[Re]Start...the Promise of a New Year

I don't know about any of you, but I always get very reflective in that week of awkwardness between Christmas and New Years.  I like to think back over the past year, the things I said I was going to do and didn't, the wins, the fails, the shortcomings, the blessings...it's just a good time to reevaluate where I am, and where I want to be, and what I need to do to get there.

I love the promise of a new year.  It's like a piece of clay, just waiting to be shaped and formed and molded into something wonderful and messy and chaotic and beautiful.

I'm not one to make resolutions.  I am completely honest with myself about my lack of personal discipline.  Resolutions are essentially just setting myself up for failure.  If you are the type to make and stick to resolutions, I salute you and your will-power.  I don't understand it, but I respect it.  I was re-reading some of my old blog posts today, and the posts from way back in 2013 about how I was going to change my life to become a better adult made me laugh.  I basically have made little to no improvement in any of those areas that I proclaimed I was going to change.  Because, like I said, I am the first to admit that I have very, very little personal discipline.

So I am approaching this new year in a slightly different manner than I have in the past, by taking a simple vow: to love God, others and myself better in the coming year.  Each of those things will manifest themselves in different ways, and I will share some of the things that I'm doing, changing, coping with, etc. throughout the coming year. Unexpected things are going to happen, and I'm excited to see where life takes me in the days, weeks and months ahead.

The truth is, change is rarely easy, and it is seldom quickly brought to fruition.  Change takes hard work. Deliberate action. Continuous thought. But change is also necessary in order to become one step closer to who we were created to be.

My hope is to continue to reevaluate my life this year by asking myself will this help me love God, others and/or myself better? To me, this seems like a pretty good litmus test that encompasses all of the usual new year's resolution goals.

Will skipping this workout help me to love myself better? Nope.  

Will complaining about this or that help me to love others better? Nope.  

Will spending more time in Bible study and reflection help me love God more? Yep.

I want to challenge you to spend some time this weekend in reflection.  Maybe you don't have any plans for New Year's Eve other than enjoying your own company. That's ok! Spend time journaling and reflecting and praying about this coming year.  Think about the things in your life that you need to change, and the small steps you can take to make this year better than last. Refocus your life, and figure out how you can get back on track.  Maybe you have a jam-packed weekend ahead of you. That's ok! Find a few spare moments here and there to reevaluate and reassess.

If you're good at resolutions, and already have your list in place for 2016, good for you! But if you are like me, and want to keep things simple this year, I want to encourage you to find a vow that you can carry with you through the year to come, or feel free to make my vow your vow, and we can journey through this upcoming year together!

Here's to new beginnings. Welcome, 2016.

-A.A.

Be at war with your vices, 

at peace with your neighbors,

and let every new year find you a better man.

[Benjamin Franklin]

A Do-Gooders Christmas Guide: Part 4 - Don't Stop Now!

"Take it all down, Christmas is over. Do not despair, but rather be glad.
We've had a good year, now let's have another.
Remembering all the good times that we had."
[Relient K] 

It's had to believe we will be ushering in the new year in just a few short days. Christmas is over and the presents are put away.  I've shared a few simple ways to spread some holiday goodness earlier this month.  Today, I just want to encourage you not to stop!

Charity and goodness and ethical living are not things simply reserved for the Christmas season, but rather are ways we should be living day in and day out. 

So don't stop now. Keep looking for ways you can spread love and cheer to others throughout the year to come.  Bake and deliver cookies to the shut-ins in your church family.  Continue to hand out care packages to the homeless in your area.  Pay for the car behind you the next time you are in the drive-thru line.  Find simple ways to show love, and you will be surprised how much it will change your outlook on life. 

-A.A. 

A Do-Gooder's Christmas Guide: Part 3 - Homeless Care Packages

For a lot of people, the holiday season is a time to practice a little extra generosity, a little extra giving and a little extra goodwill towards man. It's a lot of fun to spoil our loved ones with presents and little extra gifts of love this time of year.  But today, I want to challenge you to think outside of your circle to a group of people often ignored and forgotten.

