2011 Annual Pet Portrait Contest!

Studio 36
170 Park Street
Suite 3
Bangor ME 04401
Phone (207) 299-2869

Press Release
Contact: Jodi Renshaw
Phone: (207) 299-2869

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2011

2011 Pet Portrait contest to benefit the Bangor Humane Society.

Bangor, ME, April 25, 2011: Studio 36, a photography studio in downtown Bangor, is pleased to announce their second annual Pet Portrait Contest to benefit the Bangor Humane Society. All pets are welcome to participate – from cats and dogs to iguanas and guinea pigs.

To enter the contest, pet owners should make an appointment to have their pet photographed by Studio 36. In lieu of a session fee, participants will be asked to give a donation to the Bangor Humane Society of any amount greater than $5. The pet owner may then choose which picture from their pet portrait session that they would like to enter in to the contest. All portrait sessions must take place before Monday, May 27th. Please call 299-2869 to make an appointment.

The winners will be chosen by public voting via an Internet link as well as a public viewing at the studio. All pet photos will be on display throughout Studio 36 - at 170 Park Street - for public viewing beginning Wednesday, June 22nd through Sunday, June 26th from 12pm – 5pm. Winner will be announced on Sunday, Sunday, June 26th on www.studio36bangor.com. Each vote will cost the voter a .50 cent donation to the Bangor Humane Society. The pet photo with the most votes wins.

First prize is a portrait package from Studio 36 (to be used for people or pets) valued at $150, as well as a front window display dedicated to your pet for the month of July.

Second prize is a $75 Gift Card to Pet Quarters, 744 Stillwater Avenue in Bangor, ME.

Third prize is an original watercolor portrait of your pet by Tricia Kenny of Bangor, ME.

Last year’s contest was a huge success for the Bangor Humane Society. Over $2,000 was raised for the shelter. Studio 36 is hoping to exceed that amount this year.

Pet owners are able to purchase copies of their session photos from Studio 36, with a portion of the sales also going to the Bangor Humane Society. Thanks to all who choose to participate.

http://www.studio36bangor.com/ / 207-299-2869

Picture attached:
Kimbo the Dog
Shaggy the Cat

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2010 Paws on Parade.

We are so proud of our local Humane Society ... and of the community of people who support them. Of course I am especially proud of my kiddos who give of their time to love and assist the animals, fund raise for the shelter, and participate in events such as the 2010 Paws on Parade ...

This year was epic for the event. Despite the sad shape of the economy, the shelter was able to raise a record $40,000! Amazing! This is due in large part to the wonderful staff at the Bangor Humane Society ... ESPECIALLY Miss Danielle Coutu, the Volunteer and Events Coordinator. She put her heart and soul into this event and it showed :)

Here are some of the critters who attended ...

To see more gorgeous four-legged critters (and some fairly gorgeous two-leggeds) in attendance, please check out my Flickr page.

Come join in the fun next year! The event takes place every October on the Bangor Waterfront. Mark your calendars. Oh, and speaking of calendars ... DON'T FORGET TO PURCHASE YOUR 2011 BANGOR HUMANE SOCIETY CALENDARS!!! We need 500 orders to get the best deal at the printers ... so please purchase yours right away.

PLEASE NOTE: If purchasing by mail, please send your checks to Studio 36, 1746 Stillwater Ave, Bangor ME 04401 and NOT the address on the order form. Thank you :)

Enjoy your furry friends.

Love,

Jodi

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Update: Efforts for Haiti.

Again, thank you all so very much for your help with our fundraising efforts for Haiti. The generosity I have found among you all is nothing short of amazing. xo

We are still in "collection" mode ... collecting proceeds of the Studio 36 Silent Auction, our on-line auctions, and Isaac's coin drive. Therefore, we don't have any "final" numbers yet ... but we have been able to send out a check to each of the organizations that we are collecting for. Here are some current numbers to celebrate:

Haitian Roots: $359.47
Hearts With Haiti: $359.47
Yele: $100.00

These aren't "telethon" numbers - but any amount is most helpful and needed - so we are pleased. And there is more money coming in nearly every day!

