Another year goes by.....

My birthday was a few weeks ago. [I need not disclose the number.] I had an amazing time thanks to many friends and family. This was an extra special birthday as I’ve seen friends in a new light as they’ve stepped forward to become a special community that has made a “village” for adoption. I’ve wholly become more appreciate of my family away from home. Just the thoughts and admiration of them make me burst with happiness and a smile pops on that hurts my face more than Miss Universe’s must.

Although I got many wonderful and personal gifts (all unnecessary but greatly appreciated), one was given that just took my breath away and made my heart completely blow up. It is a handmade gift from a friend. Because the weight of paying off debts AND saving for adoption is hard to bear (especially when the numbers are large, or equal, in my case), she made a visual (I LOOOOOVE visuals) that would help me track progress toward saving. The left column is in $25 increments. Each time you get $25, you fill in that block. When you reach $250, then you cover another $250 increment on the chart on the right with a jewel. The end goal is $25,000. She gave it to me with $1000 covered as that is about what is in “Shorty’s” account now. She also donated $25 and blocked in the first increment. Awesome right? This reminds me of how far I’ve come and how far I have to go. When filled, it will be dazzling in Shorty’s room, right!??! THANK YOU, AMANDA!!

What is in Shorty’s account right now?  $1308.58

I also have a garage that is constantly overflowing with recycling to take in and more to collect from friends!

I haven’t blogged in a while and have been processing a lot of comments that I’ve heard--some of which are annoying, unbelievably good, and buckled-over laugh inducing.

The annoying? 

At a child’s birthday party, I met a couple with a baby. As they were chatting with another couple, I heard the woman saying, “We moved from XX to XX to be closer to my mother. You just can’t have a baby without your family that close.” [Insert here the sound of steam coming from the teapot mixed with brakes squealing] Now, it doesn’t matter the cities marked by XX but know that it is less than 50 miles to be safe (more like 30). I felt the stab and immediate doubt creep in. Could I do it as a single (if I’m single then)? My family is on the other side of the US. 

Luckily, quickly, I heard the soft internal whisper of “You aren’t her. You are strong. You can do it. I will help you do it.” Of course, the devil in me wanted to yell “Weakling, I bet you don’t take the trash out by yourself.” Yikes, I feel better. It’s hard not to compare—one single income hard-working gal vs. two income very successful parents with family close-by and then one healing child who has encountered more than many adults vs. one clean slate healthy baby. I had to go back and re-read a former blog post of mine.  

I have to remind myself who to listen to as well. I’ve noticed that several of the gals who tell me, “OH MY GOD, having a baby/kid is so expensive!” are the ones who “over-do it” (IMHO) in many cases. Also, many of them are ones with a great double income. I’ve found that my friends who have a meager income and make sacrifices for the children to have cute stuff but keep it real and not “overboard” all say “It’s a budgeting difference—you just change your spending and it isn’t that bad.” What an interesting contrast….that’s a whole ‘nother blog in itself!

The unbelievable?

Well, there is a child at work that I would loooooooooooooooove to have but there are some complicating factors and timing isn’t feeling right. Even though that is its “own” situation, the fact that I have a village is an understatement.  When I even entertained the idea of looking into possibilities of fostering-to-adopt, so many from my village rose up which overwhelmed with me and made me feel at ease for the support I’ll have when the right time comes.  I heard the following (just a few of the many):

“We all think that you can do this. You are the only one that doesn’t know it.”

“I’ll go to social services classes with you to finish your prerequisite obligations so you don’t have to go alone.”

“I can help find clothes. My neighbor has a child the same age”

“We all have things we can give you. Don’t worry about the initial cost.”

I think this helped me to file away the other experience I had. I never said or imagined it to be easy. In fact, I know it will be harder than I can fathom at this point. BUT, I know this has always been in my heart and I know that I’ll make the sacrifices necessary to make sure it happens and that I do it well.

The laugh inducing?

The other question that comes up and recently even flew out of the mouth of a man: [drumroll]

Don’t you think that if you adopt as a single, you will have trouble meeting a man?

