2011 is soon going to be a distant memory and for some of us, that timing is none too soon. For me, this was a year of challenge and upheaval — emotionally, physically and relationship-wise. And yet, I am grateful to be here with a roof over my head, friends and family who I cherish, two cats who drive me crazy but are the sweetest companions one could ask for and some guaranteed work heading into the New Year. I have had loved ones go through difficult times with their health and emerge stronger and healthier, while others that I know are about to go on the merry-go-round once more. And yet, I remain faithful that this too (whatever this is), shall pass.
A few weeks ago, a colleague gave me a gift unlike any other I received this year, one that reminded me that regardless of the stress and turmoil that has formed daily life through the last quarter of the year or health challenges that I have been facing, that there is always someone less fortunate than I. The gift was the gift of love and charity, one that enabled me to select a cause near and dear to my heart and contribute. Mind you, I give throughout the year so the donation was not what made me stop but rather, the reminder. And for that, I am grateful.
So, I want to extend that gift to you, dear reader, because we are only as strong as the weakest among us. I am challenging you to peruse the 2011 archives and tell me in the comments which post made you stop and think, caused you to pause or resonated the loudest. At the week’s end, I will place the comments in a hat and send one reader a $50 donation card to the online fundraising site Razoo, where she/he too, can make a small difference in someone’s or some organization’s life.
Won’t you help me spread to word and pay it forward?
I would be truly grateful.
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Great post, Liz. Things stir my heart often, and like you, I give often too. Most recently, when I read about a local charity trying to obtain winter coats for kids ages 4-12 who didn’t have any it really got me. So, the hooligans and I went out and picked out three new winter coats and hats to match and we delivered them to the charity. The other thing that keeps me awake at night is the thought of hungry children. And there are a lot of them – in my city – and in everyone’s city. So when selling Girl Scout cookies this season, it was amazing to have a group of friends collectively buy 60 boxes of cookies that they graciously donated to the local food pantry. The look on the faces at the food pantry when we delivered those cookies was pretty amazing.
I love trying to make a difference. The feeling is better than any gift – ever.
Happy Holidays to you, my friend.
Shelly
Thank you Shelly. It’s easy to forget that there are others’ less fortunate, especially when life gets busy. In addition to donating monthly to Love Drop, I find random causes that I give to, causes that resonate loudly and remind me not to lose sight. It’s the season of giving, right? Why not make someone else’s life a little easier?
Happy Holidays back. xo
Liz,
I love the Razoo giving cards and an using then for gifts a lot this year.
I am not yet on three demographic of your blog, but one of the things that caught my attention was your post in September about asthma and hormone replacement.
http://flashfree.me/2011/09/30/breathe-what-you-need-to-know-about-asthma-and-hrt/
I haver asthma and didn’t know that, so out its something to keep in mind when.I get there.
Thanks Kami! Believe it or not, you are part of the demographic – because the best time to start putting preventive health steps in place is in your late 30s and 40s. Strange, isn’t it? In any case, I so appreciate you taking the time to peruse and comment. Happy Hols to you!
Im usually a rule-follower but… I picked this older post http://flashfree.me/2009/01/12/pink-elephant/ this issue is as pertinent now as 2009!
Thanks Wendy. You know that I wholeheartedly support rule breaking! And none better than to remember how important it is to be supportive of one another in the workplace!
So glad I came across this post shared by Geoff Livingston on Twitter. What a lovely idea Liz! As I started back through the 2011 archives, one post really stood out for me. It was the one on Mindful Living: learning to ask for help – http://flashfree.me/2011/02/28/mindful-living-learning-to-ask-for-help/
Asking for and receiving help is something I struggled with for a very long time, to the breaking point mentally. The fact that you state that we deserve the kind of care we provide to others is very poignant to me. I think that has been the sticking point for me and many others like me, believing that we are truly “deserving”. I hope that I have worked my way past that sticking point and I now know my own self worth, which includes being worthy of help from friends, family and even strangers.
Help was a big theme for me in 2011. I gave an Ignite DC talk on this very topic and I was also focused on finding a couple of strangers that stopped to help me in 2008, who I believe may have saved my life. I may never be able to thank them in person, but I hope my gratitude is expressed in all that I do. In turn, I want to focus even more on helping others where I can in 2012…my own version of paying it forward!
Thank you again for bringing this concept to light Liz!
Heather. Thank you for this lovely comment. Too often, we don’t ask for help when we need it most. I think that I heard you speak at Ignite about this and it’s nice to have it resonate again. Mostly though, I hope that you will help me continue to pass on the message that we are all deserving whether we choose to believe it or not. All the best for the New Year.
Great idea Liz! I love all your posts but in scrolling back to find one that resonated with me, I admit this one was the one I remembered the most: http://flashfree.me/2011/09/05/losing-love-must-be-your-appearance/. Maybe because it depressed me; maybe because I wish it didn’t resonate with me but it in fact did.
You are gorgeous honey and hardly need Palmolive. It’s amazing what happens when we buy into the hype. I was just commenting to a friend that what I see in the mirror is hardly what is reality. It’s just part of the deal, I guess. Thanks for taking the time. And I think you are beautiful inside and out!
I love this idea and it helped me find some new inspiration. The post that stuck with me was: http://flashfree.me/2010/04/30/are-you-an-old-bag-an-open-letter-to-a-reader/. I am 42 and think that I am more confident and secure now than I ever was in my 20s or 30s. I have realized that make up and clothes can help me morph into something folks like Jimbo may appreciate. Yet without the confidence and self awareness, it means nothing. Bring on the wisdom and the beauty that will come in my 50s. So far my 40s have been amazing.
Margaret – what a beautiful comment. Thank you! You are so right and you’ve hit on such an important point – without the inner confidence, beauty is simply a facade. As we grow into ourselves, we become more beautiful, which is why I believe that a woman in her Forties is a woman who is herself. Best to you and happy that you found something meaningful in the archives!
Love ya Liz! Happy New Year!