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Sharing with Angel Love Boxes

1/13/2014

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This past summer these little ones of mine got a really awesome surprise in the mail - it was this big box filled with goodies for each of them and something a little extra special, for our special little man.

The organization is called Angel Love Boxes - they provide care packages to children with special needs and their siblings! Each month they have a certain amount of little ones they put boxes together for and they also help with certain medical equipment/items/devices that may be beneficial to them as well.

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Here is some of the goodies that were sent in our box. The items they have each month vary based on donations of items themselves, sponsor donated items and the specific needs of the child, but also they are based with the interest of each child the box is for (and their siblings too).


My little red head was upset I wouldn't let her play with her items until I got a picture of everything...mean mommy I suppose. But I knew one day I would want pictures to share and promote Angel Love Boxes through Gracie's Gowns as well.

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So here is where we are sharing with Angel Love Boxes - and giving back to the organization that gave my little guys such a wonderful summer surprise!

This Thomas the Train item is a weighted blanket. For those that don't know or haven't read back through, he was diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum and also has several sensory related issues and it was recommended to us that a weighted blanket might be beneficial to him. He loves his blanket (and so does mommy at times even) and it has helped with some of the sensory issues he has at night. If it wasn't for his occupational therapist suggesting it, I would never have thought about it. We received our blanket when Angel Love Boxes first started making them - and the quality is amazing. It washed great as well!

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You can see the detail here in the stitching where each section is sewn and filled evenly to divide the weight evenly throughout the whole blanket. 

I had tried making one several months prior to even hearing about Angel Love boxes and it was an epic fail...which remind me I need to take it apart and either fix it or just make it into a regular blanket...add that to the to-do list for when there is extra hours in a day.

So for Angel Love Boxes we have several pieces of fabric measuring around a yard and more to send as our family's way to say thank you for our box, but also as Gracie's Gowns and saying thank you for your love and support of us throughout the past year! This box is fairly heavy and packed to the gills with fabric, so once we have some extra shipping money we will be sending it out. Here are some of the fabrics that will be making their way south to Alabama!
Have a wonderful everyone!

Jessica
Gracie's Gowns
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Lia Sophia Raffle Tickets on Sale - Raffle the month of February

1/11/2014

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Our Lia Sophia raffle starts on Feburary 1st, 2014!!!

We have lots of really pretty items in our raffle - I will share some with you here, but you can see all of the ones we are posting in our Facebook page's album.

Tickets are on sale now through our website on the events page and cost $2.00/each.
Payments can also be mailed.

For every 100 tickets we sell, Kim will also be giving away an item from the current catalog that is valued at $100.00 or less to a randomly drawn winner from all those that purchase a ticket.

Here was our first special drawing winner (we've sold about 116 tickets as of this posting).
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Kim is the mother of one of the precious little girls we have made a gown for and she has been so gracious in helping us with this raffle. We greatly appreciate all her help, her support and of course giving us the honor to make a gown for Callista.


Below are some of the pieces in the raffle. We really hope you consider buying a ticket or two and sharing our raffle with those you know. There is a Facebook event created for this raffle as well that you can invite them to and all the information is provided there as well.
Thank you to everyone who has purchased tickets, shared our raffle and just helping spread the word about Gracie's Gowns!
I really look forward to this raffle and drawing our winners in February - we will have 3 winners on Valentine's Day too. So fingers crossed everyone who purchases a ticket wins something really pretty.

Jessica

Gracie's Gowns
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Waste Not and Pay it Forward

1/11/2014

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This time last month we were gathering fabric to be sent out to other organizations (which we still have fabric that we can do that with) and we mailed it out just before Christmas - well we're at it again with some more of our remnant pieces of fabric.

So where's it going? Well it is going to a lovely family we know, and many of you may as well - they also take stuffed animals and create companions for children, that are just as unique as they are.

If you guessed Healing Helpers then you are 100% correct!