We also received much press for our efforts ... and that is always good. Keeping the plight of Haiti in the hearts and minds of the masses is going to be difficult. But if we - who love Haiti dearly - can find unique ways to keep media attention on the restoration efforts in Haiti - then we are doing something powerful indeed.

Our story was picked up (and made front page news) in The Bangor Daily and The Weekly. I was also interviewed for a piece on Examiner.com (here) and had another interview for a local college paper. Some friends have told me that they have found pieces of our story by accident in various other places, but I have yet to discover them. The point is ... one small family in Bangor, Maine can raise awareness and make a change. We ALL can. And not just for Haiti --- but for whatever we believe in. Remember that!

"Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has." (Margaret Mead)

My friend Shannon, from Haitian Roots, tells me that Isson (a fellow Board member of Haitian Roots) is on his way into Haiti today in order to locate and provide assistance to as many children in the Haitian Roots program as possible. This is good news, but it is also a bit frightening. Of the 200+ children in the program, only 34 children have been accounted for at this point. Please pray that good news is heard regarding the rest of the children ... including the sweet little girl, Ashly Dort, who many of you helped to sponsor via this blog. I will certainly update you all as I hear anything.

Also - I will continue to hold some fundraising auctions here on this blog - hopefully as early as tomorrow. Thank you all for your prayers, generosity, love and light.

Love,
Jodi

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A Hand for Haiti : Recipe Book.

Reprinted from Raising Itty Bitty Bookworms ...

Since the earthquake in Haiti, Lauren at Celiac Teen has been working hard to gather recipes from contributing food bloggers all over the world in an effort to help. She has diligently put these recipes together in an e-book, available for purchase on her blog. All donations received for the e-book will be sent to the Canadian Red Cross (Lauren is Canadian) for purposes of helping victims of the Haiti earthquake. The e-book has many wonderful recipes, and many of them are gluten-free or easily gluten-free adaptable. Read more about how to obtain this e-book and contribute here.

What an amazing teen! Please support her in her efforts!

(Thank you Tara - for letting me know about this).

Love,
Jodi

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Online Benefit Auction for Haiti: Item #1.

These pillows are absolutely gorgeous in person. They are made from the artwork of local photographers ... quilted and sewn by local volunteers ... and sold in area stores to benefit "at-risk" youth in Southern Maine. The woman in charge of this program gave me some pillows to sell for the benefit of Haiti. She is a generous soul to be sure.

This pillow is 14" square, has a bottom zipper for taking pillow form out, is sewn with high quality materials, and is washable.

The picture featured on this pillow is of a tree in winter ... full of birds. So lovely.

So - start the bidding!

Please leave a comment (on the blog - not facebook please) with your bid and your contact info. Please note that shipping will cost an additional $5. Bidding will be closed at midnight (ET) on Thurs, Feb 11th. All proceeds will benefit Haitian Roots.com.

Thank you!

Love,
Jodi

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Auction Results.

(Isaac's now-famous "froggie bank" & part of his coin drive for Haiti)

Again ... and again ... and again ... a HEARTFELT THANKS to all who supported Studio 36's Silent Auction Benefit for Haiti. Thank you for the donations, the well-wishes, the bids, the coin collections, the publicity, the prayers ... for everything. You all are amazing and I am so thankful for each and every one of you. xo

The benefit was successful in oh-so-many ways. Many folks brought their coins in to support Isaac's coin drive. Generous bids were made. Local artists gained some publicity for their work. Many of us shared stories of our connections to Haiti. Others asked questions about adoption. Lovely connections were made. And money was raised! It was all good. It was all love and light.