Okay first off, “trouble meeting  a man” makes me chuckle. I have not met a good one in QUITE a while for dating purposes. I’m staying optimistic and believing they are/he is out there on a parallel path to mine for now. One day our paths will cross, but OC is not the prime area for networking and meeting possible suitors.

The question makes me chuckle too because I’ve stupidly made decisions in the past to NOT do things I’ve felt I should because they may put me in an inopportune place or time to meet a man. Tsk, tsk, tsk.Hindsight is always 20/20 though, right?

As much as I’ve thought about it in the past, I do not think about it with adoption. I think because I know that God placed this in my heart (long ago) with the desire to start working toward it at this time. I’m not sure when the process will tangibly begin, but I know it will. I’ve been entrusted with this dream so I’m choosing to step out in faith toward a goal. I don’t know all the answers to when, where, and how. I don’t know if someone will come along in the process or after, but I do know that someone will come along.

I know that someone will come along who shares a heart for the orphaned or hurting children and if caring for them means providing them a home, then he will be on board.  

I know that someone will come along who will appreciate my commitment to my faith and pursuit of a God-placed and God-sized dream, and he will be smitten.

So when I think about the men I’ll miss out on because of my choice (to adopt or to have adopted already), I am thankful that I can so easily scratch them off the list from the get-go. There will be no question and no compromise on the act of adoption itself. I will not be able to walk into that trap that so many fall into “With time and lots of love (or cooking), he may change his mind about [insert personal dream here]." I won’t wait 9 months in to the relationship to figure out they don’t actually want to adopt after all. I won’t make excuses for someone else or put my calling and dream aside when I feel distance from him because may be totally on board.  I do not need the kind of man who will shy away from my life, my accomplishments and service, my faith, and my choices. 

So, THANK YOU for your kind words, well wishes, beer bottles, trash, and offers of assistance. None of it went unnoticed, even if I had a flat affect that did not convey my internal clapping and squeals or tears of happiness. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Today is Mother’s Day. Today is the first time I’ve really somewhat “gotten it.”

I look at the holiday differently. First of all, it’s much more personal. As I tuck money away and pay off debts in order to prepare for a future adoption, it makes me wonder if there is already a child out there who will call my house “home” and call me by the most important name in the world, “Mommy,” in the future. How is she celebrating with her birth mother today? Does she have a mother? What trauma may she face before we meet? This year, my heart has changed as has my perspective, making this day different than any other Mother’s Day in the past.  Many different faces pop into my mind this year—friends who are new moms, my own mother, my sister, adoptive and foster parents from The Village, facebook friends who have welcomed me into their adoptive communities, friends dealing with infertility, friends who lost their mothers this year, famous fierce mothers from the past, and those who have given up being a mother physically in order to “mother” so many others.

Recently while on a trip home to Mississippi, I looked back into my senior memory book. Where it asked what I’d be doing in ten years I had written “Married with 2 kids working as a medical technologist in a hospital.” Well, in 2004 that ten year marker came and went, with me being in CA single with no kids. It wasn’t a big deal in 2004 as I was in a serious relationship headed to what I thought was marriage. The relationship ended. A year passed. Another year passed. Another year passed. Another five years passed. I’m still single. I’m still not a mother. I’ve grieved dreams and expectations and kissed them good-bye.

It could be sad, but it’s not. Don’t get me wrong—on many occasions I have been completed devastated and disappointed. With my “human eyes,” I have had countless experiences of watching others obtain MY dream, some of which I felt were undeserving. That perspective was accompanied by feelings of confusion, doubt, and envy.

So many times, I was reminded of the verse Isaiah 55:8:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
 neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.