As I briefly mentioned in our last blog - the kiddos and myself are moving early this summer - so operation clean-up, organize and get ready to start moving is taking place...you wouldn't believe the amount of stuff we manage to accumulate in our tiny little house. So in that - we had some very new stuffies in need of a great home! The kids were more than excited to know they would be going to the place that made David's piggy.

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Here is some of the fabric remnants being sent for pouches, I am of course partial to the Riley Blake fabric from the Pieces of Hope collection (a portion of the sales were donated to Autism Speaks). I thought it was perfect for the kiddos that their heart will represent them being diagnosed on the spectrum.

Below are the other fabrics we finished filling the box with. Once we have the extra shipping funds available we will send this box on its way to Oregon where Healing Helpers is located.

Pretty fabrics right?!
Hope they make some really awesome pouches for Healing Helpers and make some little ones really happy with their new companions!


Have a fabulous day and weekend,
Jessica

Gracie's Gowns
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Gracie's Gowns Special Project for Maggie's Sticker Box

11/2/2013

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Gracie's Gowns made the very first personalized gown in April of 2013. It was given to a precious little princess in Ohio named Maggie.

She was diagnosed with a Wilm's Tumor and has been through many surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation therapy and many other therapies and treatments as well. We met Maggie's family through a marriage conference event and have just made her family since then a part of our own family.

Maggie being the little princess and fashionita she is would not settle for less then princess level care and fun while in the hospital. She has been known to wear tutus with her hospital gown, butterfly wings, crowns, big flowers on headbands and so much more. More recently they pharmacy started putting stickers on her chemo to make it "princess perfect" and now because of Maggie the pharmacy wants to do it for ALL the children on the hematology/oncology unit.

That being said - Maggie now has a mission called Maggie's Sticker Box and of course we want to help her out in a big way! So we've started to collect stickers in a large box to be the start of Maggie's Sticker Box. So if you have any stickers for boys of girls, seasonal or just for fun, characters or just cute animals send them our way and we will include them in our box.

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Awesome right?! There is nothing more exciting to me than children helping children get through the toughest and hardest moments of their lives. And what a simple, but meaningful mission Maggie has! So below is our box that we are going to fill up with everyone's help and the start of our sticker collection drive for Maggie's Sticker Box!
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Stickers can be mailed to:
Gracie's Gowns
159 Ordinary Road
Mineral, VA 23117


The hospital they will be used at is Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio - they will be used on the hematology/oncology unit! We'd love to have our box filled and mailed by Christmas to Maggie and her family so they can be used over the holiday season - when of course besides birthdays is the worst time to ever be in the hospital!
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CureFest 2013 

11/2/2013

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On September 1st, 2013 - Gracie's Gowns participated in CureFest for Childhood Cancer on the National Mall in Washington D.C. with 52 other organizations. We banded together for the day and there on out to advocate for pediatric cancer awareness, research, treatments and cures.
The event was co-hosted by Journey 4 A Cure and theTruth365 - both have done amazing things for children battling and surviving cancer. They not only bring awareness and research funding, but they get to you on a personal level - they tell each child's story, I'm sorry I need to rephrase that - they have each child tell THEIR story, each family share their experience in ALL aspects of the cancer world, the successes and even more heartbreaking, the losses. They show the real statistics of the pediatric cancer world and if you read each of them...it will change your life forever.
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At CureFest they had several speakers - parents, siblings, organization representatives...but the ones that shook you the most were the children.

Gabriella was one of those children - her speech had you laughing at one minutes, inspired throughout and in tears over the reality of what cancer does to children. Her speech was beyond motivational - there was no way you could hear her give "the cold hard facts" without making it your mission to do something to make a difference. 

I am posting her here, because this past weekend, Gabriella lost her battle very suddenly to a brain tumor. She was diagnosed in November of 2012 and passed away October 26, 2013. She made the last year of her life a mission, a legacy even...to show Virginia and the world they HAVE to do something to improve the lives of children battling cancer, to "give them their childhood" to not only treat, but cure the cancers and in a way that doesn't rob them of the life they deserve. She raised funding for the Make-A-Wish foundation after she was granted the wish to go to Paris, France with her family - she knew that other children deserved the chance to have that one lasting memory with their families. She helped raise over $250,000 for Make-A-Wish in just one campaign. 