So, here are the numbers thus far:

AUCTION RESULTS:

Total winning bids: $1044.00

Total collected thus far: $764.00

Total to be collected: $278.00

Total expenses for the event: $280.96

ISAAC's COIN COLLECTION DRIVE:

Total collected thus far: $362.00

TOTAL EARNED THUS FAR: $1124.06

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I am pleased with the results and hope you all are too. As soon as all monies are collected, we will dole out checks to the organizations that we were collecting for ... and Isaac will make his final decisions on where his coin collection monies will go. I will be sure to post the results here.

Also ... PLEASE NOTE: A few wonderful items did not receive their minimum bid amounts at the auction, and we have decided to sell some of them here on our blog ... in hopes of reaching a wider audience. We are hoping to post one item a day. Please stay tuned as there are some amazing pieces for sale and all sales will continue to benefit Haiti.

Again, thank you all.

Love,

Jodi

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Simply Amazing: Some Goodies Donated to Tomorrow's Benefit Auction.

I am in awe. And here is why ...

As you can see, there is something for everybody at the Studio 36 Silent Auction to Benefit Haiti ... and some absolutely breath-taking art. I am in such awe of the generosity of my friends, colleagues and neighbors. Several times tonight, while putting everything together for the big sale, I felt tears come to my eyes as I thought of the capacity we all have to love one another ... and how we humans always manage to come together to assist one another in our greatest hours of need. Haiti is in GREAT need right now ... and there is certainly no shortage of loving hearts and able hands to assist in all ways possible.

An enormous thanks to all of you. Every one of you has helped this effort in some way ... by telling your friends, donating an item, gathering coins for Isaac's fundraiser, sending prayers and positive thoughts, etc.

Tomorrow (or today, as this is being typed at 3am) is going to be great! I have faith that lots of money and goodwill is going to be generated for the people in Haiti ... and especially for the organizations that we love and trust to do amazing work within Haiti. I look forward to telling you all how successful this fundraiser has been --- and to seeing so many of you tomorrow.

xoxo,
Jodi

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Fundraiser for Haiti : The Press Release : Feel Free to Share

January 27, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Studio 36
128 Hammond Street
Bangor, Maine 04401
Contact: Jodi Renshaw (207)385-3940
jrenshaw@hotmail.com

Silent Auction Fundraiser has Local Ties to Haitian Victims

Saturday, February 6th, 2010, Bangor, Maine – Studio 36 announces a Silent Auction Fundraiser to help support the victims of the devastating Haitian earthquake. The public is invited to gather at 128 Hammond Street in downtown Bangor to view a wide array of interesting and artistic items donated by local artisans and businesses. The Silent Auction includes photography, paintings, hand sewn items and handcrafted Native American jewelry, sculpture and basketry. You will also have a chance to bid on a digital camera donated by Bangor Photo, gift certificates from local businesses, and a variety of celebrity signed items highlighted by a signed copy of a Stephen King novel. Bidding will start at 4:00 and close at 8:00pm and 100 percent of the proceeds will go to Haitian Roots, Hearts with Haiti and Yele, which are all Haitian run organizations.

For event coordinator Jodi Renshaw, the events in Haiti have hit very close to home. Her son Issac was born in Haiti. Jodi and her Husband Halis adopted Issac in 2006 at which time they made a vow to help support Issac’s birth family and to maintain a relationship with them in every way they could. Jodi owns and operates Studio 36 and recognized the opportunity to leverage her business and connections to the local art community to help raise much needed relief funds for the Haitian victims. Bring your loose change to the auction as Issac, who is four years old, has started his own fundraising effort by collection coins. So far he has raise about $200 and has a goal to reach $1,000.

During the Silent Auction Fundraiser the Ipanema Bar & Grill on 10 Broad Street in Downtown Bangor will host an authentic Haitian Dinner. Proceeds from the dinner will be added to the funds raised by the Silent Auction. Diners are encouraged to take their evening meal at Ipanema Bar & Grill which is within walking distance of Studio 36 and the Silent Auction.

