Random Acts of Thanksgiving

Throughout last November, I decorated branches with all the things in my life that I was thankful for.  At the end of the month, I realized it was more important to fill the tree with all the good I can do for others.  Also, I came to find that after about eight days, it became difficult to think of things that were actually important.  Everything else seemed silly or was a result of one of the first few.  These were my top eight (in no particular order):

 1. My Education
 2. My Husband
 3. My Children 
 4. My Family
 5. My Friends
 6. My Job
 7. My Health
 8. Financial Security

This year, as promised, I've decided not to focus on what I have, but on what I can give to others. Will any of it make a huge difference in someone's life? Probably not.  Regardless, it is important.

It’s no secret that growing our family hasn’t exactly gone smoothly.  For that reason, our children are probably the thing I am most thankful for.   We had medicine to fix my fertility issues, the NICU staff at Rainbows to make sure we brought our girls home, each other during the miscarriage and doctors who are watching closely as this baby develops.  I’d say those are a bunch of reasons to be thankful for our children. 

As a result, the first thing I’d like to do during this month is potentially help make someone's journey to growing their family a little easier.  I currently know a few couples on the road to adoption.  Whether they chose adoption or adoption chose them, their stories have been inspiring.   One of those couples has decided to start their family by adopting from Ethiopia, which is quite costly.  To help make bringing their little guy home a bit easier, they’ve starting using the website justlovecoffee.com.  When people buy products using this link, a portion of the proceeds will go towards their adoption.  I was so excited when my Ethiopian coffee arrived in the mail and was thinking some of you might want to help me help them.  I can assure you that the little boy they are waiting for is going to be very lucky to have them as parents!

Random Act of Thanksgiving #2

The seventh item on my list was my health.  In addition to being thankful for that, we are also very fortunate to have great health insurance.  When the girls were in the hospital, they each racked up a $750,000 bill.  Add to that my $15,000 bill and we were looking at a total cost of just over 1.5 million dollars.  We were only responsible for $600 of that amount.  

So, the second thing I've done this month is donate to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  I organized a bowl-a-thon for the charity back in junior high and have been a big fan ever since.  When families are going through something as scary as cancer, they shouldn't have to worry about the expense of treatment.  Our small donation won't go far, but every little bit helps.

 

Random Act of Thanksgiving #3

The first item on my list was my education, so I wanted to choose something that related to learning.  Since I had some books to return to the library, I decided to anonymously pay off a few overdue fines.  I appreciate that our local branch offers so many programs and resources for the the community.  Plus, reading is important and I wanted to help make sure someone else can continue to check-out books.

Random Act of Thanksgiving #4

Number 6 on my list was my job.  I was referring to my current position as a stay-at-home mom, but I'm also very thankful for the years I spent in the classroom.  I have always been a big fan of the website donorschoose.org.  It's a place where teachers can ask donors to help purchase resources for their classrooms.  I was fortunate enough to have people donate to my projects and enjoy donating to others.  I'm hoping Mrs. Ely's class in Toledo gets the materials they need!

 

Random Act of Thanksgiving #5

My family was the 4th item on my list, so I wanted to choose something that focuses on families.  Ronald McDonald House Charities immediately came to mind.  They provides families with a place to stay while children undergo medical treatments.  I spent time in high school and college volunteering at two different Ronald McDonald Houses and saw how much they did for families while we stayed in the hospital with our girls.  They have an Amazon Wish List online that makes donating items super easy.

Random Act of Thanksgiving #6

I am most often reminded to be thankful for financial security when I'm grocery shopping.  The fact that I don't have to worry about what the total will be at the end of checking out always makes me feel guilty.  We are sensible, buy things on sale and use the occasional coupon in hopes of staying on budget, but going over doesn't mean something has to be put back.  I know many people aren't that lucky.  I decided to make a donation to the area food bank where just $1 = 4 nutritional meals.  A small donation goes a long way!

Random Act of Thanksgiving #7

The friends I hold near and dear to my heart definitely made the list of things I'm thankful for.  I'm also appreciative for all the friendly people we're surrounded by in our neighborhood.  Mate and I have made it a point to always support the fundraising efforts of the kids that live here.  Last week, a member of the high school basketball team came to sell coupon books.  Unfortunately, we have a coupon card from the football team and never use it.  Instead of turning her away, I gave her a donation and she can give the book to someone else. 

Random Act of Thanksgiving #8

For my final Act of Thanksgiving, I wanted to find something to do that relates to my appreciation for my husband.  Although I did encourage him to go out with friends and let him sleep in twice this weekend, we won't count that as my random act.  Instead, I found an app called iGive that will donate a portion of the money I spend shopping to Marriage Equality, a non-profit organization.  Since my personal belief is that I shouldn't have rights that other people don't have, I'm hopeful this will help those who are fighting to have their marriages legally recognized.

 

I realized during this month that the things I was doing weren't all that random.  Even though the title of this endeavor isn't exactly accurate, I found it way more enjoyable than last year when I simply listed things I was thankful for.