcExxXErg&h=AUB3x9EuwH2zdsRL_hIafYYbW9MsbzCgn2F8j2rP06Ej14DIgSFJJCEYZ1D09HDrd2au5OTqzFZ24HxgJQdVu9tuTGEeLTbZB93id3GaRA7nRxGbzAPf0Q5uSASkLEqXydipCdoHRV0yQgIsdsmqaydj

Teaching Kids Real-World Preparation through the science of forgiveness We aren’t aiming for perfection, just making sure they are ready for whatever life throws at them. Be silly, forgive fast, show how to release past hurt and be the best version of you… for them. #parentingadvice #raisingkids #selfdefense #familybonding #preparedness