Remembering a Child

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain..." ~Rev. 21:4

I sat down on Sunday to blog.  I had several ideas....recipes to share, a wedding shower to recap, photos from Blonde Oklahoma Girls' big day, random thoughts on world events....the norm.  But before I got started I stopped to check out Facebook.

There, I learned that one of the children to whom I helped grant a Make a Wish passed away.  You read about the impact his family had on me here and about his wish here.

And all of a sudden, I didn't much feel like talking about scones and bridesmaids dresses and wedding presents.

I recently read a wonderful article on suffering by my friend, Meg.  The entire article is phenomenal, but the following excerpt really hit me.

We can’t understand what God is doing any more than an infant can understand what his mother is doing–less so. We see the now, or even the 50 years from now. We see the splash. God sees the ripples. And not just the ripples on our lives but the ripples on the lives of those we love and those we hate and those we’ve never bothered to notice. God sees the ripples on eternity. God knows which miraculous cure will bring conversion and which painful death will draw hearts to him. He doesn’t give you cancer because you need to learn how to be a better person, but if he lets you suffer through it, he is working. This is the God who took the greatest evil of all time, the torture and deicide of Good Friday, and turned it into the greatest good for the human race. There is nothing he cannot turn to good.

This is what gives me hope. Not that God might work a miracle for me but that he is working miracles, daily miracles. This is providence, that for me in my comfortable life and for those suffering and abandoned, for every last person on this planet God is working miracles. He is holding them close and drawing them closer, even when they seem most alone. Because he knows what they need. This is the Christian answer to the problem of evil: God knows better than I. And he is working.

So what can I say to the mothers with empty arms, the broken victims of abuse and neglect, the refugees and hospice patients and orphans and addicts?

“I don’t know. I’m sorry. I don’t know what God is doing, but I know that he is doing something. I don’t know what good will come of this, but I know that good will come. I know this the way I know how to breathe or which way is down: not because I can prove or explain it but because everything in my life cries out this truth. You are loved in your suffering. God weeps with you, hanging on the Cross for you. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what he’s doing. But I know who he is. He is good. He is love. He is for you. And there will come a day when all is made clear, when you’re welcomed into the embrace of the God who has been waiting for you since before there was time and you see just how all things worked for good. But until then, I will stand with you in the unknowing. Together we will hope and love and suffer. And we will trust in a God who is so much bigger than our pain.”
Miracles seem arbitrary and unfair because our vision is so short. But we worship an eternal God who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all. There is nothing he will not do for us. Ours is to trust that when we lie broken amidst the rubble of our lives, even then he is working. Even then we are protected. Even then we are loved by a Father who wills our greatest good, though it may be a long time coming. Wait in hope, my friends. My God will not disappoint.

Please keep the sweet family of my Make a Wish child in your prayers.  Peace be with them.

Virtual Turkey Trot!

"Run, Forrest, run!" ~Jenny

I'm sure most of y'all have heard of a Turkey Trot.  In a lot of cool places (read: bigger cities!) they have a 5K run on Thanksgiving Day so that people can go burn off some of that turkey (and potatoes and gravy and stuffing and corn and pie and more pie...) that they plan to eat later in the day. 

 

Well, some of us don't live in big cities but still want to run.  So my friend Jen and I have come up with a solution.....a Virtual Turkey Trot! 

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You just go out wherever you are and run (or jog or walk) a 5K sometime between Thanksgiving Day and the following Sunday (November 28 - December 1).  If your town has an official Turkey Trot and you want to do that, go for it and that counts too! 

Then we'll host a link up the following week and those of you with blogs can blog about the run and share your link.  If you don't have a blog, you can send your pictures/story to me or Jen and we'll include you in our recap.  Easy peasy.

 

And to provide some incentive and to do some good, if Jen and I can get participation from people in 10 states, we will both make a generous donation to the Salvation Army to kick off the Holiday Season!  So.....all you readers out there....get this on your calendar.

