Grateful

Have you ever had the electricity go out because you (or your parents) couldn't pay the bill. I have a family member who would light candles and try to make it fun while she worked hard as a single mom to provide for her children. Flash forward to now (well last night). Last night as I went bed, it felt so good to have a soft pillow under my head and a fluffy blanket over my body. I soaked in the moment, genuinely thanking God for my bed with a pillow and blanket. Then I pondered, when was the last time I was thankful for for a pillow and a blanket? And yet a pillow (or a coat) and a blanket is what we distribute to help the homeless to survive cold, winter nights.

I say, "Thank you God!" There are people on this planet who have never even had electricity in their home (I've seen many in Egypt, Haiti, & Mexico). I am so grateful for good health, electricity, food, and a roof over my head. I'm grateful for the breath in these lungs, a new day, and a caring community. I am so grateful for the good people who try to help us including scientists, researchers, leaders, doctors, nurses, pastors, neighbors, the military, the grocery deliverer, the take-out option, the product deliverer, the technology genius, the teacher, the giver, the unknown hero. I am grateful for peace in the storm. I'm so grateful for hope in the night. I thank God for wisdom and grace. I am so grateful God is my shelter and my leader. He is my source, my all.

There are many things we still can do in the face of any situation. Let's choose to be grateful! "People who experience gratitude cope better with stress, recover more quickly from illness, and enjoy more robust physical health, including lower blood pressure and better immune function." - Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. The beauty of being more grateful is: it is not only good for others, but also good for us too. Let's choose to care. Maybe we don't have the answers or resources to solve a friend or neighbor's problem, but we can be there (via technology or porch drop-off) to share hope, pray to the God of all answers, and show we care. We can make good choices, changes, and be responsible now which will positively impact ourselves and others for good. "Response-ability is the ABILITY to choose our response to any circumstance or condition," - Stephen Covey. Let's choose to be wise! How can we grow in wisdom? The book of Proverbs in the Bible shows us we grow in wisdom by obedient devotion to God (healthy fear of God).

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things," Philippians 4:8. Today we have so many choices. “Everything begins with a decision. Then, we have to manage that decision for the rest of our lives,” -John C. Maxwell. We can choose to let God be the God of our minds, our heart, our words, our actions, our lives. Ultimately He lets us choose Him and He is still God regardless of our choice.

The Bible in Isaiah 55:6-9 says:
“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."

If you need to make things right with God, now is a great time! You can pray this prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins. I choose to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You God for sending Your Son Jesus to die in my place so I can live with You. You get first place in my life. I ask You and by faith, I receive the miracle of new life and freedom in You Jesus Christ. Lord, You are real, You are with me, You are for me, and You are my God. Amen.

*If you or someone you know just prayed that prayer, let us know in the blog comments so we can help you grow in your relationship with God. 💬

(chalk art by a neighbor)

Loving

Confession: I REALLY LIKE PANCAKES! The other day I decided to make paleo pancakes, designing heart-shaped flapjacks at the stove when hubby walked by raving about how good it smelled...he wanted one. My fruit and veggie lover wanted pancakes?!? There I was practicing "self-care" making breakfast and it drew my husband's attention. No he's wild about those pancakes...and I experienced loving others while taking good care of me. Are you good at loving others AS you love yourself?




Occasionally I splurge and get my nails done. To be honest, sometimes I feel bad for spending money on myself knowing there are hungry people within driving distance. Then I see I'm blessing my nail lady and her hungry family with a client (me) and a tip. I realize I'm still learning to balance between loving others as I love myself. While giving to people and working to help others often refreshes me, I think some of us even "hide" in giving or work mode and miss receiving or rest.


It's so easy to get sidetracked with all the bad / sad news in life. Local and world news can be overwhelming at times and if we're not aware, we can easily neglect to find and celebrate the good. Cultivating a grateful heart and a hopeful perspective helps us see the good in each day. Whether the good news is that we managed to fit in a workout today or we had a meal with someone special or someone picked up groceries for us...or just to have the breath in our lungs...whatever the good is...it's worth finding and celebrating in a meaningful way. I'm not saying I ignore the bad or the sad, but I make time to focus on the "wins".

Sometimes receiving love is kind of scary...you have to open up! It can also be a challenge to give love or put forth an effort if you don't know how it will be received. It's awesome that we get to meet many, many people to give love to along this life journey. I remember being nervous about giving food and clothing to the homeless when I started going to the streets. Once I chose to step out of my comfort zone, my love was received with open arms. However, if we give love or work hard on something and it's not well received or it's not understood, that can be challenging. Have you ever tried to help someone you cared for dearly and they just didn't see your love or maybe even didn't want it? Maybe we didn't show love in their "love language" so they could hear it or maybe they were just not ready for our love. Whatever the situation, there will be other ways to show love as we grow in love too. So let's not give up on loving others as we remember to love ourselves too. 😍

*FYI: I prefer 13-free (or better) nail polish...it's less toxic (just sharing some love)!

Mint to Be: Surprising Friends & Strangers

We get to live this life once.