The homeless.  We have them in every single one of our towns.  People who, for whatever reason, are struggling to get by.  Some of them of veterans.  Some of them are just down on their luck.  But each and every one of them has a story, and each and every one is important.  Yet how many of us ignore this marginalized part of society? I know I do, far too often. 

Which brings me to today's way of giving back this holiday season: care packages to hand out to the homeless.  This idea has become increasingly popular in the past few years, and you have probably seen posts about this type of thing on social media.  Putting together and handing out care packages is such a simple task.  Thanks to a blog post on theveteranssite.com, here are some tips for how to put together and deliver your care packages to the homeless in your community!

1) Toiletries. 

What you should include: Baby wipes/face wipes/cleansing wipes, lip balm, unscented lotion, sunscreen. 

What you should NOT include:  Soap, hand sanitizer, mouthwash, scented products.

Here's why: Scented products like soaps and scented lotions are often put in the same bag as food products, which then makes the food taste like those products.  We wouldn't our food to taste like Irish Spring soap, so let's not taint the supplies we are handing out!  Anywhere homeless people have access to showers, they will also have access to soap.  Baby wipes/cleansing wipes are much more portable, and will not flavor other items in the care package. 

It's also best to leave out anything that has alcohol in it like mouthwash or hand sanitizer.  I think this one has pretty obvious reasons.  Remember, everyone has a story.

2) Food Items.

What you should include: Applesauce, pudding cups, trail mix, beef jerky, nonperishables.

What you should NOT include: Crunchy granola bars, hard foods, sticky foods or candies.

Here's Why:  Dental care is expensive.  I definitely do not go to the dentist nearly often enough, simply because I cannot spare the extra cash.  Our friends living on the streets more than likely do not have regular access to dental care.  So provide soft snacks that will be easy to eat.  Beef jerky is highly sought-after, because it is filling and provides a lot of protein.

3) Misc. Items.

What you should include: Travel coffee mugs, gift cards (to grocery stores, etc.)  socks, band aids, small first aid supplies

What you should NOT include:  Cash, used items, shampoos, etc. 

Here's why:  A lot of people living on the street rely on their feet as their primary means of transportation.  Warm, comfortable socks can go a long way!  Travel coffee mugs sometimes offer discounts for refills (check with your local coffee joint). 

Never include used items.  This should be a no-brainer, but it needs to be stated.  Remember, these people are just that. People. They are worthy of going the extra mile, and do not deserve to be treated like lesser members of society.  

So once you have your care packages all packed up, in whatever container you choose, it's time to go spread some holiday cheer!  Remember to hand deliver your packages. Check online for local homeless shelters if you don't know where to go. Or, if you pass by a particular spot that has become "home" to a friend living on the street, go there!  Take some friends with you.  This is just a smart practice for life.  It's always better to go in groups.  Now, I don't mean you need to take a small army with you, but a good life practice when going into an unfamiliar situation with people you don't know is to have a few companions with you.  Plan to do this at a time where you can stay and chat with your new friends.  Remember, these are people. They are not charity cases.  They have stories, and just like the rest of us, they need to know that they are not forgotten, and that someone cares.

So what are you waiting for? Go start packing some care packages, and get ready to spread peace and good will!

-A.A. 

A Do-Gooder's Christmas Guide: Part 2 - Christmas Cards for Safyre

Buddy the Elf once informed us that the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.



The next best thing is to send a simple Christmas card to a little girl who needs some extra holiday cheer. Her name is Safyre, and she has already been through more in her young life than many of us will ever face.  2 years ago, Safyre survived an arson fire at her home.  She was the only one. This little girl lost her entire family.

Go read the short article here.  There is an address provided to send Christmas cards to this little girl. Mine's in the mail. What are you waiting for?

Spread some holiday cheer in maybe the most simple way possible.

-A.A.

A Do-Gooder's Christmas Guide : Part 1 - Cards

Christmas cards. Lots of people send them. Which  means lots of people buy them.  Just yesterday, my friend asked my mom how many Christmas cards she sent out (given, as a Pastor's Wife, she sends out more than most, probably) and we estimated about 200 cards went out from our family this year! If you're a Christmas-card-sender, then why not do a little extra good with your Christmas card purchases this year?  It's estimated by the Greeting Card Association that Americans spend more than 7 billion dollars on greeting cards in a year (2013 statistic). Woah.  Imagine all of the good we could do if part of that  7 billion dollars a year went to charity. Just take a moment and ponder. That is a whole lot of spending power! 