For more information on this event please contact Jodi Renshaw at 207-385-3940 or jrenshaw@hotmail.com.

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Attached Photos:


Leaky Faucet: An example of some of the artwork that has been submitted to the silent auction. Photograph by JLR Photography.


Isaac: Isaac Renshaw-Sirimoglu of Bangor, was born in Haiti and is holding a coin drive to support Haitian relief efforts.


Isaac and Daddy: Isaac Renshaw-Sirimoglu and his Dad, Halis Sirimoglu of Bangor. Isaac was born in Haiti and is holding a coin drive to support Haitian earthquake relief efforts. Halis will be flying to Haiti in February in order to assist loved ones in the rebuilding of their homes.

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This press release was written and donated by Jason Brown ... a friend to us and to the people of Haiti. Thank you Jason. xo

Love,

Jodi

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The Invitation.

These are the invitations we are passing out in the Bangor area for our benefit auction at Studio 36. Please join us!

Love,

Jodi

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Ashly Dort.

Back in August, we held a fundraiser on this blog to help send as many Haitian children to school as possible. See here for details. Together, we (blog readers & Facebook friends) raised enough funds for one child to attend school - little Miss Ashly Dort. Isn't she absolutely adorable!?

Thank you to all who helped this little girl to attend school ... and to ease some of her Mama's burden.

Here is the info we received once this blog (the collective of all who helped) signed on to sponsor her:

"Ashly is 7 years old. Her DOB is 2 April 2002. She is one of five children. Her mother, Aude, is unmarried and works selling goods on the roadside. She earns between $500-$600/year. Ode struggles every day to keep her family fed, clothed, and sheltered. Some days she loses the battle. For her, providing an education for Ashly was just not a possibility—that is until you stepped in and decided to sponsor her through Haitian Roots. Aude is now full of hope and Ashly is extremely happy to be attending school. Thank you!!! "

However, though I am hopeful that Ashly is alive and well after Haiti's recent earthquakes ... I honestly do not know her fate. Nor does Haitian Roots at this point --- though I absolutely know that they are working feverishly to find all the children that are sponsored by their organization.

Here is yet another way in which the tragedy in Haiti hits home. So many of you helped to sponsor this sweet little girl ... now I also ask you to pray for her and her family ... along with prayers for all the children of Haiti.

And please - help us to help Haitian Roots to continue their amazing work in Haiti. Please consider contributing an item to our upcoming silent auction ... to be held from 4pm - 8pm on Sat, February 6th at Studio 36 in downtown Bangor. We have collected some amazing artwork, local gift certificates, fun items, etc. for the event. And the The Ipanema Bar & Grill will be serving a Haitian dinner at the same time as our event ... with all proceeds from both events to benefit various Haitian relief organizations (Haitian Roots, Hearts with Haiti & Yele).

And perhaps more importantly - please attend! And tell all your friends to attend! Not only will you be able to bid on some gorgeous artwork and handiwork from various local artists (as well as signed books, cameras, services, etc) ... but you can also enjoy a wonderful Haitian meal ... and support fundraising that will go straight to Haiti (100%). That will be a Saturday well spent!

We hope to see you there. This - as I have stated before - is personal. We are ONE. Just look at little Miss Ashly. She went to school because of some of YOU. Now please help her people to rebuild those schools, among so many other things that need to be done.

Love,

Jodi

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The Fundraiser is on a Roll!

(Children in the Haitian Roots program)

I am so very happy and humbled by the outpouring of support for our upcoming charity auction to benefit various Haitian relief organizations. Here are a list of contributions made thus far (in no particular order):

* Signed copy of Small Worlds: Adopted Sons, Pet Piranhas, And Other Mortal Concerns donated by the author.

* $25 Gift Certificate to Pro Libris Bookstore donated by Eric Furry.

* Handmade Waldorf doll featured in Meg McElwee's upcoming book created and donated by Meg McElwee of Sew Liberated.

* Signed photographs of "Crazy James" and other Big Brother 10 stars donated by James Zinkand.

