Happy Monday friends!  For the past week or so I have felt the nervous excitement in the air as kids are returning or preparing to return to school, teachers are gearing up to welcome students back and parents are either sad or happy that summer is coming to a close.  Maybe a mixture of both.  

While out running errands Saturday the back to school shoppers were out in full force.  Here in the Pacific Northwest we used to see back to school clothes (including winter coats and all) in the stores toward the beginning of July.  Such a shift has happened.  I only saw a few sweaters for sale and mostly just racks and racks of summer clearance.  Thankfully the weather is still warm here so the Fall clothing can wait.  

My daughter's favorite aisle was always (still is...) the school supplies:  Fresh notebooks waiting for facts or notes to friends, #2 yellow pencils just waiting to be sharpened to a fine point, giant pink erasers ready to erase the inevitable mistakes.  

Target always has their school supplies at the back of the store (you know, so you have to walk through the rest of the merchandise and hopefully find something else you might want/need) but I got distracted in that ever-enticing dollar aisle.  

It is true that their dollar aisle used to contain items that cost - yes, a dollar.  It is also true that now they have three price levels: $1, $3 and $5.  I am sure it is a marketing ploy but one that works on me.  "Look what I got in the Target dollar aisle!", even though it cost $3...

As a way to kick off the celebration of my 200th post, an updated blog look and back to school, today's give-away is straight from the Target dollar aisle and I actually found three fun items that were actually only $1 each! 



     

It happened again last week.  Another senseless school shooting.  This one was on our side of Washington State at Marysville-Pilchuck High School around 10:30 in the morning last Friday.  I was away from the television and computer until late in the afternoon.  When I turned on the television our local channels were all still covering the tragedy.  A 14 or 15 year old Freshman (who had been voted to his school's homecoming court the previous week) opened fire in his high school cafeteria shooting five of his friends.  FRIENDS.  He apparently stopped to reload and was confronted by a young, first year, female teacher (HERO) and then security before taking his own life.  He and one female student dead. Four others (two males, who we would later learn were cousins of the shooter, and two females) rushed to area hospitals.  Three with head wounds.

Since then another female victim has died from her wounds.  Two remain in critical condition and one in serious.  We have since learned the motive "may" have involved a girl.  The gunman lured his victims to the lunch table to meet him via text message.  Haunting.  Tragic.  Senseless.  

I am interruping the photo challenge temporarily because I wanted to share some special photos honoring my Grandpa Ray who just recently passed away.  The town I grew up in, and where he lived most all of his life, has a summer festival complete with parade each July.  My Grandpa was in that parade as long as I can remember marching with a flag as part of the local VFW.  Grandpa was a proud WWII veteran and 5 time commander of his local VFW post.  He marched every year and then rode in a car when he could no longer make the walk.  They wanted to honor his memory and these are some of the photos I took to remember.

The Holiday season is officially upon us and just as the decorations adorn the aisles of the stores and the music is played on cue, the giving offers are arriving daily.  They show up in my rurual mailbox, my e-mail inbox.  They are blasted over radio and television and snuck into various forms of social media.  Some even come through the telephone or by text.  A very few are bad, most are very good and many are great in my book. 

I am sure you are familiar with these giving offers.  Opportunities for us to share a portion of what we have been given with others.  Fundraising happens year-round but the big push (often served with a heavy dose of guilt) comes during the month of December. 

I don't know about you but I often feel overwhelmed with these offers.  There are so many good causes to give to but unless we suddenly inherit a small (or large, I mean, as long as we are inheriting...) fortune my families resources are limited.  It's easy to eliminate the bad, the would be scammers, and we can usually eliminate those that keep such a large percentage of money for overhead that only a few pennies on the dollar go to the actual charity.  Those gone, there are still so many good causes that remain. 

So where do you start?  For me, I have found the best place to start is with the heart - my heart.  Many tug at my heartstrings but a few seem to reach out and grab it.  I keep a budget in mind too lest the guilt get the best of me.  After we chose where to give, and how much, I can feel much more comfortable deleting the remaining offers, tossing or politely declining any remaining.  I am open to being stretched in my giving though and if prompted will give out of my comfort zone.      

Sometimes the charities I choose have a personal connection such as giving to the Federation for the Blind in honor of my Grandpa Peggy who had lived the last years of her life legally blind from diabetes related complications.  They did such great things for her such as putting raised numbers on their microwave to providing a talking clock and recorder to listen to books on tape.  We have also given to the local cancer walk yearly (and continue to do so) in honor of family and friends who have survived or succumbed to the disease.  These are both charities that we have given to other times of the year than Thanksgiving or Christmas thus splitting up the cost throughout the year.

