Spreading GoodWill (2)

Will's goodness continues...

 - Today we crossed state lines with GoodWill. For the past month I have been supplying baby Lillian with milk. Lillian's family lives in WI and her mom became ill after she was born, leaving her unable to supply milk for her daughter. Will left me with the ability to share his gift with a baby in need, and after he was a month early leaving us at the mercy of donor milk for a few days, I knew that I needed to pass Will's gift on to someone else.

- Today we spread GoodWill overseas with care packages to our troops. With phone cards, hygiene products, magazines, batteries; we hope these care packages can brighten up the day of those who are serving for our freedom. *We donate to the troops a few times each year, but if you're new to this, check out Charity Network  to ensure that you know how your giving is being used.

 - Mark's work adopts a family each year so we shared GoodWill shopping for them. Mark chose to shop for the little boy (I like the way he thinks). This little guy gets pretty excited about super heroes, so we're hoping that a little part of his world is made brighter by these noble warriors that he will find under the tree on Christmas morning. 

- Today we delivered memorial money to St. Matthew to spread a little GoodWill. I am sure the church will be able to find ample use for this money and we are so thankful for everyone who so generously gave to Will's memorial.

- Today I headed to the We Care Shop managed by the Young Parents Network to spread GoodWill. This shop supplies families with diapers, clothes, toys, etc that they can purchase through points earned by taking care of their children. It is an incredible program and it felt good to help supply toys, equipment, clothes and diapers to families who can benefit from making good choices on behalf of their children.

- Today was spent spreading not only GoodWill, but also awareness of Social Justice. Our church will be taking up a second collection at mass to help support some of the organizations in our community that serve the public. I spent the morning researching organizations, designing a bulletin insert, and hoping to encourage families to spread the word of our upcoming collection dates. 

- Today I volunteered at the girls' school to spread a little GoodWill. It was fun to see the girls at lunch in their own environment and who they like to sit with or talk to. I love this school and I am so thankful to have the time to volunteer here. There is no way we could ever repay what it has given to us. It was the first time I have volunteered here since Will left and many students came up and shared their sympathies with me. Having elementary school children with that kind of compassion begs that joy be shared, so I was glad to be able to share smiles and laughter with them and remind them that they can be the happy to someones sad. 

 - Goodwill received our GoodWill today. I spent the day cleaning out and purging things that I think I "need" that I know someone else needs more. Usually I have a hard time getting rid of our things as I always think that 'someday' I might want to use it or wear it. However, today's mindset changed from one of greed to one of need. 8 bags of clothes and goods later...I felt like saying goodbye to some of those things was actually quite freeing.

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Spreading GoodWill

I just realized that I promised to post updates on our 25 days of GoodWill and, though I have been writing, I haven't been posting. It is hard to believe that it is half over already. I have found such joy in doing this little project and I am so thankful for the people I have met and the amazing good that is happening in our community. We continue to miss Will everyday, which I'm sure won't change any time soon, but knowing that he continues to impact the lives of others makes his absence hurt just a little less. My girls know just how to keep this mama busy and help a heart heal. So thankful for family and thankful for these organizations that have welcomed us in and let us share a little piece of our GoodWill with them. These are in no particular order...just random ramblings of what each day has entailed up to this point.



- Salvation Army's Red Kettle Bell campaign received our GoodWill tonight. It was a cold night of bell ringing, but much warmer when you're surrounded with friends. Who can resist 10 adorable girls singing Christmas carols and spreading good cheer? The girls teachers were also good sports and came out on this cold night to support their efforts. We live in such an awesome community. 

- Today's GoodWill came full circle as we donated Will's medical supplies to His Hands Free Clinic. After dropping supplies, they offered to pray with me and expressed they were in need of more volunteers. I'm your girl. As I was getting a tour of the clinic, she mentioned that I probably wouldn't know the doctor that is on the exec board as he is through Hospice. How about that? I do know him. Dr. Bell, who we so loved, was now receiving back the very supplies that he gave to Will. I shared Will's story with her and it just felt like God had guided these supplies home to where they were desperately needed. 