* An Elephant Sanctuary t-shirt donated by The Elephant Sanctuary.

* A handmade necklace by nationally renowned native artist Jason Brown donated by Jason himself.

* A handmade sweet grass sewing basket created by Donna Brown (an amazing native artist in her own right / also the wife of Jason Brown) donated by Donna herself.

* A photographic art piece by Liz Grandmaison donated by Liz herself.

* A photographic art piece by Jessie Fields donated by Jessie herself.

* A portrait session for one by JLR Photography of Studio 36 donated by me.

* 2 full Preschool curriculum guides on CD-Rom by Itty Bitty Bookworms donated by Tara Rison.

* A gift certificate to Eat More Kale.com donated by Bo - the Eat More Kale guy.

* A handmade "Party in a Bag" created and donated by Kelly of Wood Sprite Hollow.

* The Ipanema Bar & Grill is going to be hosting an event for our fundrasier on Feb 7th. Details to follow.

And oh so much more is in the works. Our friends at Bangor Photo are going to help ... as well as some amazing local artists who are making pieces specifically for this effort. I have also put in word with some Maine "celebs" and am awaiting confirmation of some interesting goodies to add to our auction. In the words of Liz Grandmaison, "Let's Rock This Thing!".

I have yet to go knocking on the doors of area businesses --- but that will happen asap. If you have offered an item/service and do not see it on this list, please let me know. AND/OR if you know of anyone who may be interested in donating an item, please let me know asap.

All items can be sent to:

Jodi Renshaw / 1746 Stillwater Ave / Bangor ME 04401

Questions?

jrenshaw@hotmail.com

Details?

Auction will be held at Studio 36, 128 Hammond Street, Bangor on Feb 6th. Time as yet to be decided. Absentee bids will be accepted via this blog (details to follow).

Thank you all so very much for your support of this country that is in such dire need.

In Love & Peace,
Jodi

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Goody Bags for the Ronald McDonald House of Bangor.

Every year at Christmas, our little family of 3 looks for ways in which to specifically help our community. We certainly do what we can all year through --- but in an effort to show Isaac that Christmas is truly about giving to others --- we look for ways to give in a meaningful and personal way.

This year, we decided to create craft "goody" bags for the children who stay at the Ronald McDonald House of Bangor. This was partly Isaac's idea --- as he suggested we do something to help children. I told him what the Ronald McDonald House was all about --- and he was all for it. (He also wanted to continue our tradition of visiting the Maine Veterans Home on Christmas Day --- which we plan to do as well).

So --- after speaking with the Director of Volunteers at the House --- we decided to create goody bags full of fun crafting kits and craft supplies to be distributed to the children staying at the home. For the most part, these bags will be distributed to siblings of children who are receiving medical attention at the nearby Eastern Maine Medical Center. Last year, 300+ families were served by the Home. Though we are not currently able to create as many bags as could be distributed within a given year, we pledged to the home that we would not only make as many as we could at this time, but that we would do our best to replenish them as needed (a wonderful way to give Isaac a charitable focus throughout the year).

My Mom and I shopped for goodies to include in the bags --- mostly at JoAnn's and Mardens --- and as we did, we tried to imagine how these siblings must feel --- perhaps scared for their brother/sister, a bit lonely because Mom & Dad are so focused on the child in need, etc. It made the shopping meaningful --- and we would get giddy when we found goodies that we imagined would delight the children involved --- and help to keep their minds occupied with positive thoughts.

After all the shopping was done, I asked a few friends to help put the bags together --- and sweet, sweet Katrina and her Mom, BJ, came by the studio to help organize the bags. They did a perfect job. Katrina put herself in the mind frame of a child going through a difficult time, and put the bags together with much love.

My lovely friend Katie also joined us (with her baby Max in utero!) --- wrapping presents for the Maine Veterans Home (I will post about this later). She was a huge help --- wrapping all manner of 2010 calendars for the men and women of the Veterans Home (a special request by the staff).

