More Christmas

Before we left town to go home to the 505 we got together with some of TJs family. Chelsea, Heidi and Megan's family were in town and Jamie and her family came down from Layton. We kept tradition and went to Target and shopped for each other spending no more than $10. It was fun and my nephew Sam got me a cool long sleeve running shirt on clearance SCORE for me! We had our dinner by candlelight (they adopted my families tradition that I love) and the kids put on the Nativity. It was a great night. I also wanted to write about a cool experience we had as a family for Family Home Evening one night. We had chosen the Leafty family to help provide Christmas for this year. The kids were excited to pick out toys for their kids and TJ and I were going to provide food and gift cards. But turns out there was another family who was planning on doing Christmas for them also. We didn't know if we should still go ahead or not but as the days went on we kinda felt like maybe we shouldn't. We were already helping that family out each week providing dinner and I offered to watch kids and offered free haircuts.  So then we were back to needing a family to help. So then one night TJ and I were watching a documentary on TV about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Its in the middle of the ocean and all the currents bring together and keep in one spot all the trash from all over the ocean. Its mainly plastic and its the size of TEXAS! It was crazy! The sad part was is that all the plastic is being eaten by all ocean life and all birds. They showed so many pics of sea life either strangled or caught in trash. They then showed an island in the ocean that is inhabited by these birds. They were feeding plastic to their babies. The island was covered with dead birds and in their stomachs were full of bottle caps, lids and all kinds of plastic. Its literally killing the birds and their young because its floating in the ocean and they think its food. They were also showing the fish that were being caught all over that seemed fine but once they caught them and cut open their bellies they also were full of plastic. In short the oceans are polluted and all the fish we eat are polluted and full of BPA. Fish even if you couldn't see plastic in their bellies they were full of BPA because some of the plastics will disintegrate really small and naked to the eye but still eaten by fish. It was just sad how we the human race have done this. There is no such thing as organic fish unless you breed and raise them in captivity. It was just crazy to think about. They went on and on about the different types of plastics and the worst ones are water bottles and the grocery bags from walmart. Your one time use plastics. These plastics don't disintegrate and they are full of BPA which is making so many people sick. I can't even imagine the number of walmart bags I have used in my life time!! So you can now call me granola because I just bought all reusable shopping bags. It will be a very inconvenience and something I will have to consciencely think about but I feel like this will be good for me and something I can give back. And it feels good to do my part. I also have a dirty little secret of how else I like to give back. Growing up I always got so mad at my mom for letting the water run to long and was always on every ones back for wasting water. And once when I went to Rocky Point Mexico with my sisters the beach house we stayed at there was a note on the toilet that said "If its yellow let it mellow, if its brown flush it down". They did it to conserve water. That's where it all started and also when I had babies sleeping in my room and I didn't want to wake them up by flushing the toilet. SO for about 5 years I do not flush the toilet during the night. I don't do it in the day since it's so frowned upon and people won't want to be my friend and will think I'm a crazy person. But I figure it takes 1-2 gallons of water to flush a toilet. I averaged out during all my pregnancies during the years that I prob average 2-3 pee trips during the night. Thats like 3 gallons a day, 21 gallons a week, 84 gallons a month and about 1000 gallons of water saved a year! Tj thinks I'm gross but whatever, it makes me laugh. Anyways back to my story, the show went on to talk about water in some countries and how millions of kids are dying every year from drinking dirty water. It made me sick. So we decided the next day to show the kids "The Clean Water Project" on Youtube. They got to see kids their age not being able to go to school because they had to walk 4 miles everyday to get dirty water for their families to drink that they knew would make them sick. It was so hard to watch and not cry. We asked the kids if they would like to donated some of their money to help these people get clean water.  Tallies hand in not even a sec shot up. They all did. They willfully got their money and gave gracious amounts. Tj and I also donated and we were able to provide clean water for 1 large family and 2 others for an entire year. Chloe asked if we could do this every year. We then all decided we would try to be more conscience of our waste and picking up trash outside when we see it using less "one time plastics" and doing our part. And since, out of the corner of my eye I always see Tallie picking up trash where ever we go. I love it. 

On the same day we got together with TJ's family, Lake Leafty (the father of the family we wanted to help) confided in and asked for help to make his rent before his family was evicted from their home. He was short $2,400! Of course we didn't have that to give. I felt sick the whole day. I knew that TJs parents kept a Christmas jar and sometimes they have a large amount. So I had TJ ask if they had one this year and if they had a family in mind to give it to. They didn't really so they gave the jar to us. We added in some money of our own and delivered it that night. I know we didn't make the rent but I hope it showed Lake that tiny miracles can happen so don't loose faith.

It was a great Christmas season with great experiences and opportunities to grow and love and be more Christlike.