Crafting for a Cause - Operation Gratitude

Working at a Web Design studio, I spend much of my day navigating the web for information and inspiration. While the extent to which people (over)share frivolous information is sometimes alarming, every so often I find a real gem; I was elated to discover Operation Gratitude.

Operation Gratitude "annually sends 100,000+ care packages filled with snacks, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation addressed to individually named U.S. Service Members deployed in hostile regions, to their children left behind and to Veterans, First Responders, Wounded Warriors and their Care Givers. Their mission is to lift morale, bring a smile to a service member’s face and express to our Armed Forces the appreciation and support of the American people." 

In just ten days, Operation Gratitude will send their Millionth package. Yes, you read correctly: one million packages to past and present heroes and their families. 

Having been raised to consider the needs of others and attending a university that stressed Jesuit values, the notion of service above self has been relevant as long as I can remember. The pressing question remains,  how can we integrate service into our daily lives? Having my fair share of student loans, writing a lofty check to a worthy cause is not an option for me, at least not yet. But there are abundant other ways to help. 

Mother Teresa said it best. 

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” 

Operation Gratitude makes it easy and fun to do some good. I like crafting personally, so the hand-made projects looked to be the perfect opportunity. Admittedly, I horde scrapbooking materials and thus had an abundance of paper, decals, stickers, and blank cards on hand. My boyfriend James, a Veteran with twelve years of service in the United States Marine Corps, bought me a Cricut machine for Christmas last year; it was put to good use card making. 

Friends and family were over to celebrate my parents' anniversary, so I took advantage of the crowd, got everyone to the table, and distributed supplies. We decorated Christmas cards and signed them with heartfelt messages of thanks. The guys with poor handwriting relayed messages to be written by their wives; they stuck to stickers and glitter. This unlikely group of crafters made it all the more memorable. 

My friend Lindsay, who makes quite a fantastic Christmas card I might add,  is a school teacher and was motivated to get her students involved too. The children wrote letters to the troops, decorating them with hand-shaped American flags.

Fostering gratitude is important in younger generations. Tthis type of experience will likely leave an impact on them.  As they age, they will hopefully continue to give of themselves to deserving people and causes.

As the holidays draw near, I know not everyone will be home with their loved ones. Some are called to serve abroad and their families are called to carry on at home. Others dedicate their lives to bringing these families comfort and support.  All sorts are heroes in my eyes and it is essential we say thanks...

 Thank you.

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How will you share your gratitude this year? 

To learn more about Operation Gratitude and the great work they do, follow them on Pinterest, Twitter , or Facebook. 

Pocket Full of Paradise

I think "conversations" are named as such because they allow your heart to converge with the heart of another person.  The best of them leave you feeling enriched, inspired and if you're really lucky, renewed. They sometimes move you to tears. So, you look away from your conversation partner or feign an itchy eye. (A propensity for shedding tears has made me quite adept at these maneuvers.) Great conversations are organic and need no catalyst. They just happen, and rattle your core for the better.    

You learn a lot about someone when you take the time to converse. Typically, you can tell what a person values. Their disposition too. Are they a pessimist or eternal optimist? Do they keep a firm exterior, but every so often grant you a glimpse of vulnerability? Do their eyes widen with pride when they talk about their children? Or do they cringe when they talk about an unsavory encounter, as they search for some reassurance that their life has not been ruined even if it feels as such.  If you listen hard enough to someone else, they just might teach you something about yourself too, and remind you of your pocket of paradise.

I find it funny that something special can stare us in the face day in and out and we never realize it until someone else points it out. There are times I feel as if I am in control of or have been able to do very little, until another person convinces me otherwise. Their stamp of approval and reassurance are just enough to override my internal doubt (for the time being). We want different things, things we don't have, until someone tells us that we are lucky to have what we have; for a moment in time we are contented that someone validated who we are, and where we are.  We stop seeking greener grass.    

Recently, I had such a conversation. We talked of snow mobiles, fishing, vacation homes too. Life with kids and how it compares to life before kids, and reservations about knowing when the right time is to have kids. Family dinners and gift giving. What makes a home versus a house? How to establish a comfortable balance of money and time, and determining personal and professional goals. Finding one's purpose, a desire for clarity, and the profound importance of patience and hard work.

I left the conversation feeling grateful for dinnertimes, my family who love me despite my imperfections, for a short commute, a warm home, and the understanding of others. For friends and colleagues, memories from summers at the bay even if we no longer have the house there, and a solid education even though I have loans that are not going away anytime soon. For sausage and peppers, crusty Italian bread, a fire, and the sacrifices of veterans and their families. Grateful for the unknown. Although I hunger certainty, it would be dreadfully dull to always know what was coming, I imagine. Most of all, I was grateful for that candid conversation and a pocket of paradise all my own.                                                                                                                              

Gratitude

Rainy days and Mondays, always get me... thinking. I know they are supposed to get you down, but maybe if we take a moment to reflect, they can make us grateful.

Mondays come after the weekend. Depending on your profession, the weekend is typically a time to relax. If not relax, at least provide an opportunity to accomplish the things you could not get to during the week. Work or other responsibilities got in the way of doing what you had intended. Weekends allow much needed time to catch up, reconnect with your family, get much needed rest, or  revisit a hobby you have neglected. (This sadly does not apply to my boyfriend, a chef, who works through his weekend, but I am speaking generally.) If you are successful in even tackling a small fraction of this long running list of to-do's, the Monday after just might give you a sense ofaccomplishment.

Beyond catch up, the weekend is comprised of social outings and recreation, typically. The assumption being that people work Monday through Friday, the weekend is when the social being in us seeks fulfillment and connection. My weekend was full of such encounters. To start, I attended a Wounded Warriors Amputee softball game. Now, that was lovely to behold. Our nation's wounded heroes not hardened by their fate, but rather rejoicing in their abilities. Surely a new way of doing things, batting with one arm, but no less an ability, and in my opinion a more refined ability than batting with two. It afforded me some valuable perspective and gave me hope in the human spirit.

Next came a benefit for Cancer Survivors, that my sister organized. It was a lovely celebration to commemorate fighting a severe disease and winning, or continuing to fight it with resolve. It was another showcase of courage, and provided me yet another opportunity to look at the important things in life more closely. Resilience against an aggressor, faith in the process, and appreciation for the moment. Give us this day...

Lastly, friends and I danced away at a Portuguese festival: Sangria in hand, sun overhead, and smoked barbecue in the air. A language I did not understand blaring through the speakers, as couples ranging from their teens to their seventies danced in unison, with zeal for life and love of one another. If you had a weekend anything like that, the Monday after just might give you a sense of contentment.

Now what if we move away from the Monday itself, and tackle the rain? What is so wrong with the rain anyway? We get so bothered and depressed but really, it's a life source. It fuels the growth of plant life and in an abstract way, hydrates the body. Rain represents something beautifully cyclical. It waxes and wanes as needed. (Ideally, it is not absent for too long or else we will have some issues!) Certainly, rain might interrupt your fun, cancel a ball game, or force you to rethink the beautiful attire you planned on wearing out to make your ex jealous. And yes, it may pale in comparison to a breathtaking sunny day. But more importantly, it forces you to focus, slow down perhaps. Drive slower. Stay inside to finish something important. Dabble in the kitchen before eating out. If said rain happens to coincide with a Monday, you might find yourself thinking. And this kind of rainy Monday, just might give you a sense of gratitude.