That was a terribly long break February 1, 2012

So much has happened and I don’t have time to catch you up. My ministry is in full swing. My kids are getting HUGE (Brianna is 7 1/2, Jeremy will be 6 in March, and Jaxon just turned 3). Rich and I are still together — married 12 years as of Nov 2011. I’ve burned through a few friends and there are a few still hanging on for dear life (bless their souls). Facebook and Pinterest consume my social networking time. The rest of my life is spent serving God, my family, my friends, and total strangers. I’m still rockin’ on like a badass even though I’m only 5’2″. I am a ninja in disguise they tell me. Mighty Heidi they call me. I think that’s funny so I roll with it.

I might start blogging again. Hooray!

I grew up a little bit too.
Not much though.

What About 2011? January 3, 2011

There are a few of you who will make New Year’s resolutions. I want to challenge you to look beyond your waistline and wallet before you get serious about what you’ll resolve to do in 2011. Look beyond self and see the needs that you’ve been gifted to fill.

• Consider volunteering for a charitable organization or local non-profit. This could be a big organization like The Salvation Army or a local non-profit like Love Your Neighbor. Most organizations let you choose your level of involvement.
• Visit the sick, imprisoned, or elderly. You cannot realize the value in this act of kindness until you step out and do it. I know people who do this and they are amazing!
• Adopt a child. Ok. I have not lost my mind here. There are ways you can “adopt a child” without becoming their parent. You can join organizations like Compassion International or World Vision and “adopt a child” by sending a monthly donation which will benefit that child who lives all the way across the globe from you. You could also become a Big Sister or Big Brother. There are national organizations if you’d prefer to keep your “adoption” local. You could also adopt a child in the real sense. If you are interested in more information on national or international adoption (actually becoming an orphan’s parent), I know folks who have done both who would love to talk with you.
• Support a missionary. If you’re a Christian, you could adopt a missionary through your local church or an organization like Gospel for Asia. You could also support a mission like helping a village dig a well for water by collecting donations and speaking to your circle of friends on their behalf. There are also ways to buy goats and chickens for people in Third World Countries so that they can feed their families and prosper in their communities.
• Support a cause that is dear to your heart. Personally, I have a heart for the abused and exploited children of this world caught in the trap of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. I have spent countless hours in prayer for them, crying over the reality of this horrible disgusting “business”, and trying to bring awareness to the issue. There are so many worthy causes out in our world that need serious attention. Pick one.

So there you go, my friends. May your 2011 be awesome and may you make a difference in the lives of others. I also hope you lose weight and get rich. Ha ha!!!

Don’t Cry Over Spilled Poop (part 2) December 28, 2010

Here is Part One.

My good friend Kelli and I have joked about poop a lot. She is the mother of four beautiful children. I am the mother of three equally beautiful children. She read my Part One poop story one day and thoroughly enjoyed some roaring laughter at my expense. It’s a beautiful thing.

I posted this to her Facebook wall. She urged me to blog about it. Enjoy Part Two.

To Kelli: “I immediately thought of you this morning. Jaxon likes to have naked time. It seems to be a family tradition of sorts, however MY genes did not create this tradition. :sigh: So I’m minding my own business trying to network for Love Your Neighbor when all of a sudden there arose such a clatter that I sprang from my office chair to see what was the matter.

Jaxon pooped.

No diaper.

Poop on him and the floor. By “on him” I mean hands, legs, feet, and the less desirable regions. He’s screaming. Brianna is screaming. Jeremy is running away literally gagging and trying not to puke (the boy is very sensitive). I did the quickest thing I could think of and stuck him in the tub.

While I was in there taking care of dirty duty our dog ate the poop. Now Jeremy is retching and heaving and Brianna is screaming louder and faster and I’m just laughing. Yes. Laughing. I cracked up so much, in fact, that tears were streaming down my cheeks. That was the precise moment when I thought to myself, “I have to tell Kelli about this”. So here I am 30 minutes later relaying the story. I’m still laughing by the way. Have a great day!”

A Few Simple Ways to Love Your Neighbor December 22, 2010

Over the past several weeks, whether through e-mail or in conversation, I have been asked how I learn of the families Love Your Neighbor, St. Lucie County sponsors. I’ve also heard countless comments like, “I wish I could do something like that for my community”, along with many compliments on a job well done. So, I decided to sit down and give you all some pointers on how YOU can help your own neighbors. I must warn you, though. Once you begin, you can become quite addicted. It’s such a joyful experience overall.

