Give Today To Make An Impact

100 Days of Giving is about hope, healing and simple gifts in times of difficulty and creating opportunities for each of us to have fun with unique ways of giving. Create rich opportunities to give of yourself...it is possible, have fun with it, create joy give freely!

Each day of the 100 Days of Giving includes a daily reflection for you to consider. Included within the 100 days are interludes, bonus times to stop and reflect. While you are reflecting...be sure to remember to LIKE 100 Days of Giving on Facebook

Today's reflection is about giving just for fun: Day 64

Last year, when I was working with a team of women preparing to return to Ghana I was moved by the outpouring of support and generosity that the team experienced. While the team was not the final beneficiaries of the support, the generosity and confidence of others was uplifting.

People who want to be part of something bigger than themselves, who want to know they are having a meaningful impact...that is what this is about...being part of something. To make this work we need all parts of the puzzle together which is a pretty big task - but this group was up for it and so are you. Be part of something, know you will be making an impact - support someone who is making it happen.

To learn more about our trip to Africa go to: www.csksghana.blogspot.com . You can be part of something - just do it.

All 100 Days of Giving are available as an e-book you can purchase it for $2.99 at Smashwords: 100 Days of Giving e-book at Smashwords or for your Kindle at 100 Days of Giving e-book at Amazon and get all of the daily experiences, journaling exercises and stories.

Your daily reflection: Simply give yourself, be a friend...reach out.

For your daily giving journal:  Give just for fun

• What did you give today?
• What did you do for fun when giving today?

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Please feel free to write about your experience in the comments section, share with someone else, or keep to yourself...whatever works for you, just keep in mind that one of the most important part of giving is being open to receiving and the more you share with others, the more you will receive in return. As difficult as receiving may be for you, it is an essential part of giving, so challenge yourself and give receiving a try, or a "do...there is no try, only do."

LIKE 100 Days of Giving on Facebook

Now that 100 Days of Giving is available as an e-book you can purchase it for $3.99 at Smashwords: 100 Days of Giving e-book at Smashwords  see coupon in sidebar for Smashwords and get all of the daily experiences, journaling exercises and stories.

To read today's reflection click on this link: Day 64

To read about all the 100 days of giving experiences you can download the e-book in a variety of formats at:

 100 Days of Giving at Smashwords

or through Amazon for your Kindle: 100 Days of Giving e-book at Amazon

What remembrance did you create today?

Each day of the 100 Days of Giving includes a daily reflection for you to consider. Today, I am going to give you another example of putting the words into action for you. Each day in 100 Days of Giving offers you an opportunity to read about alternative giving options as well as some questions to consider...enjoy...

To read Day 35

Now that 100 Days of Giving is available as an e-book you can purchase it for $3.99 at Smashwords: 100 Days of Giving e-book at Smashwords (see sidebar for limited time coupon code for 25% off) or for your Kindle at 100 Days of Giving e-book at Amazon and get all of the daily experiences, journalng exercises and stories.

Today's Giving Thought: "A gift can be a wonderful remembrance"

Day 35 - For your daily giving journal:

• What did you give today?
• What remembrance was created?

Please feel free to write about your experience in the comments section, share with someone else, or keep to yourself...whatever works for you, just keep in mind that one of the most important part of giving is being open to receiving and the more you share with others, the more you will receive in return. As difficult as receiving may be for you, it is an essential part of giving, so challenge yourself and give receiving a try, or a "do...there is no try, only do."

Now that 100 Days of Giving is available as an e-book you can purchase it for $3.99 at Smashwords: 100 Days of Giving e-book at Smashwords  see coupon in sidebar for Smashwords and get all of the daily experiences, journaling exercises and stories.

