Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Love Thy Neighbor
Monday, October 25, 2010
Halloween and the Cocoa Bean Industry
Halloween is upon us. And as such, the chocolate industry is banking on the fact that Americans are going to buy their weight in Snickers, Butterfingers, Mounds, Kit Kats, Reeses peanut butter cups, and on and on we go.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Happy Interdependence Day!
My friend, Shane, wrote this article below. It is beautifully written and even has some concrete ideas as to how to implement this idea of Interdependence Day.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Back-2-School Pack
I know, I know. It is summer. Why in the WORLD am I talking about school?!?! Well, let's just say that in this case, I think it is a great idea to start early.
Fikret was 6 when men with guns came to his home and loaded his older brother and father into a truck. He never saw them again.
Farah was 8 when a bomb blew up next to her and her Mom as they ran.
Farah survived.
Her Mom did not.
Joseph was 5. He remembers the refugee camp most of all, but he also remembers waking up in his mud hut to the sounds of distant gunfire and the cries of his Mother as she ran into the bush with him on her back.
Refugee children like these arrive in the United States every year-seeking safety, peace and a new place to call home.
They come from very different places and cultures. They feel different than the other kids in their neighborhood and schools.
You can give them the tools they need to succeed AND help them fit in with their classmates.
The gift of one backpack for one refugee child can make all the difference in the world.
You can change the life of one refugee child, one backpack at a time.
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I don't know about you, but these stories affect me
every
single
time.
And perhaps you, too, are learning as I am that as a parent, I need to not only be affected emotionally, I need to be affected right into action. The best gift I can give to my children is a legacy of love in action through compassion.
So, I am marking my calendar, starting the beginning of August, to start hitting up Target and Wal-Mart for their back-to-school sales. My goal is to put together 10 backpacks to take down to CA at the end of September, where a local drop off center is. World Relief's web site gives you step-by-step instructions as to how to go about preparing a pack. Make sure you follow the instructions, as packs that do not follow the guidelines will not be sent. Click here for the information you need: http://worldrelief.org/Page.aspx?pid=2524
And if you live here in Bend, join me and I will drop off yours as well. Or better yet - let's BECOME a drop off center ourselves. More to come on that...
And if you do not have the time to put together these packs, or you do not have access to a drop off center, you can still be involved! Click on this link to donate: https://worldrelief.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=2522
Lastly, here is one story I am sure you are not likely to forget.
Enjoy your summer!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Red Cards in South Africa
Thursday, June 10, 2010
World Cup in South Africa
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Kyron Horman
Get Involved This Summer!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Craigslist
If you have not already heard, Craigslist is right on schedule to increase its revenue by 22%. And do you know where that revenue comes from? Sex ads, and even more specifically, the prostituting of minors.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
What to Do, What to Do
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Half the Sky
Tonight, two of my girlfriends and I are going to see the film based on the novel, Half the Sky. I am really excited about it. This novel was very empowering to me - especially as a mom of daughters-more on that later.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
"Thanks for Understanding"
" I am Autistic.
Thanks for understanding."
This really made an impression on me.
To be quite honest, my immediate reaction was to feel sorry for this poor kid and I thought of a few parents I had met that very day who should have had stickers on them that said something to the effect "I am an impatient a-hole. Thanks for understanding".
As I have mulled it over more and more, I wonder if we should not all be wearing stickers such as this boy's.
Perhaps if we admitted those things that keep us from being in community, those things that are our very own social "hang-ups", then perhaps we could move forward more quickly.
And in thanking one another for undrstanding, we might very well encourage extending grace to one another.
So, welcome to my blog.
My name is Carrie.
I am opinionated.
I am stubborn.
I am sometimes more abrasive than I mean to be.
I am emotional.
Thanks for understanding.