The Bicycle Journey

     Today I went with my Aunt and Uncle to the Utah Cancer Hospital, as I was sitting in the waiting room.  I met the most inspiring lady.  Her name was Kathy.  She told me she was diagnosed with terminal cancer in July, she had just finished chemotherapy and radiation.  She was waiting to find out the results.  

     As we sat visiting to pass the time and she shared with me, what I will call "The Bicycle Journey".  She said, she has always believed in God, and when she was younger she thought that God was mostly observing her as she journeyed through life on a bicycle ride.  She said, that she felt she was being tested, to keep the Commandments, make good choices and serve others. 

     Then as she continued living her life she had several trials, including a divorce.  At this time she knew that God was helping to push the bicycle.  She could feel his presence all around her.

     She then told me that since she was diagnosed with cancer she knew that she was no longer capable of riding the bicycle.  She knows that God  is the one in control and he is now taking her on her bicycle journey through life.  

     At this time she was called into the Dr.'s office.  I sat waiting for not only for my Uncle John, but secretly hoping that I might be able to see Kathy again.  Hoping that she would come out with good news.  She came out with a big smile on her face.  She came and sat next to me and told me that she had great news.  The cancer was contained, it hadn't gotten any smaller, yet it hadn't gotten any bigger either.  She was so positive and so at peace with this difficult situation.       I want to thank Kathy for her positive attitude and her great out look on life.  Being a positive person is an amazing way to be a Little Giver.  Thanks for touching my life.

Give of yourself

It's beginning to be that time of year where our hearts are full as we remember the birth of Christ. Times are tough and it may seem as if there isn't any way to give this holiday season... What can you give??? Just give of yourself. Take time to visit a neighbor, make cards and deliver them to the nursing home, bake cookies for a friend or watch kids for free to give a mother a break. There are many things that cost little or nothing at all that we can do to show our love for others. Service is the best way to receive self fulfillment.

oops

I forgot about this...
For the two people who left comments. Send me your address karenpetersen26@hotmail.com and I will send you a little gift!!! have a happy day!!! Karen

My "spooky" little give

Leave a comment telling us about a recent little give you have done for someone. On October 1st, we will be doing a drawing and giving away a card kit (makes four cards) You will then have some cute cards to give with a treat to some unsuspecting neighbors!!!

Tell all your friends about the little give!!!

God Bless the USA

     On September 11th, our family visited the Healing Fields.  This is a display of flags in honor of the victims of 9-11.  Each flag represents a person that lost their life on September 11th.  While spending time viewing the flags, we stopped at a booth that was dedicated to sending messages to the troops.  They had postcards for you to send, or you could write a message on butcher paper. 

So send a message to our troops,

and let them know how much 

you appreciate them!

Say Hi to 25

     Someone was recently telling me about a college professor who challenged his students to say hi to 25 new people on campus each day.  The students took him up on the challenge and they noticed right away how much friendlier and happier the campus became.

     Saying hi doesn't seem like that big of a deal, yet all over,  people are caught up in their own little world.  Talking on their phone at the check stand, not taking the time to wave at the neighbor as they drive by, unable to smile and say hello to a stranger on the street.

     Well this is my challenge to all of you "Say Hi to 25".  I can't wait to try this myself.  

Sharing the Road

While driving home from work today, I decided that my little give for the day was to let all the truckers over... This really is a big give... I hate driving behind truckers for four reasons
1. They drive way slow
2. They flip up rocks at your car
3. They smell really bad
4. They are ugly to look at while you drive

Wow, can you tell I'm not a huge trucker fan... Although while I was driving... I thought everyone is so mean to truckers and nobody ever wants to let them over. So I did and that was my 20 minute little give of the day.

* If anyone reading this blog is a trucker this is not directed to you personally. I'm sure you're a really nice person...I just don't like the vehicle you are driving!

Little Black Wagon

     We went to Lake Powell for a some summer fun in the sun, and sun we had!  It was over 100 most days, you could really feel the heat pouring down on you.  As we got to the boat dock, we had to search up and down the long rows looking for little black wagon's to transport our stuff in.  They were so hard to locate.  I finally found one about a mile away, only to find out that it was filled with someone's belongings.  (I resisted the temptation to throw their stuff in the Lake and take it for myself, of course I am joking.)  We finally located two carts and got all of our stuff loaded on to our boat.  I asked my nephew Nelson to help me take the carts back to the parking lot.  We walked them to the parking lot and gave them to some men that had just pulled up. They were very grateful and a little bit in awe of our kindness.  

