A while back I read this commentary by Roland S. Martin, Don’t whine, get involved in kids’ education, and I thought, “how awesome is this man?!”

Martin, married seven years with no children, had encouraged his sister to send him her four kids for an undisclosed amount of time. Martin’s sister was dealing with marital struggles, and the family unit was suffering greatly. As a consequence, two of Martin’s four nieces (only two were school age) were struggling academically. As godfather and uncle to these children, Martin decided that he was not going to let these young ladies fall behind anymore. Instead, he decided to invest his own (and his wife’s) time, energy and resources into the academic success of his nieces.

Wow – that is amazing! It really made me think about my commitment to the young people in my life. Am I willing to take on something that great in order to see them succeed? I hope so.

All my thoughts and prayers are with Martin, his sister and those very-much-loved girls.

*Please don’t misinterpret this post. I absolutely believe that what Martin’s sister did was equally powerful. She was willing to let her brother help out in a time of great need. In doing so, she behaved in a way that communicates her love for her family. So many times we judge parents because they seek assistance, but I believe that what she did was an act of courage and love.

Ali Hooper is a midwestern girl livin’ in the ‘burbs with her boys (hubby, baby, puppy). Once a School Counselor (now Editor of Homeschool Bliss), she whittles away her time blogging about the not-so-sunny side of motherhood at non-maternal instincts (though she loves showing off pictures of her adorable son at her family blog, The Hoopers).

Photo by *GEL**