Blessings beyond bags...

I love blogging for lots of reasons. I love that I have a record of our lives. I love that I get a creative outlet. I love that sometimes my words (hopefully) bring joy or light or hope or laughter to people's lives. And I really love that this world has brought some amazing women into my life. 

Women that show up. Women that say yes. Women that inspire me.  Women that lead by example. 

Last year Holly and her friend, Michelle, discovered that a program that provides 1500 families with meals at the holidays was no longer being sponsored. So they did what any normal person would do and ordered food for those families on nothing more than faith. Well that faith, this community, the power of prayer and His provision sponsored those families so the did what any normal person would do... and did it again this year. 

For weeks leading up to the big packing day they lead a charge to get families sponsored. Our community showed up... Little by little, donation by donation, sponsor by sponsor - they met their goal of 1500 families. 

Packing day finally arrived and We5Kings showed up to help because here's the thing about service. You are never too young. You are never too old. You are never "too" anything at all. We can each do our part... because no matter how small they all add up to one great impact. Whether you donate $1000 or help breakdown boxes - every single thing done to serve others matters. 

One of my greatest joys is serving with them and one of my greatest prayers is that they feel the same. 

Days like this allow you to get a glimpse into what matters. 3000 empty bags lined up on the walls. Dozens of tables filled with food waiting to be sorted. People from all different backgrounds ready to help. 

Friends to serve along with... 

and offer you hugs and support in between. 

The other amazing thing about these women I've met? Their kiddos are pretty awesome, too. Shelly and Holly have big boys (that are also giants). These "kids" have put in more volunteer hours than most adults. I LOVE that my kids, especially Radley, see these "kids" giving back. I love that they see them making a difference. I really love that they always find time to have a little fun while they're doing it. (So Holly and Shelly, go hug those big kids for me!)

This crew was there from the first bag to the last.... 5 hours, 3000 bags, 1500 families... One incredible day. 

Those bags are surely filled with blessings... but those blessings will be felt far beyond anything those bags hold. 

Proud of you. Thanks for letting me in and giving me one more amazing friend to look up to and admire! 

Being brave...

About two weeks before school started, Landry started to get worried about kindergarten. Really worried. Crying during prayers worried. We honestly weren't prepared because Radley and Emersyn couldn't wait for kindergarten. Turns out that each kid really is different.

We talked lots about being brave those nights and how the best way for her to be brave is to lean on God and know that He is always here for us. I could tell that she was still nervous so one night Ryan and I went old school and made some friendship bracelets for the kids. We made them from the same colors but in different patterns and the next morning gave them to Landry and let her know that this was her "bravery bracelet"... she could wear it and know that she has two of her biggest fans with her at school and that God has weaved us together as a family to support each other just like we weaved those bracelets. All of us are different, but we are connected through our faith.

She heard, "here's a fun new bracelet... wear it and it will make you brave."

Flash forward to our weekend hunkering down from Harvey. I kept giving updates on friends of mine impacted by Harvey which helped the kids understand just how bad the storm was. I showed her videos and pictures of two of my friends that had to evacuate because of flooding. Emmy decided that they needed to make "bravery bracelets" for them so that they would keep being brave even after the storm.

We set up a little assembly line so they could get to work. They worked for two days and by the end had created 10 bracelets.

Emmy wrote notes to include and then I added a little explanation so they would get the whole message of what a bravery bracelet means. 

And guess what - they LOVED them and the girls were so excited to see them wearing the bracelets they made. We sent extra bracelets to Chrissy to give to her friends that rescued her and helped demo her house once the water had receded. Both made a point to say that these came in the mail at the exact right moment. 

Watching Harvey unfold was surreal and I felt so helpless watching the devastation that my friends endured. I wish I could have done more, but the Lord shows up mightily in even the smallest of gestures. Praying that my girls always live with such compassion - let us know if you need help feeling brave. They want to keep making them for anyone that needs one!

Passing it on...

I decided that Ryan should be in charge of day 2 of the trip and he kind of hit it out the park. He woke up so excited about our plans for that morning and we couldn't help but be excited from his excitement. Please imagine my sheer and utter excitement when I saw this sign.

#punintended

Turns out that instead of spending a morning with cows, we were in fact getting to enjoy this amazing educational museum space devoted to Heifer International, a non-profit organization who's mission is "to work with communities to end world hunger and poverty and care for the earth."  

If you are ever near or around Little Rock, this stop is worth your time. First of all, it's FREE and I honestly wouldn't have minded paying to go in and use this as a teaching opportunity for the kids. Yes, it was tons of fun but y'all it was educational and I really felt like Radley "got it", Emmy was "getting it" and Landry was really into all the stuff. 

The core of their model is "passing the gift." From their website:

This means families share the training they receive, and pass on the first female offspring of their livestock to another family. This extends the impact of the original gift, allowing a once impoverished family to become donors and full participants in improving their communities.

The goal of every Heifer project is to help families achieve self-reliance. We do this by providing them the tools they need to sustain themselves, and it's thanks to the generosity of donors like you.

You have the power to give a hungry family the training it takes to feed themselves and their children; to give a young girl a chance at an education; to empower a woman to have a voice in her community. Together, we can change the world, one family, one community, at a time. And it all starts with a gift.

