Good Morning!
An organization that I really like is Common Threadz. They are a non-profit working to help the developing world achieve success. When you buy any of their clothing, it provides a child with a school uniform or a month of food. Different shirts help different causes. I have two shirts from Common Threadz that I LOVE! I wear them ALL the time.
Right now they are building a community learning center in Little Corn, Nicaragua. They have the roof and they are now building the floor.....BUT.....they still need 55 wood planks. One plank is only $10....can you help them reach this goal by midnight tonight?
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
It's NOT my Job!
My husband and I get into weekly arguments about responsibility. Mainly work responsibility and who's it is. One of our last arguments got me thinking.......
Why do we so easily pass up responsibility or try to put it on others? Why do we say, "It's not MY job." so often? Who said it wasn't your responsibility? You? The voices in your head? I do this too, I know.
For me this statement applies to helping and caring for those who need help. We live in the United States but if someone is suffering in another country, its NOT MY responsibility! WHY? I don't understand. Why are we not to care for someone struggling? Why is our family and friends more important? Or our country? Why is it one or another and not both?
Why do we so easily pass up responsibility or try to put it on others? Why do we say, "It's not MY job." so often? Who said it wasn't your responsibility? You? The voices in your head? I do this too, I know.
For me this statement applies to helping and caring for those who need help. We live in the United States but if someone is suffering in another country, its NOT MY responsibility! WHY? I don't understand. Why are we not to care for someone struggling? Why is our family and friends more important? Or our country? Why is it one or another and not both?
When is Enough, Enough?!
KONY 2012! Make KONY Famous! Have you read about this yet? Here is the video that is circulating right now. A friend of mine posted it on my Facebook to watch. I was aware of this awful man before hand but not aware of this organization {Invisible Children} trying to bring about awareness and stop him.
This video has received A LOT of criticism. Anything from being to simplistic to financials not being sound to wrong timing. Since this video went viral on Facebook on Monday the 5th, it has received over 65,000,000 hits! {It is also on Vimeo.com} That is crazy! And awesome!
Everyone seems to have an opinion regarding this 30 minute video, so why not give mine as well.
I certainly don't claim to know everything regarding this issue or politics or military strategies or financials for charities. I believe every human being has the right to live in a safe home, to be protected by their government and have a quality of life. Joseph Kony has terrorized Africa for more than two decades. He and his group LRA {Lord's Resistance Army} specialize in kidnapping children from their homes and turning them into child soldiers. Other atrocities include mass murder, rape, sexual slavery, mutilation and torture. Girls aren't safe either. They are kidnapped to be sex slaves for his army. Estimates range from 30,000 to as many as 105,000 children kidnapped by and Kony and the LRA. As a result of all this violence 1.7 million people have been displaced.
I don't know what the solution is but I do believe that other countries can't just sit on the sidelines and do nothing. Look at the Holocaust. As a human race, aren't we responsible for each other? I don't know how anyone can think "Well I live in the United States, so this isn't my problem. Africa needs to fix it herself." Or "Hey, this doesn't affect me. I don't need to worry about it." Or "That is how Africa is. They fight and kill each other. Let them be." Yes, Africa does have corrupt governments and rebel armies but that doesn't mean the average African doesn't want or deserve peace. They are caught in the middle of all this injustice. The complexity of the problems in Africa are not easily solved but does that mean we don't even try to fix them?
History will repeat itself if we don't learn from it. The Kony 2012 video may not be perfect BUT many, many people are now aware of this issue. This issue that has been around for two plus decades.
There are many articles now about Kony and the video. Here is one and here is another. In the first article, the last paragraph says "So, instead of continuing to debate the strengths and weaknesses of the Kony 2012 video, or attack Invisible Children for their lack of financial transparency, let's figure out how to turn this momentum into a constructive opportunity that can result in smart policies that will have a positive, real-time impact in the affected areas of central Africa. Let's harness this energy and turn it into something productive that ensure we're telling the right stories, inspiring well-informed advocacy, and working together across governments, academia, grassroots activists and local populations to help bring this chapter of the LRA--and the impact in affected areas--to a close." I LOVE this! So true.
