Share your blessings

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29.2 (NIV)

Last summer my area had one good hour of torrential downpours. The flooding, damage, and clean up lasted weeks. Jack and I were one of the blessed few who escaped without any significant damage.

In comparison, during the month of May, Texas has had enough rain to break a record over a hundred years old by more than three inches.

Source: ABC News

Bridges were washed away as rivers reached unbelievable flood levels.

Source: Austin-American Statesman

Homes were destroyed, people displaced, and some have been killed or are missing.

Source: KLove Radio

I have family in the area (who were doing okay last time I checked in) so this one hits a little closer to home than usual.

My first response as a quilter is "I wish I had some quilts to send."

 I don't have quilts to send because my finished quilts are few and far between and often have a designated home long before they are completed. Which pretty much leaves me in the same boat as with all the other recent disasters. No quilts to send and no time to make a few.

And not a lot of money to donate either. It's been an expensive month with car repairs and doctor visits. I invested a good chunk of our Ragnarok fund into air filters for the house to try to help Jack's asthma attacks and the credit card is starting to travel in the wrong direction again. My embroidery machine is in the shop and will cost buku bucks to reacquire once it is repaired.

I was paying bills yesterday and I realized that I hadn't spent my crafting budget in April or May, and I finally had a glimmer of hope that I could do something positive.

Which brings us to today. This project started out like one my church did for the homeless last winter - make little pockets with wash clothes and stock them with toiletry items.  I armed myself with my crafting budget through the end of June and hit the dollar store for trial size items.

I was originally intending to do the same with washclothes, but I found these little bags and thought they would work wonderfully.

Each bag holds a deodorant, a shampoo, a soap, a comb, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and a packet of kleenex.

I was able to stock 20 bags and have reached out to the Lockhart Church of Christ to figure out where to send them. I am waiting to hear back from them but if I don't hear in a day or two I will be sending them directly to the City of San Marcos.

I am blessed to have a job where I have disposable income and am able to budget for things I want instead just things I need. What are you blessed with? Please consider sharing those blessings with others in some way.

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”

- Malachi 3:10 (NIV)

If you are interested in donating or sending supplies, please see this website for more information.