"Everyone was born to smile"

I will be mentioning different charities in this blog (naturally) because I believe that when we find something that is close to our hearts it is not a burden to sacrifice money to help. I will strive to post good charities that use the funds wisely, and promote self-sufficiency in those it serves (Except in the case of natural disasters or similar circumstances where food and shelter are needed immediately). I think that is one of the most important aspects of a charity: to empower, rather than create dependancy. So don't feel guilty about all the charities that you don't help, rather find the one that you will love to help. This brings me to Dr. W. Geoff Williams and the International Children's Surgical Foundation. http://icsfoundation.org/

Dr. Williams and his team perform cleft palate surgeries in developing countries. What makes this foundation extra special is that he not only spends more time in an area (this enables them to spend more time on surgeries, treat more people, and provide better follow-up care), he also trains local doctors to do the cleft-palate repair in their country. (Three doctors trained by him have opened clinics and now treat others for free). The foundation has also hired specialists to treat other deformities in poor children (orthopaedics, ear-nose-throat, maxillofacial, burns and neurosurgery). There are more differences listed at their web page so check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/v/OtpxPVSt75g

It's all about where you're looking.

**Attention, Attention! Today's blog comes to you from Tauni, Morgan's sister.**

Against my better judgement, I agreed to view a video that was getting a lot of attention on the internet. It left me feeling sick at heart for the persons involved. Were they not loved as children? Did they have people in their life that told them they were beautiful, special, valued?

For days I felt my spirit burdened with these thoughts and then made worse by news stories of corruption, television shows promoting poor values, articles about the depravity of mankind in my own city. I had found myself thinking the world to be a bad place, hopeless.

I lay on my couch in a state of depression, and then came my salvation. A commercial about a man who founded Tom's Shoes: "TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what we're all about." I encourage you to check out the site @ TomsShoes.com.

It's easy to get trapped in the spot where I found myself when we live in a time when the front page always goes to the tradgedy and the top story is for scandals. DON'T GET TRAPPED IN THAT SPOT! Tom's Shoe's is not alone. There are thousands of foundations for helping the needy. Thousands upon thousands of people dedicating their time, money, hearts and souls to making better what they can. People striving to be good hearted people.

There's Morgan, a busy mom of two, going around her neighborhood to collect items for her sale to benefit 'Mothers Without Borders'. There's the man who holds the door open for the person behind him. There's the stranger on the street who smiles at all the people she passes. There's you and me!

Goodwill. It can be found everywhere, and it is.

Thanks for this opportunity to share my experiance and hope!
Tauni Peck

Happy news

Ah, a happy picture. This was sent with the MWB yard sale info and I think it is so sweet. So, I am very excited to have a place reserved for the sale. It will be Sept. 12, 8-12pm at the Lexington High School parking lot.

Next I need to keep stocking up items and find a storage facility that will allow me to store stuff there free of charge. : ) Which brings me to my husband. Our house is not huge and we pretty much fill it up, so now that I am bringing all this misc. stuff in, it is kind of spilling into our living space. My husband has said nary a word about it. One of those quiet (literally) acts of service that make life sweeter.

Three cups of Tea

A friend of mine had really recommended this book and I kept looking for it at the library but it was never available and my PIN isn't working to reserve books so months later I just gave up and bought it. I rarely buy books because I prefer the free library but I have no regrets on this purchase. It is about a man who was nursed back to health by people in a poor Pakistan village after failing to climb K2. He then promises to return and build a school for their children. It becomes his life's work and during the next decade he has helped build 55 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

I haven't even finished it yet but it is so inspiring and beautiful so give me a couple more days and it will be available for borrowing.

Mothers without Borders yard sale

Alright, we really needed a picture here. One of my favorite charities is called Mothers without Borders (I have never donated to it although it has been on my mind a lot). It helps orphaned and at risk children which is something that always touches my heart. You can go to their website http://www.motherswithoutborders.org/ and find out more. There is also a big link for those of us short on funds and it states that Saturday September 12, 2009 is their Mothers without Borders Yard Sale day! So I need everyone who lives around me to write this date on your calendars and then start poking around your house for things to donate. (If you don't live near me, you can host your own yard sale). I really want to dream big on this one which is really out of my comfort zone but I am excited. Okay. I have spent way too much time on the blog for tonight so I am going to go rummage through my closets for things to sell.

I am ready to make a difference

I looked for a while for a photo of children in need. Found some but just couldn't bring myself to post them. Partly because I want this to be a hopeful and uplifting site but also I think because it is heartwrenching to look at and I am ashamed that I have not done more to help others in the past. I was really excited when I first thought about this site but I haven't wanted to make it known until I had gotten more of a start, figured more things out, etc. etc. but I am ready to start now.

"Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little."
-Edmund Burke

I want this blog to cover the whole spectrum of helping others. From the small and free acts of service we can do daily to what to look for in a good charity before donating money. I think the biggest step is the first one. To recognize that it truly is our duty to serve and help others, and that much joy can be found in doing so.

So personally, I am beginning by going out of my comfort zone (as you will see in the next blog), daily doing small acts of service, and giving a little more financial support than I have in the past. Go act. : )

The beginning

I don't know what I am doing, I just know that I really really want to be better at using my life and resources to serve and help others. I am so saddened by the suffering of so many people in this world and I want to do more. I am also trying to become aware of small things I can do to help in the much smaller sphere of my daily life. I hope that others will join in with their ideas and knowledge and that we will be able to support and educate each other as we find joy in our duty to serve others.