THE FRUITS OF MY LABOR--AND MEGS TOO! (MY P.I.C.)

SO ITS SATURDAY NIGHT AND I AM AT HOME, EXHAUSTED. TODAY I WAS UP AT 7 AM GETTING READY TO GO HOST A FUNDRAISER FOR MY SISTER AMBER. MY FRIEND, MEGAN, AND I HAVE BEEN GOING NONSTOP FOR THE LAST MONTH OR SO ORGANIZING DIFFERENT EVENTS TO RAISE MONEY FOR MY SISTER. SHE IS PREGNANT AND HER BABY WILL HAVE TO UNDERGO 3 OPEN HEART SURGERIES IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS, HIS FIRST ONE BEING WITHIN HIS FIRST 10 DAYS OF LIFE..... SO FAR WE HAVE RAISED HALF OF OUR GOAL, WHICH IS SIMPLY AMAZING! IT ONLY TOOK US 2 FUNDRAISER EVENTS TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL-- THE DOWNSIDE IS ALL THE PREPARATIONS AND STRESSING THAT COME WITH COORDINATING FUNDRAISERS; BUT SUCCESS IS SO REWARDING!

LET TALK ABOUT THE GARAGE SALE....THE GARAGE SALE WAS THE FIRST MAJOR FUNDRAISER WE ORGANIZED. IT INVOLVED POSTING INFORMATION ON FACE BOOK, IN THE NEWSPAPER, AND WORD OF MOUTH. ALL ITEMS IN THE GARAGE SALE WERE DONATED FROM RANDOM PEOPLE. THE AMOUNT OF SUPPORT WAS ABSOLUTELY OVERWHELMING. I'M AMAZED AT HOW GENEROUS COMPLETE STRANGERS HAVE BEEN. FOR THE MOST PART I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A STRONG BELIEVER. HOWEVER, DURING THIS TIME GOD HAS DONE NOTHING BUT STRETCH MY FAITH EVEN FURTHER. THERE IS NO QUESTION IN MY MIND ABOUT HIM. WE HAD AT LEAST A couple DOZEN PEOPLE DONATE ITEMS FOR THE GARAGE SALE...SOME WERE DROPPED OFF, OTHERS WERE PICKED UP...NEEDLESS TO SAY IT WAS EVENTFUL GATHERING EVERYTHING, SORTING IT OUT, AND MAKING IT ALL PRETTY FOR THE SALE.

MOVING ON, THE BAKE SALE WAS TODAY. WE RAISED ABOUT $300 BUT IT WAS SO WORTH IT. I WAS WORN OUT BECAUSE IT IS SO HOT WHERE I LIVE IN LOUISIANA AND WE WERE OUTSIDE FROM 8-2PM. I HAD TO GO TO MY GRANDPARENTS 50TH ANNIVERSARY GATHERING AND I DID NOT WANT TO GO. MY BOYFRIEND AND I ENDED UP STOPPING AT THE RACE TRAC TO GET ME AN ENERGY DRINK SO I WOULDN'T FALL ASLEEP WITH MY FACE IN MY FOOD.

NEEDLESS TO SAY, ALL THE HARD WORK THAT MY DEAREST FRIEND MEGAN AND I HAVE DONE HAS ALREADY PAID OFF. WE HAVE RAISED 1/2 OF OUR GOAL, AND WE STILL HAVE 2 FUNDRAISERS COMING UP. IF I CAN DO ANYTHING, I WOULD HOPE I COULD ENCOURAGE ALL OF YOU OUT THERE TO DO SOMETHING GOOD WITH YOUR SPARE TIME. EVEN IF IT IS JUST 5 MINUTES. YOU COULD BRING THE ELDERLY WOMAN HER NEWSPAPER, LET THE PERSON IN LINE GO BEFORE YOU, OR LET SOMEONE OUT IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. IT'S ALWAYS THE SMALLEST THINGS THAT MATTER AND THAT COUNT THE MOST. UNTIL NEXT TIME.....

JESS