We put so much pressure on ourselves the 1st of the New Year with goals that we set out for ourselves and end up mid February feeling the disappointment that we got off track but I'm here to tell you that "It's all Right"...sometimes we just need to give each other a break and lift and support one another instead of feeling defeated all the time. Were all built differently and sometimes it takes a little push to get back on track. Trust me I have been down this road and luckily I have family and friends who encourage me to keep going, so if your finding yourself in a slump right now I get it and understand but it too shall pass. Everyone goes through ups, downs, pain and struggles, but that's what makes us stronger right? I wouldn't change any of the hardships I've been through on my journey and I totally encourage you not to give up!! Make sure your taking January and February to rest and just breathe soon enough the sun will be shining bright again outside and the flowers will start blooming and you'll start feeling alive again.
Here are some simple steps when your starting to feel the blahs: * Get some fresh air and take a walk outside * Eat healthy and delicious food...cooking always comforts me * Go to the bookstore and grab a book * Get a massage and treat yourself * Get around some of your besties, drink wine and laugh * Surround yourself with your family and talk...put down all devices and play a game * Retail therapy is always fun and make a day of it * Play some music you love and start decluttering and clean...it will keep your mind off of the negative. * Start a journal , take a class or learn something new Good Luck and hopefully this helps motivate you to keep going!!!
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STITCHED WITH LOVE & CARE
I recently had the pleasure of meeting the women involved in God’s Hands in Action at Mount Calvary United Methodist Church in Clay County, Indiana. I sat in on a sewing meeting, where the women sewed teddy bears to send to nursing homes, hospitals, veterans hospice centers, and oversees to stationed military personnel. I witnessed a committed group of women who care about the project and the patients who will receive the bears. But, I was most struck by how the members don’t expect a “thank you” in return for their hard work and giving attitudes. Reader, I invite you to learn about the ‘prayer bears’ and the group of women who put a smile on multiple faces across the globe. When Kimberly McCarter made the bold decision to leave her former church three years ago to attend Mount Calvary United Methodist Church in Clay County, Indiana, she was grateful to be surrounded by a welcoming community. However, she had missed being a member of a small group project at her former church where she helped sew teddy bears from used clothing to send to nursing homes, hospitals, and veterans hospice centers. That’s when she decided to form a new group, God’s Hands in Action, at Mount Calvary. “I had to find a reason for leaving the other church. I have to do something nice for others. God’s Hands in Action allows me to do this,” McCarter said. Every Monday, a group consisting of nine women and two men meet in a sewing room located inside the small country church surrounded by corn fields. Taking used cotton t-shirts, jeans, buttons and stuffing material, each member has a different role. Some sew, many stuff the bears, and others cut materials and apply the button eyes to the bears for a finishing touch. It doesn’t matter how much experience you have had with sewing and crafts; there is a valuable role for everyone. Each bear is unique. The bears range in color, fabric style, and shape, which, as group member Alethea Colbe remarked, gives the bears different personalities. The group works quickly to gather as many bears, effectively called ‘prayer bears’ because the members pray over the bears, before making deliveries to multiple nursing homes in the Wabash Valley, including Southwood Healthcare Center (where the group recently sent 35 to 45 bears), Springville Village (which received 80 bears), Signature HealthCARE of Terre Haute, Exceptional Living Center of Brazil, and more. The bears are also sent to Union Hospital, Regional Hospital, and Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis. Bears have even made their way to young cancer patients at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. “I can usually sew three bears in one evening,” McCarter shared. “Then I stuff and finish the bears at the next meeting to get them ready for delivery.” McCarter enjoys visiting the patients to hear their stories and witness their interactions with the bears. According to McCarter, it is more special to meet the patients who are receiving the bears so there is a face behind the patient. Many nursing home residents do not have families of their own, so the bears become companions during their stay. One blind nursing home resident has named her bear after McCarter. Even though she couldn’t physically see the bear, she knew it looked like the giving woman who carefully sewed the gift for her. “That moment really touched my heart. We work for God. We don’t work for each other or for the glory, but every now and then, we’re reminded of the importance of what we’re doing,” McCarter remarked. In addition to the bears sent to nursing homes and hospitals, God’s Hands in Action makes patriotic bears donned with American flags and crafted from red, white and blue material. These bears are sent to multiple veterans’ hospice centers throughout the Wabash Valley. As the group continues to grow, members eventually wish to send bears to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The patriotic bears are also sent during the holiday season to current military personnel serving oversees in Afghanistan, Iran, and have been sent to soldiers serving in Iraq. Many of these military personnel are from Terre Haute, including a Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology student who was stationed in Germany. Finally, the group makes pink teddy bears for breast cancer patients, as well as dog beds to send to the Terre Haute Humane Society made from the scrap materials left over from a teddy bear project. The members don’t want to waste any materials, according to McCarter. Everyone involved in the group is devoted to the commitment to serve others, not seeking glory for being involved in the project. “We like to make people happy,” said Rose Collins. “We know these bears are going to good homes that need them,” remarked Wanda Caton. When asked about the importance of gratitude in relation to God’s Hands in Action, McCarter explained that they will receive gratitude later. They work for others, not for themselves. “We don’t do this project for us or for a ‘thank you,’” said McCarter. “We do it for the patients and for Him. This is our calling to give these bears to people who really need them. We’ll eventually get a blessing and some gratitude for this project. It might not be now, but it’ll come to us later.” And don’t think the bears aren’t part of the sewing fun. Dozens of bears sit around the sewing room, listening to the group’s stories and waiting for a new bear to be added to their family. Then they’re ready to participate in Sunday service, reserving their own church pew in the congregation. “They’re part of our church family. Each and every single one,” Caton adds. --- God’s Hands in Action accepts monetary donations but has a real need for clothing supplies in order to fulfill future projects. The organization prefers men’s cotton t-shirts, jeans, cotton and other materials that could be used for stuffing, buttons for the bear’s eyes, and cotton-based materials that don’t stretch. You can contact McCarter through Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s bookstore at [email protected] or 812-877-8516. -Written by Haute Life Magazine Editor, Kasy Long |
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June 2018
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