Pay it Forward

Occasionally in life, we get the opportunity to help others. Sometimes it is a small gesture while others it is life changing. I am proud to say that I had the opportunity to do both over the past week. The small gesture was simply helping a friend get her daugther into a more suitable daycare. She wasn't happy with her daughter's current situation, so I happily set her up with Katie's daycare. Can I just say that Katie goes to the BEST daycare ever! Now, Avery is in a better place, Nancy feels better about her daughter's care, Adrienne is bringing in more income, and Katie gets to see her freind Avery everyday. One small gesture led to all of those blessings!

I also had the opportunity to change a family member's life. Hopefully, for the better! My Uncle sent out a mass email on Monday asking for prayer requests. He is having a tough time, and was seeking support. Did I mention that this is my favorite Uncle in the whole world! He is such a great person. Well, he's had a rough couple of years. Without handing out his personal details to the wonderful world of the internet, I will just say that he has really been struggling without a lot of luck lately. Several years ago he lived in Hawaii, had a great job, great life. Well, said job asked several employees to do some unsavory things. So, those employees quit. My uncle was one of them. He attempted to find another job in Hawaii, but didn't have much luck. His next move was to Arizona where most of his family resides. What better place to go that where your family is :) To make a long story short, he spent a couple of years and all of his savings trying to find a job. He kept hearing that he was overqualified. Noone would touch him. He was able to find some part time work, but not enough to support him fully. He then began living off of credit only to become a victim of identity theft. What luck! God was truely testing him. So, this past week he was forced to move out of his apartment and into his sister's house giving up most of his belongings in the process. His plan was to head to California.

My Mom is one of the most amazing people that I know. I am proud to call her my Mom and grateful for the role model in my life. She feels that if someone wants her to know something, they will tell her. She doesn't ask alot of questions. So, when my Uncle (her brother) sent out his prayer request on Monday...she prayed for him. I immediatly called her to find out what was going on with my Uncle. She only knew what her sisters had told her, didn't want to call him and stick her nose where she felt it didn't belong. Fortunatly, I don't have that problem. So, I sent my Uncle an email asking him what was going on. Anyways, long story short...his luck had run out (recall story above). Let's just say that the multitude of family I have in Arizona didn't respond to his need as well as I feel they should have. This is strictly my opinion, I am sure there are things that I don't know. But family is family. Anyways, it turns out that there was a snag with California. It would be several days before he would be able to access the place he was supposed to live. That was the only thing he had in California....no family, no job, etc. My Mom had said several times that her brother was more than welcome to move to Texas, stay with her, and try to make a new life for himself here. But, she wouldn't call him. So, I did. In the end, after speaking with my Uncle he is going to come here and live with my parents for a while, try to find a job here, and begin the next chapter of his life. As he put it, God has offered him a blessing so he is going to take it and see where it leads.

It feels good to have added hope to someone's life. Especially when they so desperately needed it. We all know how it feels to struggle through the day to day. Finding the money to pay all the bills while prices for everything are rising. We all do our best, but sometimes it's not enough. Not too many of us know what it is like to reach the end, and truly be basically homeless with no source of income. And worst of all, the feeling that your own family doesn't really care. I can't express to you what joy it brings to my heart to know that i was able to restore the hope in someone else's life. And to remind him that he does have family that are here to strictly love and support him.

As we go into the holidays this year, that is something we should all remember....FAMILY. It is one of the most important things in life. The sad truth is that so many people spend their time talking trash about their families or spreading lies.....all in the spirit of competition. Who will end up #1? Now, we are all guilty of gossip, it is a nastly little fact of life. But, we can all make an effort to watch our words. Who are we hurting? Do we really know what is truly going on in someone else's life? And why are we being so absolutely horrible to our own family? The one group of people we should be kind to....the one group of people that we should always be able to count on no matter what? If we spent more time making the effort to be a good friend, good sister, good brother, etc....to the people we care about, we would spend less time fighting. Let's all make an effort this holiday season. Cherish the family you have, love them, let them know you love them. But, most of all....pay it forward with a nice gesture. The reward will be twofold as everyone benefits.