In the first article one man talks about the White Savior Complex. One paragraph responds with this "Is humanity so bitter and divided that anytime someone wants to help those in need or dedicate themselves to a cause that inspires them to action, they must meet racial, national and political requirements, before they are allowed to step up and help? Would a child soldier from Uganda refuse to be rescued because the person extending his hand is white and American? If the angry assertions of people like Teju Cole become the standard by which we are judged when we want to right a wrong and put a stop to evil, then the world will soon become even more violent and divided than it is now." I know that not everyone who helps is actually helping but at least they are doing something {well to a point}. However what is Teju Cole doing besides ranting about those who want to make this world better?
The second article is from the NY Times Opinion Page. I love this article because it is about someone living in the United States who is and was impacted by Kony and the LRA. However she still has family living in Africa that is affected by Kony. What annoys me about the critics of the video and of Invisible Children is that they seem to forget that a human being has been terrorized for 26 years. The article in the NY Times gives us the personal story of what has been happening in Africa for way to long. We see how it has impacted her life and her families. When is it okay for someone to go through something like this? And how long is it okay for it to keep happening? What if this was OUR family being impacted? What if it was OUR children being kidnapped? What if it was OUR home being destroyed? What if WE were the ones getting displaced?
WHEN IS ENOUGH, ENOUGH?
This video has received A LOT of criticism. Anything from being to simplistic to financials not being sound to wrong timing. Since this video went viral on Facebook on Monday the 5th, it has received over 65,000,000 hits! {It is also on Vimeo.com} That is crazy! And awesome!
Everyone seems to have an opinion regarding this 30 minute video, so why not give mine as well.
I certainly don't claim to know everything regarding this issue or politics or military strategies or financials for charities. I believe every human being has the right to live in a safe home, to be protected by their government and have a quality of life. Joseph Kony has terrorized Africa for more than two decades. He and his group LRA {Lord's Resistance Army} specialize in kidnapping children from their homes and turning them into child soldiers. Other atrocities include mass murder, rape, sexual slavery, mutilation and torture. Girls aren't safe either. They are kidnapped to be sex slaves for his army. Estimates range from 30,000 to as many as 105,000 children kidnapped by and Kony and the LRA. As a result of all this violence 1.7 million people have been displaced.
I don't know what the solution is but I do believe that other countries can't just sit on the sidelines and do nothing. Look at the Holocaust. As a human race, aren't we responsible for each other? I don't know how anyone can think "Well I live in the United States, so this isn't my problem. Africa needs to fix it herself." Or "Hey, this doesn't affect me. I don't need to worry about it." Or "That is how Africa is. They fight and kill each other. Let them be." Yes, Africa does have corrupt governments and rebel armies but that doesn't mean the average African doesn't want or deserve peace. They are caught in the middle of all this injustice. The complexity of the problems in Africa are not easily solved but does that mean we don't even try to fix them?
History will repeat itself if we don't learn from it. The Kony 2012 video may not be perfect BUT many, many people are now aware of this issue. This issue that has been around for two plus decades.
There are many articles now about Kony and the video. Here is one and here is another. In the first article, the last paragraph says "So, instead of continuing to debate the strengths and weaknesses of the Kony 2012 video, or attack Invisible Children for their lack of financial transparency, let's figure out how to turn this momentum into a constructive opportunity that can result in smart policies that will have a positive, real-time impact in the affected areas of central Africa. Let's harness this energy and turn it into something productive that ensure we're telling the right stories, inspiring well-informed advocacy, and working together across governments, academia, grassroots activists and local populations to help bring this chapter of the LRA--and the impact in affected areas--to a close." I LOVE this! So true.
In the first article one man talks about the White Savior Complex. One paragraph responds with this "Is humanity so bitter and divided that anytime someone wants to help those in need or dedicate themselves to a cause that inspires them to action, they must meet racial, national and political requirements, before they are allowed to step up and help? Would a child soldier from Uganda refuse to be rescued because the person extending his hand is white and American? If the angry assertions of people like Teju Cole become the standard by which we are judged when we want to right a wrong and put a stop to evil, then the world will soon become even more violent and divided than it is now." I know that not everyone who helps is actually helping but at least they are doing something {well to a point}. However what is Teju Cole doing besides ranting about those who want to make this world better?
The second article is from the NY Times Opinion Page. I love this article because it is about someone living in the United States who is and was impacted by Kony and the LRA. However she still has family living in Africa that is affected by Kony. What annoys me about the critics of the video and of Invisible Children is that they seem to forget that a human being has been terrorized for 26 years. The article in the NY Times gives us the personal story of what has been happening in Africa for way to long. We see how it has impacted her life and her families. When is it okay for someone to go through something like this? And how long is it okay for it to keep happening? What if this was OUR family being impacted? What if it was OUR children being kidnapped? What if it was OUR home being destroyed? What if WE were the ones getting displaced?