One place that sells awesome Christmas cards that give back is here, from Love146, provided by Imagine Goods.  Here are some reasons why you should buy them:

1) Each card is hand crafted by young women living in the Love146 survivor care program in the Philippines.  If you aren't familiar with this organization, you can check them out at www.love146.com. They are a truly amazing organization with all they are doing to not only fight the human trafficking industry, but also to provide healing and restoration to those rescued from sex trafficking.  So each of the cards in this line have been hand created by girls who have been rescued from the sex trafficking industry.  

2) Not only are these cards hand made by survivors, but each card has a stamp on the back that explains that the card was made by survivors, so it's a great way to spread awareness to others!

3) These cards are super cute. Seriously. I love these designs.

 

4) These cards are blank inside, so you can use them as thank-yous if you already have your Christmas cards sent out!

Now, you may be thinking ok, well $20 for 10 cards is an awful lot of money.  And normally, I would agree with that.  However, the whole point of this series of posts is about doing some extra good around the holidays.  I am also very familiar with the company that sells these cards, and a much longer post on Imagine Goods will come eventually.  But I will tell you that they provide fair wages to any worker that they partner with, and supporting Love146 is supporting a truly amazing ministry that is seeking to end human trafficking. So trust me. Spending a little extra on these cards is well worth it. 

However, I understand that not everyone's budget can fit that much extra money into it.  So if you still want to do some good with your Christmas card giving, try something like UNICEF's line of cards, which are sold through the Hallmark Stores and online.  Here's why you should buy these cards:

1) Part of your purchase price (I couldn't find how much on Hallmark's website) goes to UNICEF. The description provided says "the purchase of this box of cards can help UNICEF put children first. $1 can provide: 40 days of clean water for a child, immunizations for 3 children, or lifesaving nutrition for a child." I don't know about you, but that seems like an awful lot of bang for your buck! 

2) They have a huge selection of cards available.  You can shop their selection online here, but I also know that they carry several designs in any Hallmark store, as well. Here are some of my favorites:

 

3) They are priced well. Some of the boxes of 20 cards sell for $20, or a dollar a card. Right now, at least online, there is a special for buy 1, get 1 half off, so they are even more affordable!

4) They have a wide range of cards, so you will also be able to find your thank-you's from this line!

Not loving either of these options? Have no fear! Here is a website that has hundreds of greeting cards that support charitable endeavors.  You can search by location if you want to support a local charity, by charity type if you have a particular passion (for me, I would search for charities that work in the human trafficking field) or by charity name if you would like to support a specific charity! This is so awesome, and perfect for anyone looking to do a little extra good with something as commonplace as sending Christmas cards. 

Happy card-giving everyone! 

-A.A.

A Do-Gooder's Christmas Guide: Intro

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! I'm sitting here drinking my candy cane infused coffee (nothing fancy; I just put a candy cane in my coffee mug and brew my coffee over it to melt it) out of my reindeer mug and listening to Christmas music, with our office Christmas tree, wreath and candles displayed.  I love Christmastime. The magic, the decorations, the activities; to me, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

Everyone loves getting presents.  And a lot of people like giving presents.  Unfortunately, we all know how easy it is to get caught up in the greed and consumerism of the holiday season.  But what if this year we used our spending power to do some good in the world, and to spread good will? There are so many great ways to give back, and Christmas is the perfect time to do just that! Whether through making donations to charitable organizations in someone else's name, or purchasing your gifts from a company that is committed to providing its workers fair wages, or making donations to great charities that are committed to the things about which you are passionate, I'm here to help!

Over the next couple weeks, I will be doing a lot of digging and researching to provide you with tons of ways to do a little extra good this Christmas season. Let's try to take a step back from the rush and madness that goes with this time of year, from the greediness, the gimmes, the I wants.  Let's refocus on what truly matter this holiday season.

So to all you do-gooders out there, lets make this Christmas matter.

-A.A.