The Act of Giving

Hi Friends :)

I've been thinking a lot about charity lately. You know, the whole Sisterhood thing, the plunket collecting thing, and now the Unfolding Hope thing, and our Church just did its yearly Rise and Build offering.  So, giving has been in the forefront of my mind lately and on the tip of my tongue "What am I giving to this?" I seem to always be finding myself asking.

155 articles of clothing + toys from The Sisterhood for a family whose home burnt down 2 weeks ago

The danger with charity is that it can often become about the act. And you know, the act really isn't why I give. In my opinion, charity is often stale; Charity can become about people giving because they feel they have to. A few coins in a bucket and we'll call it being charitable. "Thanks a lot! It all adds up!" I would chime at the sound of a few coins dropping into my bucket a few weeks ago while collecting for an organisation we all know and mostly love and rely on. And you know what, it does all add up. Lots and lots of peoples 50c coins added up to $900 collected over the course of the week. That's a lot of small change and meant that our local Plunket could meet their yearly budget. However, charity can't end at small change but it often does for many people. That's why I think that charity is stale. It's a pre-after-thought. It's walking past a bucket and thinking "What change can I spare? I'll give them the silver and keep the gold". Thankyou, sincerely, but in my own opinion that's not being a giver.

Starting this humble little thing called The Sisterhood has taught me so much about what it means to be a giver. I have had regular conversations with ordinary women, stay at home mums, teachers,  sales people, advertisers, crafty folk, about what they can do to help and every time it blows me away. "You don't need to give every time!" I find myself saying over and over again. "But I want to!" they respond.

I am forever blown away by the givers out there. Giving is a way of life for these people, its who they are, what they stand for and how they live.

I wanted to write this because I feel that lately I have been asking for a lot of you, this is also something that i need to wrap my head around and learn; Its okay to ask. I suppose I am worried that you will feel weary of being asked for things, I can totally understand.

But I need you to know that if you don't want to give then I don't want you to. For me, giving is not about the act. Whether you give or not really isn't an issue for me (or God). I'm far more interested in the heart behind it. Are you giving because you want to? Or do you feel that I have guilted you into it? More rather, have you been moved by a particular story and you want to give but your heart is hard and you wont give?

The recipient of articles of clothes after her family home burnt down

When we give we are performing a physical act, but I have always said that its less about the act and more about the intention behind it. For example, we have a new mum who is tired, worn out and almost at the end of herself. She needs some time alone, or a night with her hubby, or she just needs a full nights sleep. To be honest there's not a heck of a lot we can do about that. That mum needs help beyond what we are able to offer - sure, we could buy them dinner out, but thats probably the extent of it as I don't have secret baby whispering powers. What we CAN do is provide some physical relief that represents what she needs. Maybe a hot cup of coffee? Some sweet treats in the mail that she would never go out and purchase herself? A magazine she can sit down to that gives her a break from morning infomercials and an unsettled baby?

Really, those little things are just representing what we would like to communicate: "You are cared about" and most importantly "You are not alone". This is the act of giving; When we leave our own world and join in someone elses.

So please be encouraged, whatever you give, whether its 50c or a few hundred dollars, you are telling someone that they are not alone. Some home-made biscuits can go a long way in healing someones soul. 

More on that later.

Fare Thee Well

Best friends of ours are preparing to move over seas. They've been preparing to move for almost a year and it isn't any more real now than it was 7 months ago. *sigh* Hubby got a transfer over there with his relocating company. Lucky things. 

I miss them already and they haven't even left yet, they are just caught up in the busyness of life, saying goodbye to loved ones, packing, organising, all of that essential stuff. That's okay. We were lucky enough to be invited to their good bye family BBQ. It was such an honour to be invited to a family BBQ! We celebrated them with delicious food and backyard cricket. Milla played in the grass (she loved it) and we enjoyed the sunshine. 

We've known these two for 5 years, before Graeme and I had even gotten together. They have been members of our church for 5 years - before it even started, they were involved in the creation and planting of it in Christchurch. The hubby used to be Graemes 2IC in the Youth Pastor days. They are close friends and we will miss them so much. 

Tonight we have our connect group and it will be the first official time they wont be members, since they have been coming when it started 2 years ago.

At times like this I celebrate technology! The wonders of skype and facebook and email! Nothing can beat a hand written letter though. I plan to send them many.  

It will be different and sad but we are super excited for their new journey. Life has a way of carrying us through and we know they are on a great path!

Also...  I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone for your concern. I am definitely on the mend. Phew, all that blood loss really knocked me around. I have a lot more strength today than I did at the weekend and I am feeling much better for it. Unfortunately my mind is still a bit of a mess, I'm not entirely sure if this post will make sense, its hard to concentrate. 

I met up with some other bloggy ladies in Christchurch yesterday and their love and concern for me was so touching. Afterwards I was pleased that I brought it up on the blog and shared what I am going through this week. I think out there somewhere a lady needs to know that she doesn't need to put up with anything like that. I might talk about it more in the future. No regrets.