WHEN IS ENOUGH, ENOUGH?
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
change.org
I don't know how I came across the website change.org, but I'm sure glad I did. Ok, I lied, well not on purpose. I didn't remember how I came across the website but I was looking around it more than I usually do to write this post and I came across all the petitions that I have signed and found the very first one: Hershey: Raise the Bar! I had watched a documentary on the chocolate industry and slavery and there was a link for me to sign a petition for Hershey to start purchasing fair-trade chocolate. No More Slavery Chocolate! After that, it was downhill. I would get daily emails asking me to sign different petitions and how could I not? It's real people with real issues, problems and concerns.
I have two reasons for writing this post. One, when people rally together and speak out against injustice, change happens. And two, look how the internet has transformed our world and made it a tiny place!
Okay, my first point. The causes on Change.org range from animals to criminal justice to human rights to education. And daily people are winning. In one day these campaigns won!
I have two reasons for writing this post. One, when people rally together and speak out against injustice, change happens. And two, look how the internet has transformed our world and made it a tiny place!
Okay, my first point. The causes on Change.org range from animals to criminal justice to human rights to education. And daily people are winning. In one day these campaigns won!
- After hearing from more than 82,000 people, Chase Bank called off foreclosing on 78-year-old grandmother and civil rights activist Helen Bailey. "I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders," says Ms. Bailey. "I am so thankful for the support of my neighbors and the nation."
- Last week Apple customers visited stores on four continents to deliver 250,000 petition signatures demanding better working conditions at factories making iPads and iPhones. (The delivery made news on CNN, the BBC, Al Jazeera, and NPR). Yesterday, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced immediate factory inspections, showing that the pressure is working! But experts doubt how reliable the monitoring group’s findings will be and there are still no worker-protection plans for new product releases (when workers are forced to work so hard to meet deadlines that some die of exhaustion -- and others commit suicide). Click here to keep up the pressure on Apple by sharing Mark's petition on Facebook.
- McDonald's finally responded to the 100,000 people (and groups like the Humane Society of the United States) who told the fast food giant to stop sourcing pork from factory farms using inhumane "gestation crates," (cages so small that pigs can’t move or turn around).McDonald's told all of its suppliers yesterday to start phasing out the cages -- an earthquake for the food industry.
- And some big news from last week! More than 141,000 banded together to save the life of Jesus Navarro, a father who was reportedly denied a life-saving kidney transplant, despite having insurance to pay for surgery, a volunteer donor, and a benefactor to help pay for his follow-up care. But an ABC News headline gives the good news: "Dying Dad, Jesus Navarro, to Get Kidney Transplant."
And my second point. A couple decades ago it wasn't easy to know what was happening across the ocean in Europe, Africa and Asia. Or even injustices happening in the USA but now with the internet at everyone's fingertips, those injustices aren't hidden. They are out in the open for everyone to know and act, if they choose to do so. I don't always get excited about ALL the NEW technology, sometimes I just want peace and quiet but when we have the internet to use as a tool to make change in this world, that makes me pretty happy.
I encourage EVERYONE to check out change.org and see if there is something you're passionate about and maybe you could make a difference in other's lives just by showing support and signing a petition.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
$35 to change a Life
Everyday I am amazed at how much God has blessed me. I have a good life and a great family and a fabulous husband and so much more. I don't want {well I should say I don't NEED for anything-want is totally different} for anything. I'm able to help those when needed and I'm able to bless the way I've been blessed.
{Side note: I don't live in luxury. I have a two-bedroom duplex with hammy down furniture, an old laptop, hardly any decorations and one car. But I have everything I NEED.}
I'm not striving to be rich to buy stuff but to bless others. To GIVE it away. There are soooo many amazing organizations doing awesome things in this world and I so wish I could support them ALL! One organization I'm currently supporting is World Vision. I can't speak highly enough of them. I sponsor two children. A boy from Malawi and a girl from Armenia. For only $35/month {for each child} I am helping to provide them with an education, food, a roof over their head, community development, clean water access, health training and services and so much more. Not only are the children being helped but so are their families and community. Some organizations only focus on the children, which is their choice, but I love that WV looks at everyone around the child as well.
