"WINNER" in the lottery of LIFE....

Be it by simple luck of genetics, birth right or purely by the luck of the draw I have won the Lottery of life, as have most of you!  The lottery of life is not a major influx of cash, though we are wealthy, it is not a new car, though in all likely hood we have at least test driven one in our lives, it is not flashy or rare, but it is most valuable.   The lottery of life winners are winners simply because of where they have been born.  I win because I have been born in Canada, in North America.  Others win because they were born the USA, parts of Europe, Australia and a handful of other developed nations in the world, nothing more, nothing less simply LOCATION of birth. 

That's it.... LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION -  they say that is the key element in business, in retail product placement and now lottery winners!   By simple location of birth we are wealthy, the vast majority can easily provide the essentials of life food, clothing and shelter, with out much trouble.  Remember I said ESSENTIALS of life, not the EXTRAS.  So many people, simply because they were not in a Lottery winner LOCATION at birth do not have the LUXURY of providing the essentials.

I challenge you to take 18 min of your time and watch this TED video....  and maybe YOU can help someone win the lottery despite their location.

Together we can make a difference.

Graduation..... what a beauty.

Today's wordless Wednesday was a no brainer.  Graduation of our second daughter has taken the spotlight.  Hard to believe, time flies......

Wordless Wednesday take 1

Working on a new WED feature....

I have to confess this is not a new idea fresh from my own head, I first saw it on a friends blog
Hopf In Niger , I love the concept of a day dedicated to photos, life as it is right now etc.  I have since found a few other sites that do similar things. The concept is quite simple, we all know the saying a photo is worth 1000 words, post a photo or photos on Wednesday, and let them speak for themselves. 

I am going to give it a try.  I know that means I have to be on the ball, to get photo's ready to roll each week, I am hoping it will motivate me in a few ways.  First to pick up my camera again, Second to actually download them and deal with them and finally to share and blog regularly.  Let's see how it goes.  First photo(s) to be added today....... I hope you enjoy !

Trash & Blessings

I love it when all the pieces fit together, especially in unexptected ways. Turning trash to treasure, and blessing many people in the process.  

Inventory is never a fun part of any job, this year as we faced a warehouse downsize, inventory certainly was going to be a bigger challenge than ever.  We counted and sorted and the trash pile grew.  There were lots of useful things that had been sitting on the shelves not selling, in some cases for years, we needed the shelf space, so they were getting the heave ho.  So sad, these were perfectly good products that had huge potential to help someone.   I asked my boss what his plans were and he said he would like to donate them somewhere but did not know where to even start.  WAHOO... I jumped in and told him that I would ask my connections in Niamey, Niger, West Africa if they thought the items could be of use.  Doc Ace assured me that he thougth the items could be put to good use.

That was all I needed to hear, we were off and running. I packed up the "trash" and took it home.  Thankfully my husbands office has this HUGE empty basement area that we are able to store things if we need to.  So off to his office went the 5 very large boxes of "trash" to be stored untill I could figure out how to get it to Africa.  Worst case senerio it would take a couple of years and return with team members heading back after some time home in Canada in 2013.  I was o.k. with that - but kept my ears open and let a few people know that I had things to send to Niamey.  The prayers went up and I waited...


God had a much faster plan.  Just before Easter, my momma called to say that they had a speaker at their church from Niamey, and that she was going back in a week.  YIPPEE!   I sent of a quick email, asking her if she had room in her suitcase..and if so would she mind taking a few items with her.  Not only did she have room, she was only travelling with one suitcase so I could send a whole FULL suit case with her.  God certainly was putting the pieces of the puzzle together.  So I packed up 48 lbs (limit is 50 - but you never quite know how close scales are. so better to be safe than sorry, or paying the over weight charge.) of wrist supports, knee braces, cervical collars, walking boots and a few other odds and ends.  Said a prayer that they would get into the hands of those who can use them and off they went.