     It really got me to thinking that there are so many tasks that we can do for each other, that really aren't that big of a deal to us.  Looking for that little black cart up and down all the isles took forever, yet returning it to the parking lot for someone else to use only took a few minutes, and it felt so good. 

 Thanks for helping me with my Little Give Nelson!

Old folks.

So this was my "Little Give" for the day. I rushed in the grocery store to pick up just a few things, rushed up to the check out. I realized a bit annoyed, there was just one check out opened. As I got in line, here comes a little old man, pushing his grocery cart AND trying to push his little old wife in a wheel chair as well. Their cart was piled to the very top ( how can two little old people possibly eat that much food?) So, I just said to the man, please, go in front of me. He seemed so happy, he could hardly walk himself, let alone push the cart and his wife in the wheel chair! So what if it took me a few more minutes than planned at the grocery store, it was worth it for the nice feeling I had inside the rest of the day!

10 ideas for Summer Giving

1. Take someone fresh flowers from your garden.
2. Invite friends and neighbors over for a Barbecue.
3. Go for a walk, and take time to visit people around your neighborhood.
4. Offer to help someone with yard work.
5. An ice cream social is a fun way to get to know new neighbors.
6. Organize a fun play day for all the children in your neighborhood.
7. Brighten someone's day by cleaning their windows.
8. Take the time to play outside with children.
9. Share what you are growing in your garden, (or if you are gardenless like me, buy extra stuff to share)
10. Look for any special way to do some summer giving and then share your ideas with us!!!

Hope you are having 

a Happy Summer!

Giving Grandma

My sweet Mother-in-law comes to my house once a week and watches my kids for me. It is so nice to be able to get a break for one day to do what ever I want.

While she watches my four kids, she also gets all the laundry caught up. The kids love it when Grandma comes!!! They get to play with her all day and she always brings them a little treat!!!

A Day of Walking

A great little give is to volunteer in the class room. It's fun, your children love it, It gives you a chance to meet kids and parents and it allows the school and teachers to do more activities!!!

This is how my day went...

Today was my Second graders field trip and I decided to be a parent volunteer. We met at the school at 9:00. Everyone put their lunch in a cooler and put a little sunscreen on and we were off!!!
Four teachers, 10 parents and 80 kids...

First off we walked to the library. The librarian read a cute story and gave us a tour of the library. Then we walked to Harmons. My favorite part was the bakery. They gave all the kids a hair net and then they showed us how to frost cakes. The lady was very good!!! She frosted a hamburger cake and a watermelon cake!!! It looked really fun and it's something I really want to learn how to do!Then we toured the rest of Harmons...It really was interesting! Did you know they cut their meat fresh everyday and do not sell day old meat? (now, I know why I like Harmons better than anywhere else. They really do have the best produce and meat departments) They gave us all a cupcake and a balloon and we off to walk to the park!!!

At the park we ate lunch and then the kids played for a hour. It was nice, because I knew quite a few of the Mom's and we had fun talking. After the park we walked to the fire station.

There we divided into three groups and were given a tour of the fire engine, ambulance and fire station. I must say it was pretty entertaining, and I got a few laughs!!! The fire man asked "If any of the kids knew how fires started?" One little kid said "By sparks" and the fireman said "Well, that's kind of right but how do sparks start?" another kid answered with "Sparks start by fire" Then finally one little girl raised her hand and said " Well, I don't want you to think I smoke, cause I don't. But sometimes fires get started by cigarettes" Some of the things these kids say...It must be pretty funny being a teacher.

After the fire station we were back to walking... It cooled down a little and it was actually nice not having the sunshine around...We ended up getting back to the school at 3:15. It was a really fun field trip...I can't wait till Colton's in second grade, so I can go on the walking field trip again!!!

Shopping

Last Night, I went shopping with a girlfriend... So what was our little give? We gave both our husbands a chance to hang out together and watch a movie...while watching all the kids!!!!

