Prayers, A Walk and a Rock Star.

I pray a lot.  I always have.  It stared with the book "Are you There God it is Me Margaret"  back when I was 12 and like the main character Margaret, I too prayed for what else -  Boobs!  And okay a boyfriend, and if he was in the mood I also prayed to be as pretty as Lisa what's her name.  You know, there was always a "Lisa or an "Alyssa" or a "Stephanie" or some grogoues name that went with the gorgeous girl you went to school with.
I prayed to be like her.
And as I got older I prayed for my heartbreaks to heal, my parents to let me have a longer curfew and for Jon Bon Jovi to never get married until I was of age and he could chose me.
After college I prayed for a job.  Any job that would allow me to get my own apartment and finally be on my own.
And when I was on my own, I prayed not to screw it up.
And when I did I prayed for forgiveness and another chance.
And then years later, once I became a Mom I prayed about everything...
Please let the baby sleep....Please let my husband grab that night feeding, please tell me I won't be a walking one eyed open zombie for the rest of my life..."
"Please tell me this child asleep on my chest will never get hurt, will never get sick, will always be safe, healthy and always always Happy."
Because Children deserve that.  All children! 
My prayers about children are very specific..."Please help that child." 
Because children don't chose to get sick, they don't chose to have a disease or a missing limb or a bad skin disorder when they can't be allowed out in sunlight.  Kids don't pick this.  It is just life doing what it does best, leaving us with questions with tugs on our hearts and of course prayers. 
I am not extremely religious but I am extreme fan of God and his son Jesus Christ.  I believe in heaven and I believe in the power of faith, of his will and that sometimes we are not in control of what he has planned for us. 
And clearly I believe in the power of prayer. 
And when I see the amazing power this has, I am overwhelmed, I am moved beyond words.  Even if what we pray for isn't exactly how we had hoped it would turn out....  I know eventually whether it is in this life or my afterlife, I will understand why.
So it is then I try to wait and maybe understand a bit differently why kids get sick.  Really sick, or why kid's are taken from us so suddenly.  Because in my book you don't mess with kids.  You just don't.  But my book is different than God's and I trust his over mine any day of the week.
So latley I have had a certian child on my heart.  Okay, a certain family on my heart.  Many of you in this community know the Greenwalt Family.  If not you are about too.....
Meet them here. 
And if this link doesn't work, go over to my blog roll and click on "Life Love & Laundry" 
Or google Mitochrondial Disease.
Either way you will learn their story, their struggles and what they too are praying for - A Cure.
I am honored, to know this family and beyond humbled by their story.  I care very deeply about helping this little girl fight her "sick"  The sick she didn't ask for or deserve, The sick that found her at only 3 weeks of age.
The sick that is still with her today, almost on her 3rd birthday.
So I ask you wonderful readers for two things, first prayers for this family. 
Second, please visit her "Saving Savannah" facebook page and learn how you can help contribute to a walkathon taking place this October. 
The walk is organized by  United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation -Energy for Life." And their team name is "Saving Savannah" which is a perfect name for this little girl.  She not only rocks her own walk, but rocks the hearts of everyone who has met her, who knows her and who loves her.
Meet Savannah, one of the many many faces of kids facing Mitochondrial disease.
One of the faces you can help. 
And I belive she say's it best in the photo.

Until one is found, I will be praying.  Please join me.


With Love,
Mary

 

Seeing is Believing.

Yesterday I had the great joy of assisting Operation Mayday at the River Hills Church in Lake Wylie SC.  In conjunction with Steele Creek Outreach, Operation Mayday serves, families in need from our community and surrounding areas by providing a full family meal for Christmas. 
Bi-Lo provided all the hams and the rest of the food came form donations from River Hills church and the Steele Creek Outreach food pantry. 
The idea began back in the fall and Operation Maydays first success was the day before Thanksgiving where 150 meals were boxed up and handed out to area families in need.  It was so inspiring to me to learn that families who wouldn't normally have Thanksgiving dinner, would be now thanks to this great organization.

Steele Creek Outreach - Helping the local homeless and more.

Not long after I had my second son, I joined a group in the area called “Steele Creek Mom’s Club.”  It was great to have an outlet, the boys play with new kids and as I would come to learn, I would meet and become friends with some pretty terrific Moms and women.  All of us added our own unique flair and style to the group.  Over time I have learned so much from these women and have been inspired by them, more than I often admit. 

One of the things I really hope to emphasis on Lakeside Chatter is the incredible local charities and local fundraising efforts that are going on in this community.  This week we are featuring “Steele Creek Outreach, Inc.”

I had the privilege of meeting Nichole Jaworski about two years ago when she joined the Mom’s group.  At the time I ran a blog for our group and she was featured as a new member.  Upon interviewing her I learned of her altruistic spirit.  Since then I have become a fan of her many inspiring quotes she posts on FaceBook, one of my favorites; “Be The Change You want to See in the World”  (Gandhi).  Okay so I am a quote junkie, but this one has stuck with me for a long time.  Simply because I do believe we can all make a difference in this world.  We just need to give it a try. 

I had the pleasure to speak with Nichole again last week and learned where she got the idea and inspiration for the Steele Creek Outreach.  I hope you enjoy learning more about her and this great organization.

*******

Initially, Steele Creek Outreach was a very primitive idea. I had originally started a blog called Pay it Forward-documenting my families fundraising efforts and charity work with organizations such as the American Cancer Society, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. My father passed away from brain cancer when I was a teenager, and we have lost other family members and friends to cancer as well, so this was always a driving force for me in wanting to raise money for cancer research.

But I have always had a soft spot for the homeless too which most likely stems from my 8th grade trip to Washington, DC. I remember the conversation the teachers had had with us prior to the trip-"There will be homeless people on the street, do not look at them!" That advice never sat well with me-and I remember looking at every homeless person on the streets of DC and feeling terrible for them.

A couple of months after starting the family blog-I ran a food drive for Stand Up for Kids-an organization that helps street kids. We put together 40 bags of food-and not only did this drive transition the family blog into Steele Creek Outreach, it also gave us the idea to start our own street homeless bags, the S.C.O. goody bags. We distribute 60 of these bags to the street homeless in Charlotte every month. The bags contain vital supplies such as water, pudding cups, individual snacks, cough drops, hand wipes, toothbrushes, etc. It's been 14 months since the start of S.C.O., and although we have made a big impact, there is still so much we need to do for our local homeless population. S.C.O. is unique in the fact that a neighborhood banned together and formed a lasting organization. I hope that it will inspire others to create something similar in their neighborhood, or inspire them to be a part of S.C.O.

Being a mom of three has taught me that not everything will be perfect...some days I feel like I can take on the world, and other days, not so much. It is an interesting balance-and I am truly blessed to have really great friends and family in my life whohave contributed to the progression of S.C.O.

For me the most important things are to live a humble life, to help others however I can, and to teach my children to have a giving heart.

Nichole Jaworski

For more information on SCO and how you can help please visit

http://www.steelecreekoutreach.org/1.html

Operation Mayday continues into December

Steel Creek Outreach we will be doing Operation Mayday again on the 22nd of December, bagging groceries at 10:30am and then a ceremony at noon. SCO is also looking to make mashed potatoes for the 150 families benefiting from the program.
For more information on the program and how you can help, please visit:
Make sure to also read the next post for more opportunities on how you can volunteer. 

http://www.steelecreekoutreach.blogspot.com/

150 Thanksgiving meals were delivered to area families in need through Operation Mayday: