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I’ve been listening to the river now for the last four days.  It is peaceful, calming, bubbling with joy, yet always running.  That is how I constantly want to be.  To have peace and rest in my soul.  I know that this peace is possible for I have felt it.  I know that this joy is real because I have reveled in it.  And the running?  Well physically I’d keel over in less than 2.5 seconds but spiritually I want to run this race well…just like the river runs its course.  Never stopping even though the seasons change and the flow or pace varies.  To not grow weary in well doing.  Personally my peace comes from Jesus and so does my strength to run hard.  It is not my own doing.  Hope you are off to a fun weekend you wonderful people!

UPDATE: Slowly but surely! $34,232.25

15 pink balloons with hand written notes were released into the sky.  They floated away from the tea party.  These beautiful young girls were there to have fun and make a difference.  I wish I could have been there (in Australia!!!), but since I couldn’t be the pictures are making me smile.  A very sweet and creative reader helped her younger sisters throw a Miss.Elaini.Ous party.  These ladies are very inspiring.  You really need to check out the pictures.  It will not disappoint!

Still going up!!!! $34,222.25 😀

Oh yeah and I just flipped the dress around. 😀

I love that even though I can’t travel to far away places physically right now that I can do something just as fabulous.  Time travel.  Through a book of course. 😉  The book I read was so gripping that I read it in a day… You see the book was set in the early 1960’s in Jackson Mississippi.  These people were dealing with very pressing issues.  Segregation of black and white.  Racism.  The lack of love for each other.  Not many at the time could see that the line of difference was in their own heads and of their own making.  Makes me wonder what lines I have drawn in my own head.  Lines I think that can’t be crossed but maybe feel that I should.  The things I tell myself are to crazy so stop dreaming.  The things I say are impossible.  Are they?  Maybe but I’ll never know if I don’t try.

Did you see the updated total!?!?!?!?!?!?  So excited! 😀

Yesterday I laid on a warm rock in the middle of the gently moving river.  Occasionally I would dip my toes in the water and feel them get all tingly from the cool temperature.  At one point I just stopped reading my novel and gazed at the crystal turquoise expanse above me.  I felt like I was in the most incredible snow globe…minus the snow of course. 😉  As I watched I spotted a handsome dragonfly in his black tuxedo and shiny midnight blue bow tie nod and give right away (like a true gentleman) to an elegant butterfly dancing and swishing past in a gown of lemon yellow and brown polka dots.  And then they were gone.  Just like that out of sight.  I miss so many of these glorious moments.  I’d love to hear about a moment you have enjoyed today.  Maybe it is the steam curling from your coffee because it is THAT hot?  Or a tiny flower pushing its way through a crack in your driveway?  What do you see?  Let’s live with eyes wide open shall we?

CHECK THIS NEW TOTAL OUT!!!!! $34,127 😀 😀 😀

Going on a retreat/vacation my lovely readers! I plan on sleeping in, reading lots of books, taking long walks with my mom, and sitting in the river.  My mom is planning on juicing all sorts of veggies and fruit and having me get healthy.  Have you ever done that and if so what are your favorite combinations of produce?  Maybe while I’m at the cabin I’ll even convince myself to journal about the project and how it felt…  Oh yeah all that AND planning what to do with my life!!! Ha now that’s no biggie right?!?! 😉 We’ll see how that goes… I may just end up sleeping all week!

Anyways I am still going to try and keep up my posting streak.  🙂  I am going to show you 1 dress 7 different ways this week.  Sound familiar? Lol! Yet the dress I am wearing is not the black one but this sliver/grey one that was my bridesmaid dress from the wedding I was in a few weeks ago.  Thank you Elizabeth for picking a bridesmaid dress that we actually CAN wear again in day to day life.  Wow miracles do happen. 😉

My mom and I went to Powell’s books (one of the largest bookstores in the world) yesterday.  We walked the seemingly endless rows of shelves that created a labyrinth of knowledge and information to be discovered.  Words met my eyes almost everywhere I looked.  Words that conveyed meaning.  How blessed I am to be able to read.  To have words form meaningful sentences in my mind.  It makes me stop to consider that the orphans in India don’t have the opportunity to learn or to have their minds academically stretched…unless they are rescued.  Will you be part of the orphan’s story today and give to a child in need?

I have run out of words…due to that I will be sharing some quotes on courage with you.  I love quotes.  Do you?  Feel free to share your favorite one in the comments below! Hope you are having a fabulous weekend everyone! 😀

~Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. C. S. Lewis
~It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.
Mark Twain
~Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.      Winston Churchill
~We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.
Eleanor Roosevelt

P.S.  This skirt came from a huge dress I found at Goodwill.  Chopped it and sewed it different and WA LA! I love it when that happens. 🙂

Wow look at those little ones standing tall and straight.  At the top of my post (Day 111).  I hope that through this project the little ones in India can stand tall and straight in the knowledge that they are loved, cared for, and valuable.  That they would be upstanding people because they were rescued and given a future.  That is what you are helping me do.  We are part of giving to children who might otherwise starve to death or lead horrible unthinkable lives.  If you haven’t had a chance to donate please give today.  It really does make a difference! 😀

O.K so I have a story for you about this dress.  I know…another dress right! Seems to be a theme of mine or something. 😉  Sheesh now I feel like I need to go by some pants! LOL!  Anyways back in my “younger” days I used to buy my dear friend, Christa, a shirt every year for her birthday.  Somehow it turned into a tradition that we would get matching ones.  As we got older this tradition got harder and yeah matching wasn’t as cute!  The last year we were going to continue this fun we couldn’t find anything that was working.  Just as we were about to give up hope we spotted this dress… 🙂  You can read Christa’s version here! (Funny fact that I just realized…Christa made that post exactly 2 years ago when she was going to add it to her clothing collection…)

RAISED SO FAR: $33,175.25  If we got 1,000 people to donate $17 dollars then we would reach the goal!!! I hope we can help more little orphans. 😀

{Bottom photo courtesy of Empowered Traditionalist}

Have you ever wished your life was different?  That you were in someone else shoes?  That something went like this instead of that?  I think we have all been there at one point or another.  Last night I was struggling to remain content…it grieves me that I get to that point of discontent at times.  When I have been given so much why should I ask for more?  I am so blessed to have an amazing family and great support group and that is just the tip of the ice berg.  (A God who loves me!!!)  If there is anything that we should be discontent with it should be the suffering of others that we can alleviate.  If the blind could see they would say “LOOK”! If the deaf could hear they would say “LISTEN”! If the mute could talk they would say “SPEAK”!  If the lame could walk they would say “LEAP”!  What can you do with what you have been given?  What are you thankful for today?  Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. 🙂

1 Timothy 6:6