OK, Maybe they were the little givers last night... We appreciated it a lot and had a great time!!!

Wonderful Couple

I ran across this article in the public forum of the newspaper and I just had to share it with you.

"This morning as I was having breakfast at McDonald's in Daper, about 10 National Guardsmen came in and ordered breakfast. A gentleman and his wife, who were just leaving went up to the men and gave them money to pay for their breakfast. It brought tears to my eyes.

"I salute this wonderful couple for doing this for our men in uniform."

This Little Give touched my heart.

I am here at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona with my sister. For those of you who do not know my sister, her husband is extremely ill and she is very ill as well. Today, she had a surgical procedure and was tired, ill, and having effects from the surgery medication. It wa 113 degrees here and we were waiting for the shuttle bus to take us back to our hotel. We were first in line for the shuttle. While waiting, we talked with an elderly couple, the husband was very, very ill with a serious illness. When the shuttle arrived, there were not enough seats for them to get on. My sweet sister gently put her arm on this little old man and said "you take my seat, you need it more than I do, I can wait for the next shuttle". I was so touched, that, as sick as my sister was, she saw someone that was sicker, and she wanted him to have a seat!

Cash Wad

The day before Father's Day I took my daughter to the local grocery store to buy a Father's Day gift and a Birthday present for her sister. (I know the grocery store is not the best place to find a gift, but Target was closed and we had just gotten back from a trip)  So we were at the check stand getting ready to pay when my daughter realized that she had lost her money.  We looked all over the store and and couldn't find it.  She went up to the front end counter and told the clerk.  He made an announcement  over the intercom.  We kept looking by this time she was in tears she went and talked to the manager again.  At this time he made another announcement, he said, "We have a really sad little girl who has lost her wad of cash, if anyone has it they would really brighten up her day by returning it."

At this time a young girl (teenager) walked up and returned the money to my daughter.  The manager got on the intercom and thanked everyone and said that the store had the best customers.  Then the manager went over to the bakery and got a box of cookies and gave it to the girl and told her thank you for being so honest. 

I was really touched by this whole situation.  I thought it was awesome the way the manager handled the whole situation, instead of just saying something like, "write your name down and we'll call you if anything turns up".  I am so grateful for caring people that go the extra mile.

Seashell Give

Sharing Seashells

This is my very favorite Little Give idea ever.  We went on vacation to San Diego, and my cute mom decided to buy a bunch of seashells and secretly scatter them around the beach for the children to find. They were all so excited.  It was so much fun to watch as they found these awesome seashells.  There was a lady near by who was also hunting for seashells, she also found some of the amazing shells.  It was amusing to watch how happy it made her.  So if you need an idea for a Little Give buy a bag of shells next time you are on vacation and enjoy the ecstatic magic that comes from sharing shells.

Sharing Smiles!

An Attitude of Gratitude

     The other day I was filling up my gas tank with liquid gold.  This cute lady got out of her car in the rainy, windy, weather and came and told me,  that I forgot to put my gas cap back on.   I thought this was so kind.  It would have been so easy for her to just stay in her car and not worry about it, yet she took a minute to do a Little Give.  I was really appreciative to her for her small token of kindness.

     It has really made me think about how important it is to have an attitude of gratitude.  I really want to try to be better at being grateful for the small things that others do for me. There are little acts of kindness given to me each day, and sadly I am more likely to tell you about the rude lady at the grocery store, or the guy that nearly ran me over while I was jogging.  So my goal is to have an attitude of gratitude.  I am going to start focussing more on people's good qualities, and look for The Little Give's that are given to me each day.

"As we express our gratitude, we must 

never forget that the highest appreciation 

is not to utter words, but to live by them."

John F. Kennedy

  

Help Bring Dmytro Home

Today I when I got the mail, I had a letter from one of my neighbors in my mailbox. They are a wonderful family and are truly making a difference.

The letter read:

Every child deserves a home. Currently, there are more than 120,00 children in orphanages in Ukraine. Approximately 120,000 more live on the streets. Few of these children have any chance of being adopted and most will never succeed in society after they leave the orphanage. It is estimated that 90% of the girls will turn to prostitution and over 80% of the boys will turn to gangs and a life of crime. The Ukrainian government estimates that 60% of these orphans will commit suicide within the first 5 years of independent life.

