Chapter 2 - Give More

Hi friends and thanks for coming back to read about Part 2 in this series.  I am overjoyed and thankful for the interest and input that so many of you shared in Part 1 yesterday.  Thank you, thank you.   If I were to make a New Year's resolution for my blog, it would be to get back to responding individually or via the comments section to all of your kind words.  I used to be very diligent about this interaction and find it so important, however, since returning back to work my time as you can imagine is spread very thin.  I assure you that I read each comment and they all make me smile.  Now, to the important stuff...

My goal for part 2 of this project is simple. Give More, and not necessarily more money. Give more time. Give more compassion. Give more thought. If I can't physically give time somewhere, than spend time organizing, just give something more. You see for most of my life I have had a fear of giving, ruled mainly by a fear of relinquishing that which I had worked so hard for, so that by the time I was ready to let go and conquer that fear I didn't even know where to start.

This is where I'm hoping you all can come in and help a girl out, and maybe in the process we can all be inspired. For the last five years, after we joined a congregation and regularly started attending a church, I gave my tithes every week and figured I was doing my part to help out. I didn't pay much attention to the details but was more of a "big picture" kind of giver. Next year I would really roll up my sleeves and take more of an active role is what I kept telling myself. Years passed and now here I am not feeling compelled to give to a certain charity, although I know there are thousands out there, and not knowing where or how to really navigate through it all.

So I began making a list of ideas, of ways I could help, and researched local charities where I could donate my time or help out in some way so that I could make a tangible contribution, not just monetary. The list is intentionally left blank in some months, which is where I'm hoping I can grab some ideas from you all. Which charities are near and dear to your heart? Where do you donate your time? That's where that linky party idea I talked about yesterday can come in...
Or are you in the same boat I am, you want to give more but don't' really know where to start?

What do you think of the list so far? This month I am organizing a coat drive through One Warm Coat and between myself and my good friend Nicole, we will have 2 drop off sites on either side of town, hopefully increasing the number of coats we collect. I sincerely don’t want to come across as a do-gooder looking for accolades. If I’m to be honest, this is somewhat forced. Not in the sense that I’m having to force myself to be charitable, but I am forcing myself to be consistent and conscious about it. And again, the idea of the blog as an accountability tool comes to mind.  My hope is that by the end of the year it comes naturally to me and without thought, and that I can be a good example for my kids.

Thank you for reading Volume II of my novel. Now that I’ve explained the project, we can move on to the fun stuff. Since the #1 New Year’s resolution is to get in shape, I will write a post in the next few days on workout wear, and what pieces I’ve found its worth to invest in. Stay tuned…