Right now there are 29,300 children sponsored in Malawi! That is amazing, however there are still 1,826 still waiting for someone to show them love and compassion and kindness. Malawi's income per person, per year is $313-USA $41,400. I make more than that in a week! The average life expectancy is 54 years compared to the US of 78 years. We have 100% access to clean water, they have 80%. Infant mortality is 7/1000 here-Malawi not so good, 110/1000.
I believe in child sponsorship with all my <3. It makes such a huge impact in a child's life and can change the world not only for one but for many. $35 is one missed dinner out for the family or not buying a pair of shoes or one less coffee a week. It really, truly does not take much to show you care.
World Vision has a fabulous way to see each individual country and their stats. You can also compare their stats, like I did with Malawi to the USA. It's called My World Vision and it will also let you know what they are doing in the country and specific communities. Check it out!
{Side note: I don't live in luxury. I have a two-bedroom duplex with hammy down furniture, an old laptop, hardly any decorations and one car. But I have everything I NEED.}
I'm not striving to be rich to buy stuff but to bless others. To GIVE it away. There are soooo many amazing organizations doing awesome things in this world and I so wish I could support them ALL! One organization I'm currently supporting is World Vision. I can't speak highly enough of them. I sponsor two children. A boy from Malawi and a girl from Armenia. For only $35/month {for each child} I am helping to provide them with an education, food, a roof over their head, community development, clean water access, health training and services and so much more. Not only are the children being helped but so are their families and community. Some organizations only focus on the children, which is their choice, but I love that WV looks at everyone around the child as well.
Right now there are 29,300 children sponsored in Malawi! That is amazing, however there are still 1,826 still waiting for someone to show them love and compassion and kindness. Malawi's income per person, per year is $313-USA $41,400. I make more than that in a week! The average life expectancy is 54 years compared to the US of 78 years. We have 100% access to clean water, they have 80%. Infant mortality is 7/1000 here-Malawi not so good, 110/1000.
I believe in child sponsorship with all my <3. It makes such a huge impact in a child's life and can change the world not only for one but for many. $35 is one missed dinner out for the family or not buying a pair of shoes or one less coffee a week. It really, truly does not take much to show you care.
World Vision has a fabulous way to see each individual country and their stats. You can also compare their stats, like I did with Malawi to the USA. It's called My World Vision and it will also let you know what they are doing in the country and specific communities. Check it out!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
It belongs to Who...
I was talking to a friend last night and she was telling me about an occurance that happened the other night. Ang is a bartender and had a customer that was being rude and making inappropriate comments. The customer originally had a $20 bill on the bar to give Ang for her tip but for whatever reason he took it back. That night she was training a new bartender and the girl {I really don't know her name so I'll make one up-Sue} had just got behind the bar and at some point went over to talk to the gentleman that had given Ang a hard time. The guy had wanted to slip her the $20 that was suppose to be Ang's even though this girl hadn't done anything for him and had just started her shift. I don't remember if Sue took it and then gave it to Ang or she told the guy no but the point of Ang's story was that Sue was honest with Ang and didn't try to take her tip. This made Ang trust her.
Ang had also said that not everyone she works with would be this honest. She said she knew I would have done the same thing as Sue and she, herself would have as well. When it comes to money people can become very selfish and untrustworthy. So I'm glad that Ang trusts me enough to know that when it comes to money and especially her money, I would never do the wrong thing. And I want everyone to think this way about me. It is a part of my character.
Ang had also said that not everyone she works with would be this honest. She said she knew I would have done the same thing as Sue and she, herself would have as well. When it comes to money people can become very selfish and untrustworthy. So I'm glad that Ang trusts me enough to know that when it comes to money and especially her money, I would never do the wrong thing. And I want everyone to think this way about me. It is a part of my character.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Seeing Things Clearer
{Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life}
I was catching up with a friend and telling him where I was in life, career wise, settling down wise and so on. I told him that where I was working had lots of room for growth but my heart wasn't in it. I continued to tell him that my passion/heart was in nonprofits/charities and one-for-one models like TOMS Shoes. My interests were in the needs and problems of third world countries like hunger, clean H2O and equal rights for women and children. I then told him that I didn't know how to get involved.....
In the same paragraph I told my friend that for whatever reason I just wasn't ready to settle down quite yet. I wasn't ready to buy my first house or have children. The only hiccup was I really liked being back with my family. For those of you, who don't know, I traveled/lived someplace other than Lima, Ohio for about eight years. I missed a lot of holidays and birthdays and anniversaries and it is really nice to not miss them anymore. The only problem with being home is that home is quiet and small and doesn't offer a lot of the things that Nathan and I want in our lives.
