What really matters.

A lot of the time I am blown away with the number of you who make Sometimes Sweet a daily stop, and it's amazing to me that you take the time out of your day to come here and share in my world. I often think though that with all of the readers and friends I have met over the past few years, there has to be something more I can do with this gift of an audience.

Outside of this bubble we live in, there is so much more going on in the world. It's easy to get caught up in your daily life and forget this- I know I am guilty of often having a one-track "me me me" mindset, and not looking or thinking outside of where I very comfortably sit. But one of my biggest goals for this next year (and now) is to make a difference, and that's where this blog comes in.

Today I'm going to be telling you all about my sweet friend Kristin and the work she is doing over in India. And in the months to come, I'll be sharing different charities, organizations, or individuals that I am personally familiar with that are doing amazing things. Sometimes it's hard for me to just send donations off- I wonder if the money is really going where they say it is, or I'm concerned about the way it's handled. I'm not sure if everyone is like that (maybe I'm just crazy), but if I can't physically help out myself, it's comforting to me to know the person who is, and to see the good they are doing with the donations.

My friend Kristin is a nurse and is currently living in India. She blogs daily about the work she does, and shares some of the most heart-wrenching, inspiring photos and stories. Here's a little bit from her:


"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others... That is a quote by M.K. Gandhi that I stumbled upon before my first trip to India back in February 2011. Fast forward to November and I can easily tell you that I have never understood what he meant more than I do right now. I am an American nurse living life in the biggest city in North East India, Guwahati. I walked away from my simple Californian life and moved to the state of Assam in May after participating in a one week mission with a NGO that repairs cleft lips and palates free of cost. I work full time (and then some) with them now as a nurse manager at a brand new cleft care center in Guwahati.



India is what we in 'developed' countries would call 'underdeveloped.' It teems with half built infrastructure,  animals, temples, greenery, trash, and people. Oh, the people. Or more specifically, the children. I feel like it took me some time to really open my eyes to what surrounded me and in true Indian fashion, what I saw was this twisted, heartbreaking beauty. There are children all over the streets of Guwahati, beautiful children. They are dirtied, half-clothed and hungry. For a longer time than I like to admit, I walked past these children and though my heart ached deep inside my chest, I did nothing. After weeks of planning, talking with friends, going back and forth and feeling discouraged, I made a decision. It was a basic one: I was going to feed the kids. I went down to the slums that first week scared, shaking and alone. I had made 20 meals and in under five minutes they were filling the bellies of 20 hungry children. It was clear, I had to keep this going. Now I am almost two months into this project that I call Asha Guwahati, and it is growing by the day. The goal of what I do is simple, I want to show the children of this slum and street community true love. I feed them without expectation of anything in return. I am still just one person orchestrating these feedings out of my kitchen. I currently make 50 meals at a time, one to two times per week. It takes me around three hours to make the food, and less than ten minutes to pass it out. Every feeding I have different friends come and help, everyone that helps gives of their time freely. Once a month we hold a street kids day where we bathe, trim hair, and cloth 20-30 kids. I am not changing the world as a whole but very certainly, very slowly, the whole world of each child we care for is changing.

Going to the slums is still scary and overwhelming. When the children see us coming with the baskets of food they run to us with this heartbreaking mix of panic and joy. They know I am there, they know that they will not go to bed hungry that night but they are scared that I will not have enough for them. I have many plans for this project but my goal will always remain simple. I know I can feed these kids, I know I can make the food and pass it out and I will do it as much as possible. I have totally lost myself in the service of the children of Assam, India. It means more to me than I could ever express that my friends like Danielle, all the way over in Arizona support me. If it means that much to me, I can not even begin to imagine how much it might mean to these children who have stolen my heart completely."
 

 

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If you visit Kristin's blog I guarantee that you will be moved, maybe to tears like I am, every time I read about her days in India. I urge you to read back in her posts- it's heartbreaking, but also so amazing that she is able to do what she is doing. So that's where we come in. I went back and forth about whether or not I felt comfortable asking you all to donate, but when it comes down to it, I can't think of a better way to assist Kristin in her efforts.



Here's how you can help:

make a donation to Kristin's project- Asha Guwahati. To feed a child one meal costs about 25 cents (and Kristin is working on getting this cost even lower). So even if you gave a dollar, you would be providing FOUR meals. Awesome, right? 

If you can donate anything, a quarter, 

a dollar, ten dollars, you can do so 

via paypal to ashaguwahati@gmail.com.

*Kristin also wanted me to let you know that she is one person developing this feeding project out of her kitchen, and every single rupee goes to the meals and the "street girls" day. She also wanted you to know that she isn't an NGO and therefore cannot offer receipts or letters verifying donations for tax refunds, etc. 

