Fifty Two Weeks of Joy

This blessing took place the week of September 21 st – 27 th This is it folks, my final blessing, my ending to an incredible journey. The past few days have been a little emotional for me. I've gone back and read a few of my past posts, and relived the stories. I must say this journey has taught me so much about God, so much about myself, and a whole lot about people. I've learned it's not my place to determine if someone is worthy of a blessing. God just provides opportunities to take care of his people and I either take advantage of the opportunity or I don't. I've decided it's better to bless someone because helping people has shown me how blessed I am. It has taught me to count my blessings and to be thankful for what I have, because others aren't as fortunate. I started this journey because I wanted to restore a joy I lost when my mom passed away. I wanted to find whatever it was I was missing… Looking back I don't think I had a lack of ...

This blessing took place the week of September 14 th – 20 th My best friend has been devastated by the crisis in Iraq. She and a friend have decided to do something to help children and families who are being directly impacted by what is happening there. Are you willing to do the same? Will you Dare to Love these families and help bring hope in the mist of the darkness? My friends are selling these shirts:   With 75% of proceeds going to Samaritan's Purse, below I've provide a little bit of information about Samaritan's Purse and the work they are doing in Iraq. ***Via Samaritan's Purse Facebook Page*** The crisis in Iraq has opened up new opportunities for our staff and partners to share the Go ... od News of Jesus Christ. One team member was talking to a displaced Muslim family and they asked why we are helping. The team member proceeded to share the story of the Good Samaritan. The father of the family then told him, "And you, a Christian, ar...

This blessing took place the week of September 7 th – 13 th   *Disclaimer-- this blessing is about blessing my son Eli… Who also happens to be a superhero, in case you didn't know? He recently watched the movie the Amazing Spiderman and has decide He. Is. Spiderman. But shh… his identity needs to remain a secret. On Monday, September 8 th I took Eli for his last blood draw. As soon as I pulled into the parking lot Eli started to cry and begged me to not take him inside. I looked at him and said, "Eli this should be our last visit and remember you are Spiderman, you are strong, and it's not going to hurt this time. We got inside and the lab tech called us into the room. Eli was SO brave and tried not to cry. He set in my lap like a big boy and told me, "I Spiderman it no hurt". Both the tech and I looked at him and said yes you are and it might hurt but only for a minute. I kept reminding him he was strong and it would ALL be over soon. He took it like...

This blessing took place the week of August 31 st – September 6 th Sometimes the greatest blessings are the simplest of things…. There are times in life when we need to stop and just be there for others. We don't need to have the answers to all, of life's riddles. We just need to be an ear willing to listen. This week I listened. One of my taxi participants came in and needed someone to listen. She told me all about her family and the drama that entails. Every family has drama and she just needed someone to listen to her vent. She stayed for about 20 minutes and thanked me. We hugged and cried together. She left and I got back to work. Now I wasn't able to "fix" or "solve" her problems but I was able to listen and offer encouragement. Sometimes in life we just need to know we have a cheerleader in our corner. Try and encourage someone today… You might need the encouragement tomorrow.

This blessing took place the week of August 24 th – 30 th Sunday, August 24 th would have been mom's 56 th birthday. Every year on her birthday we go out to eat at Olive Garden and then send her balloons with Happy Birthday messages. While at lunch we decided as a family we would bless someone at the restaurant, in memory of mom. After some discussion Oscar and I decided we would bless our server. When he came back to the table to check on us Eli handed him Oscar's debt card. Eli likes to pay for things, and he already knows who to ask. Our server took the card and went back to get our check and charge us for the meal. Oscar has an Arkansas Razorback Alumni logo on his bank card. Prompting our server to ask Oscar questions about his degree, Oscar told him he received a Finance degree. We quickly learned our waiter is also a Razorback and is working towards a triple major. After a brief conversation our waiter left again. Oscar filled in the tip section with a gene...

This blessing took place the week of August 17 th – 23 rd I'm sure by now many of you have heard about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge… Sorry to disappoint but we did not dump ice on our heads instead Oscar and I did make a donation to the ALS Foundation. Oh and for the record whoever came up with this idea is a genius… Not only has dumping ice raised awareness it has also raised millions in a matter of weeks.

This blessing took place the week of August 10 th -16 th . As I left church Sunday morning, a woman was standing at the corner holding a sign that said, "Mother has abandoned children anything you can give will help." I pulled up next to her and asked her, "What do you need?" She answered all she needs right now are diapers for her grandbabies. I asked her to get in the car and go with me to the store to buy some diapers. On the drive to the store we introduce ourselves to each other. She then told me about her grandkids and about their mother. Her daughter in law has basically chosen a lifestyle of drugs instead of motherhood. Beth, my new friend, is unable to work and her husband just lost his job.   We got to the store I told her to get whatever she needed. She was very gracious and only got the diapers. I told her she could get more but she insisted it wasn't necessary because they had some money coming their way. We checked out, got back in t...

