A few months ago, through a series of forwarded emails, I received a request for in kind shipping for a small, but growing FedEx customer, reBounces. They were looking for assistance with their tennis ball recycling campaign at an upcoming tennis tournament. Always eager to work on sustainability projects, I immediately was intrigued.

As I sat down to write this story, I turned on the news and was shocked to hear that Haiti had been hit by a devastating earthquake. I hope others are as generous as the school children I met today and open their hearts to help the citizens of one of the poorest countries as they begin the long recovery process.

Recently, I wrote a blog about the Wreaths Across America program and my trepidation about visiting a cemetery. Ironic. The week of Christmas found my family at the hospital with my 90-year-old grandma whose health was rapidly declining. We were certain that a holiday trip to the cemetery was looming. Given our extreme sadness, no one in my family felt much in the holiday spirit.

As many of you watch the FedEx Orange Bowl tonight, I wanted to share my thoughts regarding the new round of ad work FedEx launched this January with the College Football Bowl Championship Series. This year’s FedEx brand campaign features five new television spots promoting the reliability of domestic overnight delivery, international shipping, FedEx Ground, FedEx Office Print Online and the multi-faceted capabilities of FedEx Office.

A few weeks ago, I drove five hours each way to attend the funeral of a dear friend’s mother. After the mass, I wavered about staying for the ceremony at the cemetery.  Despite traveling halfway across the state, I couldn’t bear joining my friend’s family for the final goodbye to her mother at the cemetery and abashedly jumped in my car for the long drive home. Since my own mother died in 2008, I’ve had a difficult time setting foot in a cemetery.