Grow Love Shipping Day

 

Off They Go

 

I am in the midst of printing and packaging the Grow Love archival prints that were bought in support of my weeklong fundraising effort to benefit  Bucks for Bauman. 

 

 

 

I'll be able to make a donation of over $155 to the fund thanks to the people who bought the Grow Love print. I hope, small though it may be, the donation makes things a little easier in the coming days for Jeff Bauman (one of the Boston bombing survivors).  THANKS to everyone who helped me with this effort - you rock!

 

  

It's a good way to start the week, don't you think?

 

 

 

How was your weekend? Ours was good.  Enjoyed Friday evening with the neighborhoodlums. No campfire I'm afraid, our fire warning was too high. We've had very little rain and a good bit of wind making everything too dry. So we opted for a little youtubing.  Saturday would have been better had our Bruins brought their game to the ice, but they were lacking, which was a real shame considering Jeff Bauman made it to the Garden to be the honorary banner captain. He really got the crowd going!

 

 

Big excitement yesterday, I spent most of the day cleaning up concrete dust leftover from the bathroom shower jackhammer demolition.  We did take time to watch the sun go down from our adirondacks.  Ah, the good life.  What were you up to?

 

Ciao for now,

 



What Inspires You Wednesday

 

The Amazing Resilience and Spirit of People

 

So as some of you many already know, Boston is our 'local' city. We're only 50 minutes out of downtown. It's close to our hearts.

 

This has been a very heartbreaking week, but at the same time, heartwarming. When evil rears it's ugly head, good always answers in abundance.  Strength answers in abundance. Caring answers in abundance.

 

I've been keeping up with Jeff Bauman (via facebook), the young man who lost both of his legs in the Boston Marathon bombings. The bombers could not stop this man's spirit from shining bright. Nor could they keep the spirit of ballroom dancer Adrianne Haslet who lost her foot from shining bright. Nor could they keep the spirit of any of the survivors from shining bright, including Celeste Corcoran, who lost both of her legs, or her daughter Sydney (who would have died of injuries to her femoral artery had it not been for the people who jumped in to help and placed a tourniquet on her leg). 

 

This video of a marine amputees who visited the Corcorans, and all of the survivors are what is inspiring me today. 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not sharing this video to make you sad, but share the inspiring strength and resilience of people. It's amazing. It makes me want to keep everything in perspective. It makes me want to stop letting the small stuff get to me. It makes me want to do something that makes a difference in some way. 

 

To that end, I've decided to focus on helping Jeff Bauman. If I focus on one survivor maybe I can make a difference.

 

Through May 3rd (the end of next week), all money other than shipping costs (not just profits) generated from the sale of my Grow Love print will be donated to the fund set up for Jeff to help in his recovery- Bucks for Bauman. 

 

 

I'm also offering Muse followers a 20% discount on the Grow Love print to encourage you to purchase it now so money can be raised for Jeff.  Enter the coupon code GrowLoveMM at checkout to recieve 20% off. If you want to forgo the discount, so I can give more money to Jeff's fund, just don't enter the code.  I'll also be posting this on our facebook page to try and generate more sales to benefit the Bucks for Bauman fund.

 

I'll keep you aprised of how the fundraising is doing.

 

What these people have been through in the last week has been horrific and yet their spirits are strong in the face of such tragedy. That's what is inspiring me today.

 

What's inspiring you?

 

Ciao for now,

 

 

PS- If you can share this post in any way to help me generate more funds for Bucks for Bauman, I'd be very grateful.

Drum Roll Please & Freeform Friday

 

Spreading The Love

 

Thanks to all of you who commented on Tuesday's post. You words were thoughtful and full of what we're all feeling after the Marathon terror attack. 

 

It's really been quite a week. Very emotional all around from the attacks, to the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas, to the unfolding events in Boston overnight which are continuing as I type. There was an encounter with the suspects and one is dead, an MIT officer dead, another young MBTA officer is in surgery in the hospital in serious condition after a shootout with the suspects.  The second suspect still on the run, more than likely armed and there is a warning that he may be wearing an explosive suicide vest. Boston, the entire city, is in lockdown.

 

What is going on in this world?

 

It's all a lot to take in.

 

I'm glad I can step back, take a breath and do one small thing to make someone's day better and spread some love. I just put all the names in a hat and pulled out Paige.  I'm going to tell you right now, Paige has been an etsy blogging friend of mine for quite awhile and she could use a pick me up today. She's in the Chicago area and her neighborhood was flooded this week and water was seeping into her basement, so rather appropriate that her name came out of the hat. Congratulations Paige.  You are the winner of the Grow Love print. (Kristen, no badgering Paige about her win).

 

 

 

I'll be picking the winner on my facebook page later so I'll get to spread a little more love.

 

No plans this weekend, other than work on the shower reconstruction and work at the desk.  I'm still looking forward to it being the weekend though.

 

 

Freeform Friday

 

I don't know about you, but I really needed a laugh this week to lighten up an otherwise very dark moment in time.  These two really did it for me. God love 'em, they cracked me right up with their many takes and their perfectly wonderful Maine accents. You have to watch through to the end. Classic. Click here if you're reading via email.

 

 

 

 

I hope you have a good day in your corner of the world.

 

Ciao for now,

 

 

 

 

When Nothing Makes Sense

 

Spread The Love

When tragic events like yesterday's Boston Marathon terrorist bombing take place, it really makes you wonder. It makes me wonder how there can be so much hate in the world. I just can't wrap my head around it. There is no answer that makes any of it easier to understand.

My heart aches for the people whose lives have been transformed in a most tragic and unfathomable way.

I don't like to focus too much on those responsible (and whether it is a single person or a group is insignificant to me.....the intent is the same....to terrorize).  It feels as if we concentrate on the responsible party too much it gives them more of our energy than they deserve. I'll leave that up to law enforcement who I trust will do their best to find the perpertrator or perpertrators of this act against humanity. Yes, not against the individuals who suffered, not against Boston, not against the United States.....against humanity. This could have been in any city, in any corner of our earth.

It is times like these that tend to make us feel helpless, but we're not. Look at the people who sprung into action to help the wounded yesterday.......police, firefighters, national guard, medical professionals, marathon volunteers, and the most inspiring........fellow marathon attendees and participants, doing what they could to help.

We can each make a difference. Even if it's on a small scale. Let's choose to spread the love. It is the only thing that will ever really make a difference.  The kind of difference we'd all like to see.

I couldn't think of a more appropriate way of rejecting the hate, than by giving away my print 'Grow Love'.

This isn't about having to share my page, it's not about having to tweet this contest, it's not about having to pin the picture. If you feel like doing that to involve more people in spreading the love, great. However, it's not necessary.  It's simply about me, spreading the love in a very small, doable way. About making someone else's day a little brighter and thus rejecting the hate of yesterday's cowardly act.

All you have to do is leave a comment below this post and you're entered. It's that simple.  A winner will be announced on Friday, so be sure to comment before Friday morning (7am est.)

I'll also be giving the same print away on our facebook page, and if you want to enter here and there, feel free.

All I ask is that you take a moment to consider how you can reject the hate and spread a little love. If you decide to spread the love in your own way, I'd love to hear about it.

My heart is filled with sadness for those whose lives where changed forever by such a dispicable act of hate. They are in my thoughts and prayers.

Wishing you peace,