Isaac and his fave girl, Sydney, were also involved --- entertaining each other with crafts and silliness while the rest of us worked on wrapping and organizing. They had a great time --- which allowed Mom to get much done :)

Now, we look forward to bringing the finished bags to the Ronald McDonald House. Though we won't witness any children using the goodies in these bags --- I imagine that the gifts will be received with smiles by both the children and their parents. And hopefully --- in some small way --- these bags will help these families in their healing.

Thank you to the Ronald McDonald house for everything they do! And thanks to my Mom and friends for all their assistance and good Karma :)

Love,

Jodi

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So, This is Christmas?

Every year, millions of Americans flock to the After Thanksgiving sales at box stores around the country. I am usually not among them. Mostly because I don't engage in over-indulging my child, my nieces, and my nephews with low-quality, Made in China, sweatshop produced goods that will be out of vogue just weeks after they receive them (should they actually last that long). But this year ... well, this year Toys R Us opened at midnight on Black Friday ... and I was there. Not to shop (although I was very tempted by some of the DVDs and did go back later in the day to buy Isaac one of his fave Barbie movies) ... but to photograph the mayhem.

When I arrived at Toys R Us in Bangor at 12:15 AM, the parking lot was completely full as were all the neighboring parking lots. There were police cruisers blocking the entry way of those parking lots that were full ... and cops directing traffic from several angles. The line to get into the store was SO long ... like nothing I have ever seen before. I called my Mom from my cell and told her I thought maybe Elvis died ... as it looked like his funeral procession was taking place (this was funny to both of us - but maybe you have to understand our mutual love for Elvis in order to find this funny). Anyway, the scene was wild. And just as I went to photograph it, I realized I forgot my camera (real smooth Jodi).

So, I drove back home to get my camera and returned at about 12:35 AM. The line outside the store was gone ... but that was because everybody had sardined themselves into the building. I walked in to find that people could barely move. And the isles were filled with people and shopping carts from one end of the store to another. Again, I had never seen anything like it. I was shocked. I wondered what on earth would happen if a fire broke out or some crazy person took out a gun. We would all be trampling all over one another ... and there would no doubt be causalities. I also wondered if having this many people in a building was illegal ... and decided that it would have to be.

I worried that people would be unkind to one another (the whole 'rats in a cage' scenario) ... but was pleasantly surprised to find that just about everyone I chatted with or stood near was just as shocked as I was by the magnitude of people there .... that they were all laughing at themselves and one another for participating in this shopping madness. The mood was fairly cheerful. I also found that a great number of folks were from Canada and had come down for the holiday sales (many of whom said they would never do this again --- and their shopping day had only just begun). French Canadian accents could be heard in every aisle ... as could cell phones ... and people yelling across to family members in other aisles ... ("Martha, grab me a Three Musketeers Barbie and a I'll grab you one of these Lego Sets!"). Some folks had this shopping thing down to a science and used cell phones with 3-way calling to spread out and grab everything one another wanted.

I also watched managers scramble to call in more employees to open more registers. Registers 1 through 8 had lines that went all the way back to the store ... and many folks took their chances standing in line at registers 9 & 10 in hopes that an employee or two would show up to cash them out. Those folks were rewarded in their gamble ... and when the extra employees showed up ... people cheered as though their sons scored touchdowns in the homecoming football game.

As for me --- well, the mayhem was fun to watch. I LOVE watching people. I have always been intrigued by how people behave in groups ... react to stressful situations ... how they engage with one another ... etc. And watching all these folks did not disappoint. First, as always, I left proud of my fellow Mainers for keeping cool with one another ... for laughing ... for being polite, etc. There were some jerks ... as always. And a couple of women fought over a toy helicopter (I only heard but did not see the fight). But for the most part, people were well behaved.

