There is this woman in my life, who is relentless.

We do not know each other very well- we speak on occasion, but whenever I run into her it's the same thing every time...

..."How is your mom?"

She caught wind of the hardship my mom was facing (and still is) last spring- and she hasn't forgotten.

Whenever she knows I'll be somewhere- she comes prepared. Sometimes with a card, sometimes with money, sometimes with food, sometimes with a job... but every time for my mother.

She doesn't know my mother- but I am convinced that she loves my mother- and what amazes me the most is that she hasn't forgotten her.

It is always of comfort when someone does something thoughtful for you out of no where- especially in tough times- but to be a stranger (as my mom is to her) and continually be thought of and prayed for is no less than true blessing.

To say the least, it has really touched me, inspired me, and surprised. It has made me want to o out of my way to pour out love and blessing on those I do not know- or owe anything to... to be consistent- not just responding in the initial moment of crisis, but follow people through their journey... to put no time line on a good deed.

I've set a Goal of $150...Please Help Me!

On Saturday, October 20, I am walking for the children of northern Uganda.



In the midst of this 21-year conflict in Uganda, over 1-million people have been displaced, predominantly affecting women and children. These displaced children have been forced into abhorrent conditions in camps where hundreds of people are dying every week because of a lack of clean water, food and medical care.

I am walking to tell their story and to fundraise in support of children’s programs that focus on education, rehabilitation and youth outreach.

GuluWalk is focused on providing a future for the abandoned children of northern Uganda. That's why I am walking and that is why I need your help.

Donate to me today and help me reach my fundraising goal. Better yet, join me and sign up at www.guluwalk.com.

(Click on the link below to sponsor me.
https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/StartUp.aspx?SID=1672534)

Peace and Love

Squeeze The Most Out of Your Moments

Do me a favour: give your loved ones an extra squeeze tonight, call your friends and tell them you love them, waste no time on a grudge.

This weekend has been heartbreaking. A 19 year old in a fatal car crash. A friend absurdly accused of something awful, a mother's cancer coming back, a 23 year old passing without warning...

Though none of it affects be directly- I am so sad for my friends who are dealing with this- I can't stop thinking about them, I can't stop praying for them.

Life can turn without a moment's notice.

One day WILL be your last day.

It is sad how we have a tendency to take for granted that which is most valuable to us and be distracted/ caught up in the things that don't matter.

...until it's too late.

We think life will be better once we make more money, buy a house, loose that 10 extra pounds, get nicer clothes, be noticed for doing something extraordinary, go on that next vacation...

...but picture this: the person who means the most to you, gone.

The last time you saw them, spoke to them, is all you have. You're life will continue...but without them in it.

Really, honestly, think about it for a minute.

Would the money, house, body, clothes, fame or vacation even matter?

Choose to NOT be distracted today, choose to NOT be disconnected from those you love; at least for tonight. Pay attention to what really matters, realize your blessings and make the most of your time right now...



Because it might be all you'll ever have.

To Disgust and Inspire

Do yourself a favour. Go to youtube.com and type in search word "Invisible Children Pt 1" (it's divided into six parts).

Watch the movie.

Then go to guluwalk.ca and see how you can get involved on Saturday October 20th in the gulu walk in Vancouver.

Because ignoring it won't make it go away.

Declaring War on The Grocery Bag

After hearing all the horror stories about plastic bags over the past few years coupled with the desire to stop being so wasteful- Scotty and I began using reusable cloth shopping bags this summer. I think they were a $1 a bag, I keep them in the trunk of my car and try to use them whenever I can.

Why you should ban the plastic bag:

The biggest problem with plastic bags is that they do not readily break down in the environment, with estimates for the time it takes them to decompose ranging from 20 to 1000 years.

One of the disquieting facts stemming from this is that plastic bags can become serial killers. Once an animal that had ingested a plastic bag dies, it decays at a much faster rate than the bag. Once the animal has decomposed, the bag is released back into the environment more or less intact, ready to be eaten by another misguided organism. In the marine environment plastic bag litter is lethal, killing at least 100,000 birds, whales, seals and turtles every year.



A Bryde's whale died on a Cairns beach after ingesting 6 square metres of plastic - including plastic bags. Such obstructions in animals can cause severe pain, distress and death. On land, plastic bag litter can block drains and trap birds. They also kill livestock. One farmer near Mudgee NSW, carried out an autopsy on a dead calf and found 8 plastic bags in its stomach.

I know I'm not saying anything new- but sometimes info goes in one ear and out the other. If you don't already use cloth bags, spend a few bucks and make a big difference.

PLUS- you can fit so much more into a cloth bag and you don't have to worry about them breaking before you get them in you house!

Simply Brighter

I deleted my past blog- partly because I didn't think anyone was reading it, and partly because I felt like I was coming off as if I was bragging about my life.

But then I started recieving messages- asking how to find my blog, or why I stopped it.

So I'm starting a new one, but this time it'll be different.

Instead of keeping people up to date on what I did last night- I'm going to try to encourage, empower and perhaps even enlighten people.

Simply Brighter= An effort to make people's lives better, to make this earth a better place to live... to make a difference- no matter how small... or how simple.



...Because there's gotta be more to life than living for ourselves.