charismatic character

i just got out of the bathtub and read a snippit in a magazine about character and charisma. its funny how things stick with you and can sum up a moment. previous to this bathtub soak, we had gone to a family dinner at the benton club, hosted by sara stein and carrie murphey. its intent was to do something family oriented benefiting the recent victims of the horrific tornadoes that just struck joplin, missouri. when i got the invitation i was so struck by this kind hearted gesture, i immediately told sara we would be there. she said she was prompted to do this, because of how close this tragedy hit to home, not only by proxy, but it is a community not unlike our own.

as you might imagine, tonight was a bit chaotic with at least 10 children under the age of five, but the food was good, the company even better and the cause so worthy. it was laid back and fun and i sat there admiring my friend, sara. here is the thing about her, and i imagine by the time you two read this, there will be a long history with "miss sara," but she is really like no other person i have met. when we began our friendship, i thought she was such a breath of fresh air to our sleepy little circle. she is bubbly, full of life and i always call her the cruise director. she's a real "the more the merrier" kind of person and embraces everyone. her personality is effervescent, contagious and enthusiastic- she is without a doubt, charismatic.

this article i was reading spoke about how character and charisma are two separate things, although a lot of times they appear to go hand in hand. you naturally assume that a person who lights up a room is full of "do the right thing" character, but such is not always the case. this really got me thinking about the two (three) of you and your stamp on the world. its really charming to be the kind of person who's light fills the room, but its so much more important to be the kind of person who shines brightly when no one is looking. sara is without a doubt this kind of person and i hope so badly, that you all will be just as sparkly.

my mom always said "its nice to be important, but its more important to be nice." if she said it once, she said it a thousand times and i don't really think it hit home until i was near my thirties. charisma will take you to a level or height, but character will keep you there or bring you down.

be charismatic in your personality and strong in your character, it will serve you well.