Gabriella - know that you are deeply missed, but never forgotten! You have impacted and changed so many lives that can only be counted by God. Your parents will continue your work, those that are touched by you have been inspired to do the same as well. We may never do it as great as you did, but we will always try our hardest.

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Throughout the day we gave away 50 goodie bags to those that stopped by our table - here is a collage of the items that were included. Knowing we were headed to this event, simply because it was local enough to us to do so, I invited other organizations and businesses to contribute to our bags and help spread the word about who they are and what they do.

Healing Helpers participated with their Heart Key Chains that they also embroidered a Yellow Ribbon on.

Socks4Surgery participated with their information and magnets.

Pink Door Fabrics sent some quilting bundles of fabric - Chelsea and Charlie have been amazing with donating and letting me purchase fabric at a lesser cost for gowns.

Bee Brave sent their mini stress relievers - which if you remember from our blog on them, they were made from scraps of fabric from our gowns.

We of course included our bracelets and information.

Hollie is a Thirty-One Consultant and contributed her information and nail files from Thirty-One Gifts, she also contributed our raffle item for the day too!

The Hensons contributed their information about Zeal for Life (will update this with their website, once I have it again, it is not with me right now).

Tricia contributed her Pediatric Cancer Awareness bows! One of which was given to Gabriella when we met her. She wanted it so bad and decided it looked great on her dress for the day!

THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to our bags! I know each item was well received!

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One of the best moments was meeting The Beltran family! We had been working on these freckles for his siblings and when I found out that they were going to be at CureFest, I just knew I had to get them done. 

Dominic was a local little guy that passed away from cancer - he loved superman so the fabric was made with superman and each one had a different color for the eyes, arms, legs and stomach and then we embroidered his name in gold.

This is the page they created for Dominic on Facebook and they are continuing their efforts for pediatric cancer research, awareness and advocacy!

https://www.facebook.com/Staystrong4dom

Here are the rest of our photos from CureFest for those who want to see some of them. I hope you enjoy them and check out all the amazing pages and organizations we've posted on the blog.
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Harley the Healing Helper Hippo Visit

11/2/2013

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So while I am on the Healing Helper mindset - Harley came for a visit to Gracie's Gowns while on the search for his family!

We had such a great time with him in September (yes, that's right September and I am just now getting to blog on it) and he got to go by the rebuilding of the one elementary school from the earthquake in 2011 that rattled the whole east coast (for those that don't remember we live 4 miles from the epicenter of that earthquake), see a nuclear power plant (which is also right in our backyard essentially), visit the battlefield central of the Civil War and even Washington D.C. while he was here too!


One of the last days he was here was spent at CureFest (which will be up next for blogging, but that is when we went to Washington D.C). So here are some picture from his stay with us!

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This was one taken up at CureFest - he was also trying on one of the Healing Helper gowns that we had made...silly hippo!

I have more pictures, but I am saving them for the CureFest blog from when we were in Washington D.C.

To sign your family up to take part in the fun of Harley's Adventures follow the link below. Lani-lee and Michael have also created Harley his own Facebook page too, so make sure to stop by there as well - they have this awesome interactive map they are using as well to track his adventure in finding his family!

Sign-Up Page: http://www.healinghelpers147.com/harley
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/HarleytheHealingHelper
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Healing Helpers: Comfort, Education and Friendship

11/2/2013

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I have been wanting to spotlight Healing Helpers for a long time now...but as is with life, it gets in the way and well I am finally at the library, without kiddos and can sit down and write out a couple of blogs...so I am starting with them before it closes today.


On a personal level and a professional level I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE...did I mention LOVE? Healing Helpers! Lani-Lee and Michael and all their precious children have become so near and dear to me over the last year and some it isn't funny. 


