beautiful things I've seen online

:: This heart-breaking story that's a tragic piece of history eloquently linked with a mother's love for her "special" son. To think that in another place and time, my own son would be considered expendable and wiped out. I was moved to tears when I read this tender story, which isn't really surprising, I guess. It hits very close to home.

:: This sweet little video of a now-popular Etsy artist and how she brought her dream to life. In addition to loving her approach to the craft, I am enamored by her accent (what a surprise!) and her chickens. Yes, I want chickens.

:: This incredible "proverbial" quilt that a blogger I like just whipped up. The letters are awesome and the fact that they spell out lyrics of a song by my favorite band, well, I'm speechless. I'd like to think I could copy the idea but I should probably start with a potholder.

:: This wonderful lesson in perspective that a very popular blogging neighbor sprung on her kids the day before Christmas. All that's needed is a pocketful of dollar bills, a pack of post-its and a giving spirit. Thanks for the example, Kasey.

:: This life-giving project from Craft Hope that enables people like me and you to make a difference in the lives of new moms in Haiti. Did you know that only one in 10,000 people has access to a doctor in Haiti? This project provides safe birthing kits and would be an awesome thing to do with a small group of like-minded friends, crafty or not.

What beautiful things have you seen online lately?

lest we all forget

Haiti is off the front page, but the stories of loss and unimaginable pain are still incredibly real for the Haitian people. So are the stories of hope. If you read anything today, read these two stories - Emmanuel and Alleluia - both about boys named Emmanuel.

I was especially touched by the fact that Emmanuel means "God with us." Or as Mother Theresa would say, each one of them is Jesus in disguise. So when you pray for the precious people of Haiti, please pray, too, for the amazing, giving people who are working so tirelessly to help them. I am humbled and awed by all the love in the midst of this tragedy.

It is easy to get discouraged that we can't help the whole world. But we can help one person. Who is your Emmanuel today?

really good stuff

From Haiti to granola bars, this post is a real hodge podge, but here it goes. . .

:: One of the most captivating, heart-wrenching and challenging things I've read about Haiti post earthquake is this Salon article by Ph.D. candidate Laura Wagner who was trapped in the rubble in Port-au-Prince. I had heard her tell some of her story on NPR, and found this article thanks to the Livesay's blog, which is worth following if you want the real, human picture of what life is like in Haiti now. They shine light on the heartache and injustices as well as the hope and beauty. I think everyone should follow this blog because it's too easy to forget.

:: My artist/graphic designer friend Liita has taken a giant step toward making one of her big life's dreams come true. She opened The Little Bits Workshop - a brick and mortar creativity center where people of all ages and abilities can come and create arts and crafts with recycled and repurposed materials. Because this dream comes from a place of passion and joy, I think her workshop is going to be wildly successful. I can't wait to go check it out!

:: A while back, I posted a granola bar recipe we had concocted. Since then, I've found a new (to me) recipe that's easier and even better. This chewy granola bar recipe has no gluten and no eggs (Liz!) and can be adapted a hundred different ways. Its base is simply 3 cups of quick oats, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. You add in 3 cups of good stuff you like. And that's that. Our last batch we mixed in coconut, sunflower seeds, finely chopped walnuts (so Liam wouldn't suspect a nut addition), flax seed meal, raisins and chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Or get the more detailed recipe here. These bars are chewy, with just the right dose of sweetness. Beats store bought in every way.

:: Everywhere I look these days, people are making the cutest things and posting them online. It is impossible to keep up. I bookmark. I create my imaginary queue. I dream about creating things I probably never will. Many things are lovely. Some are cute and practical. Some make me gasp. But it's the sentimental, heirloom-type projects that really get me, like this Four Generations Baby Quilt and this Dress Shirt Quilt. One dream that I am not giving up is to make my boys unique quilts some day. I love the idea of incorporating not only baby clothes of theirs, but fabric from wardrobe items of their grandpas and dad. Such a treasure.

The artwork in the photograph was painted by Liam through a PTO program I participate in called Art Volunteers in the Classroom (AVIC). On this particular day, Liam's class learned about Monet and a painting technique he used to create most of his masterpieces. I was stunned by Liam's interpretation. It hangs in our dining room and it remains one of my favorite examples of really good stuff.

more ways to help

Ever since I saw the call for handmade donations to the Craft Hope Etsy Shop, I have been longing to make something. Today I did. This purse will soon be for sale in this amazing shop where 100% of the proceeds are being donated to Doctors Without Borders for their lifesaving medical work in Haiti. The first two days "in business," this little grassroots Etsy shop brought in $10,000 for Haiti. Stunning. I am honored to be able to be a small part of such a giving and creative community. If you are looking for a wonderful gift, please go check it out. (The deadline for donating handmade items is end of day Wednesday. Look here for more information on that.)

Another idea for providing immediate help to Haiti is to assemble care kits. Our church has been collecting items for these kits, but today I found some great information on how to assemble and send these kits as a group, family, whatever. Designed for individual personal hygiene, the kits are collected and distributed by Heart to Heart International. The instructions on exactly how to assemble and mail the kits can be found here. Putting these kits together feels like "doing something" and would be a great way to get kids involved in helping the people of Haiti.

