Go Buy The Tots A Toy...Buy Lots!

Last night the casts of Centerpoint Legacy Theatre's Christmas Carol revealed to the director and the stage manager what they had been up to for the past several weeks--collecting money to make Christmas special for others.

Doing shows during December means you give up a lot. You give up your time, you give up being able to travel to see loved ones who live in other states, you give up the ability to do Christmas shopping in a timely and responsible manner.

But, when you give up things for others, something amazing happens...somehow when you give, you also receive. The donation drive was something not expected. It was a way to extend that Christmas feeling to those who won't get to see us on stage, to children who will get a gift they otherwise wouldn't get.

The season is filled with stories of people doing things for others. Ours is but one of many. We know it will make others feel good and it made us feel good just seeing their reaction when the gifts were delivered before our show last night. I did learn one valuable thing when that happened. I saw a way to make a speechless Jim Christian. And that's not an easy thing to do. ;)

A Note On Our Fridge At Work...

Right after Hurricane Irma hit, a note showed up at work. As I put my leftovers in the fridge before work began, I saw it and I took a picture of what I saw. It was to remind me of things.

Most of my immediate family live either in Utah or the western United States, so none of them were affected by the recent storms. That still doesn't lessen the impact of the devastation on those hit. It's just that when you don't personally know those affected, it doesn't feel as bad.

As stated earlier, I took a picture of the family to remind me of things. Fortunately, I've never experienced anything close to losing everything you have due to a disaster. As I write this, I look around my room and see a house we built for our family. I see a row of journals I've spent the last forty-plus years writing. I know, when these things happen, we see people say the most important thing is that they survived.

That's 100% true, but still, to lose all your physical possessions--it can't be easy. The picture reminds me that things can be replaced, people can't. Also, it is good to give. This past month has been tough on so many people, and that's just in one part of the world. People have endured disasters, personal issues, and other things that make life a challenge. What makes humanity so great is that we'll survive this, too, and like the muscle constantly used and tested, we'll be stronger because of it. God bless those hit hard by nature the past couple of weeks. And may we remember to do what we can to help them out as well.

Good Deed Revolution...Their Name And Mission Statment

I listen to a lot of podcasts, probably too many. I should really delete many of them from my playlist. What I have been doing lately, is if there's a podcast interview and I don't know the person, most likely I won't listen and just delete the episode.

But today I decided to click on an interview from someone I didn't know, Brandy Vega, creator of the Good Deed Revolution. I'm glad I chose to listen.

Brandy has an amazing story. Her life growing up was filled with trials and challenges. The same could be said for her adult years, yet she made the conscious decision to not wallow in self pity, but to use her talents and training to make like better for other people. She could have easily chose another path, but she didn't.

From their website: 

Good Deed Revolution is a non-profit organization focused on promoting good deeds throughout the world. We provide an online platform for sharing inspirational stories of charity, recognizing businesses and individuals who make a difference, promoting good works throughout our communities, and helping people connect with other who can or need help. Individuals and organizations benefit from generous contributions of goods, time, talent, and compassion. Our mission is to lift and inspire people one good deed at a time. We want to become a trusted global source of goodwill and caring by sharing inspirational and life-changing stories of compassion and love.

There's something about hearing another person talk with passion about what they do that makes you want to be a better person. It's especially gratifying when they dedicate their life to serving others. If you have a moment, listen to The Cultural Hall Podcast featuring Brandy and her organization. You can find the podcast: HERE. It's about an hour long. You can also follow the group on Twitter (@Gooddeedrev), or find them on Facebook. I did, and borrowed their cover photo (I hope it's okay...).

Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of extra income to donate to causes, but I do have this little blog so I'm going to try and help by pushing their message into the digital universe. You can visit the organization's website: HERE. If you're looking around at society and in any way questioning the future of humanity, take an hour of your time and listen to Brandy's story. She just might change your mind.