Homegrown Hospitality

Do Something

I came home with from Pennsylvania with this and never showed you...Shame on me.

Ahh yes, wool felt, a big brand new giant stack and typically, I would have ripped into this stack and started stitching away, but I have been looking at it now for 7 days.  Amongst the greens, reds and golds, the colors I normally migrate to, the colors I call my "Life Colors"...

I see Blue...and I feel blue.

My heart is still so full of emotion from the weekend,so much that it makes me a little weepy, no, really weepy.  I am going to show you a picture that will tug on your heartstrings, maybe harder than ever. This is Erik Rees.  Pastor at my church, daddy to Jessie. A photo that was taken a few month ago:

After witnessing our small community rally around Jessie through the 10 months of her fight, the love and tears shown during the days and weeks after her death, the immense desire to keep her hope of Spreading Joy to children fighting cancer and events like this past Saturday, I feel more empowered than ever before to help...as do my boys...In fact, when Ben got out of the car this morning, he mentioned he was wearing NEGU Blue (not knowing that I was typing this)

Our family is fighting, working, walking, praying and helping to Spread Joy in memory of Jessie, for the cause, for the families

for the reason, for this dad that smiles brightly in the midst of his pain. 

I look at that stack of felt and see blue...I see NEGU colors and I now know what my first project is going to be

because this family...needs a basket of happy & joy...in honor of their girl and the amazing work they are doing in honor of her.

We all have a God Given purpose and it is our responsibility to

so again, I challenge you to Do Something.  Whether it is for the Jessie Rees Foundation or something else, please get up and do something...because as Jessie's daddy reminded me, "We Are Better Together"

and hey... show your Team NEGU pride wearing shirts like these to spread the word...

and to remind others to NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

Insert: Purpose

Yesterday on my way to the post office, a new sign caught my eye. I drove by the building that is the new home to the "Joy Factory", the Jessie Rees Foundation. I can NOT imagine being a mom that would be putting up a sign on a building in honor of my child, but that is exactly what a family in our community, a family in our church is faced with and is doing..and has vowed to keep their precious Jessie's dream alive.

INSERT Purpose.

I am on team NEGU..

NEGUstands for Never Ever Give Up and is something we have really started living by in our little home sweet home.  It was what Jessie did in the 10 month she fought...and ultimately lost.  It is her story, the will of a 12 year old girl that taught us to NEVER EVER GIVE UP and will continue to be a force in our house.

KEY WORD: House

So what in the world can I possibly do to help besides pray? 

I can paint and I can run.

(NOT a the same time, duh!)

What can YOU do?

1. You can Join Team Negu and help spread the word
2. You could simply "like" Jessie's FB page (they are trying to get to 200,000 likes by April 8th, which would have been Jessie's 13th birthday)
3. You could sponsor me and Team NEGU for the 1/2 Marathon by clicking that little red scrolling box up there in the right corner because I am training and will run that race for her and for all of those little love bugs that are fighting with that DAMN cancer (excuse my language).
4. You could go to Ebay and bid on this new 12x12 canvas that I just finished last night:
   

I am auctioning this handpainted 12x12 Mixed Media canvas that reads "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" Joshua 24:15.  All proceeds from this auction will be donated to the Jessie Rees Foundation.

GOD gave me the skills and abilities to paint, doodle...and run so that is what I'm doing...in between laundry, carpool and painting base boards...you know, stuff like that.

So..what are you waiting for???? I just listed the canvas on EBAY...as an auction..for 5 days and I sure hope that I did it right...

Happy Friday!

Doing Something

I was like a shuttle service yesterday with kids, school, practice, pick ups, drop offs, etc and the whole time, which, by the way..was a long time,  had the "What Can I Do" on my mind and it was REALLY strong...

Personally,

• I often "wish" I had lots of money to donate to a cause that would make a huge difference
• I "wish" I was able to go to other countries like Sean Penn (I just watched Oprah's Next Chapter, really good by the way!)to help, give relief, offer assistance and hug all of those little kids...
• I "Wish" I had enough food in my pockets to give to the little kids at my school that come there each morning hungry....

Whether I wish to travel around the world or around the block, I need to stop wishing and start doing. 

We all do.

We all can do something and I am realizing as I type this, that I should not wish or compare to what others can do because that stops me from doing something, duh.

Anyways...

I now know why the "Do Something" feelings were so strong during my shuttle service route...God was preparing for me to come home because within 15 minutes of getting home, I knew what I was going to do.

I may not have lots of money to donate or time and money to travel around the world, but I have feet...and those feet (and my heart) love to run...so I joined the team

and signed up for the

So how can YOU help?  Well, you could join TEAM NEGU...and run the 1/2 Marathon with me..or walk the 5k with the team..or ride your bike...or run and walk...or donate..or run, walk and donate!  There are lots of things YOU can do to help...

There is a donate box is right up there on the right or you can:

Click here link to visit my page

Click here to visit the TEAM NEGU page 

Click here to read about Jessie, Joy Jars and The NEGU Foundation

I need to go now...today is day one of training!!!