Click HERE to see tablescape My prayers continue for distant neighbors affected by Hurricane Sandy. I'm sure many of you could say the same. So much devastation. People looking for courage to face the future. Some are finding it in the most unpredictable places. Did you hear this story? Click HERE to see tablescape Staten Island was one of the communities hardest hit. One man interviewed said his home is completely gone; only the floor boards remain. He and his wife, along with their two young daughters, are blessed to be staying with relatives. Click HERE to see tablescape According to news sources ... In the rubble that was once his home, he found one clean, intact ... Keep Reading...
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BEYOND OURSELVES: Day 31 of 31 Days of Creative Caring
Wow ... We've made it to the final day of this 31-day series. I hope you've found a few new ways to care creatively. Thank you to those of you who have left comments or sent emails to say this series has encouraged or inspired you. I couldn't be more pleased! After all, it takes every one of us reaching beyond ourselves to care for those around us. Beyond ourselves ... That's my topic on this 31st day of Creative Caring I had an unusual experience about a year ago. The morning began like any other, but as I stood before the bathroom mirror applying my makeup, I felt strangely compelled to take $200 out of the checking account. Hmmm... Was there even $200 IN the checking account? As I finished my morning ... Keep Reading...
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TABLE FOR TWO: Day 30 of 31 Days of Creative Caring
A few years ago, I made plans to provide a romantic Valentine's Day table for two dinner for an elderly couple in their late 80s. They were dear friends, and I knew their declining health often kept them from doing the "little things" they wanted to do for each other. With their daughter's approval, I began preparing the surprise. Plans were to arrive unannounced at their home carrying white linens, china, crystal, sterling flatware ... floating heart-shaped candles ... and a red rose in a bud vase. I would also bring a favorite, easy-to-transport meal of smoked pork tenderloin, wild rice with cranberries, salad, rolls ... and a decadent dessert. After serving my guests, I would leave, returning later for ... Keep Reading...
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ORPHANS: Day 29 of 31 Days of Creative Caring
By the most common definition, an orphan is a child whose parents are both dead. We sometimes call these children biological orphans. Their parents died from illness, accident, tragedy, war, etc. The highest numbers of biological orphans can be found in countries where war or AIDS are present. There are also social orphans: children abandoned by their parents or whose living situations have necessitated their removal from the home. The cause may be as sad as a parent overcome by alcoholism, drug addiction, or psychological impairment ... or as heinous as a parent who walks away without ever looking back, leaving a child (or multiple children) alone. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is ... Keep Reading...
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PRAYER: Day 28 of 31 Days of Creative Caring
If you've visited here for very long, you already know: I believe in the power of prayer. In fact, prayer is the foundation of any creative caring ideas I ever have, so I could have added it to all of my previous 31 Days posts. But today, it's my focus ... Twenty years ago I read a couple of books by Christian fiction writer, Frank Peretti. I honestly don't remember a lot about the storylines, but one thing impressed me then ... and has stayed with me to this day. When circumstances arose in Peretti's books such that a spiritual "battle royal" was about to be fought in the heavenlies, God called on specific Christians to pray. To intercede on behalf of those directly involved in the situation. The stakes ... Keep Reading...
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BLESSING BOOK: Day 27 of 31 Days of Creative Caring
It all began five years ago today ... when Renaissance Man became President of Hope Unlimited for Children. I told you HERE about why I started blogging. It's all connected. You see, when my husband traded his somewhat predictable job in Christian higher education for one bombarded with mortally at-risk, prostituted, and sex-trafficked children, our comfy, protected world was engulfed daily by the real world ... and it was sometimes overwhelming. It still is. After 14 months of virtually non-stop travel (including several trips to Brazil), I knew my husband needed a break. His 50th birthday was coming up, and so -- for the first time ever in our marriage -- I made plans he didn't know about. While ... Keep Reading...
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MILITARY FAMILIES: Day 26 of 31 Days of Creative Caring
Renaissance Man and I met the young man who would become our son-in-law on the evening before he left for Army Boot Camp. We followed his progress as he continued on to Airborne School and then deployed to Iraq. In fact, it was while on leave from that deployment that he coaxed a jeweler to "rush" an engagement ring so he could propose to our daughter before returning to the Middle East. A wedding date was set ... and he was scheduled to be home in time ... but we purchased wedding insurance anyway. I've learned that when you're dealing with the military, schedules can change quickly. Fortunately, he made it, but not too long after the wedding, Afghanistan called, and another deployment began. Safely back at ... Keep Reading...
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PUBLIC TRAGEDY: Day 25 of 31 Days of Creative Caring
Yesterday I covered a few ideas about how to care creatively when someone dies. They are "tried and true" things that minister to and are appreciated by grieving families. But if you pay any attention at all to the "top stories" on the news, sometimes people don't just die; they die. Death and Tragedy join forces, leaving a mess of pain and numbness behind. Even in those times when Tragedy manages to escape Death, the reality left behind is beyond what most people can ever imagine. To make things even more complicated, Tragedy likes an audience. Those people who are unexpectedly thrown into horrific situations also find themselves being watched ... and talked about. Like it or not, theirs is a public ... Keep Reading...