 If I look around with my “human eyes,” I’ll always see disappointment. My heart will harden from envy or disappointment. My faith will weaken as I second guess. I will miss so many opportunities along the way that are building me for a dream fulfilled.  I just cannot understand. His ways are not my ways. His dreams for my life are so much bigger than what I can imagine for my own. Thank goodness, right, because hindsight is 20/20—especially when it comes to men. (sorry, guys)

Had I gotten anywhere close to the goal set at that time I completed that memory book, I would not be anywhere near the mother I will be one day. I’m sure I’d be happy and complacent. Complacent is a word that I never want to be active in my vocabulary when I describe my own life. As I’ve dealt with the unexpected and the disappointments over the years, I’ve gotten closer and closer to God’s heart. He has sent me to Mexico, Guatemala, and South Africa and has shown me glimpses into his heart for the orphaned. I’ve felt in the most miniscule way the heartbreak he feels for children. Hints of my destiny or my “own story” have been revealed along the way—small snippets that lead me into total surrender to a greater plan and desire for more. My heart has opened to the possibility of fostering to adopt, if that’s the plan (who knows?!?!). My dream of adoption that I had as a child has moved to the forefront and within the plane of reality. My heart has connected in a special way to so many others who have adopted/fostered or are in the process. My “mother’s heart” is growing exponentially, sometimes to the point of bursting.

Today is a reminder that I am not a mother as I thought I’d be by this time in my life. Better yet, it is a reminder that I’m not writing my story, God is, and the best is yet to come.

Happy Mother’s Day to my mom and sister—shining role models of patience and sacrifice. I have big shoes to fill. 

 

Me + Mom

 Me + my sister

Happy Mother’s Day to those who mourn on this day—the loss of a mother or a child, a miscarriage, or the motherless.

Happy Mother’s Day to my parents at Cornerstone, Haven of Hope, and elsewhere that mother children with special needs. You love fiercely. You humble me. It’s an honor to walk along beside you and help in any capacity that I can. You are my heroes. 

Happy Mother’s Day to the single moms who don’t have a significant other to give you a break and bestow little gifts on behalf of your children—your strength and courage sets an example that I hope I can follow should that be part of my story. 

Happy Mother’s Day to those in waiting, like me, with a mother’s heart.

Project: Redemption

I sit here on Easter, my favorite holiday, in awe of the people that have built a community around me on the pre-adoption journey. I posted a few blogs ago about my village that is living intentionally with me. It continues to grow. I continue to be blessed. People continue to use their gifts to contribute in a variety of ways. God continues to whisper messages of encouragement and has become my biggest cheerleader [with my mother being 2nd].

I'm more humbled because I realize: this is just the beginning.

As I've mentioned before, my first priority is to kick my debt's ass this year. I'm focused. My job is to put every penny I can into that direction. In the meantime, God fills my adoption fund little by little. We're double teaming--as long as I do mine, He does His.

I'm a paycheck to paycheck person sticking everything left over toward debt repayment, most of which is from graduate school. Who knew it'd cost so much to be this smart?!?! I am enrolled in the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University and have been working on a budget, etc. as part of the class. I noticed that last month, I somehow, paid an extra $800 toward my debt in addition to my usual $1200 payment. How'd that happen?!?! I do remember saying a VERY lengthy prayer begging that my money be stretched in a way that is unfathomable to me. Maybe God answered that one before the short one begging to win the lottery. Everything seemed to be going along in line with my financial "norm." Anyway, noticing that error felt good ,and I was accidentally one step closer.

How is recycling going, you ask? So far, it has added $166.99 to the fund since the end of January. Along with gifts and my own monthly contribution, the "Get Shorty" fund has $704.49 in it. All the while, I've been blessed and confirmed in random ways.

One incident (that I know isn't merely coincidence) that stuck out was a friend's contribution of two LARGE bags of plastic bottles and aluminum cans. One was so big that it wouldn't even fit in the trunk. After I left recycling and went to brunch on Friday, I saw and thanked this friend again for the two bags. She said that her husband brought one of the bags home. At work, someone was loading his truck and could not fit everything in and asked her husband if he could leave the bag of recycling there for him to deal with. That bag, along with another bag she brought, were the two that put me over the edge for money earned that day.





I've loved this project for so many reasons. It has been humorous as I've made my way to the recycling center in Santa Ana weekly during the morning commute traffic on the 55S on Friday mornings. I can feel the stares of the people in the cars beside me as I dare not look anywhere but straight ahead. This past Friday was the best. I had my back seat full, my trunk so full that I had to sit on it to close it, and my passenger seat full with 3 bags. My purse had to sit in my lap between my person and the steering wheel because there was no room....anywhere! I drove through Chick-fil-A for a burrito and ate it en route to the recycling center. I'm sure the man in the truck next to me on the on-ramp thought I was a pig AND a hoarder.

the backseat


the front seat

Again, thank you everyone for your contributions whether it be recycling, donations, words of encouragement, advice, or connections with another person.