But somehow I was still disappointed in all that I saw that early morning. The whole scene just didn't feel right. I kept thinking ... So, this is Christmas? This is what the holidays mean to these people ... filling carts full of STUFF ... over-indulging their children with loads of toys that do not matter in the grand scheme of things? Are they purchasing everything their kids have asked Santa for? What does that teach their children? And if you fight over a toy ... how can you feel good about giving that toy to your child after? Is it worth it? Do these kids know anything more about the spiritual side of the holidays ... or is it all about the STUFF? Are we raising a nation of entitled brats? Or perhaps this sale-induced chaos is all a result of our failing economy? Are these folks just desperate to stretch their dollars in order to make a purchase for each of the children in their lives? And if so, is there another way?

And then I thought of my son ... my sweet Isaac ... and of the conversation he and I just had about Santa a couple days prior. I told him that I had seen Santa at the mall. I asked him if he would like me to ask Santa for anything special for him. Isaac then walked over to his toy box ... grabbed a broken matchbox car ... handed it to me ... and said, "Can you ask Santa to fix this car for me?". My eyes welled up. "Is that all you want Baby Boy?" ... "Yes, Mom." And then I knew that either I had been blessed with the most special boy in the world ... or I had done something right as a Mom. Likely a bit of both.

I do not belong to any organized religion/faith. But my own personal belief system tells me that every day is sacred. However, we as a society have dubbed certain days as more reverent than others ... and I participate in that. Therefore, I see Christmas time (Yule, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Winter Solstice) as a bit more sacred than other days. And I try to react as such. Years ago, we decided as a family that we would spend every Christmas day volunteering somewhere. Last year we chatted with and gave gifts to the veterans at the Maine Veterans Home. It was wonderful (a bigger gift to us than to them I think). This year we have decided to gift several items to our local Ronald McDonald house ... as well as to visit the Maine Veterans Home again. THAT is what I want my child to know of Christmas. No matter what faith he decides to follow in his adulthood ... all will tell him that it is better to give than to receive ... all will tell him that to truly give of himself to others is divine ... none will tell him to indulge in greed and constant self-gratification. So --- though we are without "church" --- we are not without reverence for this special time of year.

I do not for one second suggest that we "know better" or are better than anyone I encountered at Toys R Us that day. But I do suggest that perhaps we --- as people --- have strayed a bit too far from the reverence that we had once given to the holidays we celebrate together as a nation. I recently read that the United States has one of the highest populations of Christians in the world. This has me wondering how many Christians were shopping at Toys R Us on Friday ... and how many of them believe that Christmas is a holy day ... their Christ's birthday. And if so, how do they correlate the giving of massive amounts of toys to their children with the birth of their God?

We all love our children. I understand that. And I know that I love to see my child excited over a new toy. Who doesn't? I guess I just can't wrap my head around how self-indulgent we seem to have become ... and the "me, me. me" lessons we are showing our children. To my mind, a child will fully appreciate one or two special toys over a cart full of them.

Isaac is getting one toy from Santa this year. As well as a stocking full of "elf-made" goodies. Then we will all exchange some presents with one another (some handmade, some store bought and some bought at area thrift shops) .... nothing bigger than a bread box. We will then share breakfast with one another and head out to share some love and goodies with strangers in need. That is what Isaac believes Christmas is ... deciding where to go to help others ... and I couldn't be happier about that. Though I don't believe us to be the only ones to share of ourselves during the holidays (thank goodness :) ... I guess that scene at Toys R Us just had me wondering whether we --- as a nation --- can ever get back to holidays filled with handmade goodies (made or bought), charitable giving, stockings filled with oranges & candies, more spiritual/religious reverence, less credit card debt, and a bit more "magic" of the season, etc. Perhaps that will be my Christmas wish.

I pray that you all begin to fully enjoy this magical, spiritual, heart-warming season of love, light and fellowship.

Please share with us your special holiday traditions ... and how you are working to make the holidays more about love and fellowship and less about material goods.

Much Love,

Jodi

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