 

College Roomie, this means you, even though you'll whine that "this is NOT fun" all the way.  Loud Oklahoma Girl, this means you since you now have a blog!  (Go here to follow her!)  Make AB's Mama come with you!  Pharmer Girl, I know for a fact you have pretty new running shoes that need to be included.  Miss Livin It Right, you've been working out with a trainer and know you want to do this in our happy little hometown.  Mrs. Robertson, we need someone to represent in the Northeast!  The Hepburns, I think that a family run is in order down your dirt road!  Arkansassy, this will let you check a goal off your November list.  Chicken Plucker, you can eat some carbs with dinner if you do this!  Georgia Boy, your rock star wife can do a 5K in her sleep, have her do it for you.  Nomad, what else do you have to do on an island all day anyway?   Super Mom, your boys would love this and burn off lots of energy in the process! 

And the most excited person of all?  The Boy from Texas, who will have the pleasure of running down the gravel road amongst the wheat fields with me on Thanksgiving morning.  He can't wait.

   

Good Deeds and Good Causes and Good People

"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." ~Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

I've got lots of blog friends doing good deeds lately.  Since I know all of you are good deed lovin' people, I figured I'd share a couple of links in case you feel like helping out.

Uno.  First up, we have my friend Almost Gypsy Soul.  I've told you previously that you need to follow her blog.  Seriously.  Anyway, she is part of an adopted soldier program and previously sent her soldier a Duck Dynasty care package.  You can see what was included here.  Well it was so popular, that another soldier wrote to her asking if she could send some more of these packages for the guys/girls in his unit.  How cool is that?  So my friend is now working on putting together 10 Duck Dynasty care packages.  And she could use you help!  Click here to see what you can do!

Dos.  Next up is a project near and dear to my heart....the Run for the Little Flowers 5K.  This is a virtual run (which means you can run it anywhere you are the week of October 19) and it raises money for an orphanage in China that takes care of babies--especially ones with disabilities.  If you look up Little Flower Project on Facebook, you'll fall in love with these kids and the work that the Project is doing.  I donate to them every month (if you want to do that you can learn more here).  But I am also participating in the virtual run.  It's organized by Katie, who is currently in the process of adopting a little one from China, so it's something close to hear heart as well!  To sign up for the virtual run, click here.

Running last year's virtual 5K at Notre Dame

Tres.  Then we have Baby Joseph.  His mama is a college friend of my sweet ND Friend.  Baby Joseph is truly a miracle baby--his parents were told that he would likely have some medical issues before he was born, so there have been lots of people praying for this little guy for months.  He just had his second heart surgery and yesterday they found an infection in his chest incision.  Here is his family's blog about his journey.  Please keep Baby Joseph (and his sweet parents) in your prayers.

Bringing Isaac Home

"But I am here.  I will love him.  I will be his mother."  ~Kim De Blecort

I think that some women are just made to be mamas.  You know the ones I'm talking about?  The ones who you can just tell were destined to wear an apron while whipping up gourmet food, and to drive the kids to football practice and ballet lessons all whilst looking completely put together, and who magically seem to know how to sew whatever crazy costume the child needs for the school play?  Well, my friend, Necia, is one of those women.

We met in college at Oklahoma State, and became fast friends.  She and I were on the Mock Trial team together when she got pregnant with her son, Andrew.

Me, Necia and our friend Amy - 2005

Mock Trial Team 2006 - Mat and Necia  are the 2nd and 3rd from the right

One night when she called me crying and said she needed to go to the ER, that something was wrong, and that her husband was at work.  I picked her up and drove her to the hospital.  They ordered an ultrasound to be sure that there was still a heartbeat.  I will never forget the ultrasound technician coming in and asking how many times she had been pregnant.  She responded, "Five."  He then asked how many babies she had.  She responded, "None."  He said he didn't understand, and I think that my death glare made it pretty clear that he needed to stop asking those kinds of questions.  But even then, before Andrew had arrived, Necia was a mama.

Me and baby Andrew circa 2007

Fast forward 7 years (how did we get that old!?!), and Necia and Mat have two precious kiddos, Andrew and Olivia.  They are the perfect little family.  Except for one thing.  They are missing Isaac, the adorable little guy that they are in the process of adopting from South Korea.  Necia saw his profile one night online and says that she knew right away that he was her son.  And now, two years into the process, it is almost time to bring Isaac home.  Here is a video telling their story.

