Serve Some Love

pwnmonster hot coco and marshmallow love print

This is how I feel today... yesterday, I felt the total opposite. what did I do to change that feeling?

I decided I didn't want to feel down and sad and unimportant again today, so I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. After thinking about why I felt so down and all, I was truly humbled after my heart turned to others in need. From mass heartache in Haiti, to the impoverished or the afflicted within our own communities, I started off my morning with a donation to aid in Haiti, gave my children super big hugs and accomplished things today I have been putting off.  I actively worked on remaining patient when my toddler dumped the trashcan all over the floor 10 different times today, and pursued my tasks even though I felt like giving up. I also saw that my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (otherwise know as Mormons) is flying 80,000 lbs of food supplies and volunteers to Haiti, and knowing that my tithes and fast offerings have contributed a small part of that makes me feel very happy inside.

Donations can be made here with the Church's Humanitarian site where the largest percentage of each dollar goes directly to the people or directly at the Red Cross or through CNN's IMPACT site, or Doctors without Borders who are there working now. As always, be wary of scams, my friends! And keep the Haitian people, as well as others who are going through trying times, in your hearts and prayers.

And now, it's time to make dinner and for once, I feel like I have had a full and successful day, with a warm and cozy heart full of hope and thanks.  What can you do to change your day?

Christmas Angels

At 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning, a young mother, Amanda Buckland, lost her home, her belongings, her husband Charles, her 9-month-old daughter, Emma, and 4-year-old son, Joshua to a fire. She was saved by a neighbor who put a ladder up to her bedroom window. Her 12 year old step daughter also made it out on her own. The neighbors tried to put a ladder up to the children's window, where their father was trying to save them, but were unable to due to the smoke and flames. (The home did not have working fire detectors). The fire department was able to remove her husband and children from the home within 10 minutes of arriving, but they were already gone. (Officials said the fire was caused by an overloaded power strip in the back of the home.)

 

Please take a moment to consider her loss as she copes with this terrible tragedy. You can go to her friend's blog to donate to her, for she has lost everything. Perhaps, sacrificing the funds on extra stocking stuffers, or an extra gift this year would mean little to your family, but any help at all would help her tremendously. You can read the news story here and donate here.

You can also send cash or other physical donations or gifts to her employer:

Ullenbruch's Flower Shop

C/O Amanda Buckland

1839 Lapeer Ave

Port Huron, MI 48060

Then, please go and check your fire detectors, power strips and outlets, and run an evacuation fire plan with your families. Lots of great fire safety information here, on building emergency kits, making an exit plan, teaching your kids about fire safety, and activities like puzzles and coloring pages and games that teach children how to stay safe from fire.

Christmas packaging with bells- tikkurika

This reminds me of the great poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. His wife's dress caught fire as she was sealing locks of her children's hair in envelops with a wax melt, and he tried to snuff out the fire using a rug and his own body, but she died the next day. He suffered burns as well which led to his famous beard later in his life due to difficulty in shaving from the scars.  For the next two years, he listened to the Christmas chimes at his church and they held no meaning to him anymore.

Longfellow wrote "Christmas Bells" on Christmas Day 1863 in the midst of the American Civil War and the news of his son Charles Appleton Longfellow having suffered wounds as a soldier. Following his years of sadness from his wife's death, the Christmas bells had no joy or meaning to him, but his perspective changed as he felt the spirit during the chimes and he went and wrote the poem "Christmas Bells" which was later turned into the famous carol, "I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day". After hearing his story, and singing the song at church on Sunday, it took everything I had not to silently cry.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till, ringing singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,

Of peace on earth, good will to men!

My heart goes out the the Buckland family, and may these little angels, get their wings with the ringing of the Christmas bells.

'It's a Wonderful Life' - "everytime a bell rings, an angels gets his wings"- zuzu bailey

Give the Gift of Life

A beautiful and intelligent young woman, Urangoo, found out very recently she has Acute Leukemia. She is a recent college graduate and immigrated to America for education 8 years ago from Mongolia. Unfortunatly, like many Americans, she has no health insurance and without a bone marrow transplant in the next few weeks, she is likely to die within a few months. The hospital has donated her first chemo treatment and is trying to outreach to foreign hospitals who may be able to help her case, but there have been no takers yet. You can read the complete article here in the Utah Daily Herald Newspaper along with the donation link in her blog.

She has raised $10,000, but her treatment is between $100,000 to $350,000 so they have a very long ways to go. But small amounts add up quickly, especially in the blogging world!

My father had Leukemia, and died when I was 23. So, this is just heartbreaking to me.

 

Let Us Be Men

I just read the story of Carol Decker for the first time today. You can read updates at their blog.

Almost one year ago today, Carol had an emergency ceasarian section to deliver her second baby, Safiya. Due to severe complications from hypertension from septic pneumonia, arteries to both her legs, one arm and her eyes blocked her circulation that forced amputations. Carol had both her leg's below the knees amputated, her left arm below the elbow amputated, her right ring finger amputated; and is now blind. All of that is due to ischemia from vasopressive drugs used to keep her blood pressure high enough to survive.



Carol now struggles with multiple surgeries, prosthetics complications, blindness, pain, learning to move again and being a young mother to two young little girls. She has a supportive husband who blogs about their progress, helps her function and even does her make-up. Now the Deckers are faced with medical expenses over the 2 million dollar mark and any help or words of love is always appreciated. Please see the this video from KOMO news, it is an amazing story.

I hope we all today, can be a little more thankful for what we do have in this world. That we can share a little bit of hope, prayer and service to those in need.

Carol's story and her supportive husband reminded me of this video about being a "real man". Elder D. Todd Christofferson, shares a touching personal experience and exhorts men to live by the attributes of true, Christlike manhood in this segment entitled "Let Us Be Men".



I hope you find yourselves uplifted today.