Tag: cool stuff

 

Wow – they are still coming in and since I have word that more are on the way I will wager that we will reach 650 which means you have sent in TEN TIMES what I hoped to get.  If you haven't been keeping up you can scroll down through the recent posts or go here to see where this started.  Today's packages included piles of pink from two groups that collected the donations – HCIT?  I wish you could see my big-eyed-open-mouthed expression every time I pick up from the post office.  And then I wish you could see me get all misty-eyed-yet-grinning as I read all your sweet notes, and when I realize that some of the return addresses are not familiar to me.  Thank you for the sweet pink love.  You make grief endurable. 

A huge pink scrap album (to chronicle the pink story!) arrived from JW in OZ with her pinks socks and the cutest story about being a girl dressed in black shopping for pink.  I'm with ya girl, pink is so not my thing either….but it has it's own meaning with this and I appreciate EVERYONE who has made the effort to shop for and send pink socks.  These arrived from Carrie on Friday but somehow missed the photo since they were propped up next to my computer as I checked the website for these clever things. 

 

The third pink bin is nearly full.  I'm off to Target for another as I have had messages from many of you that more socks are still en route.   I.AM.BLOWN.AWAY.and.humbled.and thrilled.THANK.YOU.

*i borrowed the post title sox in the city from my friend lisa.  isn't she clever? 

A huge pink scrap album (to chronicle the pink story!) arrived from JW in OZ with her pinks socks and the cutest story about being a girl dressed in black shopping for pink.  I'm with ya girl, pink is so not my thing either….but it has it's own meaning with this and I appreciate EVERYONE who has made the effort to shop for and send pink socks.  These arrived from Carrie on Friday but somehow missed the photo since they were propped up next to my computer as I checked the website for these clever things. 

 

The third pink bin is nearly full.  I'm off to Target for another as I have had messages from many of you that more socks are still en route.   I.AM.BLOWN.AWAY.and.humbled.and thrilled.THANK.YOU.

*i borrowed the post title sox in the city from my friend lisa.  isn't she clever? 

I roll, tie, and label the socks every night while watching the Olympics.  I watch gymnastics and it gets me a little sad as my sister was a gymnast and she always enjoyed watching the event.  Then I see all the pinkness I am surrounded by, knowing it has all arrived from around the globe, and I am filled with a huge sense of PEACE.  Who knew that pink socks would make one feel so loved?  I am giddy thinking about what it will be like to see their arrival on 7B.  Thank you, Team Pink. 

I roll, tie, and label the socks every night while watching the Olympics.  I watch gymnastics and it gets me a little sad as my sister was a gymnast and she always enjoyed watching the event.  Then I see all the pinkness I am surrounded by, knowing it has all arrived from around the globe, and I am filled with a huge sense of PEACE.  Who knew that pink socks would make one feel so loved?  I am giddy thinking about what it will be like to see their arrival on 7B.  Thank you, Team Pink. 

Can you believe this?  It's just incredible!  I had no idea.  None.  Here's the thing….I would say at least 75% of the packages that have arrived are from new-to-me people.  HCIT?  How about that cute message on the envelope from Bonnie?  And those rosey messages from Inge, pinned through the socks for the nurses.  You all keep me going.  I am so feeling the love.

It has been a delight to read your notes and to get your messages both written and unwritten.  I'm stealing this line from my friend Linda….it blows my socks off.  Truly.  Thank you again.  I know I said August 15th for the due date but it will be at least another week after that until I send the boxes off so for those of you who have written – not to worry.   xoxo

Can you believe this?  It's just incredible!  I had no idea.  None.  Here's the thing….I would say at least 75% of the packages that have arrived are from new-to-me people.  HCIT?  How about that cute message on the envelope from Bonnie?  And those rosey messages from Inge, pinned through the socks for the nurses.  You all keep me going.  I am so feeling the love.

It has been a delight to read your notes and to get your messages both written and unwritten.  I'm stealing this line from my friend Linda….it blows my socks off.  Truly.  Thank you again.  I know I said August 15th for the due date but it will be at least another week after that until I send the boxes off so for those of you who have written – not to worry.   xoxo

This message, found on the envelope from my friend Sarah in England, was an A-HA moment for me.  It was so touching to see and to know that she, like many of you, are still with me.   It has never been more obvious than in the pinkness arriving daily to my home and my post office box.  But what I didn't realize until I saw that message, was that by launching this project, Shannon is still with me.  She's still with me. 