They are waiting on a court date and are raising the money necessary to complete the adoption and travel to Seoul to get their boy.  You can follow their story on Necia's blog.

If you are so inclined, you may donate here.  Even if you can't donate, they will for sure take all the prayers that they can get, and those are free to give!

Phillip from Milwaukee

“Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody's business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy.” ~Thomas Merton

Give a stranger $100.  

This has been a bucket list item of mine for a while.  For some reason, I just never got around to doing it.  And then, when Super Mom and I were planning an idea for ND Friend's birthday, I knew I had found my opportunity.

See, ND Friend is hands down the sweetest, kindest, most generous person I know.  By about a mile.  For her 30th birthday she has been making a list of 30 acts of kindness to do on her birthday.  So Super Mom and I decided that part of our gift to her would be to get in touch with 30 of her family and friends, and have each of them do one act of kindness in the 30 days leading up to her birthday.  Once the act of kindness was done, each person would write a letter to ND Friend telling her about what they did in her honor.  Pretty good, right?  (Give me zero credit....it was all Super Mom's idea!)

So prior to the date that I was assigned (April 5), I got a $100 bill out of the bank.  I wrote a little note telling the recipient all about ND Friend and why I was doing this.  And I ordered four prayer cards from the St. Therese Society--The Little Flower is one of ND Friend's favorite saints.  One for ND Friend, one for the stranger who will get the money, one for Super Mom who came up with this idea, and one for me.

And then I set out on a mission to find my stranger.  Before I went, I prayed that God would put the right person in my path, and that I would be paying attention enough to discern that.  As I waited for the right person, I focused on the Thomas Merton quote a top of this blog.  It was not for me to decide who was worthy of the money, it was not for me to wonder what they would spend it on.  It was for me to have an open heart and a desire to help.

On a random Tuesday as I was leaving the grocery store, I met Phillip from Milwaukee.  I was running late and stressed out and in a hurry.  He walked up to me in jeans and an old Raider hoodie.  He had long blonde hair that hadn't been washed in a while that was pulled back in a ponytail.  He asked if I had any change that I could spare.  "Actually," I said, "I sure do."  I handed him the prayer card with the note about ND Friend and the $100 bill tucked inside.

He opened it up, saw the money, and sighed the happiest, most relieved sigh I think I ever heard.  "Are you serious?"  He then said that another lady in the parking lot had just prayed with him that he would be able to find a way to get a room for the night.  I told him that it was pretty clear that God was on his side!

I told him I was and that I was doing this as an act of kindness in honor of my friend's birthday and that I hoped it would help him.  After hearing that, he said that he had been given four bags of Starbucks ground coffee and wanted to give it to me for my friend's birthday party.  I explained that my friend lived in Chicago so we were not having a party (ironic though that he offered coffee to ND Friend who likes that stuff more than anyone I know!) and he got all excited and said he was from Milwaukee.  Some sort of midwestern bond he felt to her in Chicago, apparently.  Next, he asked if he could hug me, and being a hugger, I of course said yes.  (For the record, I don't normally hug random men in the grocery store parking lot.)   Before he left, he asked my name, shook my hand, and said he would pray for me and ND Friend.

As I left, I just felt thankful.  Thankful for ND Friend for being such an example of kindness and charity.  Thankful for Super Mom for coming up with such a great birthday idea.  Thankful for Phillip from Milwaukee for being such a grateful recipient.  And thankful to God, for putting the right people in our paths when we open our hearts to do good.

Peer Pressure

“As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.” ~Mary Anne Radmacher

I've given into peer pressure again.  In college that usually meant that I ended up at the Penny at 2 in the morning with a bunch of drunk boys who needed a ride home.  Sigh...I love those crazy kids and miss those crazy nights!

Nowadays, my friends have grown up and it means that I've signed up to send letters and care packages to a soldier serving overseas!

Two of my real life friends--Pharmer Girl and Almost Gypsy Soul--both adopted soldiers through this program and blogged about it.  You just commit to sending a letter a week and 1-2 care packages a month. Pretty easy, right?   Now I'm not nearly as crafty as Pharmer Girl and I'm not as good at coming up with fun ideas (Taco Bell sauce) as Almost Gypsy Soul, but my poor soldier will just have to deal with what I can come up with.

