Let’s do some good!

“If you want to lift yourself up, life up someone else.” ~ Booker T. Washington

We were facing 18 days of uninterrupted Sweet Girl time with not much planned… aka, I was very afraid.  I needed structure! So I first set some goals of what I wanted to get out of this time, what I wanted SG to get from this time, and how we were going to best spend it. We made a calendar. I can’t say it was frustration-free, but we did it.  I hate to sound ungrateful for getting to spend time with this delicious little person, but too much of anything can be… well, too much! She definitely does not understand mamma’s need for space.  Add in two separate bouts of illness, some whining, lots of kids movies, and you get the idea.

One goal I had was to do something good for someone every day.  I wanted to show SG some other perspectives by way of volunteering for some local charities and do some good together.  I wanted to show her that it doesn’t take a lot to make a big difference and that she can be helpful too.  As a bonus, I hoped that even though it was Chanukah, a time when she receives lots of gifts, she can also give to others and feel compassion toward others as well.  I also hoped she would feel extra grateful for the blessings she has in terms of family who love her, ample food in the house, and a closet full of clothes.

Project 1: Donate Target gift cards to needy families.  She picked the designs and we both helped the check out person bend and fold them to be able to scan the bar codes.  When SG handed them over to the place we donated them and got lots of kudos, I could tell by her face that she felt good about doing it.

Project 2: Make a stack of encouraging cards for guests at a Star of Hope homeless shelter. For this project, SG asked a lot of questions about how the people got there, why they might need encouragement, and if they like stickers.

Project 3: Review several requests for donations and decided which to give to.

I collected about 3 months of requests for giving that came in the mail and we opened two envelopes each night of Chanukah right after lighting the candles (before gifts).  We talked about each one and set it aside.  Our goal was to give $100 to one or two of them.

On the last night of Chanukah, we put the organizations on the board and talked about our favorites.  We kept narrowing it down until we had 4 organizations that we gave $25 each.  SG filled out the forms.  We all loved doing this and will definitely do it again next year.

Project 4: Deliver Meals on Wheels.  We volunteered to help with a route where someone was on vacation.  SG told me the address, we went there, and she helped get the meals together from the supplies we put in the trunk.  I think it was good for her to see the way some of the people live.

At one home, a cheery young nurse answered the door.  SG said, “She doesn’t seem old or like she needs food.” So we talked about that!

Project 5: Help with clothing inventory at Emergency Aid Coalition.  We spent about 2 hours on a rainy day counting pieces of clothing and marking the number on an inventory sheet.  SG eventually got bored but I hope it was a good experience.  On the way home, I said something about how we think nothing of buying new clothes at the mall, but some people have to go there and take other people’s donations and they are so grateful for them.

And we survived! We went to Utah for part of the trip.  And then school resumed… finally.