Our story began three years ago as my husband walked up the stairs of our home one night. Turning off the lights, he looked around and commented "Every night when we go to bed we leave half of this house empty. One day I think we will be held accountable for that." That is where our journey to Ukraine began. We began the process to adopt one little boy. While we were getting ready to go to Ukraine, we found a group of five sisters in need of adoption. We knew right away that these children were meant to be our daughters and off we went to bring them home.

We arrived on the very day the government had decided that the hopes of keeping them together had ended and they would all be separated. We had not seen photos of them and had little information. Upon arriving at the orphanage, I was introduced to what I fondly referred to as "my five little savages". Four of their heads had been shaved due to lice. The were malnourished and some had scabies. Their teeth were rotted. They had suffered abuse at the hands of their "parents" and even at the orphanage. My husband gathered them in his arms and said "Aren't they beautiful."

Getting them was difficult the expense was high, we have not recovered from it yet. Was it worth it? What value can you place on a life - or five? They are smart and loving and ever so grateful to be here. Recently we hosted a 9 year old boy from Ukraine. His mane is Dmytro. His story is typical for a child in an orphanage. He was beaten and burned by alcoholic parents. He was placed in a hospital, then a shelter and then an orphanage. He was sponsored by the Save a Child Foundation, to come to our home for a visit. This is how we met. He came and stayed with us for two and half weeks. He fits in great with our family. We asked him "if he would like us to adopt him?" He simply said "yes" That's all it took. Our girls were very sad for Dmytro to return to the orphanage, because they best of all knew what his life was like there.

We have five birth children and five adopted children. What in the world would cause us to adopt another child? When you look into Dymytro's eyes how could you not?

This is where we need your help. We need help in raising fiances to bring Dmytro home. Any donations are welcomed. They can add up and together we can do it. We need to raise approximately $30,000 to go and get him. We are told the doors to adopting in Ukraine are closing and time is of the essence. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

After reading this letter my heart went out to this amazing family. That is why I am doing this post and asking for help. Not all of us are able to adopt a child. Although by donating we can make it possible for others to adopt, and we can all make a difference!


Please help us get Dmytro into a good home where he can be loved and cared for.

If you are able to help out in any way you can send donations to my pay pal account karenpetersen26@hotmail.com all money will go directly to the adoption process.

Thanks for making a difference and Giving Big or Little.

A "Priceless" Give

I did my first photo shoot (of kids that are not my own) for my sister-in-law. This is her darling little new born baby. All the pictures turned out really great. I was happy I was able to get such great pictures. My husband will be taking them to her tonight.

I am so excited for her to see them!!!

"There is nothing like a new born baby...

They are truly priceless"

Service

"Faith is the first factor

in a life devoted to service.

Without it, nothing is possible.

With it, nothing is impossible."

-Mary McLeod Bethune-

K.I.S.S.

My two girls went to an Activity Day's party, where they learned about serving others.  I thought this was such a cute idea I just had to share it.  They were given several frogs with the word K.I.S.S. stamped on it, and a bag of Hershey Kisses. They were supposed to little acts of service and then leave the frog and the Hershey Kiss in it's place.  The K.I.S.S. stands for 

          Keep 

          It 

          Secret 

          Service

It has been so much fun to find these little frogs in a clean kitchen, or on my bed that has just been made.  They have had a lot of fun doing some secret service.  What a great Little Give! 

Touching them All!

This is an Awesome story about an amazing Little Give.  

Take a few minutes to view it.

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3380875

Each of us is a being in himself and a 

being in society, each of us needs to 

understand himself and understand others, 

take care of others and be taken care of himself.  

~Haniel Long

Just Jewelry

I went with Karen and Carson tonight to a Girls Group Home.  We scheduled an appointment to make bracelets with them.  We were their for about an hour and a half.  The girls all seemed to enjoy making their bracelets, we let each of them make two.  They were all really nice and appreciative.

As we were leaving we stopped and talked for a while before getting into our cars.  We all felt so overwhelmed by the circumstances of these young girls.  I told Carson and Karen, that I felt like this really didn't make a difference, they all have so many trials in their lives, and after all this is just jewelry it really isn't going to change anything for them.  