I'm working on my first package. I'm thinking a football theme for Super Bowl weekend!

If you are interested on adopting a soldier, check out the website for Soldiers' Angels here.

Weekend Update: Granting a Wish

"Volunteers are paid in six figures... S-M-I-L-E-S." ~Gayla LeMaire

I love being a Wish Granter for Make-a-Wish.  I mean, first off, the title "Wish Granter" sort of makes me feel like a fairy who goes around with my magic wand and makes people happy.  "Your wish is my command!"

But seriously, the fact that I get the chance to help make wishes come true for seriously ill kiddos and their families?  It really is the best gig on the planet.

This weekend, I was able to help make a wish come true for the sweetest boy. 
Unfortunately, privacy rules make me unable to give you any details on the kiddo, his wish, or share any pictures.  But let me just tell you that getting to see him smiling and laughing and surrounded by toys and balloons and a whole house full of people who clearly love him to pieces....well that's a picture that I'm never going to forget. 

I cannot encourage you enough to support the Make-a-Wish organization.  They make dreams come true for sick kids, and give precious memories to families who more than deserve them.  A wish is granted every 38 minutes.  Those are a lot of lives that MAW is making better!  To read some of the wish stories, you can click here.

You can donate money, donate airline miles, or get involved as a volunteer.  It's super easy and I cannot think of a more rewarding organization to be involved with.  For more info, feel free to contact me or check out the Make-a-Wish website.

Thankful Thursday

“We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.”  ~Henry Ironside

My dear sweet friend College Roomie did this little link up last week, so I'm excited to join in this week!

* Speaking of College Roomie, I'm thankful that she asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding!  And even more thankful that she's letting me pick out any black dress that I want.  Love those kind of brides.  Love, love, love.  Feel free to send along any dress ideas you come across.

Me and CR at Bay to Breakers 2010

*  I'm thankful for the opportunity to volunteer with Make-a-Wish.  This weekend we will be granting the most amazing wish for the sweetest boy and his family.  I cannot put into words what it is like to be involved with something like that.

*  I'm thankful that I get to see BFF and Mrs. BFF this weekend.  These two are just my favorites.

*  I'm thankful for the "stress relief" aroma therapy bubble bath from Bath and Body Works.  Is it over priced?  Sure.  Does it relieve stress?  Probably not.  But dang it, it makes me smell good.  Good enough for this girl.

*  I'm thankful for LOKG who I will be running a half marathon with in exactly 93 days.  93 days!!  She's totally kept me going with my goal of eating healthy and getting back into the running game.  Bring it on, Oklahoma City Half Marathon.  You bring it on.

*  I'm thankful for all the babies in my life that are having birthdays this month.  I may have spent entirely too much money on gifts for the birthday kiddos (and their siblings...you can't leave them out!) and shipping them last weekend.  It's probably a good thing I don't have my own children, because I'd be broke as a joke at this rate.

On that note, check out this video of Little Linebacker (who turns 3 in two weeks!) singing "My God's Not Dead" and playing the drums--tree stumps, whatever--in the back yard.  Is this not the most precious thing you have ever seen in your life?  I just love that kid to death, and his parents are clearly doing something right!

* I'm thankful for ND Friend, who has to be the kindest person I know.  Right now she's praying multiple Novenas at the same time for other people and I'm still unsuccessfully avoiding the amazing homemade Nutella that she gave me for Christmas.  She's a Saint.  And a Betty Crocker.  Good combo.

*  Basically, I'm just thankful for my life and for all of the people in it.  I am blessed beyond belief.

30 by 30 Report: Month 2

"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”  ~ Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Just in case anyone missed the 30 by 30 list, click here to check it out.  Two months down and I'd say things are going pretty well!

#1:  Cook 10 new recipes.  (4/10 completed)

First up this month, I made zucchini cakes.  My sweet cousin put a picture of zucchini cakes on facebook.  Now I love me some zucchini, so I knew I had to try them.  Y'ALL.  Seriously, these are amazing.  So easy (no explosions, no fires, no problems), so delicious, and not horribly unhealthy.  Here's a link to the recipe.  Trust me, you must try these.