To read Day 35 click on this link: Day 35

To read about all 100 days's giving experiences you can download the e-book in a variety of formats at: 100 Days of Giving at Smashwords
or through Amazon for your Kindle: 100 Days of Giving e-book at Amazon

And now available "From The Eye of The Hurricane" eBook a collection of short stories and poems that sets the stage for, and provides the back-story for "100 Days of Giving"

From The Eye of The Hurricane available at Smashwords
From The Eye of the Hurricane eBook for Kindle at Amazon

A Gift That Impacted Peace

Each day of the 100 Days of Giving includes a daily reflection for you to consider. Today, I am going to give you another example of putting the words into action for you. I began the exercise of giving every day at a time when I could have used a little push to get underway; we often need that little extra encouragement, accountability, support...whatever you want to call it, so this time around I am giving to all of you a few questions to respond to, journal about or contemplate related to your individual daily giving experience. If the questions stir something in you - great, if they do not - great, write about that. The most important part is to do something...and as one of my favorite mentors Yoda said, "There is no try, only do." Each day in 100 Days of Giving offers you an opportunity to read about alternative giving options as well as some questions to consider...

Today's Giving Thought: "A simple gift can influence world peace."

Day 28 - For your daily giving journal:

• What did you give today?
• How did your gift impact the world?

Please feel free to write about your experience in the comments section, share with someone else, or keep to yourself...whatever works for you, just keep in mind that one of the most important part of giving is being open to receiving and the more you share with others, the more you will receive in return. As difficult as receiving may be for you, it is an essential part of giving, so challenge yourself and give receiving a try, or a "do...there is no try, only do."

Now that 100 Days of Giving is available as an e-book you can purchase it for $3.99 at Smashwords: 100 Days of Giving e-book at Smashwords and get all of the daily experiences, journaling exercises and stories.

To read Day 28 click on this link: Day 28

To read about all 100 days's giving experiences you can download the e-book in a variety of formats at: 100 Days of Giving at Smashwords
or through Amazon for your Kindle: 100 Days of Giving e-book at Amazon

Day 76 ❦ Thank someone with a gift

Day 76 ❦ Thank someone with a gift

The Gift: An African Skirt and Matching Jewelry

Have you ever had someone come into your life fleetingly who in the end made a life changing impact? So many of the people who have come in and out of my life have changed me in a myriad of ways, I can’t imagine what I would be like without each and every person’s influence.

As a child many of the adults I relied on and who surrounded me were not kind nor caring and I have grown to appreciate the lessons I learned as a result of their influence. They helped me build character, compassion and resilience and I know that I am the person that I am today because of those lessons. They helped me identify and connect with those angels who came into my life early and who helped me live through some very dark times - I am the person I am today as a result of their influence. I am alive today because of their care.

As an adult, I am continually amazed at the number of people who on a regular basis influence and change my life dramatically and impact me in ways that they will never know and today I am going to thank one of those important people who came into my life for a brief moment and changed thousands of lives as a result.

I grew up with an itch to travel. My grandparents would go on trip and I would be one of the few grandchildren who would willingly sit and look at every single slide they had to show of their travels and adventures, over and over, and over, and over again. My Uncle and his friends loved to travel and he sponsored my family to come to New York City to see him off when he went on a cruise on the Queen Elizabeth II (I believe it was the QEII’s final voyage). It was magical to ride in a carriage around Central Park, go into FAO Schwartz’s and my favorite magical memory of that trip was going into his stateroom with him for the first time and seeing his luggage already there, ready to be unpacked and meeting the gentleman who was waiting for him so that he could unpack his luggage. To this day, I fantasize about traveling that way, although I come pretty close when I get to hire a driver for my trips to Africa, okay, that is another story. But actually, this story is about the person who selected me for my first trip to West Africa, Karin Treiber.

