Craft Hope

Teresa, one of my blogging friends, clued me in on this awesome group of ladies who are really doing their part to save the world, one craft at a time. They have a blog called Craft Hope on which they generally post crafting projects for others to make and donate to selected charities. Well, in the wake of the Haiti disaster, they opened an Etsy shop to raise money to benefit Doctors Without Borders. They opened the shop last Friday expecting to make a few hundred dollars, maybe a thousand or two, and have made over $20,000!
I wanted to bring this amazing group to your attention if you're a crafter because all the items they are selling have been generously donated by crafters like you and me. I also wanted to bring it to your attention if you are in the market for some beautiful handmade items. Defintely check it out. Teresa's working on some really great shopping bags (I have and regularly use a set she's made and LOVE them), I've donated the tote bags you see in this post, and there is such a great diversity of other items to choose from. Why not multi-task and get the item that you need while supporting a very worthy cause?

I Have a Dream

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Day, everyone! Dr. King did indeed have a dream, and in so many ways it has come true . . . and in so many others we have a great long way to go. I encourage you to do what you can on this day, this, month, this year to end oppression and bring about equality. It can be an internal thing, like changing the way you think about people who are different from you, or can be an external thing like signing a petition or participating in a rally for something you believe in. Whatever it is, do what you can to make this world a better place and to make that dream come a little truer by next year.

Have a Heart for Haiti

By now we all know at least a part of the enormity of the tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti. My mother had a church friend who hadn't heard from her family, but, after calling out the prayer warriors, she finally heard from them and they are well. There are many joyful stories and many that bring me to tears. Michele and I, like so many of you, have dug into our bank accounts and given what we can. When Michele comes home next she'll take the time to go donate blood - they are in such desperate need, so if you can donate, please do. Many of us are using the simple text message to send $10 to the American Red Cross - Verizon has already given $3 million dollars on behalf of Verizon users simply texting HAITI to 90999. We're all doing our part worldwide. In church this morning, Rev. Jim said that if you feel like you're alone doing just a little, it is very difficult to feel hopeful. I want to let everyone know that no one is alone in this effort. And I want to personally thank everyone who has done even a little something in the wake of this tragedy. And to that end, it's nice to get a little something as a "thank you!" for doing what you can. It would give me great joy to send each person reading this blog a little "Thank YOU!!" in the form of a quilted bookmark. So, for the rest of January, if you've given to the relief efforts in Haiti, go to my profile and email me your name and address so that I may personally thank you.