Outside of donating, you can follow Kristin's blog and support her via correspondance, comments, or even just saying hello and letting her know you're there, supporting her. You can also share her blog with others, share this post via Facebook or twitter, or you could even blog about it in our own space, and encourage your own friends and family to help out.

The neatest part about being a part of Kristin's growing project is that you will get to see your donation (whether it be monetary or even sharing her story, reading her blog etc.), come to life as you follow along on her journey. It's truly an amazing thing.

Thank you guys so very much for taking the time to read this. xoxo

Thankful.

In the spirit of gratitude I thought I would share some things I'm feeling grateful for.  I try and think about what I'm thankful for everyday, and I have to admit that writing these little lists out always puts me in the best mood. It's a good exercise, and I love having these posts to look back on on a particularly down day to cheer me right up. So, without further ado, here's my list-

1. My family. I feel lucky to be married to my best friend, and even better? He's the greatest father. Everyday I wake up and feel so grateful for Hank, and now that we have sweet Henry in the picture, life just feels...right.  I love spending my days with Henry- his laughs and smiles have brought more happiness to me than anything in the world, and I feel like it's so much easier to find positivity in every aspect of life with that little guy calling me mama. Even the worst of days have that bit of goodness in them, and for that I am so thankful. Beyond us three, I'm so thankful for all of my family. We have a solid one, and I try to never, ever forget that.

2. Madeline. Before Henry was born she was the baby of the house, and even though things have completely changed, she is still the sweetest thing in the entire world. We went through a weird transitional phase when Henry first arrived but now we are all back to normal, and she truly is Henry's best friend. It's awesome to watch them play and explore together. Madeline's pretty much in heaven to have a full-time, roll-around-on-the-floor playmate.

3. The basics. A roof over our head, food in our bellies, clean water to drink.

4. My friends. Over this past year my idea of what a friend is and how to be a friend changed a bit, and in that shift I've found myself with a lot less close friends than ever. But this is a good thing. I now have the time and energy to focus on the people in my life that matter, rather than spreading myself thin with too many people. Quality over quantity, and the few that I keep close are some of the best people in the entire world. This past year I've also met and gotten quite close with a few new mama friends, and I adore them, even though they are at least a couple of hours away (and one all the way up the West Coast!). Their daily support and friendship is amazing.

5. My education. Even though I stay home with Henry now, I am so thankful to have been able to attend both college and graduate school.  I think back so fondly on my college times, and not just at all the fun my friends and I had socially- I feel like I really learned a lot in all of the classes I took in regards to English. I have such a love for writing, and although that's been a part of me for as long as I can remember, so many of my professors at NAU and so many of the classes I took really helped ignite a deeper passion for it.  It think of them every day and feel very grateful to have had that experience, and I'm excited to move forward with all of it.

6. The knowledge and ability to change anything I want. Right now I'm just taking each day for what it is, a chance to be a better wife and mother. I know that if yesterday I was in a snappy mood, today I can change my attitude and be kinder. I know that if I made poor food choices, if I was more lazy than productive, so on and so forth, then right now I can fix that through my actions. In the past I think I would let a bump in the road shake me, thus starting a cycle of more negativity. Now though I'd like to think that proactively moving forward has helped me get closer to becoming that person I want to be, and I'm thankful for this.

7. Health. Everyday I feel thankful for this, because I've seen so many people in my life deal with very hard things. From my Mom's breast cancer to my Dad's heart problems, we recently had a few years that were very difficult. And although everything is good now, going through a lot of what we did together made me really appreciate good health and to never take it for granted.

8. Technology. I love that we are all so connected and I'm able to be in touch with my faraway family and friends whenever I want. I was just emailing with my friend in India- it was 11:30pm and bedtime for her- and I had to sit back for a moment and marvel at how awesome that really is.

9. Having the luxury of being able to even type out a thankful list. Really. There's so much that goes into this little act- a happily napping baby, a computer, electricity, etc. etc. 

10. And finally, some little things, both serious and silly: the men and women who serve our country, Netflix, yoga pants, Trader Joe's coming to town, Sons of Anarchy, Oprah, cheese (Gouda and Muenster specifically), Pink Lady apples, my Kindle and getting to read any book instantly, feeling like we are getting even a little bit closer to marriage equality, Martha Stewart Living, this blog, and all of you!

And speaking of you, what are you thankful for? If you post a list on your blog, be sure to link me below so I can go check it out too. 

p.s. I have something special I'll be sharing on the blog tomorrow that has been on my mind for awhile. Until then, have a great night and a happy Thanksgiving, if you celebrate!