Karen said, "Maybe it won't change anything but at least it is a fun distraction for them during a hard time in their life."  I know that she is right, but it still doesn't seem like enough.  I wish that I could do more.  We are going to try to go and do this once a month.  This will be a nice Little Give, even if it is Just Jewelry.

"The smallest good deed is better 

than the grandest good intention."

"I Really Lived"

"I REALLY LIVED" by Marjorie Hinckley

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.  I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.  I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk's lawn.  I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children.  I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's 

garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.  I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

Sharing Mothers Day Love

Yesterday I went to Bath and Body Works. They were having there soap sale, 5 soaps for $10.00. I found a printable coupon online (spend $30.00 and save $10.00) I printed out 5 extra coupons to give to people who were Mothers Day shopping.

Everyone was very excited to save a little extra money. One lady in particular was very grateful. She was doing her own Little Give. Her mother is in a nursing home so she and her husband were buying soaps to give to all the ladies in the nursing home. They were thrilled that they could now purchase more soaps to give away with the money they saved.

It felt so good bringing smiles to others by doing a friendly gesture. I wish I had printed more, I guess there is always next time!

My Sister, My Little Giver

My cute sister Jenny came over and helped all my scouts make beaded key chains for their Moms for Mothers Day. She is the best little giver I know.

She had back to back activities scheduled and was a little nervous that she would be late for the Primary party. Right after she explained to the scouts how to make the key chains, it wasn't even 5 minutes before the first scout was finished.


The last time she made key chains it was with a group of 8 year old girls, she said "It took them almost two hours before she finally said "hurry up, it's time to go home!" Oh, the difference between little boys and little girls.

Thanks Jenny helping me out with scouts today!!!

"A sister is the nicest thing that can ever happen to anyone."

-unknown

Mind Blogging

It is not that I haven't been trying to do a little give each day, I have.  It is just that The Little Give seems to be a lot easier than the blogging.  I wish I could do mind blogging.  What is Mind Blogging you ask?  This means that as I am driving children around the valley thinking of my next post, it would simultaneously appear on my blog.  Wouldn't that be cool!  I know, I am a little weird.  

I did want to share a really cute Little Give idea with you.  This is from my Aunt Rebecca.  She bought three rose plants, they were 3 for $10.00.  Then she said that she gave them away to totally random people.  She said that all of the people were so happy.  One of the little ladies, (a neighbor that lives down the street) has told her thank you about 5 times.  

I thought this was a fabulous idea.  This is a great time of the year to find flowers on sale.  I will definitely be stealing this idea!  Hope your day is happy!

Wicked

I finally picked a new inspirational song for the week, unfortunately it is the end of the week.  So I will leave this song up until I find a new one, which could possibly be even longer than a week.  Doing this blog has helped me to realize that I wouldn't do very good with deadlines.  I guess I would have to be a freelance writer.

I really love this musical.  I have not read the book, and don't intend to (I heard it wasn't very good).  Yet, the musical is absolutely wonderful.  This is one of the songs sung at the end of the play by Glinda (the good witch) and Elphabai  (The Wicked Witch of the West).  You wouldn't know it unless you have seen the play but they are old freinds.  They sing this song together.

I'VE HEARD IT SAID
THAT PEOPLE COME INTO OUR LIVES FOR A REASON
BRINGING SOMETHING WE MUST LEARN
AND WE ARE LED
TO THOSE WHO HELP US MOST TO GROW
IF WE LET THEM
AND WE HELP THEM IN RETURN
WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF I BELIEVE THAT'S TRUE
BUT I KNOW I'M WHO I AM TODAY
BECAUSE I KNEW YOU...

LIKE A COMET PULLED FROM ORBIT
AS IT PASSES A SUN

LIKE A STREAM THAT MEETS A BOULDER
HALFWAY THROUGH THE WOOD
WHO CAN SAY IF I'VE BEEN CHANGED FOR THE BETTER?
BUT BECAUSE I KNEW YOU
I HAVE BEEN CHANGED FOR GOOD …

How does this relate to the Little Give, you ask?  Well in the words of the song it says: 

IT WELL MAY BE
THAT WE WILL NEVER MEET AGAIN 
IN THIS LIFETIME
SO LET ME SAY BEFORE WE PART
SO MUCH OF ME
IS MADE OF WHAT I LEARNED FROM YOU
YOU'LL BE WITH ME
LIKE A HANDPRINT ON MY HEART
AND NOW WHATEVER WAY OUR STORIES END
I KNOW YOU HAVE RE-WRITTEN MINE
BY BEING MY FRIEND...