My favorite exhibit was the interactive display showcasing how their communities work towards sustainability, each part supporting another. 

The kids thought it was so crazy that cow manure was then used to fertilize crops AND placed in a way that when it rains, the manure ran off into water that created algae that fed the fish that they farmed to eat and sale.

AMAZING.

They had a section honoring education and allowed the kids to pick things that they would find in their own schools and classrooms. The girls of course picked a book about a girl getting a new dress for the new year. 

Which was a great conversation starter for this... 

Y'all. This is CRAZY. I've been thinking so much lately about the amount of excess that I, personally, create in clothing. I get overwhelmed in stores looking at it all and balancing my desire for that adorable new dress for the girls, athletic shirt for Rad, new shoes for me... with the actual NEED for any of it. 

Fun fact: H&M has a great sustainability program. They will actually take your old clothes, recycle them and then reuse them to make items that they will sell in their stores. And y'all - they do this at such a great price. I got the girls two dresses each for under $20 total. Big fat thumbs up to that. 

We hadn't planned on purchasing anything during this trip for the kids, but the museum had a fair trade gift shop and we couldn't resist. The girls each picked out these adorable coin purses and Rad snatched up a hacky sac to work on his soccer skills. 

Ryan won the day with this little activity and we weren't even close to being finished. 

Let's go in reverse...

Halloween brings more than ghosts and goblins to town, the day (or week these days) also means that we have about 236 more pounds of candy than we need in the house. Well, Holly came up with the amazing idea to go "reverse trick or treating" at Evans Library on campus. Our kids would pass out candy to the biggest kids around studying for their upcoming tests. PERFECT! (And not surprising that she would think of it). So Shelly, Holly, me and all the kiddos met on campus on Sunday to pass out some fun. 

Holly and Shelly have done this before at finals when their kids pass out bubble gum to encourage Aggies to "blow away finals" but this was a first for my crew. Radley immediately ran off with those two big boys and was in heaven while the girls stuck close to Holden who they have met several times and are a bit more comfortable with.

But they soon warmed up and just started chunking candy like pros while Holden gently (and quietly) passed out strips of paper explaining what and why these crazy kids were giving away sugar!

She was totally eating it up - I am not surprised. 

Fun fact: This is the first time that I have actually walked through the aisles of the library - you know where the books are located. Yeah, I got two degrees from this place and never checked out a book. 

#momanddadareproud

I was thinking this would be a fun photoshoot backdrop....anyone else agree?

By the time they were done, Radley had gotten a comic book from a grateful Ag (we talked about how kindness begets kindness but also to noted that's not the purpose of service. Dang Aggies. ;)), the girls had lost the ability to keep voice levels low, and sweet Holden was exhausted from chaperoning those littles. ;)

Thanks for the fun idea, Holly! We had a blast!

Empty bowls...

I can imagine going without lots of things. New shoes. Fancy shampoo. Heck, I wore nursing bras longer than I should probably admit. (TMI?) But one thing I can't imagine is my kids going without food. Ever. I think Radley was almost 4 before he felt an actual hunger pain. The kid had food shoved at him basically every 5 minutes because we are on schedules and routines - we stop for snacks, and our kids walk around with water bottles because heaven forbid they ever get thirsty and not have something readily available. 

But this isn't the case for so many people. And not just people far away, but people, families, CHILDREN in our towns, in our neighborhoods, in our schools. And I'll admit, I didn't always "get it" - I didn't always see, but then it happened. 

My students volunteer at the BV Food Bank every week and I join them from time to time. I had just helped them stuff bags for the Backpack Program and the next week I had meetings at Radley's school. 

And I saw them. 

Dozens of bags of food that were going home with students, classmates, friends of Radley's. His school. Our school. And I stood in that hallway and I wept. Not out of pity, but anger. Food insecurity is an epidemic in so many communities, it doesn't discriminate, it doesn't care how hard a parent works, or how young a child is - it's everywhere. 

But we can do something about it, we can all play a role in stopping the epidemic. Holly shares this passion (you may remember how she coordinates families volunteering at the Food Bank every summer) so we got together and hosted an afternoon to support The Empty Bowls Project. 

This is "an international grassroots effort to raise both money and awareness in the fight to end hunger."  U Paint It is offering anyone to paint a soup bowl for a small fee to be donated to the Empty Bowls Project auction. For a small donation, attendees of the event get a modest meal of soup, bread and will also leave with a painted bowl.

I love that our community is rallying to fight hunger. 

And there is still time for you to join!

If you'd like to get involved, you have until November 12 to swing by U Paint It and paint a bowl. This is a really great way to start talking to your kids about serving. It's a great way to build community with your friends. It's just a great way to play a small part in a really big problem. 

After you've finished your masterpiece, make plans to stop by Frame Gallery on Saturday, November 21 from 11am-1pm. This is where your donation gets you lunch and a hand painted bowl as a reminder that hunger exists. Not far away but right here. 

Holly issued the most beautiful challenge today and I do hope you accept. 

May we all accept. Because it's not just the problem for those around us. It's OUR problem, too. 

How will you fill an empty bowl?