Along Life's Learning Way

Operation Christmas Child Samaritan's Purse Today my girls and I had the opportunity to volunteer with Samaritan's Purse. We drove to their Southern California processing center in Corona, CA to help prepare shoeboxes full of gifts for shipment to the Philippines and Indonesia. When we left at 6:00, this facility had processed around 35,000 boxes today and had the goal of around 55,000 boxes by 11:00 tonight. You can see in my photos how large this processing center is!  Samaritan's Purse does this every year. People everywhere get shoeboxes and load them up with presents for a child in need. The boxes might include toothbrushes, socks, t-shirts, flashlights, stuffed animals, puzzles, coloring books, markers, etc. The boxes are collected at churches and various places and they make their way to a processing center to be checked over and boxed for shipment. Every shoebox is opened, the contents approved (no liquids, breakables, etc), the box is then taped shut and...

A Reason for Tea with Outside the Bowl Outside the Bowl builds Super Kitchens to provide hot, nutritious meals to impoverished communities. One Super Kitchen can provide 2,000-6,000 meals per day. OTB partners with existing ministries and agencies who serve the poorest of the poor, providing the meals so they can focus on their primary objectives. Outside the Bowl relies on donations to provide and sustain these kitchens. And one of the ways to support them is their annual Tea for a Reason . As a table host, I get to set a table with pretty dishes and invite friends to come and shop and learn about this powerful ministry.  Here are a few photos from the morning: Please click on the link below to learn more about how this ministry works; and how they support their ministry partners and the communities in which they operate.  http://www.outsidethebowl.org

Day Four Today I’m writing this post on my iPhone.  If you download Chrome on your phone you can access blogger and create a post. Since there is no blogger app for IOS, this is the way to do it, I guess. Good to know! Although this is impossibly small to see! Today was spent wondering if another fire would start closer to us requiring us to evacuate. Fortunately that didn’t happen. We have had a friend’s doggo while they are evacuated and that made for some funny moments since we already have 2 cats and a corgi. But all is well. Two guests are with us tonight and they hope to get back home tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow... my china is packed and ready to go to church in the morning so I can host a table at the Tea for a Reason fundraiser for Outside the Bowl. I’ll try to get some good photos to share here tomorrow. It’s approaching midnight but I made my post for day 4! Until tomorrow! Goodnight.

Day Three Yesterday we were aware that much of southern California was dealing with fires, but it hadn't gotten down to our neck of the woods yet. And then the Lilac Fire started this morning around 11:15 and has grown to 4100 acres at this point and is 0% contained.  At least two families we know and love are evacuated and another is in the evacuation zone, but is holding tight. They have a good view of the fire and have a way out if necessary. We are far enough south not to be evacuated due to this fire. We are even hosting one person tonight who is evacuated but has to stay in the area to get to work tomorrow. Hopefully no new fires will start around our town and the Santa Ana winds will pipe down and allow our ocean breezes to return.

Day Two. So I've decided my goal is to write everyday for 30 days. This will force me to get comfortable using this thing called Blogger. And I'll try to work my way through learning all of its tools. Today I decided that I would try to post a link to something, but I spent all day ruminating about what to write. Then I got my mail and found a copy of this: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Thy-Body-Answering-Questions/dp/0801075726 It's Nancy Pearcey's soon-to-be-released book. I had filled out an online form to be part of the book launch team, but didn't imagine I'd be selected to join the team because my online presence is pretty minuscule. But I have my complimentary copy in my hands so I'm going to read and share all about it. I'm so excited! Whoever imagined one could be excited about a book report? :) Previously, I've read her books, "Total Truth" and "Finding Truth". We also have "Saving Leonardo" which I have ...

Starting is the hardest part. The endless and overwhelming initial possibilities keep the parking brake firmly in place. How do you choose the right way to go? One thing is certain at this point, even if you don't know exactly where you want to end up, you have to start moving if you're going to get anywhere at all. After all, everyone knows you can't drive a parked car. And so, I'm starting. I'm not exactly sure how focused on any one thing this blog will be. One post may deal with parenting. One may be about some aspect of homeschooling. One about a book I'm reading (Wuthering Heights) or a movie I've seen (Thor: Ragnarok).  There will probably be a fair amount of sorting through life's transitions. There are two teenagers in this house and I'm ready to forge the next chapter for myself as we are helping them forge theirs. Oh, and there are pets. So they may make their way on here as well. I'm a bookworm and fairly "old-school" ab...