|
|
We can live our day to day lives with having few personal connections with people.
A simple "please" and "thank you" can get you through the day while still feeling "good."
What about making it personal? Not everyone has the outgoing personality to strike up a conversation with someone, and would rather stay in their own little world. And that's fine.
But what if, just what if...we took our lives a step further and decided to make it more personal.
What if you heard someone was having a tough time...instead of just praying for them, or thinking about them...what if a card was sent, what if some small gesture reminded them that they are being thought of. It could even be anonymous.
What if, instead of just giving a dollar to the charity of your choice...what if you actually gave up a few hours on a precious Saturday to help? I know weekends are precious, they are for my family as well. I'm not asking you give every Saturday away...but what if you gave a piece of one Saturday away to someone in need?
Whether it's one of these ideas or one of your own, see how your heart is affected when you make giving...a little more personal
1. Help to rebuild a widow's house www.Bothhandsfoundation.org so that a family can help bring an orphan child home to love
(I personally volunteer with this organization and I am very passionate about it)
2. Visit a long term care center where the elderly are many times long forgotten and would love to share a minute or two with anyone who will sit with them
http://www.bordeauxltc.org
(I happen to have the honor of meeting Ms. Black, a fun woman who is 104 years old!)
3. Help out at a food kitchen, www.feedamerica.org
4. What about training as a first responder so that when some horrendous tragedy strikes an area, such as a destructive tornado, floods, earthquake...you can go help rebuild lives and rebuild people... www.hopeforce.org
You can actually cross that yellow police tape and go hug someone who has had traumatic loss!
(this one takes a weekend, but it is worth it to be trained to help!)
5. Volunteer to go read a local school, or even mentor a student.
6. How about the Ronald McDonald house?
7. Read to children at a local hospital?
What if... |
| |
| |
|
|
I saw a commercial for The Biggest Loser tonight and I thought...
Why not have a competition between the states?
Between cities?
Seriously...each state gets three cities, one of which has to be rural.
Each city gets 20 people
The city news would keep track of the contestants and of course, so would the show.
Then each city would rally around their contestants. Have the contestants do community walking where people could join them...
Cities would compete against each other, but also with each other- because Nashville and Memphis would also be part of the TN team.
That would be pretty cool.
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
I started training for my second marathon I have ever run.
What I am beginning to experience is that I am not getting faster, I am getting slower.
Before my 9 mile long run two weeks ago, I was feeling good about a 9-91/2 minute mile.
Now I'm happy with a 10 1/2 minute mile. What happened?
I ran the Disney marathon in January of 2007. I am not sure what exactly happened- maybe it was any combination of going too fast, running on fairly large hills, not stretching enough...but somewhere in my training I eventually injured myself and kept running.
I almost ruptured my tendon. After tests and MRI's, I had three months of physical therapy.
I learned how to stretch my Achilles and surrounding tendons.
I have since run 2 half marathons (13.2 miles)
This year I am running the Flying Pig marathon in Cincinnati the first weekend of May.
26.2 mile run
I am running it with my older brother, and I am so excited about that.
What I find happening right now is that my knees are beginning to bother me. And I don't seem to have the energy to run at a faster pace than a 10 minute mile.
I have some Monavie that was given to me, so I'm taking a few ounces a day to see if it works the way "they" say it does. We'll see.
But I guess it's not how fast you run, the goal is finishing.
That, I plan to do, with my brother by my side.
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
Where does one go when they need a place to stay and no friends or family to help?
Lots of halfway houses for former incarcerates, but for just anyone?
It's been a while since my last blog.
Since then, our friend from the Nashville Rescue Mission, Garry, has been through a great deal.
Let me start by recapping the last two years. Graduated from Rescue Mission in fall of 08.
Left the assisted housing for graduates to drive a truck. Moved in with us while he was back and forth on the road.
Realized that was not God's plan. Moved back with us for a number of months.
Has had a number of temporary jobs. Tried getting an apartment.
Couldn't make ends meet.
What did God want Garry to do? What was the plan for him?
Garry then moved into the Salvation Army for a while so he could get a roof over his head, food and a job while he tried to settle down and listen to God's plan.
Garry hears a whisper from the Lord to take classes in a drug and alcohol counseling program.
Garry's older and closest brother dies of cancer.
Salvation Army says Garry can only go Saturday and come back Sunday.
Macon is a 7 hour drive and even more bus ride and then funeral is on Saturday.
How is that helpful, we ask?! 24 + hours to go and be back?!
Garry says to the Salvation Army that he really needs to go home to be with his family and the Salvation doesn't budge on their decision- even with a snow storm coming in. So Garry decides that he just needs to leave and so he gets on a bus for home.
Garry goes back home to Macon. Unfortunately, the family back home does not welcome him back with warm, welcoming and open arms. Garry calls and is coming back to Nashville. We look into halfway houses and communicate that staying with us is not an option.
Found out tonight a halfway house is $155 to get in. Who is supposed to cover that?
Here is my question...$155 to get into a halfway house. If someone is broke, has no money, has no car, has no job and has no place to live...where are they supposed to go?
Where do I go when I need a shelter?
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
0 comments