Love, Danielle

FAQs

Many of you have asked questions regarding this whole process and if I have somewhat of a timeline so I thought I’d just make a post that answers the FAQs I’m getting. Feel free to add additional questions in the comments if I missed something. I’m sure someone else wants to know too, but I think I’ll hit the major ones.

When will I have my Shorty?

Well, I’ve designated 2012 and some of 2013 as the prep years before even applying. I want to make sure I have myself in as good of a spot as I can be before adding another responsibility to the pot. I wish I could do it now, as in right this second, but it wouldn’t be best.

What does prep year entail?

• Paying off debt, first and foremost—I owe around $25k (ouch, I know) now for school loans and debts accrued while working for free during my year of internships. This is half of what it was 2 years ago, so I haven’t done to shabbily so far. I wish there was an easy fix but it is what it is and I’m working hard to tackle this sometimes frequently suffocating number. I’m trying to get some extra hours at work, and all of that income will go toward debt reduction. So far, the lotto hasn’t been interested in my magic number to pay off. If I stay on track, I’ll be paid off December 2013. The other overwhelming part? Just as I pay off that number, I’ll have to make sure I save a similar amount. [gulp]
• Changing financial habits—I’m enrolled in Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University (highly recommended to anyone and everyone, especially teens and early 20s). I’m also learning to reduce what I think I need, use what I have, and borrow from others. I’m learning to stretch out dollars at the grocery store and meal plan for a week instead of buy what I think is a list of staples (that I never end up eating).
• Researching adoptions, agencies, and countries—Thank God for the “good side” of the internet. I’m connected with so many online families and single who have adopted and are willing to give me the “ins & outs.” I’m able to research agencies and find out from others which ones have good reputations. Where there is poverty, there is corruption. I’d hate to know I didn’t have a legitimate adoption. Sometimes I read until I can see anymore. It’s exhausting and it has only just begun.
• saving money specifically for adoption—Anything earned from babysitting or recycling goes straight into the designated adoption fund. It’ll grow slowly but that is okay. Once I begin the process, I can be more creative with fundraising and apply for grants.
• surrounding myself with fabulous moms—I’m part of Mom’s Ministry at NewSong and attend the Village (group of families who have adopted and/or fostered). I also have plenty of Mom-friends. To top if off, I have a great mom of my own and fantastic sister who “moms” 3 kids. What better role models can one have from whom to learn?!
• praying—I pray for vision, discernment, and a miracle! I know this is my story so I know the resources will be available as they are needed. It doesn’t mean it isn’t overwhelming or that I sometimes don’t wonder what in the crap I’m doing. If any situation has ever demanded some serious praying, its this one!

When will I apply?

Mid-to-late 2013. One of the first steps is to have a home study completed. By that time, I need most of my debt paid for security and because I’ll have to move into a new place with 2-bedrooms to show I have space. This will suck up a lot of money that I can be using for debt payment so I want to postpone that toward the end of repayment so I’m not wasting money in a wasted space. I still have some questions about that part of things so it’s a bit hazy. I’m trying to take it one day at a time since 2012 is ALL PREP.

International or domestic?

My heart is in international. My heart is in Africa. However, if the situation presents and is right, I would do domestic adoption or foster-to-adopt. I’m open but I’m leaning toward international because the desire has been there since an early age.

What country?

I’ve narrowed down the continents but that's about it—Africa. For some reason, I’ve been drawn to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Again, I’m open, but this a country I’m researching now. The weight of the debt gives me quite some time to keep researching and feeling it out.

Why DRC?

DRC is one of the poorest countries in the world. It has an 80% unemployment rate. Millions of children are orphans as a result of a nasty civil war. Many orphanages are overflowing and some can allow provide one meal per day. It is reported that the sexual violence against women and children is the worst of anywhere in the world.

Boy or girl?

