December 4, 2008

Today I lost a dear friend. When I was six, my parents got me a beautiful show quality Hymalian cat for Christmas. She was already a few years old when I got her. That year was my first year in Texas and I was disappointed there would be no snow, so I named her Snowball. My family moved a lot when I was young, she was one of the only stable parts of my home from place to place. I am now 23, and estimate Snowball to be 19. Last night I realized she was starting to look jaundiced around her eyes, so first thing in the morning we took her to the vet. By then all her skin was yellow. It tuns out she had some kind of liver failure and there was nothing we could do. I couldn’t stand the idea of her suffering so we had her put to sleep. It was very hard.

Edward says that doing the right thing and stopping her pain counts as a good deed. I’m not so sure; but this will lead to a future good deed. When I’ve had time to get over my loss I will go to the Humane Center and pick up a new cat. My other cats have all been “rescued” and I’m a big believer in that. So now that my dearest, oldest friend is gone, I will save and take care of another loving animal who deserves it.

Challenge for Tomorrow: Forgive someone who you feel doesn’t deserve it. (This can be anything from someone you love who betrayed you to the guy who cut you off on the highway.)

December 3, 2008

Today I bought a new TV. Kinda excited about it since I never bought one for myself, still had the one my parents lent me for college. Anyhow I’ve decided to donate my old television to Central Dallas Ministries.

I also attended the Metro Ball at JRs in Dallas, it supported the Greg Dollgener Memorial AIDS Fund.

Challenge for Tomorrow: Give your time. Find an event, a charity, or a church group to volunteer with over the holidays. Give up one afternoon at a soup kitchen, a nursing home, a building site… whatever makes you happy.

Image from Central Dallas Ministries Website

December 2, 2008

Just doing something simple today. I went shopping and outside was a Salvation Army worker. I don’t even know how much cash I had on me (anywhere from $20-$40) but I gave it all to them.

Also, on a smaller front, I’ve decided with my partner ,to host a Christmas/thank you party for the guys on our development team. I’m very blessed in that the guys who work for my company all volunteered to work for GiveCheerfully as well. They always go above and beyond what’s called for and have even worked without pay just to make the company better for everyone (by adding extra features to a project, still working on things when a client’s check hadn’t come through, etc). They’ve been amazing and I’d be lost with out them. Thank you Kit, Jerrett & Zach. And of course a special thanks to my indispensable partner Edward, he has been my rock and my cheerleader, never wavering in his support yet always willing to tell me his honest opinion and give unattached advice. We would not have made it this far without him.

Challenge for Tomorrow: Who do you work with that you couldn’t function without (this might also be a significant other)? Do something special for them to show your appreciation.

Image by Compromised Exposure

December 1, 2008

I’m very excited about my giveback for the first day of December. Today I sat on an informal board for CITY House of Plano. They want to extend their marketing, so they asked me to weigh in on social media. Its a great opportunity for me to share my knowledge and to see the inner workings of a charity that has been around for twenty years. (Also, to plug them, they offer some great services for children and teens who are in need, and they have some beautiful shelter houses.) The above video is about their new project: My Friend’s House for displaced children under the age of 9.

Challenge for Tomorrow: Put your “play money” (for lunch out, a movie or whatever fun thing you normally do) into a donation box. It should be easy, its the time of year for Salvation Army and other similar organizations.

November 30, 2008

I actually spent most of today planning my giving. I went through a bunch of stuff in my closet, things I didn’t need any more. Then I searched for charities in my area who could accept donations of what I had. I’ve got shoes, clothes, some toys I bought for a toy drive last year that and jewelry I found I could donate.

Also I spent some time thanking the people who have helped with GiveCheerfully. A bunch of people have started following our Facebook Cause (for which I am extremely grateful), people who donated items to our auction (even though it was canceled) and my awesome development team, who I would be lost with out. Also want to thank Devyl here, since she has continued to spread the word about GiveCheerfully.

Last post I mentioned changing the world in my challenge. I always felt destined to do something great, and had superhero dreams as a little girl of magically rescuing people. Two years ago I was hospitalized and should have died (full story). After four months in the hospital, I came back very seriously wondering why I had lived. It was nothing short of miraculous, but I wondered why I was spared. It really haunted me. This past summer when Edward and I began discussing the concept for GiveCheerfully, it was like I suddenly knew my purpose. Each day I get to help charities with social media, I am fulfilled.

Challenge for Tomorrow: Go to your closet and see if you can collect ten items that you could give to a charity. You might be surprised at how many things you don’t need (I was).

Image by Darwin Bell

November 29, 2008

I missed a day of posting but I did continue with what I set out to do. Here’s the replay.

On the 29th I spent the day more or less completing my own challenge. I talked to long distance family members whom I haven’t seen or spoken to in the last two months. My Great Aunt lost everything in a fire just this past week but she was still as hopeful and positive as ever. It really made me take a moment to think about what makes up my life and how devastated I would have been in that situation. No one was in the house and her cat escaped the flames. She believes the most important things survived. I told her about GiveCheerfully and she laughed. She said, “I’ll never understand any of that internet stuff, but if you can help more people that way sweetie, you should stick to it.” I should call her more often.

I spent the rest of the day with my immediate family. I pwned my little bother at Wii Sport and played board games with my parents. It was relaxing; it was quiet; it wasn’t earth shattering. But it was a tiny triumph and we were all happier. The best end to my vacation I could have asked for.

Challenge for Tomorrow: When I was a child I used to dream about changing the world (still do, but with less super powers). What was your dream? It doesn’t matter how crazy it sounded, but see if there is something small you can do to move towards that dream today.

Image by Nutmeg

November 28, 2008

I only did a few small things today. Spent time with my family for Thanksgiving. They work with the Siberian Husky Rescue Society and have 5-10 dogs on their 3 acres at any one time. So I took one of their new dogs for a walk, he’d never been on a leash before, so I spent some time with him.

This is Jackson, my friend from today.

I also joined a Mumbai cause on Facebook and invited a few friends.

If you taking part in my daily challenge, let me know how it goes. I’d love the feedback and to know if this little drop made a few ripples.

Challenge For Tomorrow: Tell someone dear to you that you haven’t spoken to in a while you love them.

November 27, 2008: Thanksgiving

At the request of Devyl at Devylgyrl.com I updated the GiveCheerfully blog. I’ve been reading Tom Watson’s advance proof of his new book CauseWired (which is awesome, btw), and was blown away by the power of his real life examples. Borrowing a page from his book, figuratively, I decided to talk up two of the most powerful examples of nonprofits using social media I’d seen recently. I used Laura’s House and Tweetsgiving, hoping to get out the word about both causes and possibly stir some interest in our own.

Of course, about an hour later I caught up on the news in Mumbai. I’ve been very moved by the chaos there. I wish there was something I could do to help. The best I can do on that front is send my prayers and thoughts. I know its not really the same, but I understand what its like to watch your country be torn apart by terrorism, and I wouldn’t wish another 9/11 on anyone. Hopefully, sometime during my 33 days of giving back I will think of a way to reach out to Mumbai. I’m open to suggestions.

Challenge for Tomorrow: Have you thought about what you can do to put an end to hatred?

Image by *_Abhi_*