Second, I made some crock pot turkey meatloaf from a recipe I found on Christin's blog.  Now, I'm a beef girl, so I would normally substitute hamburger for turkey here, but I was trying something new so I went with it.  I don't care for mushrooms, so I substituted green bell pepper instead.  I thought it was pretty good.  Not something I want to eat every week, but a recipe I'll add to my book.

#7:  Read 24 more books.  (4/24 completed)

I knocked two more books off of this list with the two Advent readings I chose this year.  You read earlier about the main lesson I learned in my Advent reflection this year.  Tomorrow, I'll get up a recap of the two books I read.

#8:  Send my friends little gifts once a month (2/12 completed)

I totally got this idea off of pinterest, modified it slightly, and incorporated it into some of my Christmas gifts.  It was really fun, super easy, and people loved it.  The original idea was to get nail polish and make a cute little tag that said "for your mistle-toes."  Well, I'm a fuzzy sock lover--I mean for real--if fuzzy socks don't make it better, you might as well give up.  So I added fuzzy socks to the mix and ended up with this.

I just bought socks, nail polish, string to tie it all together, and these cute little wooden gift tags from Hob Lob that I painted red and green.  I thought it turned out pretty well!

#22:  Send money anonymously to someone at Christmas.

This was one of the items I was the most excited about checking off the list when I wrote it.  I'm a sucker for Christmas.  Those Angel trees where you take a tag and buy the person gifts?  They see me coming.  I took like 5 tags at church last week and I've still got to go by the Wal-Mart that does one for people in the nursing home.  Last year I went on the last day and was so upset thinking that if I didn't take all the remaining tags those people would have no Christmas, that I was in tears in the store and bought them out of sweat suits (apparently that's a popular request at the nursing home!).  Anyway, I digress.  Every year I like to give some money to a family that I know needs it.  I've had my family selected since July and I love knowing that they just got a random gift card in the mail that will help make Christmas a little more fun.

#29:  Bring home a bouquet of flowers once a month (2/12 completed).

28 Acts of Kindness

"Remember, there's no such thing as a small act of kindness.  Every act creates a ripple with no logical end."  ~Scott Adams

You have probably read about the 26 acts of kindness project that people across the country are doing in memory of those who lost their lives in Newtown on December 14.  You know I'm a sucker for something like this and that I've been really touched by the situation in Newtown, so I decided to join in.

Except I wanted to do 28 acts....one for each person who died that day, including the shooter and his mother.  I know that some people disagree with this--I've read the posts on the internet about it--I don't really care.  28 people died that day, and a couple extra kind acts can only make this world a better place.

So, I bought some Christmas cards to hand out with my acts, asking people to pray for the families in Newtown and promising that I would pray for the people receiving my acts of kindness.  And, as it usually happens with this kind of thing, I think that I probably got more out of the giving than did the people doing the receiving.  It made me look around for people to help, it made me notice things I would otherwise completely overlook, and it made me take the focus off of myself.  I should probably be looking to do a random act of kindness every day.

Here's my list.

1.  Mailed a card to Fr. Luke Suarez, one of the priests at the St. Rose of Lima parish in Newtown.  He's been a priest for less than two years and is dealing with trying to help a community understand the unthinkable.  I cannot imagine what he is going through.  If you want to hear his story and/or send him a card, click here for info.

2.  Signed up for a monthly donation to the Little Flower Projects.  I fell in love with this charity back in October when another blogger hosted a virtual run to raise money.  They care for critically ill (often dying) orphans in China.  I'm friends with them on Facebook and the pictures of these kiddos just melt my heart every day.  I thought that helping other kids was a good way to honor the memory of the children from Newtown.

3.  Gave a bag of cookies to the lady who works at the parking garage booth.  She's always so nice and seemed really surprised with the gift.

4.  Bought a Wal-Mart gift card and gave it to the homeless man sitting outside the store on a corner with a sign.  When I gave it to him, he said, "God bless you."

5:  Bought coloring books and crayons and gave them to my neighbor's daughter.