Yesterday I received an email from Deborah an occupational therapist that works at Galmi Hosptial, several hours outside of Niamey. The Suitcase had arrived at the hosptial yesterday, simply marked Gamli, with no "attention to" or proper address, they had no idea what it was, where it came from or who it was for.  Peices of the puzzle, coming together yet again. A doctor at the hospital opened it, took one look and said, this is for Deborah.  She was over the moon excited - and stated that she had been praying last week about their need for wrist supports.  The suitcase had just what she needed, God had answered her prayer BEFORE she prayed it.  I had picked the trash, packed the suitcase and sent it on it's way BEFORE she even uttered the prayer of need.  How utterly cool is that?   God is in the business of BIG PICTURES,  He sees them and put the peices of the puzzle together in perfect order.

I sit in awe, I am blessed beyond measure to be part of the big picture.  I wonder how the pieces will fit together for the next suitcase, there are still several boxes good "trash" to go.   Secretly I hope and pray I will be able to carry it and deliver it, to see in person the final destination.  A girl can dream.  In the meantime I am happy to put it all together at this end so that our trash will be someones treasure.  Blessing all who are part of the BIG PICTURE.

Lets fight.....

Today is International Malaria Awareness Day. 

Malaria is deadly, Malaria is preventable.

Read more about malaria awareness day and what can be done here.

Education is key.

The best Christmas gift I received this year was from my family, mosquito Nets for 2 families in Niger, West Africa.  To these 2 families this is the gift of life, and peace of mind.  Knowing that they are protected from the mosquito's at night, the mosquito's that carry the deadly disease, the disease that worries mothers & kills children.  A simple mosquito net used correctly will save lives.  Let's fight for these lives.  If you would like to know more about purchasing mosquito nets for families in Niger, please take a min to look at page 3 of the Alliance Gift Catalog and page 22 for the donation form.  $25 can save a life... or 2 or 3 depending on how many are sleeping under it. 


  

Simply sad....

So many things in my life are good.  It is not perfect, but it IS good.

Simple things truly make me happy;

Family & friends.
Watching a one year old discover bubbles.
The first signs of cherry blossoms showing their pink ruffles.
Hearing my favorite song on the radio.
A good book, or a good cup of Cinnamon coffee.
A random meeting with an old friend in the mall.
Laughter, the kind that ends with tears rolling down my cheeks . . . . . . . Truly simple things!

Too bad life is not always simple.

Sometimes things happen that strip that simplicity.

Things that on every level are complex. 

Today at the beginning of my relatively simple happy life,  I read this...
Up In Flames

A blog entry written by my friend Chantelle, director of the Niger Vocational Girls at Risk School, this is where I was in September of 2011, working with the girls, learning from these girls, falling in love with these girls.  I left a chunk of my heart there with these girls.  Today as I read, my heart was broken, deep down in a I am helpless, what can I do sort of way. 

Up in flames... very litterally,  a few days ago, the local market, the market I shopped in, bought fabric in & walked through, was burned to the ground. Chantelle's blog entry shows before and after photos, it tore at the core of my beeing.   Before I even finished reading I had tears streaming down my face, and I felt totally & utterly helpless.  WHY?  Do these people not struggle enough?  HOW will they even begin to rebuild?  It seems so unfair   So many people who had so little to start with now have nothing..... litterally NOTHING but ashes and chared messes where livelyhood once stood.

Fire is devastating in any uncontained form, but like this it is unfathomable.  Homes & jobs can be lost, all that a family has can be wiped out in the blink of an eye.  We truly have no comprehension of such loss here in North America where we have fire regulations, insurance,  built in sprinkler systems, not to mention resources to rebuild.  In Niger, where the economic situation is bleek at best, a land where water is scarce, famine has a stronghold & where refugees are streaming in from surrounding countries  by the 1000's, adding to the stress on resources, a fire like this has unmeasureable consequences. 

My heart is there with these people, as they try to look ahead to what comes next. Praying they find the strength, resources and courage to move forward.  Wondering if there is anything that can be done from here.  It is complicated...  sending $$ may be easy for us, but is it best for those there in Niamey?  Culturally is it best for them?  Is that what need?  Or do we go, with hammer in hand to help build?  Work beside them as they reclaim their livelyhoods?  No matter what happens,  one thing for sure, it is going to be a long, long journey.