The idea of using stuffed animals, which ever child has at least one they MUST drag with them everywhere they go, or at least have for naps and bedtime and turning them into a teaching tool for special needs and medically complex children is fantastic! They are practical, functional and beyond all else really help show your child (when and how they can understand) what they have been through in life. This is my son and his Healing Helper piggie (that he calls Piggie or Oinker depending on his mood I suppose). David was the first kiddo to receive one with an Autism heart - because that is his diagnosis and what he battles everyday, he has had surgery and leg braces, but this is what mattered most to me - his heart...the soul of who he is. His diagnosis does not define him, rather he defines it and it helps make him the special little-big man that he is! David loves his piggie and enjoys showing the heart off to others, showing his name and the Thomas the Train pouch inside it (he loves Thomas the Train too) and just snuggling with it at night. It has become his friend when he is hurt or we have to go to specialist we haven't been too before.

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So that was on the personal level - oh plus they are so awesome to talk to on the phone and seriously spent HOURS of time with me on the phone when things went all crazy in July here with Gracie's Gowns. They were my rock, they really helped get me through that week at times!


Now professionally - we have teamed up with Healing Helpers in making smaller "animal sized" hospital gowns. These are ordered through Healing Helpers when someone orders one or just orders the gown if they already have one. This was the first Healing Helpers gown and of course was made for precious Annabelle when she had her most recent open heart surgery. It matched the gown that we made for Annabelle to wear. Since then we have made some others - and have a couple more to make as well. So I am just going to share some of the picture that they've posted of the gowns with and without their Healing Helpers.

To learn more about Healing Helpers or to even inquire and place an order for one, please visit their links below:


Website: http://www.healinghelpers147.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/healinghelpers
Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/healinghelpers

They also accept donations of materials, like new or new stuffed animals and monetary donations as well. They have a sponsorship program too and are looking to do so many more great things in the future with Healing Helpers! 
So stop by and see how you can help them out too! That is how I first was connected with them was through donating stuffed animals and fabric scraps from gowns and other projects to be used for their pouches!
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Give - Even if it is Just a Little

9/11/2013

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As I had posted on our Facebook page - over the weekend the church our family first attended in the area, but also where I still attend and lead worship at the Lakeside Service on Sunday mornings celebrated their 200th Anniversary!
Elk Creek Baptist Church was founded in 1813 on a little hill in Mineral, Virginia - it has survived some of the craziest times in the history of the United States...though I think the next 200 years may be even harder.


This little church has withstood the Civil War, multicultural differences, awful weather, next to no attendance at times, and even more recently a massive earthquake that most of us wondered if the church had even survived. It did have structural damage - but amazingly survived compared to most of the buildings in the area from that time. God was protecting his house. 


Here is a picture I took last year from Easter - at the lakeside service. Can't you just feel the serenity, the presence of the Holy Spirit right there? I love singing...even more so, love singing praises and worshiping at the lakeside service. It is more than just going to church...it is being IN church...where God is and feeling his creation while there!
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Okay now back to the 200th anniversary service and why I am even blogging today about it. There was a guest preacher and I wish I could remember his name right now, but I cannot. His sermon was about when Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000 men with just a 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish...not to mention the leftovers afterwards (also not counting women and children that were there as well).


The sermon lined out what Jesus did time and time again - he took the bread, he broke the bread, he blessed the bread and he gave it to the people. It didn't matter the amount of bread - it didn't matter at all...he made it work and work to the glory of the kingdom. 
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As a little girl - I remember wishing on dandelions. I love this image...I can see myself here, I can see my oldest here. I can remember all the things I would wish, hope and pray for through the dandelions. It was my prayer many of times for the safety of my father while deployed in the Navy, but even more so it was my prayer to one day make a difference in the lives of many.


