less stress, less stuff, more life
A huge part of minimalist simple living is recognizing that we truly do have more than we need and the incredible privilege we have to share with others. Simple living often comes from turning the focus outward on how we can help others.
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Want to know the best Christmas gifts? The gifts that will be treasured? Gifts that someone will be excited about? Gifts that won’t be forgotten, won’t be re-gifted, returned, or given away? Gifts that can literally change someones life.
I have talked about these a little bit but I wanted to highlight them in their own post.
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“I just can’t stand the thought of a cold kid” – quote by a donor
When I heard that it really hit me. I really can’t stand that thought either. I hate being cold. Not only does it feel terrible, but it puts a person more susceptible to getting sick and harder to get better. I hate the thought of a kid being cold. I love the idea of Operation Warm.
Operation Warm was started in 1998 and its mission is to give warm coats to kids. Winter months in cold areas can be very hard on poor families. Heat bills can go through the roof, especially on the older homes or buildings. If money for food was already short the winter bills make the basics of food, shelter, and clothing very hard.
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One downside to being off on the road this October and November is that we are missing Operation Christmas Child. Here is our packing post from last year.
As a family this is one of our favorite ‘Simple Compassion’ project.
It is the chance to send a Christmas present to a child somewhere in the world who might not get a present otherwise. Not only can you pack your specific gift and specify age and gender, you can send a personal note to the child.
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One cause that really gets me upset… and is easy to push out of my head because I can’t handle the thought, is slavery. It blows my mind that there are more slaves now than at any other time in history. Really? I know the world isn’t perfect, but it seems like we would learn and not make more and more of the same mistakes. No one, of any age, from any country, of any gender, or any other difference, should ever be for sale!
Why does our society creates such demand? It is easy to point the blame at people who are exploiting others, but they are still a small part of the total problem.
6 CommentsI just sat down at my computer to write up a Simple Compassion post and this popped up in my e-mail. Many of you know Mandi of Life Your Way (if you don’t, she is pretty cool). Instead of trying to retell you, here are her words:
Earlier this month, my friend Jenny called 911 after her husband became disoriented and incoherent. He was immediately taken to ICU with a brain infection and fell into a coma-like state. Over the 10 days that followed, we prayed continuously for his healing, and it was a bit of a roller coaster ride as they doctors would become hopeful that they had a diagnosis or treatment and then things would worsen once again. Two weeks ago, he passed away, leaving behind his wife and five children between the ages of 9 months and 11 years old.
