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AN UNEXPECTED BLESSING FOR A STEPFATHER
Walking My Daughter Down the Aisle
thing for her to do. Not only that, but Shelby’s decision to have me walk her down the aisle also meant a lot to my wife, her mother, as well. She took it as a huge affirmation of our family’s relationships, and by extension the approval of our marriage. In light of Father’s Day coming up this month, I just wanted to share this story in case there are any stepdads that might need a little encouragement. Maybe you’ve recently accepted the challenge, or maybe you’ve been one for a while, like me. Either way, it’s not always easy to care for kids as if they are your own because of the absence of their biological father, but things can get better down the road, especially if you put in the effort. They can become your kids, and when they know how much you love them, you can become their dad, regardless of blood. Whatever your family situation is though, I hope that all the fathers out there feel appreciated and affirmed by their children this Father’s Day.
for her when her real father hadn’t and that it wouldn’t be right for him to have the honor of walking her down the aisle because he just hadn’t been there for her in any way. Taking part in Shelby’s wedding was such an affirming experience for me. I think sometimes as parents, we don’t realize how much of an impact we have on our kids until we get the privilege of doing something like that. Sure, we might get the regular “thank yous” and “love yous” that come throughout everyday life with your kids, but when they ask you to be there for them on one of the most important days of their lives, that’s when the joy and honor of being a parent really hit home for me. I’ve been very blessed to have the family that I do. While I wouldn’t say that my wife’s biological children and my biological children are as close as real siblings, they’re all great friends. In fact, before she asked me, Shelby asked my biological daughter if it was okay with her that I walk her down the aisle because that would normally be an honor reserved for her. I thought that was a really thoughtful and mature
A few months ago, my eldest stepdaughter, Shelby, got married, and I got to walk her down the aisle. It was one of those incredible honors that comes with being a father, and I felt privileged to do it, especially since I’m not her biological father. When I married my wife 10 years ago, we each already had children from previous marriages. She has three daughters, and I have two sons and a daughter. Since then, however, her kids have become my kids, and my kids have become her kids. Be that as it may, however, when my eldest stepdaughter asked me to walk her down the aisle, after I let her know how honored and grateful I was, I felt compelled to make sure that was really what she wanted to do. Her biological father hadn’t been present in her (or her sisters’) life for over 10 years, but I knew that if I were to take the place of her father at her wedding, it would probably mean the end of any hope she might have for a future relationship with him.
She reassured me that it was absolutely what she wanted. She said that I had been there
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The Story of Lungile Mhlanga
Since 2015, ransomware attacks have soared. According to experts, every 11 seconds, a different company somewhere in the world will be hit with ransomware. By the end of this year, the cost of ransomware attacks is estimated to be around $20 billion. This problem will only get worse as time goes on — unless companies take the proper action to protect their data. When cybercriminals gain access to a company’s data and encrypt it to prevent rightful owners from accessing files, they demand a ransom for it. Since many criminals threaten to post sensitive company data online if victims don’t pay the ransom, many company leaders may feel that paying is their only choice. However, this has proven only to embolden cybercriminals to up their ransoms in later perpetrations. As the ransoms go up, the more likely it is that ransomware will bankrupt more and more businesses. At the same time, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Controls (OFAC) added another wrinkle for companies hit with ransomware to deal with in October 2020. They issued an Advisory on Potential Sanctions Risks for Facilitating Ransomware Payments, which warned companies that they could be subject to fines for paying ransoms. The logic goes that many of these ransoms may go to countries or organizations that have it in mind to undermine the United States government, but since many cybercriminals use roving IP addresses, no company can know for sure where the ransom is going — and they could still have to pay a fine. So, embattled on both sides by cybercriminals and the U.S. government, companies are left to set up their own protections. The best defenses against ransomware include developing and testing their backup data so that it will fully restore any systems encrypted by ransomware and ensuring that their data at rest is encrypted as well. One way to make sure that backed up data hasn’t been compromised is by running it through a hash algorithm, which will notify companies if even one character of their data has been changed. For any questions or concerns on how to financially protect your company against ransomware attacks, you can contact Risk Services of Arkansas through our website at INSURICA.com/contact-us.