6.  Gave a gift card to the little old lady in a wheelchair I saw buying Christmas decorations.  She cried.

7-11.  Put Christmas cards and candy canes on random cars parked in the parking lot at the hospital.

12.  Gave a Subway gift card to the nice man in a big coat ringing the Salvation Army bell outside of Hob Lob.

13 - 15.  Bought three Starbucks gift cards.  Gave the first one to a cute pregnant checker at the grocery store who said she was really having a stressful day.  Gave the second to the poor girl freezing her booty off gathering carts int he parking lot.  Left the third one in the church at the rail in front of the candles for someone to find while they are praying.

16-20.  Gave five of those super soft throw blankets to the nursing home and asked them to give them to patients who needed a little something extra this Christmas.

21-22.  Bought 2 Toys-R-Us gift cards and gave them to two moms I saw in the store.  The first had three little boys and a baby and looked like she had her hands full.  The second had a little girl and a young boy appeared to have cerebral palsy because he was in a special kind of seat that I know CP kids use.

23.  Donated money to the Salvation Army kettle.

24.  Bought dinner for the car behind me at Chik-fil-a.

25 - 27.  Baked brownies and stopped to give them to truckers at a truck stop (I figured this was appropriate since me and a trucker bonded two weekends ago).  Trucker's like brownies, FYI.  Trucker's wives along for the ride like them even more.

28.  Gave a Wal-Mart gift card to a guy with a backpack and a dog on the interstate on-ramp.  He said he would pray for me.  I told him I'd do the same for him.

A Christmas Themed Weekend

"If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around." ~Love Actually

This weekend I decided to do some of my favorite Christmas-related activities.  Next weekend I'll be out of town being a groomsma'am in BFF's wedding and the weekend after that I'm hoping to be at my parents' for Christmas, so this was pretty much my last chance.  I took full advantage.

I watched two of my favorite holiday movies:  Elf and Love Actually.  I know those are on pretty opposite ends of the spectrum, but if they don't put you in the Christmas spirit, nothing will.  And the guy with the signs....melt my heart.  Where do I get one of those stalker/secret admirer types to show up at my door?

I broke my diet for hot chocolate and lots of marshmallows and some of the amazing Christmas present of Oatmeal Squares, pecans and caramel sent to me by ND Friend's Sister (who somehow managed to get this made and in the mail all while taking care of two little boys and giving birth to a third on Saturday--she's a rock star!).  Back on the diet and running plan manana.

I got my Christmas tree all set up and decorated.

I made/wrapped TONS of gifts. We used to make fun of my mom for going Christmas overboard every year....that may have been genetic.

That doesn't even include the ones I'm mailing. The post office is going to hate me.

I did my "angel tree" shopping..  This year I did two different trees, one from church for various charities and shelters and the one I do every year at Wal-Mart for people in nursing homes.   It was really great this year when I happened to be shopping at the same tim as about 200 cops were there shopping with needy kids.  Each cop had a kid and a cart full of coats and shoes and toys and bicycles...you name it.  It was awesome.  Reminds me of what's right with the world.

Also reminds me why I should never think that just because it's 8:30 on a Sunday I should not go to the store with no make up and my hair in a ratty ponytail.  Because guess who got interviewed by the local tv station about buying gifts for charities over the holidays?  This girl.  It was NOT pretty.


Edited for language....Bible Belt Moms read this blog! :)
 

I checked an item off of my 30 for 30 list when I sent an anonymous gift card to a family that really needs it.  When I met them earlier this year, they really touched my heart and I know that something like this will really make their holidays.  I love that God has blessed me with the ability to do things like this!

And I came up with a couple of last-minute additions to my Christmas list. 

1.  Check out this idea.  You just take any ticket stub---airplane, concert, movie, train, whatever---to Kinkos where they will blow it up and print it on a pillow.  LOVE it!  I wish I had done this for all of my trips and I'd have a cool set of souvineers!