- We spread GoodWill at Northbrook Manor Care today by delivering flowers. We have an abundance of gorgeous bouquets sitting on our counter right now, so we decided to share the beauty. The girls and I stopped off and dropped these fragrant flowers for the residents to enjoy. It felt good knowing that their beauty will brighten someone's day on Will's behalf. 

- Our GoodWill today was shared with...William. Today I dropped off more flowers at the nursing home (I won't post which one for my new friend, William's privacy). I asked if there was anyone by the name of William that would like a little pick me up and as luck would have it, I spent a fabulous afternoon learning all about this amazing man. This was way more fun than just dropping flowers at reception.

- Birthright was our focus of GoodWill today. I cleaned out a lot of our baby supplies while the girls were at school for another mama to be able to use. I took the girls with me to do the drop off as today's task was a real challenge for me. 2 huge totes were filled with baby essentials that I know I can't use anymore and need to part with, but it still stung to get rid of. Onesies, diapers, bottles, blankets...I spent the day washing and folding these items preparing them for their new home. I pray they comfort the next baby as much as they have comforted ours.

- Kiwanis received our GoodWill today in the form of books! It is an understatement to say that we love books at our house. Each girl has a bookshelf busting at the seams, in addition to 2 more bookshelves in the basement and a couple of totes of books as well. Will's bookshelf in his room...also full. Most of these books Norah has long outgrown, but we were hanging on to them to read to Will. It was time to let them go. I kept a few important ones (Goodnight, moon...a definite keeper) but the rest went to the Kiwanis. 

- Today was spent delivering more flowers to spread a little GoodWill. I had so much fun at the nursing home the other day, that I was really excited to see if I could find a new William at a different nursing home today. My new friend was non-verbal, and it was just the peace and calm that I think we both needed today. It was reassuring to know that he felt calm in my presence and I felt at ease knowing that there weren't going to be any questions that would catch my emotions off guard.

- Meals on Wheels was the focus of our GoodWill today. We purchased some holiday meals for families to be delivered for Christmas. So much of our social gatherings and celebrations revolve around food that I often take for granted that food preparation can get really expensive around the holidays. As much as I want to see families enjoying delicious meals, I also don't want the social stigma of that food expense to discourage people from getting together.

- My GoodWill today is going to ensure that I use every ounce of #WillPower I've been given. After a few years of thinking I would overcome the lottery to run the Chicago Marathon, today all the signs directed me to run this one-and-only marathon for Will. But, not just William Everette, also William Richard. I will be running for the Will Cure team which runs to raise funds for the Foundation for Myotubular Myopathy, a rare genetic disorder. Though a different genetic disorder than what our Will had, it seemed all too coincidental in timing that this link found its way to my inbox. As I was checking it out, I came across a picture on their blog that stated; "Running teaches us to keep moving forward, one step at a time, especially in the most painful moments." I knew then, I would run with my Will alongside me every step of the way, so that another mama would be able to keep her Will alongside her. I coughed up the entry fee and started a CrowdRise page to meet my $1500 minimum. Chicago, here we come. God bless my sister for running for charity with me, she's definitely got the #WillPower. Any other takers?

- We're saving lives with MVRBC for today's GoodWill. Mark's too proud to brag about his 3 gallon donor status (that's 72 lives he's potentially saved), but he doesn't miss his opportunity every 56th day to save a life. Today, I jumped on the bandwagon. I'm not a great donor. I usually get deferred either for travel or medical reasons, and I have yet to meet anyone who gets excited about my tiny veins, but this week I pumped my iron (pills, that is) and crossed my fingers I'd be able to donate. I made it through the first round, but once I got hooked up, my stupid veins couldn't pump blood fast enough to make a pint before it clotted. I'm riding the coat tails of my awesome husband today since, although I couldn't save any lives...he sure did.

- Today we spread GoodWill through Olivet Neighborhood Mission by fulfilling Angel tags for their giving tree. We chose a 2 year old boy to shop for and dreamed that just maybe his name was Will. The big girls were great at picking out all the coolest trucks and trains, and Norah painstakingly combed through every inch of clothing to find the perfect clothes for this little guy to wear. Top it off with some great books to read and hopefully this little guy will be feeling pretty special at Christmas.