It depends on who you are talking to, that causes you to see things differently. The friend that I was talking to is very motivated and goal-oriented. He knows what he wants and how to get there. He has no excuses. So obviously as I am writing him I hear my excuses....don't know what I want to do, don't want to leave my family but don't want to settle down, don't want to stay in my current profession for life.....Thanks Scotty for making me see things a little more clearer.
As I am writing I see the holes in my reasoning. I may not know how I'm going to be involved in third world issues but I know I'm interested and it's my passion. As much as I don't want to move, I have nothing holding me back. I know that my current profession is not long-term. At this point I just need to start researching every company that I like what they are doing and find interesting. I need to research companies in Ohio to see if something is close to Lima. I just need to jump in with both feet and stop making excuses. There is always going to be sacrifices in life when pursuing your goal and I may need to start......
I'm not going to make any life-altering decisions however I'm going to stop making excuses and start living. The toughest decisions in life are never easy.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Check it Out
I blogged the last two days at A Compassionate Heart, Reaching Out. I'd love if you checked them out=) It's another part of me that makes me who I am.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Why SHINE?
So I just posted my word for 2012; SHINE.
Here are some definitions of shine:
Here are some definitions of shine:
1.
intransitive verb emit light: to give out light
2.
intransitive verb be bright: to be bright or reflect light
3.
transitive verb direct light of something: to direct the light emitted by something
"Shine the flashlight over here."
4.
intransitive verb excel: to be very good at or do very well in an activity
5.
intransitive verb be obvious: to appear clearly
6.
intransitive verb have radiant quality: to appear to have a specially bright or radiant quality as a result of good health or a strong positive emotion
"Her face shone with happiness."
7.
transitive verb polish something: to make something bright and gleaming by polishing it
NOUN
1.
brightness from light source: brightness or radiance emitted by a source of light
2.
bright surface: the bright or gleaming surface of something
3.
act of polishing something: an act of polishing something to make it shiny
Let Your Light Shine.....I kept seeing this or thinking it at the end of 2011. And I knew my word was Shine. For me, shining isn't about being a superstar or noticed but doing things right or with compassion that bring about awareness. That was probably a little confusing........I want to think about others more and do more to help the world be better. And by doing these things I hope to bring about concern, awareness, compassion, love, and giving. When I shine, I hope that, that makes others want to shine. So like I said I don't want to shine to be a rockstar but to {inspire}others to shine, for others to see what they have to offer.
Another way I want to shine is at my job. One of the definitions of shine is to be very good at or do very well in an activity. For a couple different reasons I want to shine at work; first I get paid well for what I do and I want to earn it and show that I am grateful for the blessing. The best thing you can do to show you appreciate your job and your boss is to do your job well. I also want to be an example for the people I work with. With hard work and a good attitude you can go far in life. I don't always succeed at this; thank goodness tomorrow is another day!
Matthew 5:15-16 {Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.}
2 Corinthians 4:6 {For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ.}
Daniel 12:3 {Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.}
I will admit my faith/Christianity/religion/relationship with God-however you want to phrase it has hit a winter season. I won't pretend to be the perfect daughter of the most High God. I've hit a patch where God is on the backburner way more than He should be but I still want to Shine for Him. I still want to become more Christ-like everyday. When people see me I want Jesus to shine through me.
I got on Pinterest and started a board for my 2012 word....feel free to stop by and check it out=) Have you picked a word yet?
S-H-I-N-E
I decided on my word for 2012.......................
.................................................................................can you handle the anticipation..................
.........................................................almost...........................................how..............................about........................................................NOW
.................................................................................can you handle the anticipation..................
.........................................................almost...........................................how..............................about........................................................NOW
shine
Sunday, January 1, 2012
One Word for 2012
Last year I heard about "One Word." One word very simply is picking one word you want to focus on for a year. Instead of having resolutions, focus on a word. I really liked this idea when I heard about it and last year I chose Inspire. I've been thinking and thinking about what my word should be for 2012.....one word has really stayed stuck in my head....but is it the one? I honestly haven't tried too hard to think of another one b/c I really like this word or at least I think I do....?
What would your word be? Or what IS your word?
What would your word be? Or what IS your word?
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