The past few years have not always been easy as we have been diligently simplifying our life and working hard at getting out of debt. Even though it seemed like we lost nearly everything, we realize how truly blessed we are to have gone through what we did. And you know what? I wouldn't change anything because I truly believe we are stronger, better people in spite of it all.
We now have more compassion and empathy for others too. And I really feel I am uniquely "qualified" to help people who are struggling in different areas of life.
People still ask; how does one get through things like that? And my answer is:1) Always remember the most important things in life are NOT things.
and2) Look around. You can always find people who are in much worse circumstances than you are so don't feel sorry for yourself for too long.
One thing we never did is this; We never STOPPED helping others in need. Truly, there is no better way to get your mind off your own problems then to get your heart involved with someone else with a much bigger need.
Another one of my favorite things to do now is to help raise money for local families that have lost loved ones to cancer. This is a picture of a friend of mine, Dennis. He passed away from brain cancer May 25, 2006. This picture was taken just a few days before he went home to be with the Lord.
We truly miss you Dennis!
I also have a burden to help support our Troops and their families, so I spend time doing that as well. If you would like to help, just click on the picture of the soldier on the phone. It will take you to the USO website where you can help by buying a phone card for the soldiers to call home with. What better gift is there than staying in touch with family that so far away.
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Because we live in a very rural area, the internet is a life line for me. I love the fact that I am able to do so many things right from my home.I really take advantage of the fact that I can buy and sell almost anything over the internet. Obviously this saves me a lot of time and gas money. I especially love EBAY. Hey, that reminds me... Do YOU shop on Ebay? If you do, I just found a way to make a rebate from every purchase you make on Ebay. It's really cool! You can get it through a site called Big Crumbs. Check it out! I don't know about you, but I just love saving money.I also can't believe how easy it is to make new friends and colleagues and stay in touch with them and my family back home as well. One of the neatest things I have found, and I am sure you have as well, is the Social Networking thing.I have read that there are hundreds Social Networking sites out there, but I just try to keep my focus narrowed to just a handful, that way I actually have time to get to know people from around the world and interact with them. My favorite business and personal networking places at the moment are DirectMatches, Facebook and Twitter.
One of my favorite Social Networking sites I have found is called SHOUTLIFE. It is designed to be a safe haven for Christian individuals, musicians, comedian, authors and groups to hang out and get to know each other. Feel free to join me there!
I love to sing and listen to music. I like all kinds of music except for Rap and heavy metal stuff, I guess. However buying every CD one could want gets pretty expensive. So luckily I came across this site recently, maybe you've heard of them, it's called DIGITAL WAVE MEDIA. You can download tons of music and even games, movies and TV shows. (I have yet to do all that) But it's really cool and it's very affordable... I love that!Music gives me such inspiration, and for me it is also very healing and therapeutic. Although I love to sing, I wish I had learned to play an instrument when I was younger. I would still like to learn how to do that someday. When the time is right I going to try out Music Master Pro and Instrument Master Pro to learn how to play the guitar and piano keyboard.I still love to read as much as I can, and I do some writing. A friend of mine hooked me up with a company called Associated Content. I write articles from time to time, submit them and get paid. Granted it's not a lot, but getting paid for something I like to do is like Chocolate sauce on icecream. If you like to write you should check them out as well.
SIDE NOTE: Speaking of chocolate, my favorite food is probably Chocolate covered anything...lol. If you love chocolate too, you might want to take a look at this Recipe book for chocolate lovers .
And last but not least I have pulled together all my resources, interests and past experiences, and I now coin myself as a Digital Information Tour Guide.
What that means is I provide Vital Information - Rated "E" for Everyone. Essentially, I peruse the web searching for family friendly products, services, ebooks, software, websites, and opporunities. From Home and Gardening to Pets, Art and Crafts to Computer/Techie stuff, you'll find it at my site.
It's always a work in progress, but I bet you'll find something useful there. Plus, since I love to help people, I give away a lot of FREE stuff there too, so be sure to stop by when you get a chance!
Well, I guess that's about it... for now anyway!Thanks for taking the time to listen to my story. I guess if there is one thing I can leave you with, it is this short 3 minute movie called THE DASH. I hope you have time to watch it. The Dash is about what matters most. Just click the picture below and be prepared to be inspired.
