Pajama Project 2012=SUCCESS!!

Grand total-108

WOW!

I am completely overwhelmed by that number. So many of you gave me pajamas! Thank you, thank you, thank you so very much!

It is really special to be in the family of God.

I was given SO many pajamas at church, just because of a blog post and a little announcement in our ladies class.

Packages arrived on my doorstep because sweet girls that I went to college with wanted to help and ordered the cutest PJs and had them sent to my house.

Family sent them back with us at Thanksgiving.

Friends gave me bags of pajamas and told me that more was coming..and more came.

Some people bought them and shipped them to us from Hawaii. Yes..really, Hawaii.

Husbands just turned a blind eye when certain wives would throw pajamas into their cart every time we went to Target.

Elves volunteered their wrapping services until late into the night.

Wrapping paper was just handed to me, without even a request.

Thanks.

Tomorrow we will get to deliver these jammies to the Rescue Mission and hopefully everyone will have a pair that works for them somewhere among the pile. I was given a list of names and sizes, so we decided to wrap those. Then we realized that if there are any additional children that we didn't have on the list, they would probably enjoy a wrapped gift too, so we wrapped the extras and just put the size on the tag. I am praying it all works out and that the pajamas make them feel special and safe.

When you come home after a long day, or your little one finally goes to bed for the night, or when you feel sick..what's the first thing you want to do? If you're like me, the answer is put on your pajamas. Pajamas can save the day.

These pajamas aren't going to change the world or anything. In fact I can guarantee that it has given me more joy than it will any single child. It means so much to me to be ABLE to do something and for everyone to help me just shows how much can happen when people work together. 

Ryan is now reading one of my favorite books: Go+Do by Jay Milbrandt. I love when we read the same books because when we talk about them it reminds me of the great parts of the book. (By the way, my husband is incredible and when I ask him to read a book, he will)

One of my favorite parts of the book is when the author asks, "How many people does it take to start a movement?" I think the optimistic/textbook/Sunday School answer is one, one person can start something, right? 

Well, he goes on to tell a story about a video of an outdoor concert. One lone person steps out into a field and starts dancing. They are just out their looking crazy, dancing all alone. And they would have stayed that way, alone, until the second person joins them. That second person goes out into the field and dances with them...and then...many many follow. 

If you know someone who wants to DO something or start something, volunteer to be their number 2. You never know what might happen. 

My heart has been broken and my mind has been spinning over the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. I have zero answers for how to even begin to address the tragedy and what to do moving forward. All I know is that there is only ONE who can overcome heartache. 

John 16:33-"These things I have spoken to you, That in me you have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

One day Jesus will overcome ALL of the evil and sadness of this world and it will just be gone. What if we  all try to bring Jesus closer to this world by BEING Jesus in ANY way we can? 

If you see someone "dancing in a field all alone"- join them. Thank you for joining me.