- Spreading GoodWill at Xavier today I know made Will smile. Today I stopped by to drop off the memorial money from his funeral and discuss a plan for its use. Though we hope to use part of it to establish scholarships for students in need, we also wanted to see if there was anything that the building and grounds needed. Coincidentally, the Angel of Hope statue (for grieving the loss of children) is in need of a light. This beautiful statue was dedicated nearly 5 years ago, and the funding to put a light on it just isn't there. It seemed so meant to be that all those that loved Will contributed to possibly spread light in his honor. *Update* After attending the prayer service the following week, it was so apparent that this was a need, as all night people were tripping over the makeshift lanterns that were used to light the statue. 

- Our GoodWill today was spent at St. Matthew. Our church hosts a luncheon for families who are in need of assistance during Christmastime. They shop for families, provide gifts that are wrapped and ready and families can come, eat lunch together and take their gifts home all ready to be opened at Christmas. We brought chili and rolls and stayed to helped serve today. The girls rocked the beverage table and carrying food to tables for guests. As an added bonus Santa was watching the whole time to ensure a job well done and rewarded them with a candy cane at the end of the day. Thanks, Santa!

 - GoodWill was shared at the Catholic Worker House tonight. The whole family was in on this one as it was a perfect way to humble ourselves during the hustle and bustle of what often times becomes a very materialistic time of year. We delivered food to the Catholic Worker House tonight and as we were leaving, a woman stopped Grace and said, "thank you for feeding us tonight." The wording struck a chord with her. It resonated with Grace that the woman didn't say, "thanks for the food." It was obvious to her that it wasn't about the enjoyment of having food and camaraderie, it was about the necessity of having food and shelter. They were able to see the tight living quarters, shared spaces with strangers, and need for basic necessities that all-too-often our family takes for granted. As with all the GoodWill we have shared, we received more from this experience than those we were serving. 

GoodWill

It's Tuesday and all I can think about is, "Happy 8 weeks, Will." Though today marks 11 weeks, Will is forever etched in our hearts and minds at eight. I seek comfort in the fact that his birthday and his funeral were both on Tuesdays, so that when I wake up on Tuesday mornings, I can cancel out our goodbyes with thoughts of our hellos. I can think of the joy in hearing his first breath and his most beautiful first cry.

We are getting back to 'normal' at our house. The girls are back to school, Mark is back to work and we are figuring out nighttime, which was a bit of a struggle for a while. We have conquered late night anxiety, and all three girls are falling right to sleep. I no longer have to walk the girls into school in the morning, they go on their own. We still are battling nightmares, but they are not every night now, so I feel like we are making progress.

Now that the girls are back, I find myself with no one to take care of. The school days are long. Though I wish I were back to work to keep myself occupied, I know that walking back into school 2 weeks before finals would not be fair to my students. I also don't want to look back on this time and feel like I jumped right back in. Though I hate being at home, I am sure the quiet and the pain of being here is probably good for me. I want to be able to look back on this time and remember how much it hurt. What a void he left in our lives. That he was worth taking time to grieve.

Though the girls were worried about heading back to school, I think they were more worried about leaving me in an empty house surrounded by all of his things. So, they have put me to work. They have created a list of 25 days of "Good Will" that I have to carry out in December. These girls continue to amaze me with their big hearts.

My days have been filled volunteering at different non-profits around town or donating his things to people who need them. My favorite so far though has been delivering his flowers. We received some absolutely beautiful flowers for Will's funeral. Though I hope not to offend anyone that sent these beautiful bouquets, I have given most of them away so that someone else can also enjoy their beauty before the die. Flowers to me have always been more about the sentiment than the flowers themselves. So, I have spent a few of my afternoons taking flowers to area nursing homes and finding a "William" to spend my afternoon with. I'll keep you posted on my adventures over the next 25 days, but I can already tell you, so many of my encounters have had God's hands all over them.