Giving Double

A few years ago for Christmas, my family decided to forego gifts and instead donate money in each others' names to several charitable organizations. It was a great idea, and I was especially proud of my youngest brothers' enthusiasm about our decision, but I must admit, it was a little disappointing not having gifts to open on Christmas morning. Since then, about this time each year, I begin to receive calls from my siblings asking whether we'll give gifts or donate, and I'm never quite sure how to respond... until now. This year, being a responsible world citizen doesn't mean we don't buy gifts-- it just means we're aware of what we're buying. This year, we give each other presents, and the money goes to assist those in need-- it's double giving, double awesome. Here are some great organizations to buy from:


Invisible Children works to free child soldiers in Uganda, and also funds schools there. I got my mom their Mend bag last year, and she loves it. They also have cool tee shirts and stuff for guys, who, let's face it, can be difficult to buy for.
http://store.invisiblechildren.com/

Made by Survivors is fair trade goods, but the cool thing about it is that everything is made by and bought from survivors of sex trafficking. Sometimes women who have been rescued from sex slavery can't find another way to support themselves, and end up selling their bodies again, so this is a great opportunity to help rescued women stay independent.
http://store.madebysurvivors.com/

Loveso- Love, Visit, Serve Orphans is another fabulous organization. They buy jewelry from a group of ladies in India, and sell it via their website. The proceeds are used to support orphanages in Ghana, Haiti, and India. That's cool, 'cause your money helps two groups, and you still get to give your gift-- triple giving! Oh man-- outta control. NOTE: it appears that right now, there is nothing for sale on their website. I'm not quite sure why not, but check back later, 'cause their jewelery is rockin!
http://www.lovoso.org/

charity:water is quite possibly my favorite non-profit. They've worked it out so that their overhead is covered privately, so everything you donate goes directly to building wells. I love that! I also love love love their water bottle- it's got a pop-up straw and is such a comfortable shape to hold. I got one for my brother a few years ago, and he loved it, too.
http://www.charitywater.org/shop/

These are just a few examples to inspire us. Do you know of a great charity that also has great gifts? Let me know in the comments.

i love mars

i sometimes like to think that i must be able to do everything any man can do as well as him, or i can't be a strong, independent woman. of course, this thought often leads to disappointment and feelings of inadequacy, since i can do some things as well as some men sometimes, but never everything any man can do as well as him all the time.

last night, i attended a party at a friend's house. it was dark when i arrived, and i had never been there before, and when i pulled into the driveway i somehow popped my right front tire. i heard it pop, groaned, and immediately began planning how to fix the situation. well, i'm a strong independent woman, so no problem-- i'll just ask the host if i can leave my car here for the night, and get katie to give me a ride home. then tomorrow i'll have to get someone to drive me to the tire store, and then a ride back here, and then i'll change the tire and be on my way. my dad is one of those car guys, so he's taught me basic car maintenance-- changing a tire isn't a big deal, but i didn't want to do it that night. i hatched my plan and didn't really give it a second thought.

fast forward 5 hours. it's 2am, and my plan has been put into play. katie has agreed to give me a ride home, and i have another friend who's willing to give me a ride back tomorrow. great. as everything is coming together, micah asks what has happened. i tell him the situation and my great plan, and he asks, "do you have a spare tire? i can just fix it now". i explain that i am a strong capable woman, and that it's night, and i couldn't ask him to do it so late, and i'll just do it tomorrow, no biggie. he insists that he might as well just do it, and retrieves one of those little headlamps from his car-- his car!! who keeps a headlamp in their car? i have pens, extra napkins, and a swimsuit, and that's about it.

anyway, micah puts on his headlamp, heads over to my car, and in a matter of minutes has located the spare tire and the jack, jacked up the car, removed the old tire, and replaced it with the new one. all things that i could have done, mind you-- if i had an hour or two. once the tire is replaced it's discovered to be flat, but low and behold, daniel pulls a bike pump out of his car, and the two of them have my tire filled with air in no time at all.

what was i doing this entire time that micah and daniel were taking over my car care and freeing up my entire saturday? nothing. or rather, standing by in awe that these men had the supplies and the know-how to make this repair so quickly. i realized that no matter how much i want to be really good at fixing cars, and change my own tires, it's ok if i'm not the best, and it's ok if sometimes someone else does it for me-- especially if that someone is really good at it and doesn't mind.