I had a nice realization today about how our lives have changed since becoming not only more eco-aware but also more aware of the impact of our actions on others.
At Christmas my mom gave Marc a vintage school map of Africa. Understanding of our environmental plight (aka our hippy tree-hugger-ish-ness), she wrapped it in some pretty fabric instead of wrapping paper.
When Valentine's Day came around, I used that fabric to make some gifts for Fletcher's teachers at school. I also used it to make some little credit card / business card holders. My mom loved the one I made for her and decided to sell them in her store.
Last weekend we stopped by the store to say hello and she handed me some cash for the wallets that had sold.
Today we went to a get together for all of the Ethiopian adoptive families in Denver, where I handed that money to the host of the play date for all of the wonderful food and company she had provided for us.
Our host, Danielle, is the founder of Ethiopian Orphan Relief and is always doing wonderful things to raise funds. No doubt the money will be put towards something philanthropic. And, you know, even if it goes towards toilet paper and laundry soap at the grocery store next week, it's still pretty amazing to see how far a piece of cloth went: it wrapped a gift, it became a gift, it became an item sold to others, came back in the form of cash to help support a day of fellowship for our children.
These are the times when I'm reminded that "green" isn't just recycling and conserving water. Green is understanding how everything is connected, how our actions and choices affect others, and about enjoying simple things in life.
1 comments:
Thanks for sharing Kellie. Your great grandmother Thelma taught me that, along with her love of reusing "antique" items, instead of buying "new". We used to sell her eggs to other farms and stores, and watch the process go round! :)
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