JOY
JOY 
JOY...I haven't posted anything in here in months, but it isn't because I haven't been busy or have not had anything to say.
To the contrary!  As one of those ridiculous commercials say,
"Life comes at you fast!"


In the last two months, we've buried both of our beloved Papillons and yesterday my husband and in-law's beloved kitty...all were 16 years old.  We are starting a "Hobby Farm" on our beautiful Arizona acreage.  Right now, we are feeding 32 PEEPS! Who would've thought I'd be a farm girl...I am doing it to enrich my children's lives and teach them the joy and responsibility of caring for livestock, but I know, I'll be the one carrying water and feeding the critters in the deep reaches of winter. (We've already experienced this with the girl's bunnies.)

An important aspect of my life is outreach.  As many of you know-who have followed my art career for almost 20 years, what I do is intermingled with aiding those who are vulnerable.  One of the ways we do this is through, "JOY BAGS."

(See Globalimpactworldrelief.org)

This summer, we did orphanage outreaches with JOY BAGS in Romania...see one of the blogs from this summer for more details.  It was exciting for me because my children participated.  My oldest daughter is from an orphanage in Viet Nam, so that was especially sweet.  Presently, we are doing Christmastime outreaches with JOY BAGS in southern India, to a boarding school for children and young adults with special needs.  We are also doing it in a barrio of Peru for 100 children who would otherwise not have something special for them for Christmas.

What is amazing about this outreach is that it is being head-up by a dear young lady that I have known since she was a girl.  She was one of the children that lived in a children's home outside of Lima who I did Poetry Art prints to help support! This sweetheart is making puppets to do a Christmas gospel presentation and is doing the outreach to the children in her own neighborhood.  She has the desire to give to those who are less fortunate than she because she herself has seen firsthand what this is all about.  (I got to spend Christmas with her and the other children in that children's home in 1994.)

Beyond international JOY BAG outreaches, we are also doing two in the United States. The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, my children and our homeschooling group are taking JOY BAGS to an orphanage in the Phoenix area...YES, I said, "orphanage."  This one is called Sunshine Farms and it is a home for children without families.  In December, we will be doing an outreach with JOY BAGS to the senior citizens that my daughters and I visit every month at a senior day center in our town.  We will fill the bags with lotion, fuzzy socks and miscellaneous items that will bless our friends there.

SO, if you would like to participate on any level in the JOY BAG project, whether that means sewing bags or making a monetary donation, please do, information is on the Global Impact website. Beyond that, I will do my utmost to update this blog with photos of some of these events that I've talked about.
Happy Thanksgiving...I am counting my blessings more than ever this year, I'm sure you are too!