Last summer we heard on the radio an ad for Blood:Water Missions. They were saying kids could set up lemonade stands to help raise money for clean water in Africa. Jenna was so excited and wanted to do one right away. I thought it sounded like a lot of work for a 7 year old (really a lot of work for me if I’m honest) and told her, “Next year….”

Well, “next year” came around and she had not forgotten about her dream of a lemonade stand to help raise money for Africa. I’ve always had a heart for Africa, our sponsored child William is in Kenya and he feels like another part of our family and it was on Jenna’s summer bucket list (we always make a family summer bucket list) so we said “Yes!” and put it on the short order list of things to do.

Blood:Water is a great organization whose mission is this: “We are a community, motivated by the love of Christ, to create lasting change in Africa. We give our lives to serve local leaders and join them in the fight to end the HIV/AIDS and water crises.” They have a great mission and they make it so easy to be a part of what they are doing in Africa. They help you set up your kids website for their Lemon:Aid stand, print materials for the stand, and for people to donate. Easy peezy. An added bonus is that for kids who do the Lemon:Aid stands there is someone who matches every donation that comes in.

The first step for the lemonade stand was creating the website. I came home from the store one day and Matt said, “We have the lemonade site all ready to go. Jenna set her goal at $1000.” I’m pretty sure I screeched at this point, “What?!!! $1000! Why would you let her set a goal she will never reach?!” So yes, my daughter is a better human than I am because she wanted to raise money for clean water to start with and then she had more faith than I did that she could reach a very large goal. I’m constantly challenged in a good way by my little people.

The second step was to make a lemonade stand. We had nothing extravagant in mind for this but it turned out so stinking adorable. We found a perfect turquoise desk at a yard sale we randomly drove by, my dad brought wood to build the sign, and we took spray paint out of a “free” box on the street to paint with. A little work, a lot of love, and voila, you have a lemonade stand.

The third step was to advertise on Facebook that Jenna was doing a Lemon:Aid stand, on Nextdoor.com to our neighbors the times she would be selling the lemonade, bracelets, and other goodies and open up for business.

As soon as we posted her website people started donating. I almost cried at how generous people were and again was reminded how great the hearts of people can be. The look on Jenna’s face was priceless when she woke up the next morning and had already raised money. I knew then that her faith-filled goal of $1000 was going to be met.

The excitement of the stand never wore off and I’m proud to say that Jenna reached her goal!! Thank you to everyone who gave!

I’m so proud of her sweet, generous heart, her hard work at making bracelets and lemonade, being a little entrepreneur, and making a difference in so many lives in a place that she’s never even been to. I’ve learned once again that little people can make a big difference in our world and I shouldn’t stand in the way of her big dreams and goals. This is definitely one of the summer bucket list items that will be the sweetest of memories for our whole family.

What about you? Did you check off some fun bucket list items this summer?

Do you have a child at home that might want to set up a Lemon:Aid stand? I highly recommend it!!

 

 

(This post is part of my day today. It’s more for my memory bank when I want to look back one day because I know the older I get the less I’ll remember.) 

This past week has been a hard one in light of news of a former student being killed in an avalanche and another friends news of returning cancer. Each week seems to bring news like this in one way or another so I’ve had many moments of just pure thankfulness for each day. It is not a given, but a gift.

So today as I awoke, another year older, feeling my age and a need for a massage, I also just felt grateful for a new day to live the life God’s given me. Two kids up early eagerly awaiting my groggy presence, a husband who’s waiting to take my breakfast order. Literally take my order at my bedside; we ordered breakfast through a new app called postmates from Pine State Biscuits. It was delivered before I could even rouse myself from my stupor. There it was, hot and delicious on my table in all of it’s fattening, fried, gravy covered glory. Whoever thought this up was a genius. And, you can track it while they pedal their bike, yes bike, to your door. Sweet glory I love Portland.