To me this song talks about how we sometimes lose touch with truly important people in our lives.  So this week I want to challenge everyone to look up an old friend.  Someone that left a hand-print on your heart.  Try reaching out to them and letting them know how much their friendship means to you.  I am really excited to hear your stories, and I can't wait to share mine.

Stick It!

Our family woke up to fun little notes on all of our doors.  My eleven year old decided to tape a note on each persons door.  What a great way to start the day, it made me so happy!  This gave me a great idea for a little give challenge.  I want everyone to "stick it", you heard me right.  

*This weekend write a note to someone and "stick it" to their door. If you are unable to hand deliver it then "stick it" with a stamp and let the post office take care of the delivery.  You can do it, be a little giver!

Help!

I need help! I need a few ideas for the inspirational song of the week. Can you suggest any fabulous songs that inspire you? If you help me out on this you can count is as your "little give" ha ha! I can't wait to hear what ideas you have, just post a comment and let me know!

My Grandma!

Today I went and visited my grandma. I really love to go see my grandma, mostly because I always leave with a smile. She truly cracks me up. Today when I walked in the door, she just stared at me and gave me a blank look as if she didn't recognize me. Then she said, "Well where are the kids?"

I replied, "Well it is good to see you too, Grandma!"

Then she started in with that contagious laugh, it made me laugh also. She tells me, well I was just assuming that you would bring the kids with you. I told her that they were all in school, and next time I came to visit I would make sure I had a kid with me, even if I had to kidnap one of Karen's boys. This made her laugh even harder. We had a really good visit. I really love spending time with my grandma, I need to do it more often.

"A grandma has ears that truly listen,

Arms that always hold,

Love that's never ending,

and a heart made of gold."

An Easy Give!

Well today my little give was helping a group of eight year old girls do some scrapbook pages. This was really rewarding. I love helping children, do creative projects. Children are always so excited to use their imagination and be creative.

"The only truly happy people are
children and the creative minority."
Jean Caldwell

Little Shoes, Little Give

Hi, I am Jenny's sister Karen (yes, the previous post was about me) I have been trying to think of something I can post. I feel like all my time and energy goes into taking care of my four children.

The other day a bag was left on our door step with a picture of children from Africa, there was a letter asking for shoe donations. My two boys had recently watched American Idol gives back, and were aware of the needs of the children in Africa. It was so neat to see my children running around the house looking for shoes that they could give.

I've been thinking my biggest give right now is teaching my children to give and do kind things for others. If you are taught to give at a young age, you will always be able to have a giving heart.

I love this picture of my boys, working together to start up a movie. I love watching them get along and giving of themselves. Keep giving...

I wish for ...

Today I will be doing tons of house work.  I saw this little carton and it really made me giggle.  Yet, I shouldn't be to hard on my husband, after all he is out doing yard work today.  

"Cleaning your house while your

kids are still growing is like 

shoveling the sidewalk

before it stops snowing."

Phyllis Diller

Anyone Can Serve

"Anyone can serve, because 

we all have something to give."

Sharon Davis

The Little Give hasn't even been up for a week and already I am doing exactly what I didn't want to do. Overwhelm people!  This is really supposed to be a feel good blog.  I was talking to my sister, and she said,  "I just don't think I can do The Little Give."  This really surprised me because my sister is the best Little Giver I know.  She told me that she just couldn't do all the things that I was doing, like give blood or do big service projects.  (She obviously hadn't read my post about giving the stranger the coupon.)  I explained to her this isn't about the Big Give. It is about the Little Give.  What might be a little give for someone might not be for someone else.  Everyone is in different stages in their lives.  

