We need to find meaning. We need to be useful. We need to know that who we are matters. I give, you give, we all give.
Are you the kind of gal who has a million pairs of shoes, a color or style to suit every occasion? Or are you more monogamous when it comes to your footwear, devoting yourself to one perfect pair?
Peek into my closet and you’ll find a few mostly sensible sorts, but none without flair (gotta be me). My must-haves include my fave “farm-to-photo shoot” boots, some DIY decoupage divas, and you guessed it—the requisite MaryJanes.
It’s time for some pre-winter cleaning, and no doubt I’m ready to have the whole dust-bunny-filled affair over and done with. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that a little charity can turn any of my humdrum tasks into a real heart-opening experience.
jeanniep ierce says: I do this almost weekly, but always monthly. When I die, I do not want my daughter to look at my house and feel a 100 pound weight on her shoulders.
So I am beginning to let go of lots of stuff. If I do not use it, if it does not own a piece of my heart, I am letting someone else enjoy it. I take bags and boxes often. Much to my concern, my oldest grand feels I may be letting go of something she would someday want…….there is the rub!
Compelled to contribute, I started looking into my options, and get this: the Internet (and its incredible compendium of genius minds) offers a number of different ways to give without lifting a …
When my son, DIL, and toddler grandchild, who live in Japan, woke up to EARTHQUAKE! we wondered what we could do to help them quickly and efficiently. Without a moment’s hesitation, they said, Red Cross. We did a fundraiser on our website and in short order, sent the Japan Red Cross a check for $4,485.
If you love blogging and you love eating, here’s a clever way to help the Red Cross.
www.thetomkatstudio.com/good-books-50-fabulous-bloggers-50-fabulous-recipes/
Sanjit “Bunker” Roy founded Barefoot College, a global non-profit based in India, to uplift poor, rural areas. His mission: teaching illiterate and uneducated women how to install and maintain solar power in their villages.
Solar engineers said it couldn’t be done—not by uneducated people, and especially not by (yes, barefoot) grandmothers who can’t read or even speak the same language as one another.
Margaret Wolf says: I loved this post MaryJane! I have taught all my daughters to be strong and face challenges and learning with open hearts and minds. We as woman CAN accomplish so much more than we give ourselves credit for sometimes.
Diana Brito says: Dear MaryJane,
First off, yay you are blogging. Wooo hooo and thank you.
I have an idea, why not include the website for each of the organizations and if they have any wish list or needs that maybe we can help with.
Big hugs from San Francisco.
Diana
Jane says: Good idea. We’ll be on top of that going forward.
I’ve always suspected that a good cupcake could save the world. But it’s nice to finally have confirmation.
“In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.” Jose Narosky
Charlotte Bronte: “Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education; they grow there, firm as weeds among stones.”
Eileen Cigala says: A homeless person really appreciates that cup of coffee I buy them…my coworkers remind me that theirs should have been no cream….
Martie says: Most often it’s the economy and lack of jobs available that cause them to lose all they have worked hard for previously.
His Holiness The Dalai Lama once said, “You can hardly call a beggar an obstacle to compassion.”
Those who suffer the ravages of poverty, homelessness, addiction and abuse are the greatest masters at teaching us compassion and eliminating dichotomy–right versus wrong, good versus bad and so forth. It is when we have the courage to step outside the box in which we have confined ourselves that we can see people for who they really. This courage enables us to stop thinking in terms of us versus them. This courage empowers us with the truth that there is no us or them. There is only we…together…One.
Sue Weaver says: So wonderfully said — thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much. The older I get I have found that I continually need reminded of the sterotypes and assumptions which I have allowed to pollute my mind and thinking. It is blogs like yours that help to remind me that I must always be willing to put the shoes of others on before I too quickly judge them. 🙂 Thank you!
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
All I have to say is “NICE!” An article after my own heart! But I am extremely glad to see that my 60 year old father (Ken Robinson), after 40 years of volunteer service in the MVFD, was not found shirtless at the car wash!! Wouldn’t put it past him though! ~Jennifer
Jennifer, Ken was probably doing the all night shift on a fire the night before! But if he had been you would have seen Mom posing with him for sure!
MY Goodness! Great brushes and squeegees!
Can I move there? LOL