As someone that has struggled with major depression and anxiety my whole life, I chose the word courage to remind me every morning, as I put it on, that I've already faced my greatest battle of the day to get up and get moving. To face the same battle day after day even when I'm afraid. One morning, as I put on the necklace, I immediately thought of my friend (and fellow teacher) who would be getting a lumpectomy that day. I couldn't imagine the fear she was facing that day, and knew that I needed to #payitforward and share my courage with her. As luck would have it, I parked next to her, hopped out of my car, and gave her the necklace. We've helped each other enough times in our lives that nothing more needed to be said than, "you need this more than me." We are fortunate that her biopsy came back benign, and that day she tried to return the necklace. I told her that wasn't the way this worked, and she would know when she needed to #bethekey for the next person and #payitforward.
-Jo-Anne
