Outlive Your Life

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'In the game of life, many of us who cross home plate do so because we were born on third base. Others aren’t even on a team'  ~Max Lucado

My husband's grandmother was a very special lady. You never had to wonder where you stood with her. She was a do-it-herselfer. A Depression Era child, she handmade much of her own clothing, attending to every detail. When she passed nearly a decade ago, we sadly gathered up her clothing and were set to donate them. As I sorted through the bag all those years ago, I had the feeling that these clothes were different. Special. That I held onto something more than just a bag of dresses. So much love had gone into these, I knew there had to be more to it...

That Christmas I carefully cut squares from the dresses and assembled quilts for her two daughters. My mother in law and Aunt were thrilled with the keepsakes. I packed up the remaining fabric into bins and tucked them into storage where they remained for nearly ten years. 

It just so happened that I was cleaning out the storage area last week. I came upon that box of fabric. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. Even after all this time, I couldn't bring myself to donate it. Not this bunch.

The next day, I was visiting one of my oldest friends. She is involved in Angels of Mercy & Dress A Girl Around the World, an organization dedicated to providing dresses to keep young girls clothed and thus, safe from sex traffickers, who often prey on poor, vulnerable girls in impoverished countries. The organization relies on volunteers and donations to create and ship dresses to girl around the world. Each dress comes complete with a doll tucked in the pocket to show that someone cares about them. When she finished explaining, she asked me if I had anything I could donate. 

And there it was.

Gramma was a professional saver, believing everything had a purpose. And she was right. So, almost ten years to the very day of her death... Gramma is going on a trip. It's not any trip, mind you. She is on a mission. The clothes that she once hugged her own children in will now embrace a little girl all the way across the world. Her beloved wardrobe was about to get a new purpose. And it's just what she would've wanted.

Bon Voyage, Gramma 

•●♥Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ♥●•

Making this even more special is that this particular dressmaking day is being held in honor of a friend of mine who lost her battle with cancer just last month. 

Each dress will have a tag that reads, 'in memory of Laura'.

Before her death, Laura (pictured below) traveled as a missionary to El Salvador. It just so happens that the local Young Life group trip this time around is to....yup, you guessed it. El Salvador. And guess what they're taking with them... 

Life is good. God is good. 

And don't believe ...even for a minute...

 in coincidences.

:::UPDATE TO THE EVENT:::

As a follow up to my recent post 'Outlive Your Life' referencing Angels of Mercy & Dress A Girl Around the World... I thought you might want to CHECK OUT the short video of the event!

This slideshow generated with Smilebox

If you'd like to volunteer for {or donate materials to} Dress A Girl Around the World in your area, check out their website.

This much is clear:  the storehouse is stocked.  The problem is not in the supply; the problem is in the distribution.  God has given this generation, our generation, everything we need to alter the course of human suffering.  

~Max Lucado