Recently, my dad sent me to this oped piece by David Brooks about the underlying tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti. Did you know that when an earthquake of the same magnitude hit San Francisco, only 63 people died? As we all know, the underlying tragedy here is poverty. And despite decades of relief and humanitarian work in this country, as Brooks points out, the problem is chronic and seemingly insurmountable.

One small mention that stood out to me in this editorial was where Brooks was comparing Haiti's dire situation to the DR's considerably better position. Here he states: "Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the same island and the same basic environment, yet the border between the two societies offers one of the starkest contrasts on earth — with trees and progress on one side, and deforestation and poverty and early death on the other."

"Trees and progress" is the part that got me. A few days ago my aunt Debbie sent me a link to Plant with Purpose, an organization focused on planting trees in an effort to eradicate poverty. Sound odd? Watch this video and see. As part of a long-term solution, planting trees seems absolutely essential to me.

There are other organizations, too, like HOPE International and Compassion International, that can help stamp out poverty in the long run. HOPE empowers whole communities to rise up out of poverty through microloans. Compassion empowers children to rise up out of poverty through education. Both organizations help people recognize their worth by sharing God's love and mercy. This is something I can get behind.

When it comes to Haiti, I am humbled and awed by the incredible outpouring of love and assistance that the world has stepped up to provide. But I also know that in a few weeks or months, the fervor will die down and the support will drop off. But our prayers cannot stop. Prayers for wisdom for leaders of organizations that will be key in helping to rebuild Haiti. Prayers for strength for workers in the field who have a gargantuan task ahead of them. Prayers for hope for the Haitian people who deserve so much better.

Decades from now, may we be able to say “M pa bliye ou” (I didn't forget you) to the people of Haiti. There are so many ways to help. I pray we all continue to find them.

more on haiti

Last night we learned that the ministry our church actively supports in Port-au-Prince, Grace Children's Hospital, is still standing after the devastating earthquake. It is a miracle really, and an incredible gift of hope amidst so much sadness.

Early this morning I stubbled onto The Livesay Haiti Weblog, which is from an American family who has been living and ministering in Haiti for the last four years. Amazingly they wrote the "news report" that I referred to in yesterday's post (which I didn't know at the time). And this is the same blog that my friend Carmen noted when she commented on yesterday's post later this morning. I just love coincidences like this. They tell me that this is an important site to share. If you want to get an in-the-trenches, first-hand report of what's happening in Haiti and how we as a far-away people can help and pray, it is worth reading. I knew I would following this family as soon as I read the quote in their masthead.

Better to love God and die unknown than to love the world and die a hero; better to be content with poverty than to die a slave to wealth; better to have taken some risks and lost than to have done nothing and succeeded at it. –E. Lutzer

Amen.

thinking about haiti

Beautiful, healthy children. Good food to eat. Medical care when we need it. Clean water in abundance. Today I am hit with gratitude and wonder at all of the simple gifts we enjoy and so often take for granted. I am also filled with deep sadness for the people in a country so plagued by the kind of poverty I can hardly comprehend who are now faced with a massive disaster.

Before Tuesday, Haiti had many orphans. Now they will have so many more. Since Andrew's trip to Lithuania last summer and the death of my cousin's husband, a young dad, my heart has ached for children who have lost parents. There is the desire to "do something" mixed with the feeling that no real significance could be made by me. And so it goes with Haiti. The country is so far away, the devastation so great, the losses so huge. What can I possibly do?

And yet, if my children were in urgent need, I would move heaven and earth to help them. I long to do the same for these children - these sons and daughters - in Haiti. My husband showed me just hours after news of the quake hit that there is something we can do. He took the money out of his Paypal account (which really wasn't "much"), put it into our bank account, and donated it to World Vision.

It's true: We can forego the music purchases, skip the dinner out, wait on the new carpet, knit with the yarn we already have, and dig into our pockets a little deeper. Because there is just no tiptoeing around the fact that Haiti needs our money more right now.

If you are looking for places to give where your money will be put to use well - and quickly - these are the places we are giving:

:: World Vision - This Christian humanitarian agency has been in Haiti for 30 years and is well mobilized to make an impact with relief immediately.

:: Giving Children Hope - Four-star rated on Charity Navigator, this organization is on the ground in Haiti helping with relief and caring for children. I was so moved by the news report from Mission Viejo Christian Church on this page.

There are other good ones, too, like World Relief and Hope International. (If you know of others, feel free to share them here.)

Whether you are in a position to give monetarily or not, we can all pray, pray, pray, (specifically, we are praying for Grace Children's Hospital in Port-au-Prince, which is a major part of missions at our church and who we have not heard news about yet). And we can all give by living more thoughtfully. Not to get up on a soapbox here, but I know that I can be more generous with my resources, more grateful for my resources, and more careful about how I use my resources. It doesn't have to take a disaster to wake people up to the dire needs of others and the responsibility we have to help. But sometimes it does.