This blessing took place the week of August 3 rd – 9 th .   I'm very excited about this week. I've agreed to serve on the Children's Christmas Train Committee this year. This is an annual event with proceeds from the event benefiting children's charities. Proceeds from this year's event will benefit the Children's Safety Center. If a child is abused the child is brought to the center and they will investigate the case, provide counseling, medical exam (if needed), or anything else the child needs. Not only do they provide care but they bring law enforcement, child protective services, victim service providers, prosecutors, medical professionals, and mental health professionals to the child. This way the child doesn't have to be transported from place to place repeating the same story and reliving the abuse over and over again. I'm very excited about having the opportunity to serve on this committee and hopefully reach our goal of sponsorships to...

This blessing took place the week of July 27 th – August 2 nd .   This blessing took place the week of July 27 th – August 2 nd . Those of you, who know me, know I have a history of chronic back pain. I've been seeing a different chiropractor for the past 2 years and I've actually seen a tremendous amount of improvement. Early this week I had a routine visit for an adjustment. This week's blessing is about that visit and me meeting an expected stranger. A friend recently showed me a Youtube video about how all of us are becoming zombies because of our smartphones. I was immediately convicted, because I too am guilty of always being on my phone. On this particular day I decided I wasn't going to play on my phone while I waited; I was determined to interact with whoever else was in the waiting area. I'm so glad I put my phone away! An older woman came in and set next me, she was crocheting a beautiful scarf. We began talking about crocheting....

This blessing took place the week of July 20 th – 26 th . Several of you who have followed this blog from the beginning have heard me talk about my son Eli. When Eli was about 10 months old he had a cough and a fever. We couldn't get the fever to go away and he began to develop a rash all over his body. I scheduled an appointment with his pediatrician. His doctor didn't seem too concerned with the cough or the fever but the rash seemed to be an indication of something more serious. We were instructed to rush Eli to the ER and we would have nurses waiting for our arrival. As soon as we arrived at the hospital before I could get paperwork filled out we were rushed into a room and placed in strict isolation. We could not leave the room and anyone who entered the room had to wear masks, gloves, and a full body gown. None of the nurses could tell us much, all we knew was Eli was sick and he was going to be admitted and remain in isolation until the doctor came in the next mo...

This blessing took place the week of July 13 th – 19 th This week was kind of a bummer… However, it ended well and has encouraged me to possibly continue this blog after I've completed the 52 weeks. It's time for me to be honest with myself and those reading my blog. Lately, I've been in an uncomfortable amount of pain. It's made for a very unpleasant attitude. I simply don't feel good and I don't have the energy or desire to do anything. It's frustrating because Eli, my 2 year old son, wants to play and I just can't. The pain is so annoying I didn't even want to do a blessing this week. Of course, I tried to bless an older gentleman on my taxi program. I saw him walking and offered to give him a ride and buy him lunch. He politely refused my offer. Bummer! Looking back it's probably best I didn't give him a ride. Plus, I'm sure my husband is thankful I didn't give him a ride. Either way I felt like my blessings didn...

This blessing took place the week of July 6 th – 12 th This week was another small blessing; I simply took a friend to lunch. Her grandfather passed away and I wanted to be there for her, because she has been there for me so many times.   The death of my mother has taught me, no matter the age of a person it's never easy to say goodbye. No matter how much time we've been given with our loved ones it's never enough. We will always long for one more phone call, one more visit, one more hug, or just one more kiss… No matter how much time we've been given it will never be enough. However, as Christians we can mourn with joy, because we are promised we will be reunited with our loved ones. We will spend an eternity with them. Do you realize how long eternity is? It's never ending; it's forever, for always… In eternity there are no goodbyes! Take comfort in that today as you mourn a loved one who has gone home. We are promised an eternity of no more ...

This blessing took place the week of June 29 th – July 5 th   A few weeks ago I made Oscar a perfect photo book to celebrate our 4 years of marriage. This week the book came in the mail I was so excited to show Oscar and celebrate our history together. Only thing is we are talking about me and I've told you all this before, but like most things I do this evolved into an ordeal instead of what it really was a simple gesture of love. Turns out my perfect photo book wasn't so perfect. I made a few minor errors… For starters I put the wrong anniversary date. For some of you I realize this is just plain crazy, how could a woman forget her anniversary? I didn't forget our anniversary I just simply put the wrong month… Thankfully, I'm married to a man who thinks it's cute I put the wrong month. Plus if any of you saw this book none of you would've even known it was wrong. We had a good laugh about the mistake continued to reminisce, and then we get to the l...

This blessing took place the week of June 22 nd -28 th My blessing this week was another small gesture, but I think it helped make a stranger's day a little easier. I was at the grocery store with a full basket in line ready to check out. A guy came in line behind me with just a couple items and obviously in a hurry. I asked him if he would like to go in front of me, because he only had a few things to purchase. Surprised by the offer he gladly accepted and went ahead of me, purchased his items, thanked me, and left. As a kid I witnessed my parents do this for several people. All my life I've heard people say it's the little things in life that matter… However, I feel as though we take these small gestures for granted. We tend to not be thankful for little acts of kindness until we start to not receive them. I remember as a new mom my first experience with the stroller. Trying to get in and out of stores was more of a challenge than I anticipated. So many peop...

