A Time to Give

This holiday season let's try to Give a little something to someone less fortunate.
Each holiday season our family tries to "give" to show the kids the "true meaning" of Christmas. We normally would make a ton of sack lunches and bring them to the park downtown in our city and pass them out to the homeless sleeping on the benches. We would pack sandwiches, chips, cookies and include a fresh pair of new socks.

The city passed an ordinance and you are no longer allowed to "feed" the homeless. If you are caught you can be arrested and several activist groups have served time in jail. This is currently being fought.

Do you know there is a Childrens Home within 5 miles of our house? At Thanksgiving we purchased a bag of food at our local grocery store and it was donated to them. Something so simple I bet made a big difference to those kids and the people who run the home.

My family and I have volunteered at the home previously. We made a bunch of food and had a little gathering with all the kids and we all brought our family (a group of us girls started a community involvement team at my old company and we picked this home); it was a great time. The same group of girls and myself took the girls from the home on a "spa day" to get their nails done. These kids want nothing more to just feel special and know that they are loved and cared for. This home is a Christian based organization therefore they get no state funding (you know the saying separating church and state) they soley rely on private donations.

You know at McDonalds the little box "donate to the Ronald McDonald house" (RMH). Well I knew of the RMH but didn't really know who stayed there. My lil Love had to have two skulls surgeries...one at 7 weeks old and another after her 2nd birthday. She was born with Craniosynostosis which is a premature closure of the membrane. Her head was growing to one side and it wasn't allowing for her brain to grow because the one side was closed. The first surgery was for medical reasons without the surgery it can cause blindness, retardation etc. (google it if you want) She did amazingly well and healed however the sutures placed inside her skull didn't dissolve as they should have so the neurgosurgeon had to operate again and do cosmetic surgery on her skull (in lamens terms he reconstructed her forehead by hand). I always joke with him that he put something in her brain because she is so damn smart! So during these operations we were offered to stay at the RMH. It's absolutely free and it's a place for family to stay who are travelling from a far when their children are staying at the childrens hospital for care.

We inquired about donating our services (who am I kidding my husbands services...I can serve, clean up and socialize) and cook a meal for the entire RMH. In doing so you have to cook enough to feed 50...we are going to have to seek outside help on this one as money is really tight these days but something we really want to do.

As I finish this post I want you to visit a new blogger who I recently stumbled across and she dedicates her life to "giving". Sometimes you are meant to run into certain people; you have no control over it. She just helped inspire me to do more for others.

It's amazing the feeling you get when you help others; even if it's the smallest thing you could have done; it just makes you feel all rich inside.