As I went to start making hospital gowns for children - I never imagined that Gracie's Gowns would become just that, but that it would become what it is today. It has been an amazing journey, but I have also realized it is more than just me...it is a ministry to the kingdom of God and one that he has not only inspired me to use my time and talents for, but one he is blessing and giving to each of you.


The past month and a half have been hard - I won't lie. With restructuring, rewriting and once again being the only person working on gowns there have been so many times I have wanted to give up. And then I heard this sermon on Sunday.


I don't have much to give - I have a wall in my kitchen, the limited time during the day and the late hours at night, I have my own intermediate sewing abilities and limited funds...but I have the passion and the heart for children who are hurting, children who are in need of comfort and a smile. That sermon was meant just for me.


I have given to God what I do have, he has taken it - the past month and a half he has allowed it to be broken, not as punishment, but as a humbling experience and reminder that it all about the children, His children, and to remind them they are loved beyond all measure. He has blessed Gracie's Gowns with your constant support, new families we've met, new experience and even great opportunities in the future. But most of all he has given this ministry to each of the 840 families we've reached individually, not including their friends, families and those who have just happened to find us.


He has turned a home-based, one-person trying to make a difference into something so much greater and I cannot even begin to thank him enough for all of it. 


So remember - it may be a lot that you have to offer, but if God has a part in whatever it is...he will make it work. It won't be easy, there will be bumps in the road, but at the end of the day, it will be worth it and your passion and efforts will be multiplied to bless others.




Jessica
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Busy Buddy by Bee Brave

8/18/2013

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This amazing tray with a removable pillow that also becomes an amazing storage keeper is called a Busy Buddy - the amazing mother, daughter team behind it is called Bee Brave!

Our son David, was a recipient of a Busy Buddy - he is autistic (you can read back through the blogs and find his full story) and we spend two hours in the car every trip to therapy, every appointment, every specialist and every testing...which this summer was three days a week...for him, it is boring and frankly he hates it!

I cannot tell you how much he LOVES this - he can use it at home on his lap to color (we don't have much table space, and he can take it away from the girls), he uses it in the car, he can hide his most treasured possessions inside the pouch for the pillow (it has a zipper)...and well it worked great for mommy when I was laid up in bed and I was able to write out the new requests for gowns even.


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David is pretty picky about what he likes - what child isn't right?! I had just made him a special little bean bag seat/ottoman thing...lol. And this was the fabric he picked out for it. The amazing part of his Busy Buddy, was I was able to send in this fabric and her mother made the pillow with it! David was so excited to see his "moo cows," "piggie" and tractor on the fabric.


Melissa went one step farther and matched the painting on the tray to the fabric as well! Once again - he was in HEAVEN! It was so great to see his face light up when it arrived in the mail and it was perfect timing as we had therapy the next day! But he wanted to take it outside to play with his trucks in the sandbox instead...lol.

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So we compromised - he is David with his Busy Buddy!

He was allowed to take it outside with him, but it had to stay with mommy, I wasn't about to have sand start coming out the zipper pocket...lol.



He doesn't always smile, but he wanted to say "mooooo" as his picture was being taken. The boy loves cows, what can I say? He wants to be a cowboy when he grows up.


When I sent in David's fabric for his Busy Buddy we also went a couple steps farther and created a wonderful bond and work relationship on the Gracie's Gowns end with Bee Brave.

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We sent all this amazing fabric over to Bee Brave to help make the pillows for other children, teens and adults that end up being on their sponsorship list!


Of course, it is mostly all scraps from gowns that have been made for children by Gracie's Gowns. Some of our gowns we have lots left over, and this is the case with these fabrics, but we also sent lots of smaller pieces to use as well for their mini stress relievers!


We filled up a diaper box of fabric and mailed it out to Melissa and her mom and something even more amazing is stemming from this too!

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We are participating in CureFest 2013 in Washington D.C. - it is an event sponsored by The Truth 365 to bring awareness and support for Pediatric Cancer.


The event is on September 1st, 2013 and all of the participating organizations, work with children who have cancer, fund pediatric cancer research, promote awareness, etc.