I said I never wanted girls. Remember my little game with “I nevers?” Well, I want a girl. For an international adoption, this means a lot. After reading and researching about women across the world and their risk of being raped, sold into human trafficking, or having to resort to prostitution to make ends meet, my heart broke for the girls. These “adult” issues happen to children. Children as young as 5 are sold or turn to prostitution. While I don’t believe adoption “saves” children and Americans “rescue” them, these statistics influence my choice for adoption.

Is my family supportive?

This is NEW territory for them, God help them. I don’t know anyone in my family who has adopted or has been adopted. My parents have always been supportive of my dreams, and I’ve made it this far in life fairly unscathed so I seem to be okay in decision-making so yes, they have faith. Even though they won’t say it, I’m sure they are confused by this desire and worry about the weight of a “transracial” family. Having a kid is hard enough, especially if single, and then top it off with transracial sprinkles of all-sorts-of-issues-we-can-never-anticipate.They also know that I've never done things the way everyone else has. They've had 35 years of seeing this. =)

How can you help?

Continue to save up and give me your recyclables. Again, here are the things that I take:

• Plastic bottles for water, Gatorade
• Jugs for juice or water—even if not CA CRV
• Plastic or colored plastic containers for detergent or soap
• Milk jugs even though not CA CRV
• Glass jars
• Wine bottles
• Newspapers
• Tin cans—soup cans
• Aluminum cans—sodas, beer

Which ones are the most lucrative?

CA CRV plastic bottles and aluminum cans

Give the recyclables weekly or save them up and give them when there's a larger amount?

Whatever works for you! I can take them weekly so you don’t have a pile in your garage or you can give them when you get a good pile

Let me know if you have other questions. I’m keeping with my themes:

Be intentional. Be expectant.

I’m being intentional in every aspect of this prep phase and I’m expectant of resources to be provided and miracles to be revealed.

I bought these charms for my necklace as a reminder for this whole process.

The small print on the charm to the left says: "Be willing to believe in the impossible."

Love,

Danielle

Redemption

First of all, thank you for your continued efforts in recycling!! To date, you have put $111.31 in the adoption fund in just 5 quick trips! Not bad for not even shelling out any coins or cash, right?

As I’ve mentioned before, each trip to the recycling center evokes a different thought or emotion. Something new hits me every time I’m there. It’s as if this is another one of those totally random places God chooses to speak to me the loudest (remember the treadmill in Austin? Yeah, we got a funky-cool relationship going on). For practical purposes, I’m conscious of separating items with “CRV” into specific containers as they yield a higher refund than others. Items must have CA CRV printed on the label which means “California Redemption Value,” meaning the price the recycling center will pay to consumers.

For a couple of trips, that word “redemption” has persisted in my mind as I’ve filled containers and turned in items that can be made into something new—things that won’t be discarded and left as waste, unused for years. Each item has a “value.” A few weeks ago, another friend mentioned this theme as well so that was my validation to continue soaking in it.

Dictionary.com defines “redemption” as the following:

• act of paying off a debt
• deliverance; rescue
• deliverance from sin
• atonement for guilt
• repurchase, as of something sold
• paying off, as of a mortgage, bond, or note
• recovery by payment, as of something pledged

Similarly, this word has specific meaning in the Christian world. Basically, Jesus was sent to the cross to “buy us out” so that we, as believers, are no longer enslaved to sins or Old Testament laws. 

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23-24

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” Galatians 3:13

When I think of the redemption of these items, I am reminded that we are made new. Despite anything we’ve done or do, we are made new through that relationship. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 comes to mind: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

I pray and think through what will be redeemed in the timing unknown to me but inevitably part of my journey and “our story.” Possibly years of waiting for a family [on both parts of this equation]…redeemed. Pain through the years and process…redeemed. A child’s suffering from past experiences…redeemed. Sacrifice and efforts to pursue financial goals in order to complete this process…redeemed.

I thank you so immensely for coming along on this wild and crazy [and many times, nonsensical] journey!