THE FOUNDER OF TREATS CLUB
Following your passion can take you to some pretty unexpected places, but few entrepreneurs can personally attest to that as well as Lungile Mhlanga, the founder of Treats Club. This innovative company offers a unique approach to getting customers freshly baked goods, even when COVID-19 spread across the world. During college, Mhlanga had a part-time job as a makeup consultant with Benefit Cosmetics. She loved this work so much that she dropped out of college to work there full time. A few years later, she took a position working for MAC Cosmetics at Harrods, a famous London department store. Honing her customer service skills, she soon ended up becoming a manager and trainer for MAC, working in Dubai, the Middle East, and India. After she quit her job at MAC, Mhlanga found herself back in London, wondering what to do next. She recalled the praise she had received for some of her baked goods, and that was when her foray into the baking business started. Mhlanga began posting some of her baked goods on Instagram, even scoring her former employer, MAC Cosmetics, as a corporate customer. Then, as fortune would have it, she got a chance to go on “An Extra Slice,” a sister TV show to the popular series “The Great British Bake Off.” On the show, Mhlanga was selected as “star baker,” validating her desire to turn her passion for baking into a “proper business.” And so, Treats Club was born. Mhlanga made tasty treats, including hot doughnuts, for customers at markets all over London — and not even a pandemic could stop her. Mhlanga simply pivoted into her new circumstances without much fuss, putting together kits that customers could use to make her hot doughnuts themselves. After being featured on popular morning TV show “Sunday Brunch,” she had over 200 orders for the kits. Mhlanga continues to gain notoriety for her baking prowess, and as long as she’s willing to adapt and follow her passions, that success won’t stop anytime soon.
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Mother Raises $35,000 Reward
Adrian Wood knew that Raymond Brown, the head custodian at White Oak Elementary in Edenton, North Carolina, was someone special when she saw how he welcomed and bonded with her son, Amos. Amos has autism, which makes forming friendships with his classmates challenging. However, Brown had no such problems befriending the timid 7-year-old.
“He got attached to me, and I got attached to him, so I gave him the name ‘Famous Amos,’” Brown told a local news station.
Brown was popular with all of the students at the school, as well as the faculty and many of the parents — including Adrian Wood. So, when students saw that their favorite grown-up in the whole school had given Amos a cool nickname, it drew them to Amos as well. His mother couldn’t have been more grateful for Brown’s initial act of kindness. That’s why, when the head custodian was passed over for the North Carolina School Hero Award, which he had been nominated for last year, Wood initiated a community-wide effort to show Brown just how much everyone appreciated his work and his kindness. Wood took to her blog on Facebook to share about her experience with the head custodian and how he’d been kind to her son. Within a week, she’d raised $35,000 and a plan to present it to Brown in a surprise ceremony, which fell right on Brown and his wife’s 38th wedding anniversary. Hundreds of people gathered to show their appreciation for Brown, including Brown’s children, the mayor of Edenton, the chief of police, and Miss North Carolina. Then, he was presented with a $35,000 honorarium nicknamed “The Famous Amos Award.” In a world where simple acts of kindness often go unnoticed, it’s good to know that there are people willing to be kind without expecting anything in return and people who want to reward them anyway.
FOR HERO CUSTODIAN WHO BEFRIENDED HER SON
Have a Laugh!
Easy way out on Pg. 4
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INSIDE This Issue An Unexpected Blessing for a Stepfather page 1
How This Entrepreneur Found Success
Protecting Your Company From Ransomware Attacks page 2
Some Good News: Hero Custodian Gets $35,000 Reward
Take a Break page 3
Understanding ‘The Power of Moments’ page 4
Can ‘Defining Moments’ Be Created? According to ‘The Power of Moments’ by the Heath Brothers, Yes!
those characteristics, you can create moments that you and the people around you will remember for years to come. “The Power of Moments” is great for anyone looking to leave a lasting impact on their employees or work team. Rather than have your next meeting be about unity — and leave your team grumbling about how that information could have been sent in an email — create a meeting that has, in the words of the Heath brothers, “drama, meaning, and connection.” You can’t bring your team together for a defining moment by just talking about unity; they have to experience it. While the characteristics the Heath brothers describe may seem a little vague at times, rest assured that “The Power of Moments” will give you a fantastic playbook for creating moments that define your team and stick with them. Check it out today!
Why do we remember our best and worst experiences and forget pretty much everything else in between? Why are we most comfortable when things are certain, but we feel so incredibly alive when we plunge into the unknown? These are the moments that stick with us — the moments that define us. They’re an organic part of the human experience, and they can’t be purposely created. Or can they? In “The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact,” brothers Chip and Dan Heath seek to answer these questions and ultimately discern why specific moments can define us. They also explore whether those moments can be purposely created. According to the Heath brothers’ research, positive moments share four characteristics: elevation, insight, pride, and connection. When you look for situations in which you can foster
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