Surprise a friend or a stranger!

Be a part of the wonder in someone's wonderful day.

Thanks to the donations from Carolinians, I surprised the homeless with sleeping bags and men's jackets this week and also dropped off clothing at a shelter!

When you have a hair appointment in Charlotte and bags of jackets and blankets for the homeless...

You know it's meant to be!

When you have a birthday shindig at The Mint Museum in Charlotte and boxes of clothes and sleeping bags for the needy...

You know it's mint to be!

Surprising the homeless this winter has been so natural...I'll do this again!

Surprising a friend at the salon...

   One of my friends was on my heart all week. We texted and had a catch-up call...but I was just flat out missing her! So I decided to surprise her by showing up at her Saturday hair appointment with a gift and a smile. It was so fun to catch up in person...our hair lady rocks by the way...and the gift was a perfect fit. 💗

Surprising a friend at the Mint Museum...

   My friend's husband went all out for his wife and organized a 30th Birthday party at the Mint Art Museum and Halcyon Restaurant with a group of lovely ladies. It was so fun to be a part of the element of surprise in this girl's world. She's awesome. *And I was even able to give a homeless man a sleeping bag on my way in to the museum...love! 💝

Homeless to Homeless Ministry

Meet Madison: "All my life I struggled with identity. My father was an alcoholic and I didn't know what it meant to be loved by a man. I would do anything to numb or hide my pain. I became intertwined in an unhealthy relationship, had a horrible break-up, and made the dive further into partying. Ultimately, I didn't know my self-worth. I was broken. I left the safe home and people that took me in and I chose to be homeless. I lived in a Wal-Mart parkinglot and worked at a DayCare. I was angry and scared. After about 6 months, my mom's friend reached out to me. I was at a desperate point and agreed to join a program just to get off the streets.


The program helped me heal. I now realize my self-worth and turned my life around with the help of people who love me. I made life-long friends through the program and I am restored to my family and many past friends. I appreciate life, family, friends, and home more. I desire to help people in need and show them love. In this new season, I am choosing to go to church, recovery meetings, and allow accountability in my life. I have already come along way from where I was as a homeless person, but I cannot forget what it was like when I was in their position. I was hoping for an opportunity to give back and help some homeless people. When I heard about a neighbor going to the streets, I said yes to the opportunity to show the homeless love!" -M 

Thanks to local donations, Madison and Life Giving Well ministered to the needy in Rock Hill, SC this week! 
Thanks for your support! 💗

                                                                                                

Help the Homeless Feel Home

Collecting Blankets & Coats for the Needy

Most of us have a roof over our head unless we choose to sleep under the stars. Still, there are some of us who are homeless. It's important to focus on what WE CAN DO! We can listen to the needy, pray for and encourage them. We can donate items they need and ask other people to help. 

The More, The Merrier
The donations poured in last week, including sleeping bags and blankets, coats and sweaters, and even a bike helmet and gear. People like neighbors, a local shop, a music business, and even a local health & wellness team are helping. I decide to ask God to send me a volunteer with a heart for the homeless to go with me to the streets and He did. *See our next post to hear this volunteer's story from homelessness to helping the homeless. 💗


The 1st Run: We handed out jackets, blankets, and spread encouragement to the needy. We met several homeless men in the Charlotte city center, including Veterans. We also helped needy women & children that are connected with a local shelter. The people living on the streets were very grateful. There are some going through hardship and asking for more. We will go again and continue to focus on what we can do.


THANK YOU to those who gave or plan to give...this adventure is happening because of your coat and blanket donations. I'm looking forward to our next visit to Rock Hill, SC. 


*UPDATE: We are no longer accepting donations for winter 2018-19. Happy New Year! lifegivingwell@gmail.com  

Steele Creek CJ Steals the Week!

Have you ever found yourself seemingly buried in the "normal life stuff", only to get surprised by kindness? Well that happened this week (September 2018). I was on break from the workday and I needed a refreshment.

"I don't want to get my usual smoothie today. Let's go for The Intense One," I shared with the cashier. They made my juice as I stared blankly out the window pondering questions ranging from work to family to future to past to...help God! I glanced at their prayer request jar, wondering if I should write them my book of prayers. Would it even fit in the jar...nope. Would I make it back from lunch break on time...nope.

"Hey! Your order is ready and here's a card for you," the Clean Juice man said, holding my drink and a fresh note in an envelope that read, "For You".

Ummm...so Clean Juice Steele Creek pretty much stole my concerns for the week with this encouragement and drink giftcard. I'm so grateful they went outside the box and treated me like a person. My cup is overflowing...haha.
Whatever you are going through today...our Creator knows. 🙏 
And YOU ARE AWESOME! 

Life Giving Well

Life.
Life is a way or manner of living. Life is a gift.
A life is a person. It's from God. Jesus is the Life.


Giving. 
Giving is thankfulness and love in action...gratitude.
We give to one another as we give to ourselves.


Well.
We each have a well of treasure inside of us to discover. 
There is power in believing we all want to be and do well.

Life. Giving. Well.

Being defined one day at a time.