Sweet notes from my family and my surprise birthday gift from my husband, parents and aunt was a membership to the gym. Before you think he’s trying to suggest I need to work on my physique (although after that breakfast I need a cardio workout for sure), I’ve been wanting a gym membership for sooooo long but it’s a luxury we could not afford. It was a lavish gift. It was hardly 8 am and I already felt overwhelmed with thanks.

After taking Isaac to school the traffic was so bad that I knew I would sit in traffic for 30 minutes or I could re-route to my favorite park and spend 30 minutes wandering through the beauty and enjoying the unexpected detour. Today was a reminder that not all traffic jams or detours bring bad things.

I had scheduled a massage and chiropractor appointment that was well overdue. It actually left me with a brutal headache but the sweetest part was that I got to have an awesome spiritual conversation with my massage therapist. Another reminder that God is always at work.

As I sat outside of ballet today, reading my book, soaking up the sun, a dad came out to play his guitar while he waited for his daughter. It was random, totally Portland, and a fun little musical perk for the day. Nothing like a little birthday serenade, even though he had no idea it was my birthday.

My husband spoiled me all day and put on a feast of sausage, corn, salads, fruit and chocolate. I’m definitely a European at heart; beer, brats and chocolate are my favorite. It felt like summer and all things good.

I know that Facebook can be annoying and not helpful but it can also be great. As I scrolled through all the birthday messages, seeing the faces of people that have blessed my life and intersected it at different times and places makes me so grateful. Between the Facebook messages, texts, surprise flowers and cards from friends there is no way to walk away from this day without feeling loved.

I don’t know what paths I’ll find myself on this next year or if the scenery will be beautiful each day but I do know that each day is a gift (even when it doesn’t always feel like it) and I’m especially grateful for the one I just had.

I sat on the side of the pool, loving the hot humid air like a giant hug, high on the fumes of the chlorine smell. It takes me back to growing up in the pool and I love that familiar smell and atmosphere like a comfy old sweatshirt as weird as that is. I was reading a book and enjoying some moments with no one talking to me. I stopped reading and looked up to watch as the swim instructor asked Isaac to do his front glide and kicks. As always, he plunged full force ahead, face in the water, kicked his feet fast and furious and stopped about 8 feet later. He came up with the biggest grin on his face, the look of victory obvious, and I couldn’t help but smile proudly. I wanted to stand up and cheer really. Even in 3 weeks he’s come so far. A few minutes later he had to do the same drill but then go under the water and pick up a ring from the bottom. He dove down with purpose and came up exploding out of the water, ring in hand, smiled big and threw both hands in the air like he had won gold. He made sure I had seen his accomplishment and of course I had. I couldn’t stop watching his sweet chubby face, goggles on with the strap pushing his ears down, his crazy Kramer-like curls and his exuberant smile. I delight in that little man and really my heart wanted to explode from the cuteness and greatness of it all.

As I sat mesmerized with my son I was reminded of how God sees me. I don’t always acknowledge how God might look at me, or even how he delights in me, but today I was reminded again of the love of my heavenly father. He loves when we jump right in to learning something new just like I love it when my kids do it. He loves it when we celebrate our victories just like Isaac did when successfully getting the ring. He loves it when we enjoy the process even if it’s hard to do or we forget the things we learned from the lesson before. He loves me even when I’m successfully mastering the length of the pool or thrashing about struggling to make it 5 feet doing the front glide.

My kids teach me so much about life and love daily. Thanks to my son I often learn that you can have fun doing something that you’re not great at. You don’t have to be afraid of the water even if you think you might sink (Although I wish he were a little afraid of that. Maybe it’s because he trusts the one instructing him or the one by his side.) Life is more fun when you smile while doing it. And joy is contagious.

Someone else sitting on the side of the pool today may have thought my son was drowning from time to time with those wild kicks and crazy arms at times. But he wasn’t. He’s just learning to master the art of swimming in a different way than the kid next to him. Whether you look like you’re delighted to be doing what you’re doing or appear to be drowning, know this, you are delighted in. There is a God who delights in you whether you’re sinking or swimming.