Intro to Unfolding Hope

Recently a group of incredibly generous and talented women have been gathering in secret, planning and scheming ways that they could create, donate and save.

Now is the time to reveal all, and I will be doing so over the course of the month, this definitely wont be the last time you will hear about Unfolding Hope from me. Miriam is the brain behind the whole thing and I have been one of her many helpers and over time this cause has become quite close to my heart.
In short, Miriam is raising funds to donate to Free The Slaves; an American organisation that is freeing slaves all over the world. It is a sad reality that this is still happening and if you let it sit for a while, I'm sure it will stir your heart into action. Just take a moment to think about it; Slaves. In 2012. I know.
If you're already on board you can donate through the link on the right of my page --->
For every $10 you donate you'll go in the draw to win something from the prize pool. Companies and talented people right across New Zealand have donated their goods to be up for grabs (I know!! This is a BIG deal). You can view whats available here on Miriams blog. New prizes are being added all the time. 
Like us on Facebook too. There you'll be kept up to date with how much has been raised already and what goodies you could be winning. 

Dear Baby, 7 Month Update

My baby girl is 7 months old *wimper*

She is a little Super Baby, seriously. She is so quick to learn new things and is so far advanced beyond her months! She is crawling, sitting, pulling her self up, walking around furniture, practicing with only one hand, climbing up steps and saying "mumumumum" when she feels like it. Oh! And her first tooth is through!

She is very much like her Dad - capable in every way and loves all sorts of different foods. 

As soon as she began to sit up she also began to pull herself up onto furniture and stand. She's a pro now and can also navigate her way around to get where she wants to be. During our plunket catch ups she weaves between all the babies and finds a nice comfy head to sit on. All of a sudden I'm one of *those* Mums who don't watch their children enough! The other day we were having lunch with friends and I looked over and she was climbing up a set of steps! Oh my! I'm preparing for an early walker. My dad is making us a little fence to put infront of our main sliding door. She's fallen out once (no injuries!) and it wont be the first time for our little capable explorer!

She is still attached to me but she is getting much better as time progresses. It's nice though, knowing that I am needed. She is becoming more independant and I think that has a lot to do with her mobility. She is starting to leave the room that I am in and go exploring. I leave her to it most of the time because I know she's safe and I think its good for her. 

This Month we took our first plane ride with Camilla, she did really well and was easily distracted with food and her desire to sleep. Camilla also went to her first big concert, Taylor Swift. Camilla slept through most of the concert and when she was awake for the last few songs was happy to sit and watch. She was the best little baby at the concert and we are so glad we took her! This month we have really noticed that Camilla is loving music, she loves listening to the radio and TV and will make little noises at them, and gets very excited when her Daddy plays his guitar. At church she has been crawling up and standing infront of the stage and staring at the worship band. So sweet!

Oh yes - did I mention she's standing? Yes? Well, she's a pro. Oh, I already said that. Whoopsie.

When we went to Auckland she started sleeping through the night which was a breath of sweet relief. She continued it once we came back but this week has had a cold and has been coughing and waking up through the night. I dont mind though. Its the sweetest thing, just me and her in dark of the night as she rubs her wet nose into my chest and her little shaking hands clutch at my arms. *sweetness* I love capturing moments of her innocence. 

She is a quiet wee girl. She doesn't often make a noise and quite often I can forget she is around. She has just started to say "Mummummummum" which is the first sort of word she has pronounced. Apart from that she doesn't really say much except guttural type noises and grunts. She's not a babbler, thats for sure. 

I really can't express how much I love my little girl. She is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and I can't believe that God has blessed us SO much. She has changed us for the better and I know we will never be the same. In the last 7 months Graeme has transformed into such a caring and loving husband and dad and I know that love will only continue to grow.

My Sweet Little Milla,

You are a super baby! Your midwife called you that when you were born and they were words of life for you; You have taken that title and applied it to everything! You have turned into quite the explorer, eager to learn and grow, you are standing up, moving about and basically doing whatever it is you want to do! I'm certain you have been saying "Mum" this month, as well as waving. You are absolutely adorable!

And you know your Daddy? Well, you are his Little Princess. Before you were in our lives I thought your Daddy was the kindest man I had ever met, now I know how true that is! He loves to you teeny tiny little pieces Camilla. You melt his heart. When he comes home from work each night only you have his full attention. He cannot wait to have kisses and cuddles with you and you totally lap it up. You reserve your biggest smiles and giggles for after work time with Dad. He is so gentle with you, always careful of you banging your head and worried for your exploring, but at the same time he takes you on big adventures. He puts you on the skateboard and takes you for a roll, he throws you up in the air and you shriek and cackle with delight! You love your Daddy and your Daddy loves you. It is beautiful to watch you both grow in love for each other as you bond. 

Be strong little one,

Love, Mama xxx x

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