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Maria DiGiorgio is a lifelong New Yorker, who currently resides in Commack, with her family. She is a devoted wife and mother, an educator and designer. Maria is active in her community, as a PTA mom and Girl Scout leader. She has a passion for interior decorating and loves to garden. She is an avid reader, and enjoys writing about life experiences and parenthood, as well as her personal observations about the world around us. |
| To love a child is one of the single, most precious gifts one can receive. To open your heart to the infinite possibilities that come with this gift, enables you to feel emotions in a way like no other. Children are pure of heart, innocent in their view of the world and trusting with all of their souls. They are the very essence of goodness and the closest thing to divinity here on earth. To be blessed with the love for a child and to be blessed to receive the love of a child is beyond compare! Children come into this world with absolutely no preconceived notions or expectations. They are, as often said, like little balls of clay, untouched and ready to be molded by those, whose care they are entrusted to. The significance of this reality could possibly be too daunting for some to bear. It may keep them from venturing into what could possibly be THE MOST rewarding and fulfilling relationship of a lifetime! Love is the most coveted gift we can give or receive. Unconditional love is what we strive to provide for our children and what we receive, a thousand-fold, in return. When we love a child, we receive countless blessings. We feel free, uninhibited, joyful, needed, cherished, admired, revered, and so many wonderful feelings that well up inside us. These emotions are mirrored in the child, when they receive the gift of our love. The bond we build is indestructible and it can carry us, both through our lifetimes, in good times and through struggles. It helps reinforce our feelings of self-worth and remind us that we are not alone: we are loved and we can triumph over anything, as such. Loving a child frees us to be child-like, ourselves: trusting, silly, open and honest. It can be so refreshing to revisit these parts of ourselves, living as adults can often lead us astray from these feelings. We are given permission to be our whole selves, not just the grown-up versions. Children come into our lives and into our hearts in many different ways. We may be parents, aunts and uncles, grandmas and grandpas, teachers, coaches, mentors, etc. We may play more than one role, in the life of a child. We may come by our relationships purposefully or accidentally. We may be seeking this special bond or just happen to find it right there in front of us, without much effort to procure it, on our part. However we are given this gift, we must always remember the importance we have in giving all of our attention and all of our efforts to building, maintaining and strengthening the bonds we have with the children in our lives. Someday, these children will become adults, and the hope is that they too, will experience and welcome the opportunity to love and be loved by a child. The rewards are untold and the rapture, beyond anything we could even begin to describe! |
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20 lucky winners will win $500 each in prizes totaling $10,000. 