Love,

Danielle

P.S. I thought I'd list a few recycling facts that I found on the CA.Gov Recycling website:

• In California, nearly 22 billion California Refund Value (CRV)-eligible containers were sold in 2009.
• Of those, more than 17 billion were recycled!
• And the nearly 4 billion that ended up in landfills? You could use them to fill every lane of the entire 770-mile length of Interstate 5...almost a foot deep.
• Since more than 4 billion bottles and cans ended up in the landfill, nobody claimed the CRV on them. How much CRV? More than $100 million worth!
• CRV is 5¢ for bottles and cans less than 24 ounces, and 10¢ for larger ones.
• CRV refunds are available to anyone--consumers, companies, or nonprofits--who returns bottles and cans to a recycling center.
• By eliminating the need to manufacture new products from raw materials, recycling reduces energy use, in turn reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses in the air.
• For every 10 pounds of aluminum you recycle, you eliminate 37 pounds of carbon emissions from the air.
• For every 10 pounds of clear plastic water or soda bottles, 3.3 pounds of carbon emissions disappear.
• And although glass bottles are a lot heavier, each 10 pounds recycled still reduces carbon by nearly a pound.
• In a landfill, aluminum cans take 80-100 years to break down.
• Plastic bottles hang around as long as 700 years.
• Glass bottles spend 1 million years waiting around to decompose.

ONE

As I’m sitting on my bed in the midst of a horrific round of the flu choosing between golf or basketball on the TV because we have no cable, my brain starts going at an astronomical speed, hitting me all of a sudden, processing the power and theme of ONE in my journey.

The thoughts starting coming this week mid-week and began over recycling. Yes, recycling is turning my world upside down in the most intangible and tangible ways. I’ve loved growing my recycling community (for background on that: visit here or why I’m even doing this: visit here) and I love love love being presented with "treasures," other people’s trash! Did I just write that?! I love it because it means they thought of me, they thought of the less fortunate—the orphaned, and they thought of my journey and they showed me in a tangible way. It also gives them a way to help ONE child—my future daughter. Because statistics are gripping but overwhelming, it is easy to brush them off because its just too hard to do something about it. This week, the word /image of ONE keeps popping in my head as I choose how to spend money, pick up and save an extra bottle, or take a bag of recyclables from a co-worker or friend. I love how this recycling project is giving everyone a chance to be involved, and I know it is going to show my entire village how when we work together we move mountains.I also firmly believe that when a dream is placed in your heart, God sees it to fruition. Once a leap of faith is taken, things start to fall into place.

I was reminded of this mid-week in the midst of my own negligence. I was leaving work and saw 2 small bags of shredded paper. Normally, I snatch this up on my way out and happily throw it in the trunk. On this day however, I was just tired. I could feel sickness coming on in my lungs. It had been a long day. My arms were full. That extra trip to the car, I felt, would just do me in and be the straw that broke the camel’s back. So, I left it. I hesitated, but I left it. On my way home, as I often do while driving, I felt a dialogue with God brewing:

God: You should have taken the paper.

Me: I know but it was just 2 small bags. I won’t miss it. I’ll make up for it next time. It won’t happen again. That was stupid, I know, because it broke my diligence. I've been saving everything in sight.

God: It’s not about the paper. Remember my 2 mantras I planted in your thick skull? Be expectant. Be intentional. You doubted. I’m in the small stuff, and I grow the small stuff into large stuff. Everything is a gift in this village. When you overlook one can or one bottle because it doesn’t seem significant or enough, you overlook one person who wants to be part of your village or prevent me from doing my job. What if I looked at your offerings the same way? 

I felt bad over the paper. I could feel the words “Be intentional” as I walked by the paper, leaving it. I know that you may be thinking "Its just paper," but it's not.

I realized that it is the people behind this project—not the actual number of recyclables, type, etc. that matter. I’m asking to build a village and people are coming forward. I remind myself: Honor it. Be supported. Appreciate it. The cans and bottles and “things” are tangible ways I’m being shown love and support. 

When I went in to work the next morning and flipped on my light, tears started to spring. Those two little bags of trash were sitting under my desk. A co-worker had seen them and put them in my room so that they wouldn't be discarded. She had no idea that I had left them there purposefully (and with later regret). My heart overflowed at that moment. The tiniest act of love can mean the most. [Muchas gracias, Alicia, te amo!] It was yet another reminder that there will be times on this journey that I’m just tired, but I have a community walking alongside me. 