This blessing took place the week of June 15 th – 21 st Honestly, this week was a very trying week for me. Sadly, I had several first world problems and kind of had a pity party all week long. To make a long story short I had an issue with a twig… Our AC went out… My keys got locked in my car AGAIN… And so on and so on… One day it finally hit me. None of this really matters. I made the decision to change my perspective and start thanking God for all the amazing blessings I do have. Thank you Jesus for the trees in my front yard, even if they do cause twigs to fall onto my yard. Thank you Jesus for a beautiful home that has an AC and a husband who is handy and can fix things! Thank you Jesus for giving me a reliable car even though Eli continues to lock the keys in it, but more importantly thank you for blessing me with a now healthy son who is smart enough to not lock himself in the car. In the midst of all my petty American drama I have learned to focus on the good instead...

This blessing took place the week of June 8 th – 14 th   This week was all about blessings. I'm so thankful God gave me so many opportunities to bless others. I was able to take care of a few things to help relieve some stress in Oscar's life. I was able to get a few Father's Day gifts for some very important dads, a birthday gift for a lovely lady, and a wedding gift for a friend. I took the time to bless a friend with some fresh flowers. Finally, I was able to help a young girl get transportation to a doctor's appointment. I'm loving this blessing gig...   God is so good and I'm so thankful that he allowed me to bless multiple people this week. I truly believe if as a society we would begin to focus more on others and less on ourselves our world would truly be a better place. I came across these links the other day and I had to share… http://shareafterreading.com/acts-of-kindness/ http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/see-the-world-diff...

This blessing took place the week of June 1 st – 7 th If you have followed my blog you know part of my job is providing elderly and handicap resident's transportation vouchers, to help offset their transportation costs. Every three months I send participants coupons and bus passes via mail.   One of the participants on the program called to inform me see received the wrong coupons. Now, I know what you are thinking, how is that possible Jennifer is perfect? Sadly, you are wrong and like you I'm merely human and did indeed make a mistake. I knew I had to make things right. I needed to make sure she got the correct coupons. It was Friday June 6 th and she had appointments on Monday, and really needed the right coupons. She didn't have a way to get to the office to exchange coupons. I told her to not worry. I made the mistake I was going to make sure she had the right coupons before Monday. I told her I would take time during my lunch hour to run by her hom...

This blessing took place the week of May 25 th – 31 st A friend of mine recently shared this quote on Facebook: "Your greatest contribution to this world may not be something you do but rather someONE you raise." – Craig Groschel How fitting for my life right now? Sometimes I beat myself up for not climbing up the ladder in the career world and feeling sorry for myself because I haven't achieved more success… Whatever that means… In the past couple of days I've come to realize my role as a mother will forever be my greatest achievement. Thankfully, the job I currently have allows me to provide excellent insurance for my family and allows me to spend time with my family. No I don't get to spend all day everyday with my son, but my favorite part of the day is picking him up and hearing him yell "mommy" as he runs to me with arms open, ready to receive my embrace. This week's blessing was all about Eli. Eli loves dinosaurs- he ca...

This blessing took place the week of May 18 th – 19 th   I am blessed to have the family I have, I absolutely love my brothers and my sister, well sisters if you count the other Jennifer. I'll save her story for another day. My sister Nicole lives in El Paso and has 4 beautiful children, Malachi, Kiana, Nevaeh, and Marcus all of them Asian and each of them a miracle in their own way. Malachi, brought the family together, Kiana born on her daddy's birthday & 6 weeks early fighting for her life, Nevaeh, was growing in the womb when Nicole had an extensive laparoscopic surgery to remove some endometriosis; hence the name Nevaeh it's heaven backwards, because she truly was a gift from God. Sweet Marcus is the last of the group and I guess the perfect one… They say parents stop having children when they finally get it right. I love all of my sister's kids they each hold a very special place in my heart but I do share a special bond with my niece Kiana.   ...

This blessing took place the week of May 11 th – 17 th . I was beyond blessed this week. I was given an opportunity to go home for few days. I flew out on Thursday, May 15 th . Anytime I fly home I have a layover in Dallas. This usually allows for me to get breakfast or lunch. This being a typical layover I stopped to get some breakfast at McDonalds. Instead of getting my usual, just a breakfast burrito and a drink I felt the need to get the meal. It includes 2 burritos, a hash brown, and a drink. After getting my meal and arriving at my gate. The girl sitting next to me asked where she could find McDonalds. I told her she would need to take the skylink to get there, but she probably wouldn't have time to go and come back before boarding.   I told her I had an extra burrito that she could have if she wanted it. She asked if I was serious, I smiled and said, "Yes, I seriously have an extra burrito and you can have it". I went on to tell her I never get the meal b...