1. Join your local online Freecycle chapter. This is a very easy and convenient way to give to people. The website is www.freecycle.org. My friend Kelli introduced me and I give stuff away frequently. Freecycle is also how I found two of the families St. Lucie County has helped. Don’t have a Freecycle for your area? Start one! I believe the site tells you how.
2. Join Craigslist for your area. We’ve all heard horror stories about Craigslist and I’ll admit I was skeptical at first, but I have never met a weirdo from that online community. I am cautious during the transactions in order to protect myself and my family, but if you want to give things away and not sell them you can post on the “Free” board and give stuff away just like on Freecycle. I found our Christmas 2010 family that Love Your Neighbor is sponsoring on Craigslist. I also found 2 volunteers on Craigslist.
3. If you have school-aged children, ask their teacher or principal if there is a family in need. They will know more than you can imagine. You can provide things like meals, canned goods, clothes, shoes, school supplies and so on. You can even do it anonymously allowing the teacher or school to give it to the family for you. The sky really is the limit here. Love Your Neighbor, Indian River County found out about a poor family this way and has provided that family with a free stove via Craigslist as well as a full traditional Christmas meal from an anonymous donor. All it takes is a phone call and some motivation and you can do amazing things within your child’s own school community.
4. Give meals to people in your life who have been hospitalized or who are moving (out or in). Even one night’s dinner will make a healing person feel loved. I will never forget when one of the churches I used to go to organized meals for me after I had Jeremy. I was astonished and forever grateful. That is the reason why I got involved in doing what I do to begin with. You can do meals for those who have had babies, surgery, who are moving away, or who have just moved in. Believe me, the meal will be received with gratitude and you will feel awesome. It’s so simple, yet so profound. You can even get your friends to help you especially if your meal recipient is a mutual friend to all of you.

Well, there you go friends… four ways to give. Some might say it’s an act of paying it forward. I believe it’s sharing your God-given blessings with others. Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

December December 5, 2010

I have so much I should write, but I am limited on time. Rich occupies our home office most of the day working on ideas and job hunting. Our whole family has been hit with one nasty bug that took its toll this entire week. So, the older two kids have been playing computer games on my laptop day after day. I’ve been holding Jaxon almost non-stop from the time he’s awake until he sleeps because of his icky feeling.

My non-profit is going strong. We have a nice little volunteer group that is really stepping up to the plate. I can’t believe how much can get accomplished with such a small group of people. It’s exciting! We’ve even received some generous donations and a childhood friend of mine has offered to do our 501c3 filing with the IRS pro bono.

I hope you’re all having a great month so far. I know it has only begun, but wow has it been busy for me. I’ll try to update more soon. I can’t wait to share what’s going on in my life.

Unemployment is Actually Fun November 16, 2010

Who would have thought I’d say that? The last time I wrote on my blog I was very upset. That week Rich lost his job. It was through no fault of his own. His company has been laying people off left and right for about a year and a half.

He has had several interviews and has been offered a job, but it was too far from home. People call him almost daily. He has 2 more interviews lined up. One is this week and it is very promising. So pray.

But, ya know… my husband has darn near worked his rearend off for years and I’m quite enjoying having him around all day every day. He’s my best friend and my lover and my favorite human. I am really going to miss him when he gets a job. So I am not upset. I am not sad. I am not worried. I know he’s qualified in his field. I know he’ll get another job. Until then, I will enjoy all the moments I have with him. We’re having fun!

Shitty week and I do mean Shitty October 29, 2010

Ugh! I think God is trying to see what I’m made of. I’ll elaborate soon, but for now just pray.

If you see me cuss, always pray. That’s a good sign that I need it.

Love you peeps! See you on the  brighter side of the rainbow.

Beautiful Chaos October 21, 2010

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO busy!

But, I love it!

We Did It! October 15, 2010

With a combined effort of a lot of compassionate and talented people, I have been able to start a non-profit corporation. Our website is (almost) done. Please check it out, clicking on all the links at the top, and tell me what you think. I am so excited and I hope to fill up with volunteers in November so that we can sponsor a family in December.

Introducing…
LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR
a non-profit organization
proudly serving along the treasure coast of florida

Click on the words
“LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR”
underneath our logo
and you’ll be taken right to our site

Poem October 13, 2010

 

When God sends forth a little soul
To learn the ways of earth
A mother’s love is waiting there
We call this miracle birth.

When God calls back a tiny soul
And stills a fleeting breath
A Father’s love is waiting there
This too is birth, not death.