2.  These necklaces.  Mine would be Oklahoma, of course, with a big ol' heart where Stillwater sits.

Little Flower Project Virtual 5K

"Recognizing the beauty and dignity of each and every individual person, China Little Flower works to build a culture of life by reaching out to those who are rejected, abandoned, deemed as useless, and who have no voice." ~Little Flower Project Mission Statement

I don't usually blog on the weekends, but I'm making an exception to tell y'all about The Little Flower Virtual Run that I did last week.  My blog friend, Katie, organized this virtual run to benefit The Little Flower Project.  (Thank you, Katie!!)

The Project is located in China.  They focus on providing care to abandoned orphans, and specialize in taking in kids with serious medical conditions and special needs who have been abandoned.  The photos that they share on their website will just break your heart. 

Even though the run date was actually on 10/20, the Hepburns and I wanted to do the run while we were together at Notre Dame.  So we rolled out of bed early on game day last Saturday and headed to campus.  It was absolutely perfect.  Still, quiet, and peaceful.  We ran around St. Mary's lake to the Grotto, where we stopped to take our photo to be shared with The Little Flowers, and to say a prayer for them at the grotto.  There were only two other people there and it was just beautiful.



So please say a prayer for The Little Flower Project today.  Last week, they lost four of their precious little ones who they had been caring for. Last week, I whined about a sore throat and a summary judgment motion. Running and writing a check was the least I could do.  If you're interested in helping out, you can get more info here.  These people are doing the work of Jesus for these kids in China.  God bless them!

Perspective

"Start breaking my heart for what breaks Yours.  Give me open hands and open doors.  Put Your light in my eyes and let me see, that my own little world is not about me." ~ Matthew West, "My Own Little World"

I whine about not being able to find the shoes I want.    I talk about my job being stressful and flights being delayed on trips and not liking the way that I look in a swim suit. I complain about having a stuffy nose or about being sore after a run.  I get jealous of the girls on "Say Yes To The Dress" and get my feelings hurt when boys don't call.

Sometimes in the middle of our comfortable little lives, God smacks us with a big ol' dose of perspective.

Photo via

Last week, I did a Make-a-Wish interview.  I met a mom who was about my age.  She had her hands full with four kiddos, one of whom has a life threatening disease.  What was her request? A bed that would let her child be more comfortable.  She talked about saving up money for a month to take her kids to the State Fair.  She described "Sunday Funday" where she took her girls out to have quality time with their mom every week, but had to watch how much money they spent.  She told me she has never been on a "real" vacation.  But she loves those kids and makes sacrifices every day to make sure that are happy and taken care of and feel special.

Perspective, anyone?

Relay for Life

"Celebrate.  Remember.  Fight Back." ~Relay for Life Theme

This weekend, I headed north to participate in a Relay for Life.  I had served on the RFL committee a couple of times in college, but this was my first time to participate since then.  There was a team who was walking in memory of my Uncle David, who we lost over Christmas, so I knew I had to join in.

If you've never been, you should go.  It's amazing to see so many people come out to support a great cause.  (Including the Colfax County Democrats, who drew glares from Cousin Kevin every time we passed their tent on our laps!)


The family representatives



No doubt we were solving the world's problems.



Survivor Lap

What struck me the most was the sheer number of people that have been affected by cancer.  We were at a high school track,and the track was lined--both inside and outside lanes--with luminarias.  Each representing a person who was currently fighting cancer, or who had lost their battle.  Every one of those bags represented a person, and their story.  And for each of those persons, there are so many more--husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, children and friends--whose lives were changed by that person's disease.

Uncle David

Sadly, my family has had more than our share of those stories.  Uncle Buddy is our survivor.  But  many have not been so fortunate.  Uncle David.  My grandma, Nannie.  Her three brothers:  Uncle Henry, Uncle David and Uncle George (who apparently died several years ago when I was in college and no one bothered to tell me....I found out this weekend).  Seeing their photos hung on the wall of the tent, and their names written on luminarias lit up around a track, and hearing their names read on a list a mile long of those who had been lost only drove that point home.

Uncle David



Luminaria for Nannie



Nannie and my great uncles

I pray that one day, there will be no more Relay for Life.  That there will be new new luminaria bags to line a track.  Until then, I am honored to have been a part of this event, in memory of my Uncle David, and all the rest of the people in my life who have (and still are) fighting against cancer.