Change...

Change is a funny thing. Not everyone can handle it. And it can sneak up on you. You become aware that things aren't what they used to be. Your whole world is transformed. You realize that the ground beneath you has shifted. Things are uncertain and there's no turning back. The world around you is different now, unrecognizable, and there's nothing you can do about it. You're stuck. The future's staring you in the face and you're not sure you like what you see. But the reality is that it is, what it is. It's time to deal with it. Buck up and fight like the champion that you are or the one that you need to become. I know that it can be hard. Harder then you'd ever imagine. But I also know that hind site is 20/20 and I've seen what the outcome can be. But only with a little positive attitude, dedication, and hope that, no matter what, you will endure. And one day, maybe one day, you'll even look back and see the change as a blessing and something that you'd NEVER take back. Remember, it's all mental.

August of 2002

NOW

I've said it before, a million times, and I'll say it again...

nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend
~~~plautus

The Hurricane Sandy Project...

“Never underestimate the power of a few committed people to change the world.”

~~~ Mohandas Gandhi

 

I still can't believe that THIS happened with the severity that it did! No one expected it to become such a HUGE tragedy :(

 

A friend of mine, is on a Triathlon team which organized THIS .  My desire to make a difference kicked into full gear mode and I knew that we could help. When I say we, I mean my friends and those who are here living in Utah. Just because we live 3000+ miles away does not mean that we can't help and send them some aide.  So what did I do? I decided to organize a clothing drive. I've done it before and it's always become a huge success so I knew what I was doing when it came to the "organizing". Uh. Yeah. Uh. No. I was about to be taught and humbled. I must say how lucky that I am to have such GREAT friends who ALWAYS support my "projects" and who LOVE to SERVE just as much as I do! I had no idea what I was about to be in for...and yes I can admit that I got a little overwhelmed.  I'm not being ungrateful but it became a bigger project than I ever expected. Like I said, I love that I know that I can always count on my friends to support and help me 100% and as you'll see from the pictures below, you'll fully understand what I mean! Friends of friends of friends of ..... stepped up and donated. They felt the same way that I did. They wanted to help but had no clue of how to and when they heard about what I was receiving donations for, it made them feel like finally they too, were also making a difference. 

 

 

Let the organizing and separating BEEEEEGIN!...or NOT!? ;)

...and this was only the first batch! There was a lot more than this :) Like I said, I was so thankful and so excited for what we were able to do.  Because we had received such a great response, it would have cost us a fortune to directly send to them all that we had so we separated the winter clothes/coats and sent just those out right to the director. I contacted the Red Cross who had a system all set up so that they could deliver our donations directly. I was worried that all we had done would not get to the proper place/people so it was a relief to find out that there was already a system in motion. 

Even though I was so relieved to have the project come to an end and even though I was so glad to "have" my house back, it was a VERY awesome project to orchestrate! VERY humbling and VERY rewarding! We each have so much to offer and to give if we just make the effort. It doesn't have to be anything huge but little efforts ALWAYS result in something GRAND! 

The Pay it Forward concept, right?!

There is a quote that I absolutely LOVE by Marian Wright Edelman... 

“We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.”

No matter how big or small, I promise that your help WILL make a difference in someone’s life.

Also, take a look at this. It's an AWESOME EXAMPLE OF SERVICE AND GRATITUDE xxx