Life is a JourneyA beautiful short video my 11 year old daughter, Jaena, created, all on her own, while at my Uncle's funeral. She was playing in the grass while we are at the gravesite and after we placed a flower on the coffin, we drove over to the beautiful area where my Mom is laid to rest.
While my Dad, siblings and I were talking by my Mom's gravesite, Jaena walked around the area taking pics and short video clips of the beautiful and peaceful scenery. After she took her pics and videos, she created this short video on our drive to the restaurant to have lunch. She put the whole thing together, all by herself, while I drove us to the restaurant. We talked about life. She asked me if I wanted to be cremated or buried when I die, I said buried. We shared a bit about my Mom, her Grandma, and we talked about how short life can be. How unexpected life is and how quickly things can change. She put this together right before we arrived at the restaurant. After I parked she asked me to watch it. I did and almost starting crying. 💜 I told her, I don't think you realize how profound this video is. She smiled and ask me to share it later on, after we came home. We had a long drive home, she feel asleep on the drive and I thought about so many things going on in our life right now. Here is Jaena's video, "Life is a Journey." "The end is only the beginning." "So believe." More background info on this beautiful video. Jaena has been very sick for the last month, on and off. So sick that she doesn't even get out of bed for two to three days. Yesterday, she was finally feeling a little better that she was able to come with me to the funeral. Uncle Art was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and given 2 to 30 days to live a couple of weeks ago. There was nothing they could do because he had multiple masses on his liver. All they could do was let him go home and keep him out of pain. He died, 3 days later. 🙁 My cousins have been in my prayers since they found out about the terminal diagnosis. This has been on my mind more then normal because I am currently on, "cancer watch." I recently had my 7th mammogram and it shows some, "findings." I have a follow up appointment with the cancer center in April, to discuss the results. In addition to my own breast issues, my oldest daughter also has a lump, similar to mine, that we will need to have removed. 🙁 My mind has been everywhere this month. Lots of stuff going on. This month is also the 9th year since my miscarriage when we lost our third baby. I think about our little one often. Wondering how life would be with 3 kids. Wondering if our baby was a boy or a girl. Always thinking about what life might have been like. This month is also starting our 4th year since Gifts 2 Help has been an official IRS registered 501 (c)(3) Non Profit Organization. It's been a blessing to be able to help and serve people in need. My hope and prayer is to be able to help more people.💜 Along with everything going on in our personal life, CHP Officer Nathan Taylor, passed away from his injuries after he was hit by an SUV. He sounds like such a great guy. I know his family and friends will miss him greatly. My prayers are with all of them, as they deal with the loss. I am constantly praying for my husband's safety & protection while on the job and all First Responders, as they serve their communities.💙💛💙💛 Now back to the words in the video, "Life is a Journey." We are all on our own journey through life. We each have somethings that happen to us that we have to choose how we deal with it. Life is so short that my hope is that we choose to deal with things with grace, kindness and love. We don't need any more hate. Life can be hard enough. Let's opt to show each other more love. A smile, a hug, some encouragement to show each other that we are going to make it through whatever comes our way. God asks us to love our neighbors. His word says, I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 "The end is only the beginning." Yes, when we die, we go to Heaven or Hell. "So believe." Yes, believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior. He died so we may have life everlasting. God loves you, we love you. May our life be a life of love for others. May we always try to give more then we receive. May God Bless You, today and everyday. Always remember that my favorite thing to say is, "God is good, all the time, everyday." ~Amy Lots of prayers for peace, comfort & strength, for the friends and family of CHP Officer Nathan Taylor. 💙💛💙💛
Appreciating Law Enforcement OfficersEarly 2013, I began the process to create a 501(c)(3) IRS Registered Non Profit Corporation. All paperwork was submitted and everything was approved in a couple of months. Official status was achieved. 😊🎉
Being a small start up Non Profit Corporation, with the majority of financial support coming from me, I knew our projects would have to start off, "small." In November of 2013, a friend of mine suggested I focus the Non Profit on what is most important to me. So, I thought about it and prayed about it. The first thing that came to my mind was my husband and our girls. With that thought, I started to think of how & what I could do in their honor. We were already having our Christmas Toy Drive in December 2013, so I thought about my husband. Being that he is a Sergeant with the California Highway Patrol, I did some research and found out that the next year (2014) would be the CHP's 85th Anniversary! So I came up with the idea to have an "Appreciation Day" on the same day of the CHP's Anniversary. I wanted to have a National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day but being that Gifts 2 Help was just starting out, I figured we would start small with a CHP Appreciation Day. I shared the ideas for both a CHP Appreciation Day & a National Law Enforcement Day & it was decided to stay with the CHP Day since it was more realistic. In 2014, Gifts 2 Help custom made 11,000 commemorative 85th Anniversary lapel pins that were sent out as a little, "Anniversary," "Thank you," "We appreciate you," gift to all CHP Division offices for all their employees, Statewide. Plus, we had wives throughout the State volunteer to bring a cake or goodies to the office, the week of the Anniversary. For a small Non Profit Organization, the project was a SUCCESS! 🎉 After that, we started to reach out to others to try and create a National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day but it seemed to far fetched and unrealistic to send an appreciation gift to all Law Enforcement Officers, Nationwide. Well, not to long after that, another Organization created what our long term goal was to create. Being a much larger Corporation, they have the resources needed to make it happen. After several discussions with friends, the consensus became, it doesn't matter who creates the day, we just need our Country to appreciate what our men and women in uniform do for us on a daily basis. So, with that thought, hats off to, "COPS," for rallying people to support a National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. Gifts 2 Help appreciates ALL Law Enforcement Officers & all First Responders for their daily service & protection over their communities. 💙💛💙 We will continue with our daily prayers for protection & safety of all our First Respomders. Thanks again for all you do! With love, Amy with Gifts 2 Help 💞 I Love My HeroHello! I created this pendant as a little something to show my love for my hero.
gearbubble.com/ilovemyhero My hero, the man I love, respect, appreciate and honor for all he does for our family and for his commitment to his duty to serve & protect the people of California. I have loved this man for 17 years. I am blessed to be his wife. 💙💛💙 Wishing everyone an amazing New Year with lots of blessings of love from friends and family!
Life is not always easy. Sometimes it doesn't make sense. But it's always nice to know that someone out there cares. So take the time to tell someone you care about them. 💜 These attacks on Police Officers are not ok. Please pray for our Law Enforcement Officers. 💙 #prayforlawenforcement #gifts2help |
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AuthorHello! My name is Amy. I'm the wife of a CHP Lieutenant and the Mom to 2 beautiful daughters. I love my life! My desire is to help serve others. Thanks for reading. :) Archives
July 2021
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