Laura's Love Letter: NICU Donation Opportunity

I’ve had a blessed two weeks. It was AMAZING to be back live at American Heritage (Palm Beach campus) on Tuesday — the children and educators were fantastic! There were so many priceless moments, including the courageous, heartfelt conversations we had during "Lunch with Laura" where a small group of 3rd - 5th grade students shared some of the challenges they’ve faced and, after reflecting, found gifts that have come from the difficult times.

I am in a book club this month reading Courage to Grow, based on the founding story of the Acton Academies. Their philosophy of teaching aligns well with my program, "YOU are a STAR...Keep Shining!" And, I still have a lot to learn from them. If you’re an educator or parent interested in outside-the-box teaching, I encourage you to give it a read (and, let me know if you do!).

Another wonderful moment that took place during my American Heritage visit was when a 1st grade student (so, no more than 7 years old), Noah (with his long curly hair), raised his hand when I asked for questions and, with all his heart (I FELT IT), said, "YOU ARE AMAZING!" It sparked a fun start to the I AM AFFIRMATION GAME! I’ll share how you play in today’s LOVE IN ACTION ACTIVITY below. I may have shared it in an earlier newsletter, but we can play again! 

NICU Donations

The other epic awesomeness these past two weeks happened when my Sunrise Sister Rhoda messaged to say she wanted to get her grand-nephew (who was in the NICU at the time) a set of signed books. Of course I said, “Great, and let’s see about getting that NICU some books, too.” Rhoda jumped right on board and said, “I’ll do that! And I have a niece who works at a NICU in California!” Another friend chimed in to say they would cover the cost of a third box of books when we found out that the Sacramento, CA NICU (UC DAVIS) is a Level 4 and there are 75 beds!

The other epic awesomeness these past two weeks happened when my Sunrise Sister Rhoda messaged to say she wanted to get her grand-nephew (who was in the NICU at the time) a set of signed books. Of course I said, “Great, and let’s see about getting that NICU some books, too.” Rhoda jumped right on board and said, “I’ll do that! And I have a niece who works at a NICU in California!” Another friend chimed in to say they would cover the cost of a third box of books when we found out that the Sacramento, CA NICU (UC DAVIS) is a Level 4 and there are 75 beds!

I just heard from my publisher that there are 4,500 copies of the padded I Love You More board book in stock. So, summer game...let’s get 1,000 of those sent out to NICUs! I will sign them, and Rhoda has agreed to help sticker them — it just makes them extra special!

If you, your family or company are interested in sponsoring a box or two (would love to send two boxes to each NICU at a time!) the cost is $640 for 48 books (two boxes) or $320 for 24 books (one box). We are happy to send them to the NICU of your choice and have the sticker be in honor of someone you know!

 Story continued from Laura's Love Letter....

While at Rhoda’s stickering books, another Sunrise Sister just happened to call — pure God-incidence actually — saying that  her visiting relatives were hoping to get books before they headed back to Minnesota the next day!

They also just happened to be passing by Rhoda’s neighborhood when they called! You can’t make these things up!

The story they shared -- WOW! Keep in mind they had no idea we were at Rhoda's house stickering 72 books to send to NICUs. Anissas's mom and cousin were both interested in bringing books back for Linus. Rhoda and I both commented on his sweet name! I've signed close to 25K books and never signed one for a Linus. Turns out he's even sweeter, radiating LOVE with Downs Syndrome, and named after his Great Grandfather. Linus Sr was born at home during a storm, a premie who they kept in a cigar box by the fire to keep him warm. The mother's wedding ring fit over his hand onto his wrist! Unbelievable that he survived and thrived without being brought to a hospital that long ago. Linus who is now about seven, also spent time in a NICU in Minnesota -- I guess we have another hospital to send books to! I love moments like these - it's what I Love You More is all about - how LOVE expands with connections and stories like these! Anissa is a Sunrise Sister I met walking during Covid - we saw each other a few times on the sidewalk and said hello before we struck up a conversation and began walking together. When I shared I wrote I Love You More - she nearly fell over as that's a phrase she says ALL THE TIME! Our friendship was destined to be, as was this unexpected afternoon signing! 

Love in Action Activity: I AM Affirmation Game

This game is a fun way to learn empowering words, teach about mindset, and it can totally pull you out of an annoyed state — trust me, I’ve used it countless times, whether sitting in traffic by myself, or with a rowdy group of nieces and nephews in the car! The idea is simple  — take turns coming up with an affirmative word for every letter of the dictionary. If you want to make it a bit more challenging, have everyone repeat the words that have been said before. There are a few tough letters, but even the youngest players, I’d say 4+, catch on quickly! For example, "I AM Amazing!" "I AM Brilliant!" "I AM Creative!"

My favorite X word, that isn’t always appropriate for children, is "I AM Xenodochial!" Xenodochial means being kind to strangers. Using a word like that could be a good opportunity for an important conversation with age-appropriate children — there’s a big difference between holding a door or giving someone in need a smile or a dollar, and situations that could be dangerous. 

You can always get creative and make up your own words!!

Laura's Love Note

Please feel free to download or screenshot and share — tag #lauraduksta #iloveyoumore #ilym and follow me on social! If we see your post we'll for sure repost it!

Love Live Events

• May 26th: Livingston, NJ Barnes & Noble - I'll either be at the store for story time at 10 AM or they'll have signed books! If you're in the NJ area and interested, reach out and I'll let you know. We are speaking to a few local schools and, if I am booked for a program, I won't be there in person, but I will stop by to sign books that week!
• June: Check my website for an update on whether I'll be at the Farmer's Market in Fort Lauderdale on June 4th. 
• End of June-July: Road tripping up the East Coast! If you know of a festival, market, camp, school, or church I should visit, send me a message! 
• June 30th-July 3rd: National Alopecia Areata Foundation Conference in Washington, D.C.