 

The mail staff must get a kick out of all the packages.  We are enjoying every minute of it.

I tend to buy two of everything.  Good thing I got two of these pink bins because this one is full!  THANK YOU to all who have sent in pink socks.  This totally ROCKS!!   We passed the goal of *65* days ago! 

I've been rolling up each pair and labeling with the name and location of each donation on a pink tag so each recipient will GET that this project is a global hug.  You can imagine I spazzed when Judy sent me these AND the stencils to make more. 

I am humbled and honored to be the hostess of something that has rippled wider than I could ever have imagined.  xoxo

This message, found on the envelope from my friend Sarah in England, was an A-HA moment for me.  It was so touching to see and to know that she, like many of you, are still with me.   It has never been more obvious than in the pinkness arriving daily to my home and my post office box.  But what I didn't realize until I saw that message, was that by launching this project, Shannon is still with me.  She's still with me. 

 

The mail staff must get a kick out of all the packages.  We are enjoying every minute of it.

I tend to buy two of everything.  Good thing I got two of these pink bins because this one is full!  THANK YOU to all who have sent in pink socks.  This totally ROCKS!!   We passed the goal of *65* days ago! 

I've been rolling up each pair and labeling with the name and location of each donation on a pink tag so each recipient will GET that this project is a global hug.  You can imagine I spazzed when Judy sent me these AND the stencils to make more. 

I am humbled and honored to be the hostess of something that has rippled wider than I could ever have imagined.  xoxo

 

When I was twelve or so my friend Peggy and I, and a handful of neighborhood friends, staged a backyard carnival to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis.  Remember those kits you could send away for back in the 70s?  The Muscular Dystrophy Association and Jerry Lewis enlisted children to help make a difference.  We borrowed one of those kits and put our own spin on it and made it happen.  I clearly remember riding our bikes to the local businesses soliciting for freebies to offer as prizes.  We got keychains and pens from the bank, a ball and bat and glove from Ben Franklin, some bags of penny candy from the grocery store….I believe we raised something like $27 from the nickel and dime donations we collected for the games and fortune telling and face paintings.  We mailed all the loose change in an envelope to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  A few weeks later we were sent a thank you letter and a dozen CF collar pins.  I WAS SURE THEY WOULD SOON FIND A CURE AFTER RECEIVING OUR ENORMOUS CONTRIBUTION.

Looking back now I think that event gave each participant a different perspective of HOPE.  My parents must have been touched that we thought about taking on the disease with the belief we could help.  My sister must have known we really loved her.  We carnival-throwing-kids were confident that our $$$ could be used for research for a cure.  But imagine what it must have been like at the CF Foundation office that morning when the mail arrived with a letter written by a 12 year old offering $27 in coins to present to the lab in hopes that a cure would be identified.   Imagine that.  There HAD to be a ripple effect don't you think?  And while a cure wasn't discovered in Shannon's lifetime there were alot of breakthroughs including the invention of the "vest" which not only allowed a CF patient to be independent in their daily bronchial drainage therapies, but it was developed by my sister's doctor, and she was a recipient of a prototype model.

All I can say is I never expected this.  I never anticipated that the sock request would get such an incredible response and I never saw it coming that there would be spin-off things occuring – like the sharing of stories.  Stories of loss, stories of health, stories of inspiration, motivation, encouragement.  The ripple effect is amazing.  The people I have heard from are amazing.  This whole thing is utterly amazing.  There are some things I will share with you but some things will just have to stay in my head and my heart. 

THANK YOU for winking at me.  THANK YOU for sharing your stories.  To begin…in my home mailbox were these, from a neighbor friend who I didn't know read my blog…. 

And then these from the post office box………..

And I'm off to pick up the mail at the post office today….then tune in on the Street Team blog where I'll be posting the next challenge later today.  It's only been two days of mail at my post office and we have already passed the 65 pairs goal.  And I can already feel the goodness that is being spread through the ripple effect that started last week.  There are still ten more days to go.  Wow!!!

xoxo