Eight years ago there is no way I would have gone to give blood (unless it was for a pregnancy test, ha ha).  I was busy with little children who needed my undivided attention.  Right now I am at a point in my life that while my children are at school,  I am able to donate blood.  For me that is just a little give, because I have some spare time during the day.  Everyone is different, yet everyone has the ability to give something, however small.  So go out there and do a Little Give!

Great opportunities to help

 others seldom come, 

but small ones surround us daily.

Sally Koch

Have a Perfect Day!

"You can't live a perfect day

without doing something 

for someone who will never

be able to repay you."

John Wooden

OK it is time for a little give challenge!  Do a random little give for someone today.  Tell me what you did on the comments.  You can do it,  be a Little Giver!

I did my little give!  Now don't laugh because it really is a little give.  I was at the gas station and I had an extra coupon for $0.10 off of each gallon of gas.  So I gave it to the man next to me.  He was very appreciative.  I know it is not much, but I couldn't do any heavy labor because my arm is still sore from giving blood (ha ha ha).  I can't wait to see what you did today!

Free Cookies and Juice!

So my little give for the day, was donating blood to the American Red Cross.  I went to the Red Cross building, they let me walk in off the street.  The whole process took only about 45 minutes from start to finish.  After I was done I got free cookies and juice.  So if you are ever in the area and would like some free cookies and juice, stop on by.  They also let you make appointments.

Give Blood - The Gift of Life

To learn more blood donation opportunities

visit www.givelife.org or

call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1800- 448-3543) 

Christmas Box House

Christmas Box House

Service Project

This was actually a service project done by my 14 year old daughter and her friend.  They passed out flyers asking for donations to benefit the children at the Christmas Box House.  They also put up signs in the neighborhood reminding people to donate.  Then they went out and knocked on doors and collected the donated items along with money.  Last night we went to the store and purchased items that the Christmas Box House was in need of.  I am so proud of my daughter for helping to spearhead this project.  They are going tonight to the Christmas Box House to read stories to the children and give them the items that they collected.  She is so excited!  This makes me so happy that she feels joy in serving others.

The Christmas Box House International, in partnership with local, national, and international, communities and groups, provides assistance to prevent child abuse and services to improve the quality of life for children who have been abused or neglected.

This is the mission statement of the Christmas Box House.  They are a wonderful organization, with many opportunities available to provide service for children who are in desperate need of love and kindness.  This is a great way to give a little time and get a big reward.  Helping children is always rewarding.  I am trying to set up another service project with them in the future.

"Children who participate in serving others are likely to continue serving all their lives in many different ways to improve their surroundings, with lasting benefits for our country and the world we all live in."

A Hug, a Kiss, and an I Love You!

Well it is amazing what sleep can do, for your mind and spirit.  I am really excited to start giving. I told my husband about this whole idea of the little give.  I told him how I wanted to try to give something each day.  

He said, "You already do that every day, making lunches, ,driving kids around, laundry, cleaning, etc."  

No, I told him,  that is not what it is all about, I want to do more, I want to give more.  But then I got to thinking and he's right.  Giving really does start at home. So today my little give is going to be getting as much done around our home as possible.  I also want to give each of my children a little give.  Sometimes a little give is just a hug, a kiss, and an I love you!

What is the Little Give?

It is Sunday night and I just got done watching The Big Give Finale.  I didn't watch this whole series, but it looked like it would have been a really fun show to watch.  I guess that the show was about people giving, it looked like it would have been inspiring.  I think that sometimes when people watch shows like this, they have big ideas but maybe not the resources to pull it off.  This is exactly how I feel. 

The interesting thing is I have been feeling a little blue lately.  My husband and I were talking and he asked me if I knew what was wrong.  The truth is I don't really have a reason for feeling sad.  Yet, sometimes I find myself feeling very unfulfilled.  I love being a mother and a wife, but sometimes I just want to have the satisfaction of accomplishing something big.  My husband gave me some really good advice.   He said, "Jenny find something to do that will make you happy."  I told him that I just don't know what that is, and he said,  "You are always happy when you are serving".   He told me to lose myself in Service.  He is so right.  This kind of thing always makes me happy.

That is when I got the idea for the Little Give, I might not be able to give big but I can give a little.  It is getting late, so I am going to sleep on this whole idea.  Hopefully I will have a good idea and I will post it tomorrow.