Volunteering

I know a lot of you know my job title, or at least the name of the organization I work for. For those of you who don't know, I am the Volunteer Coordinator at Vision House. Vision House is a Christian Non-Profit that provides transitional housing for homeless moms and kids and also homeless single men in a seperate program. We currently run 2 women's homes with apartments for 15 families as well as a beautiful child care center, and 2 men's homes with room for up to 8 men total. My job is to recruit, train, and schedule volunteers. It is very rewarding and very challenging work. We have all sorts of volunteer opportunities from office work and building maintenance to working directly with Vision House kids. Many of the people in my family have become Vision House volunteers, and I know they have been blessed by it. The picture in this post is of my sister and my niece volunteering at the Vision House Kid's Christmas Party. I had a really cute one of my mom with one of the little boys too, but I can't post pictures of Vision House kids. I'm wondering what sorts of volunteer activities other friends and family members are invloved in. So, if you have a second, leave a comment and let me know what kind of volunteer work you are currently involved in. Or, if you're not doing volunteer work, would you like to? Are you just too busy, or have you not found the right organization yet? What would motivate you to start volunteering? I just came back from a great volunteer manager's training put on by the United Way, and it made me curious about the volunteerism of the people I know. So... comment away!

You Know Who You Are

This is a tribute to one of my life's greatest friends. She is true and loyal and real. She has always loved me without reservation. I have never had to pretend with her. She is kind and giving and talented. She does her very best for her family. I admire her parenting skills. She has let me share in the lives of her kids, which has made me more loving, and has taught me a lot about the way God loves us. She is smart and funny and so quick-witted that it sometimes takes me a minute to catch up with her. She has a strenth about her that can only come from her choice to depend on God. She does not fake it. There is nothing false about her. She is willing to be vulnerable so that other people can learn from the things she has experienced. She is capable and skilled and willing to try new things. And she is so fun! She is just generally an excellent person to be around. I have looked up to her my entire life and will continue to do so. She has been facing some really heart-breaking challenges lately, but I know she will face them with grace, dignity, and love because she is serious about letting God work in her heart. I just wanted to take a minute to let the world know how special she is to me and to say "Horray for God for my Sister!"

Being a Grown-up

It seems to me that getting married is this magical thing that makes people start treating you like a grown-up. In general, people tend to take you more seriously and expect more of you. Well, I have a secret: My husband and I are a couple of big ol' kids, and we have no intention of growing up EVER! Oh, sure, we'll pay our bills on time, probably buy a house before too long, and be generally responsible citizens. But when we do the dishes, we will have soap fights in which I grow a soap beard and he grows a soap cone out the top of his head. When we go for long walks in the park, we will jump from mole hill to mole hill, pretending that the grass is RED HOT LAVA!!! We will stay up late, eat ice cream for dinner, make weird faces at each other in the bathroom mirror, and go out for breakfast every Saturday morning. We will kiss at red lights, and then make up silly songs about it. And we will laugh and laugh and laugh. And we will be happy. Hooray for God for giving me my perfect husband!