Inspired by the travelers in my family, at a very young age, I would get on a bus and go downtown (actually singing that famous song, “Downtown”). I loved seeing where it would take me and my favorite memory was that one of the routes I loved to take took my by a Planter’s peanut shop where I could stop and get a bag of warm peanuts, salty and delicious...I can still taste them today. I did get in trouble one time when I thought it would be fun to go to Boston and got there at the end of the Boston riots in the 70's. Then I discovered trains and realized that they could take me places faster and expand my adventure horizon - allowing me to slip out of school on Wednesdays, get to NYC in time to buy a half price matinee ticket to anything, and get back in time to not be missed at home. Washington DC, NYC, the world began to open up for me.

My Grandfather was one of my biggest supporters and when I graduated from High School gave me $500 and told me to “go have an adventure” I bought a plane ticket to England where I spent three weeks, mostly alone having all kinds of adventures. My first international plane ride. Lots of lessons learned.

In 2003 I was selected to be a Rotary Group Study Exchange Team Leader, which meant that I was going to be leading a team of four young professional non-Rotarians to Ghana, Togo and Benin for five and a half weeks to live, work and interact with Rotarians in those countries to build goodwill and fellowship, develop international friendship and study alternative vocational methodologies and strategies. Our experience was beyond words and my team was the best, and although most GSE Team Leaders say that, I really mean it; they continue to be the best GSE Team ever. Karin Treiber was the GSE Chair who was responsible for helping us prepare for the experience. During the training, she gave me the name of a Rotarian in California who had recently traveled in Ghana and Karin thought connecting with her might be useful. The day Karin gave me that phone number, thousands of lives were about to be impacted.

I did connect with Kay Bliss from Ojai, California at Karin’s request and Kay shared some of her passion and care for Street Girls Aid, an organization she visited while in Ghana. This story will fill another book, but all of the subsequent work that I have done at Street Girls Aid in Ghana is a direct result of Kay’s passion and Karin’s sharing a thought. Today I am honoring the impact that Karin has had on thousands of people’s lives by giving her a skirt I had made for her while In Ghana and some matching jewelry. Not even a close way to thank her, but I am also aware that even this simple thank you will overwhelm her. Her humble graciousness abounds and she will never know the impact her one action will have on thousands and thousands of people, nor will I.

❦ Today, just thank someone because you can.

100 Days of Giving will Continue Shortly

The daily journal of 100 Day of Giving, An Exercise in Hope will continue at the beginning of December. Although the 100 Days of Giving continues without interruption, the recording of the journalling is taking a short break while the author is in Africa...follow that journey on:

http://csksghana.blogspot.com/

And, until then...be compassionate, give of yourself... and breathe!

Consider Street Girls

During this weekend interlude, I am asking you to consider supporting an organization which works with some of the 51,000 children who live, work and sleep on the streets of Accra, Ghana. In two weeks I will be traveling to work with the organization Street Girls Aid - they work with girls and their babies who live, work and sleep on the street of Ghana in a variety of ways. You could support them by ordering some beautiful merchandise that the girls will work on in their sewing trade school while we are there and I will send you your order when I return at the beginning of December, just in time for the holidays.

By ordering something from the girls, you help to drive a market for their work, they will be paid for the work and you will have a beautiful gift to give to someone...with a great story.

To place an order - follow this link to the order form and send it to me right away - All orders need to be in to me by November 5th.

http://onehundreddaysofgiving.blogspot.com/p/street-girls-aid-handmade-goods-order.html

To learn more about Street Girls Aid follow this link:

http://www.said-ghana.com/

And then after you have ordered something from Street Aid follow this link and download a blank giving journal and write about the experience. Hint: You could include your thoughts you write in the journal in a card when you give the gift.

http://onehundreddaysofgiving.blogspot.com/p/giving-journala-gift-for-you.html

Interlude - Support Street Girls Aid

Today you have an opportunity to purchase a gift that will have many layers of giving opportunities...

Please consider ordering some beautifully made items from the girls at Street Girls Aid in Accra, Ghana - your gift will create so many opportunities for girls to develop economic sustainability and you will end up with a gift that others will enjoy too!

Please go to this link and order your goods today!



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