"You and I, we are the Church, no? We have to share with our people. Suffering today is because people are hoarding, not giving, not sharing. Jesus made it very clear. Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me. Give a glass of water, you give it to me. Receive a little child, you receive me." Mother Teresa
I am so humbled by the people I have met through this Fundraiser. Hearing their stories has made this journey to Shannon even more amazing. Stories of love, loss, tragedy. Stories of children with special needs, stories of adoption. Stories that should have been written, but were not.
I had the privilege of meeting one lady, who I'll call "Joy". Joy is an awesome and creative artist and owner of of an Etsy shop. Joy is an advocate for adoption. 4 years ago, Joy and her husband found themselves in the middle of an adoption of a special needs child from Asia. They had huge dreams and excitedly prepared for this new adventure. And then, their dreams were shattered. Joy's husband was driving home from work when he was involved in an accident and lost his life. Not only did Joy lose her best friend, she lost the dream of little girl who would someday call her "mommy". Joy has poured her heart into her work, as she picked up the pieces and tried to recreate this new life...without her husband by her side.
The story of another artist, Kelly O'Neill's beautiful portrait "Mine For a Moment" reminds us that love, in the here and now, is really all that we have. Please read more about the story behind her painting at
Mine for a Moment.
People have reached out and shared their hearts. A former special needs teacher whose children left a lasting impression on her heart, an older woman who lost her child with Down Syndrome 29 years ago, a baby with Down Syndrome placed in the hands of another family at birth.
And then there is
Shelley. Shelley and her family has walked such a similar path as we have. Starting with an adoption and ending in a hospital. Unfortunately, Shelley's precious Gaby never returned back home with the family that loved her so much.
Coincidence? I think not.
We are the Church. I am so proud of this fundraiser. What started as strangers... ended in unity of friends.
One little girl. One cause. Together we will do this...
In addition, to the wonderful prizes below, some of our donors are also featuring additional prizes for the winners!
ILOVEITALL stocks a cheerful array of subway art prints & motivational typography posters, custom & personalized home decor and note cards, mini books & journals, as well as an eclectic selection of cool crafting supplies. Find shared news of special sales & coupon codes on their
blog and
Facebook.
Even though she's always loved crafting handmade cards and gifts, it wasn't until a dear friend of 33 years gave her some scrapbooking supplies for a birthday gift that Monika began documenting and recording all the stories and memories that she had been holding close to her heart. Soon after, her husband surprised her with a Canon 40D and that's when things started getting serious! Now that she's seen the light, you will find Monika creating art prints, mini books and layouts. That's when her three children aren't asking questions, using her markers, sneaking pretty paper or stealing her glue sticks. She serves on several creative teams and has been featured on numerous blogs and in print.
Winner receives $20 shop credit and I pay the shipping. If the winner wishes to purchase an item for more that $20, I will prepare an invoice for the price difference. In the meantime, all readers can use the coupon code ILOVEITALL for a 15% discount on their purchases.
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