Bee Brave - is sending us 50 mini stress relievers for our goodie bags to distribute throughout the time of the event! We wanted to help promote other organizations that are small like us, but work with children who have cancer, and just chronically ill children as well and let them not only put informational materials in our bags, but include a little item too!


Melissa sent me this picture of some of the ones heading our way here soon! All I can think of when I see this is the precious kiddos that received gowns from the same fabrics and it makes me tear up, knowing they have inspired something so amazing in my own heart and really and truly are the heartbeat that keeps Gracie's Gowns running!

If your organization isn't attending CureFest and would like to include an item and informational materials in our goodie bags, we are putting together 50 bags. The items need to be at my house no later than the 29th of August so I can get them put in the bags.


Direct sales companies are allowed to include an item, but I am only taking one representative per company - and you must include a sample item with your information. Please contact me BEFORE sending anything, just to make sure I don't have another representative already - and that I need to keep my eye out for a package - same with any organization.
To learn more about Bee Brave you can visit their 
Facebook Page at (stop by and send them some love, Gracie's Gowns style of course):
https://www.facebook.com/beebrave2013



And their website is:
http://www.beebrave.org

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The Chartres Cathedral 

8/2/2013

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When I was in high school, I had to opportunity to go to France with my French teacher, friends in my level and students from other French levels as well.

It was an amazing trip - everything I loved all in one place. Music, the history of France, the shopping everyone talked about, the monuments and artwork...it was spectacular.

The cathedrals and castles were probably the most intriguing sites we saw. Of course the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre and Versailles were unique and ravishing, but the cathedrals really drew my attention above all else.

Something about the architecture, the amount of work that had to be done my so many people, over years and years of time...and even sometimes having to be redone because of fires, natural disasters and war. And the final project still standing for all future generations to see, it was breath-taking. Most of the cathedrals are still in use for religious services in France (sorry random side note there and memory from touring). Chartres Cathedral was the one that intrigued and amazed me the most. And here is why....

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The Rose Window - look at it, isn't it just beautiful! That is all stain glass. This alone took years to complete...the detail is so intrinsic and most of it is still the original glass that was used when the window was first constructed in 1215. The scene the window depicts is the Last Judgement, and was a gift that at the time cost 80,000 pounds! Now let me share a little story with you as to why I am even blogging about Chartres Catherdral, the Rose Window and why it's detail, the beauty and the work involved mean so much and can really put things into perspective for each parent who reads this.

Once again - this is from a posting on Facebook - though I do not know who originally wrote this, to give them the credit, but I pray one day they see the blog and realize how much of an impact it really has on those who read it.
Invisible Mother

 It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way
 one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be
 taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'
 
 Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping
 the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see
 me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of
 hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this??

 Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock
 to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is
 the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

 Some days I'm a crystal ball; 'Where's my other sock?, Where's my phone?,
 What's for dinner?'

 I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes
 that studied history, music and literature -but now, they had disappeared
 into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's
 going, she's gone!

 One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a
 friend from England . She had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she
 was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there,
 looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to
 compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when she
 turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you
 this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly
 sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'With admiration
 for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

 In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover
 what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could
 pattern my work:

 1) No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record
 of their names.

 2) These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never
 see finished.

 3) They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

 4) The passion of their building was fuelled by their faith that the
 eyes of God saw everything.

 A story of legend in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the
 cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird
 on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man,
 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that
 will be covered by
 the roof. No one will ever see it'

 And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

 I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost
 as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the sacrifices you
 make every day, even when no one around you does.

 No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've
 baked, no Cub Scout meeting, no last minute errand is too small for me to
 notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see
 right now what it will become.

 I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of
 the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work
 on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went
 so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime
 because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

 When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's
 bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the
 morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3
 hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a
 monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there
 is anything more to say to his friend, he'd say, 'You're gonna love it
 there...'

 As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're
 doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel,
 not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the
 world by the sacrifices of invisible mothers.
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