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DEATH: Day 24 of 31 Days of Creative Caring
It is a curious thing, the death of a loved one. We all know that our time in this world is limited, and that eventually all of us will end up underneath some sheet, never to wake up. And yet it is always a surprise when it happens to someone we know. It is like walking up the stairs to your bedroom in the dark, and thinking there is one more stair than there is. Your foot falls down, through the air, and there is a sickly moment of dark surprise as you try and readjust the way you thought of things. ― Lemony Snicket, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid How can we creatively care for people during those days of trying to "readjust" after a time of loss? Quite honestly, it depends on how well we know the ones ... Keep Reading...
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COMMUNITY HELPERS: Day 23 of 31 Days of Creative Caring
They're a group that society tends to notice and "love on" during the holidays, but during the year ... I wonder. We sometimes call them Community Helpers. Many of them work long hours for low pay. Ways we can encourage them ... Learn their names Drop by their office with cookies, fruit, or snacks Send a thank you note Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper in appreciation of their work Where applicable, offer to decorate their office for various seasons Reach out to the families of those professionals who often have to work on holidays Plan an appreciation event Are you (or a family member/close friend) a Community Helper? What would encourage you? This is part ... Keep Reading...
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FOSTER FAMILIES: Day 22 of 31 Days of Creative Caring
Several years ago, when I was in my early 40s, I met a couple in their 70s who had just taken in a 6-month-old foster child. The baby's name was Grace ... or as her foster father called her, Amazing Grace. She was a beautiful little girl, but the ones who I thought were amazing were the foster parents. I know the energy required to care for a growing-up baby, and this couple (who had long ago raised their own children) had the additional challenge of Grace's "drug baby" status. If you visit here often, you know I love children. I just can't imagine how someone can take in a child and love them ... and then have to give them up. I asked the foster mother how she could stand to do that. With wisdom far beyond my years, she ... Keep Reading...
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CARE PACKAGES: Day 21 of 31 Days of Creative Caring
Care packages... There are lots of times when sending a care package is "just what the doctor ordered." Here is a sampling of some of those times ... plus a link with suggestions for each one. An online search will provide many more! College student -- during finals or anytime suggestions Military deployment suggestions New mother suggestions Child's surgery suggestions Summer camp (or student attending residential school) suggestions Something to think about... If you're a "theme" person, you can really have a good time putting together a care package! In fact, sometimes having a theme makes it easier to decide what to include. Have you ever received (or sent) a care ... Keep Reading...
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THE GIFT REGISTRY: Day 20 of 31 Days of Creative Caring
I recently had the pleasure of attending a "meet the newlyweds" shower. The groom's family lives in our community, but he's been away at college for several years ... then married out of state. Friends of the parents hosted the event. Rather than yet another please give us more gifts shower, this young couple requested that guests bring items to equip the soon-to-be-complete Samaritan House. Some of you may remember that Samaritan House is the women's shelter where I did these Lavished and Adored tablescapes.Since 1987, Samaritan House staff and volunteers have put into practice the lesson of the Good Samaritan. As Jesus taught us to go and be good neighbors to those in need, Samaritan House shares housing, counseling, social ... Keep Reading...
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MANI/PEDI: Day 19 of 31 Days of Creative Caring
My sister recently told me of a friend who purchased several mani/pedi coupons online. She then arranged for a mutual friend and her mother and sister to use them the day before the sister was to start chemo treatments for breast cancer. The gift-giver offered to bring the coupons by her friend's house at the appropriate time. As a surprise, she arranged for a limo to pick up the ladies and take them for their day of pampering. I would never have thought to do this, but I'll definitely remember this fantastic example of creative caring! You will, too ... won't you? Source This is part of a 31-day series. To read previous posts, go HERE. ... Keep Reading...
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TAKE A MEAL: Day 18 of 31 Days of Creative Caring
This creative caring idea was originally posted September 14, 2011. ... A dear friend died of cancer. It was one of those "she did everything right" cases. Over the past few years she'd worked hard to move from slightly overweight to "fit and trim." She had regular checkups. But last January she was diagnosed with an invasive and aggressive cancer that managed to evade the best of tests for too long, and her efforts to find a cure weren't realized. She died at the very young age of 50 and left behind a husband of 38 years, a 20-something married son, and a daughter who just began her senior year in high school. So how does this post qualify as a "table" post? When Donna's family had their world turned ... Keep Reading...
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YARD WORK ANGELS: Day 17 of 31 Days of Creative Caring
Yard work. If you have a yard, it's always there ... no matter what's going on in life. Just recently, Renaissance Man said to me: "How many times have we rolled in exhausted from another trip, with me saying I have to do the yard tonight, only to find out that it has already been done? Not because I'm not capable of doing it, but because a friend is being neighborly." So many times... and it's been the most wonderful blessing. The conversation brought to mind other "lawn mowing" blessings... Last year, my sister's husband suffered a sudden, life-threatening illness. Today he's doing great, but for an extensive time following his hospitalization, all of his energy had to be focused on getting well -- ... Keep Reading...