I wanted to give you a little update. So far, with recycling alone, I’ve added $75 to my “adoption” savings account in less than a month! I'm working on babysitting rates so I haven't sent that out yet--many of you have asked.

Want to join my village of recyclers and supporters? I take the following "gifts of love" for recycling:

• Aluminum cans
• Beer and wine bottles
• Glass bottles of drinks or spaghetti sauce
• Tin cans (soup) – I wash mine out then send them through a ride in the dishwasher
• Newspapers
• Plastic water / Gatorade bottles / large water bottles (lids/tops can be on them)
• Plastic juice jugs (if it’s not CA CRV, they take them at a reduced rate)
• Shredded office paper (not loose office paper)

I keep it in the garage or in my trunk so you can give it to me along the way as you get it or save up and give me a larger bag. I am going to the recycling center once every other week or so. I’ll take it when it’s easy for you!

So, go ahead and drink that bottle of beer or finish off that bottle of wine because you deserve it. Give a thought or send a prayer out for the orphaned, and toss the bottle/can into a bag for me.

Also, feel free to pass along my blog to someone you know or collect recycling at your work and allow others to be part of this project. I have a bin right outside my door to make it easy for co-workers to participate. You can even get free containers at this website.

What else am I doing? 

Filling my piggy bank! All that loose change goes into the pig. I’ve emptied it once and deposited $42.

Oh, and the last thing I’m doing?

Being expectant. Being intentional. Every cent counts. Every can has worth. Every person bearing a bag of “stuff” makes up my village. We will change the life for ONE.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Danielle

Where my heart is

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
-Matthew 6:21

Does this look like treasure?

Just 1 month ago, I would not have said “no” but “hell no!” I like things clean. I like things organized. I don’t keep “stuff.” I already envision trashing the magazine before I’ve even finished reading it. I love purging—I spring clean at least 3 times a year.You will never see me on Hoarder's.

The above pictures show me now. Now, I’m not annoyed. I don’t see junk, I see the future. I see inconvenience on a lot of fronts. I hear laughter. I feel the whisper of a reminder of provision from above. I feel the pride radiating from the Heavens that a child is being obedient and following in His son's footsteps in caring for the orphan. I feel the weight of carrying around a kid that’s too tired from fun or carrying the child in a football hold because there’s a tantrum and I’ve abandoned my shopping cart because I’m too embarrassed to stay in the store. I feel the satisfaction (though not ease) of a dream come true for one big girl and one small girl. I feel the sense of completion, already.

I’m now addicted to other people's junk. I no longer see it as junk, a nuisance, or inconvenience…or just not worth the time. It now hinges a community on a foundation of support and preparation. Thank you to all of my “recycle crew” that is finding, keeping, and giving me recyclables—especially to those of you, who like “my former self,” find it hard to hang on to them when a dumpster is oh-so-nearby-and-calling. I’m excited for this to see how bringing it all together adds up. I’m really hoping for a miraculous fishes & loaves turnout this year (I’ve got the theme of provision filtering through life these days). For my friends who don’t attend church, I’m going to post the story at the bottom of the post for reference. For more info on this project (the “what” and the “why”), see here.

Intentional.

Expectant.

Love,

Danielle

The story of the fishes & loaves (Matthew 14: 13-21, the Message)

When Jesus got the news, he slipped away by boat to an out-of-the-way place by himself. But unsuccessfully—someone saw him and the word got around. Soon a lot of people from the nearby villages walked around the lake to where he was. When he saw them coming, he was overcome with pity and healed their sick. Toward evening the disciples approached him. "We're out in the country and it's getting late. Dismiss the people so they can go to the villages and get some supper." But Jesus said, "There is no need to dismiss them. You give them supper." "All we have are five loaves of bread and two fish," they said. Jesus said, "Bring them here." Then he had the people sit on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples. The disciples then gave the food to the congregation. They all ate their fill. They gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. About five thousand were fed.