During the Christmas season we have given to our local Gospel mission to provide meals, a local food bank and a local pregnancy center.  We have also given to a few medical related missions based somewhat locally that provide care and supplies to third world countries and this continues to be one that speaks to my heart.  I also have a very soft spot for Show Hope or other adoption related causes.  We also participated in the Operation Christmas Child shoebox project through Samaritans Purse for the first time this year.  With the internet it is easy to check out where your money is going and how much will go to the actual project.  Don't be afraid to check it out and ask questions.  A true charity will welcome your inquiry. 

Another way to give is to consider where you purchase your gifts from.  This year I have purchased several gifts from companies who provide opportunity for economic independence and a step out of poverty.  You get a great, handcrafted, one of a kind gift and are able to give back at the same time.  Karama is a favorite for bags and ornaments and Noonday has great jewelry.  Sevenly creates great T-shirts with a portion going to various, changing causes from adoption to autism and beyond and we were thrilled to help Mercy House reach one of their many goals this year in helping moms and babies to thrive.  We also have an amazing family friend who works for Charity: water and we love helping provide clean water to those without.          

Finally, giving doesn't have to be in the form of money.  We also should consider giving of our time and talents as well as resources.  And don't forget to pray.  The needs are great, so pick the way you can best help and just do something for someone this Holiday season in honor of Jesus, the greatest gift ever given.

"Don't fail to do something because you can not do everything."  Richard Stearns   

How do you choose where to give?  Do you have a favorite charity?    

        

*On a day where we are so thankful to those who have served/are serving on behalf of our country, many of them are on the ground right now in the Philippines assisting in the aftermath of the recent typhoon.  First and foremost the Philippine nation needs our prayers.  They also need our assistance.  Writer/Blogger Amy Sullivan has shared some inspiring ways to do both.  Check out her recent post for more information:  http://www.amylsullivan1.com/2013/11/how-to-help-typhoon-haiyan-victims.html

**This is posting the day after Veteran's Day due to an outage of our internet service yesterday. 

I AM so glad to live in a world where there are Octobers.  (And Anne of Green Gables...sigh...love that book!)

I am also so glad, and oh so thankful, to live in a world that has came so far in the advancement of breast cancer treatment and to have my Mom and Aunt Wendy (both breast cancer survivors/thrivers) here with me to celebrate this October and more to come.  We have a strong family history of breast cancer and they have lost their grandma and two cousins to the disease.  

I went for my yearly mammogram a couple weeks ago and am happy to report my results letter contained normal results.   I pray for those whose letters contained other news.  

If you have never had a mammogram and have a family history of breast cancer, or are age 40 or over, I would strongly encourage you to consult your doctor and schedule one this month.  They are only slightly uncomfortable and the feeling only lasts moments.  Early detection is key.

I would also encourage those who purchase breast cancer awareness products to do just a bit of research to see how much money, if any, goes to actual breast cancer research or funding for breast health services.  There are great products out there.    

October is a month of pumpkins and it's a good time to think about the health of the two "pumpkins" your body was blessed with : )  

Wishing you all many more Octobers~     

I try to exercise on a somewhat regular basis (hey, I am trying here...) in order to keep fit and as an attempt to trim the waistline just a bit.  I am definitely not a runner and am certainly not a gym rat like my extremely fit daughter or a bulged out fitness buff like my nephew.  I use the stationary bike, enjoy yoga and or Pilates.  We also get a fitness channel on our satellite but it comes on VERY early, maybe 3 or 4 AM, so I set the DVR and keep a recorded supply of some aerobic dance shows.  I like the variety the shows provide with a different routine every day.

So, one typical Pacific Northwest rainy morning I am in front of the television just exercising my little heart out to a fitness routine, music going, heart pumping.  During a rather intense portion of the program, with my arms lifted and legs jumping to and fro, I turn my head to the side and catch a glimpse outside our picture window.  Right in the street in front of our house is two young neighbor boys pumping arms side to side and shaking their bottoms and laughing away.  They were outside waiting for the school bus and apparently stopped by for the show!  Embarrassment quickly turned to laughter for me as I waved and then quickly disappeared from view of the window to complete the routine...

And I think, would I do anything different if people could see my day to day routine through a picture window?   

The true test of a man's character is what he does when no one is watching.    

(John Wooden)