Giving is Getting

Hello world, it is I, the Giant Man's Wife, back from maternity leave. Haha, I definitely needed a break after my, um, surprise delivery.

Just for a quick recap, I went in for a stress-test, which was routine for me at that point. I was 35 weeks pregnant, and the tests came back with some complications. My liver was failing.
So, after 56 hours of fasting (IV fluids is NOT a fulfilling diet), I had an emergency C-section. And out came my perfect little man.

Mini Myers and I are both doing really well. MM definitely takes after his daddy. He's already 23.5 inches long and shows no sign of slowing down. Looks like I'm both the Giant Man's Wife and Giant Baby's Mom.

ANYWAY, IT'S DECEMBER!

Not only is it my sister's birthday month, but it is also my favorite time of the year. I love the lights, the sounds, the smells, the treats, the service, everything.

I plan on writing about the new traditions GM and I start now that our baby is here. First one, we are going to be giving at least one book to each of our children for Christmas. However, I already have already overachieved a little bit and bought the little man four books haha.

But, as the saying goes, "Children become readers in the arms of their parents." GM and I love to read, there are value in books, in the words. Words mean a lot to me. Not just because they are how we communicate, but they allow us to go to a better place. A place where we can find common ground, share better ideas, help others. To me, words are how I serve.

December is about service to me. It's the time of the year when we are encouraged to make a more sincere effort to look outside of ourselves and to touch the people around us. And I think, once you truly help someone by giving of your time, talents, or efforts, then you really gain a better appreciation for what looking out for one another is all about.

The best gift to me in December, is the chance to see the happiness in the people who I help. And that's why it's my favorite time of year.

Here's to an exciting, wonderful month with my family, friends, husband, and son.

Until next time!

Day 3 recap and Day 4- "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

Yesterday was Day 3 of the #LightTheWorld and I didn't feel as if it needed it's own post, so that's my reasoning for combining the two today.

On Day 3 it talked about keeping the Sabbath Day holy and doing things that would help draw families together. GM and I went over to my parent's house for a family dinner because we were celebrating the birthday of my sister (the 5th). I also wrote a letter to a good friend of mine who I haven't talked to in a while (so, I guess my good estranged friend).

Family is the MOST important thing to GM and myself. I always grew up hearing that "friends come and go, but families are forever". Which was really annoying when my siblings and I were fighting, but now that I'm older, I see the wisdom in putting family first.

But that doesn't mean we shouldn't make room for friends and neighbors.

"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself", that's what Matthew 22:39 states and what is the theme of Day 4.

Now for those of you who don't know, I am a baking fiend. I love everything about it, the chemistry between ingredients, the way the house smells after good things have been in the oven, and the way food makes people feel loved. There is almost no bad side to baking, well, besides doing the dishes if my enthusiasm has washed by the time it comes around to do them.

And that's why you always clean as you go, that way there is no discouraging mound of dishes GM has to do after my goodie project is done.
I put my baking addiction in here because it's relevant, I promise.  I know what I want to do to spread love to my neighbors: chocolate brownies.

Nothing says "I care about you" quite like homemade chocolate, fudgy brownies. At least in my humble opinion. So look out neighbors, here they come.

Day 2- "I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink."

I really looked into how I could #LightTheWorld today. The theme is found in Matthew 25:35, where Jesus said, "I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink."

(Photo Credit: Link)

Now, I wanted to do something that I wouldn't normally do, because I think that's the point of this 25 Day Challenge, to get yourself out of your comfort zone and help. I asked GM what he thought and he said that when he buys games from HumbleBundle, they will donate a percentage to the charity of your choice, and he always chooses the water charity.

Well, me being me, and my mother's daughter, I wanted to do a little research before I donated to a charity. I am a wee bit paranoid and I want to make sure I am helping the right people and not just the perceived right people.

I was amazed by what I found.

Charity Water has funded over 24,537 projects to help provide water to over 7 MILLION people around the world. And they are 100% funded by those who donate, which means regular people raised enough money to help millions of people gain access to fresh water. Maybe the world isn't so bad after all, we just have to look to something other than the mass media (half joking, half serious).

I'm not a perfect researcher all the time, so I didn't go too far past Twitter, the web pages, and what scam finders, had to say. But, I also realized that as long as I'm sacrificing to help others, with the intent of doing good, it doesn't really concern me if I'm being scammed or not. I mean, use common sense, obviously, but I shouldn't be looking for an excuse to not donate.

I should just do it.

So, I did.

And that was Day 2.

Day 1: "Freely you have received, freely give."

Today is the first day of the #LightTheWorld challenge. As you could probably tell from my first post of today, I am pretty excited to start this challenge running. Well, in my case I start this challenge writing. Because I don't hate myself enough to run. No offense if you do, I just have different strokes, like not running ever.

With the Fight or Flight response, I've always been a fighter. Even when it was the most intelligent route. That's how much I dislike running.

Anyway, back to the reason I'm writing another post of the day, Day 1 of Aimee Lighting the World. Plus Giant Man.

The theme for today is found in the Bible, Matthew 10:8, "Freely you have received, freely give." This year I've received many blessings; from marrying my best friend to finishing up my Bachelor's Degree. I will never be able to give back to the Lord for all the blessings He endlessly gives me, but I can show my gratitude for the people in my life.

For today's act of service, it is actually an act of gratitude. On Instagram, I saw this suggestion to how I could "give freely". There were a few different suggestions, but I felt as if this would be the best option for me. 

I wrote my letter and I'll be mailing it today, along with GM's letter to his person. I don't know if it will turn around the day of the receivers or if they'll just be weird out by the spontaneous letter-writing. But, I do know that I don't let them know as often as I should how grateful I am and how much I love them. 

The world is becoming colder and harsher, but that doesn't mean I have to become a colder person, forgetting my basic manners and letting those who serve me go unnoticed. I mean, I work in the Customer Service Industry, I know how often that happens. I don't want to be one of those people. I want to be more outspoken in my gratitude.

It's one thing to feel grateful. It's another thing to express the gratitude to the person who has lifted you up.