sister-friend~*

i have to be honest...i have been putting this post off...it was inevitible that i would be writing about my katy~*...but words seem so inadequate or maybe i simply lack the skills to express with words just what her friendship means to me...

katy~* would i agree, i think, that she's really the one who pursued friendship with me...i was quite busy at the time we met and didn't have a lot of free time...there was a bit of an age difference with us, which added to the fact that while i thought she was great, i didn't really seek her out...

over the years i have come to appreciate that she listened to her gut and kept inviting me to be a part of her life, because she has become one of the dearest, most precious friends in my life...one who understands me better than most anyone else...who gets me at my core, which is not easy to do, because i, to my discredit, am a very guarded person, to the point people think i don't care about them at all, at times...but...this isn't about me...

my loverly friend is an artist, who has pursued various forms of art, but who is a brilliant photographer, among oh so many other things...she has been diligent to learn her craft, to explore this art form and to find her "voice" in it...to find her vision...i am always amazed (and more than a little jealous) everytime i see something new...her creativity and inventiveness know no bounds...

katy~* is a risk-taker...she will put herself out there and try whatever she has in her heart to try...i say in her heart, because she is not impulsive in her decisions...and she thinks and prays about what she will take on...but whatever she does she does well and with abandon...and i love to see her pour herself into life...

her faith is so very important to her and she has such a tender and sincere heart...she's a pure soul and that cannot be said of many people...i've seen her reach out to those on the fringe...to those others might overlook and help them find their light, because hers shines so brightly...she prays and studies and grows and has a great depth to her life as a result...

i have watched her grow through the years into a beautiful, wise, gracious, fabulous woman...someone i admire...someone i am so grateful to have in my life...she lives her life with intentionality...she is real...she is amazing...

there are so many lists i could make...of her achievements, of her talents, of her wonderful qualities...but it is best, i think, to say that katy~*, my dearest sister-friend~* is a beautiful soul of whom the world is not worthy...

loveyoueversomuch...thank you for sharing your light...

hope is delicious...

through his soul foundation, jon bon jovi started a restaurant called the soul kitchen...there are no prices on the menu...everyone pays what they can...if they cannot pay, they can volunteer...

it affords families the opportunity to give back...to share a meal together...to meet their neighbors...to enjoy the simple pleasures we, who have more than enough, take for granted...

what a lovely idea...i wish more places did this...offered the option to barter...to trade...for people who don't have a lot, a way to feel human...to have dignity...

to learn more or make a donation:: http://www.jbjsoulkitchen.org/

grace in devastation...

http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/15/why-is-there-no-looting-in-japan?/htp=T1

facing complete devastation with dignity and grace, the japanese people are waiting patiently in long lines...there is no looting...no rioting...they are banding together to make it through this crisis...

thinking about past and lesser disasters here in this country, where our poorest are richer than some of the richest in other parts of our world...we have not responded so well...we who have the most, complain the loudest when we think our "rights" are being threatened...

today, i am looking at the japanese people and i am challenged to learn more of contentment...to learn more of kindness...and i am grateful...

...don't let the parade pass you by...

every year on new year's day, the goff family holds a parade in their neighborhood...the big catch is, no one is allowed to just sit by and watch...everyone must participate...

it is a wonderful example of a life well-lived...a life where no one sits on the sidelines...where everyone joins in the celebration...

too often we complain about our circumstances, about chances passing us by...but shouldn't we all step out, balloons and costumes and all and fully participate in the gift of each new day...shouldn't we begin to speak something into nothing...

you've been given this day...this life...don't let the parade pass you by...

to read more about the goff family:: www.donmilleris.com/2009/01/03/speaking-something-into-nothing/

freedom in creation::one person can make a difference

when andrew briggs traveled to uganda and learned of the atrocities committed by the LRA and the children who had been forced into soldiering...when he saw the need for rehabilitation for those children being rescued or released back to their villages...and the need for clean water for villages to help bring peace to the area, he wasn't content to simply feel sorry for the people and go back to life, as usual...

he made it his mission to make a difference...to change lives...to commit for the long haul...he founded Freedom in Creation, an organization which provides therapeutic art activities for war ravaged villages...as well as raising money and awareness to meet other practical needs of the community...

the work Freedom in Creation does internationally is remarkable and far-reaching...it is proof that one person can make a difference, when they are not willing to simply look away from suffering...

to learn more and to contribute to this VERY worthy cause:: www.freedomincreation.com

sheila farthing...

if any woman does it all...it's sheila...she's an amazing wife, mother, friend, preschool director...she volunteers at her church...she travels once a year to Zimbabwe and is an advocate for the people there when she's not travelling...

her last trip, she felt strongly that a school block at Masuie Village in the Victoria Falls region of Zimbabwe needed to be built and supplied for that community...she began raising awareness and money to see that project was started and completed...

she leaves this weekend, with a team from her church, headed to help in the completion of the school block...they have been sending supplies and hired a local contractor in that area to help the villagers get started and by the time they head back to the States, there will be a new school in that area...

she is also involved in ongoing fundraising efforts through: http://www.buyabrickfoundation.org/

sheila has a full life, i think , because she's decided to be a conduit for God's Love...she keeps pouring out...God keeps pouring in...

al andrews::improbable philanthropist

i'd like to introduce you to al andrews from franklin, tn...he is the director of porter's call, "a non-profit that comes alongside recording artists with counsel, support and encouragement"...

his newest project is really quite an amazing undertaking...he has written a book, the boy, the kite and the wind and when this project becomes profitable, 100% of the proceeds will go to various projects around the world to "help men, women and children to 'take flight'"...

the sole purpose of this endeavor is to raise money to give away in support of other projects...pretty impressive...to read more and to buy a copy of the book, visit his website at: improbablephilanthropy.com