On your mark, set,... crawl!

April is setting out to be a busy month! My daughter, Jess, is due to have a baby girl on Earth Day. How appropriate is that? But there's a lot of other wonderful things happening, too. Including the Diaper Derby!

The Baby Steps Diaper Derby & Toddler Trot is a new and widely anticipated event for the Women's Choice Network of Pittsburgh. It was my honor to serve on the Board of Directors for the WCN for nearly five years, when it was known as the Pregnancy Care Centers of Pittsburgh. My family has supported this ministry for years, both while I was on the Board and beyond. One thing we did, without fail, was participate in the annual Walk for Life. Last year, I was the 2nd highest fundraiser for the event, thanks largely to an anonymous gift of $4,000, which I strongly suspect came from one of you. That gift was more appreciated than I can express.

Winning is in the air... I can just feel it!

This year, the WCN is trying some new. Rather than adults walking and pushing strollers, there are going to be lots of toddlers and babies "racing." Little ones up to age 36 months will walk, toddle or crawl their way to the finish line while raising funds for needy families in Pittsburgh. The baby-sized "races" will take place at Jump Zone, an indoor play park in Allison Park. There are fun give-aways for all contestants. And, of course, as with the Walk for Life, event winners and top fundraisers will win some fabulous prizes. 

The Diaper Derby will highlight the ongoing work the WCN does with families. Almost all of their "Baby Steps" families were once clients who faced unplanned pregnancies and were considering abortion. In many cases, they saw abortion as the only viable option. But the staff and volunteers at the Centers showed them there were other options which involved giving their children life. Of course, it's not much good to convince a woman to choose life, if you don't offer the help she needs along the way. That's what these women and their families find at the Women's Choice Network.

Women like Stacey, who gave her consent for her story to be shared:

Hi, I am Stacey and I am raising money for local families that are in need. Not every family is the same, sometimes there are struggles and they may need to seek out the help of others. Our family went through a few hard times and needed a little help with food and baby supplies. We were blessed to be able to find the support and help we needed. I want to give back in whatever way is possible. Just as we were blessed, I hope that other families can be equally blessed, too. Please support me and little Ray Jay as we raise funds for local families in need. Even a small donation can make a giant change in someone's life. 

You can support Stacey's son here, or help my grandson, Lincoln, finish the race in first place by donating to his fundraising page here. As of today, he's in second place. I mean, seriously, how can you resist this face? 

Support my grandson in the Diaper Derby!

Here's how you can participate:

WIN -- Enter your baby (up to age 3) and compete for great prizes

PLACE -- Place your "bets" by sponsoring a contestant and be part of the action

SHOW -- Show up on April 20, 2013 at the Jump Zone to watch the pint-sized competition! All are welcome!

Registration is FREE. Register here.

All proceeds go directly to programs benefiting needy moms through the Women's Choice Network, Where the Choice is Life!

As a bonus, if you donate at least $10 to the Diaper Derby and let me know about it, via a comment below or on Facebook, your name will be put in a drawing to win a signed copy of my book, Vinegar Fridays, and a Norwex Envirocloth! Winner will be announced on April 22 (my 3rd grandbaby's due date!).

On your mark, get set,... crawl!

The Sabbath Experiment -- week 16

Happy Monday.

I'm getting a late start on this today. An extra hour or two in bed, laundry, breakfast and work took precedence over my blog post today. Plus, I'm a little grumpy. You see, after four months I just got my period again. Maybe that's too much info to share, but I guess I'm in a sharing mood. Or a griping one. My friend, Dawn, texted me this morning and said, "Look at the bright side...at least you're not pregnant." Ha ha. I'm thinking it is just all this Diva Cup talk. It backfired on me, who honestly thought I was four months into the necessary twelve months sans menstruating to officially say I was done! I know some women who actually grieve the loss of this part of their lives. Not me! I cannot wait to bid it adeiu.

What I was not anxious to bid adeiu to was the Sabbath. I actually considered carrying it through to another day, but decided that wouldn't exactly be about being spiritual, it would just be about being lazy. So, I'm planted securely at my desk and will be spending the day with my laptop.

That's not to take away from what a lovely Sabbath it was, starting off with a Sunday School lesson I presented to the adult class. We have been working our way through I Peter and, since they were so packed with spiritual truth, I limited yesterday's lesson to only two verses:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.

I Peter 5:6-7

What a great passage. There are many things to say about humility and about being humble. But how often do we look at it this way -- that giving all our cares, our fears, our worries and our anxiety to God is necessary for true humility? Seriously? But we like to hold on to these things. Worry defines some of us. When I've taught in the past, I've had people say to me, "I can't help but to worry. That's the way I am." Well guess what, that is not the way you were created! Worrying is a habit we nurture. It does not come naturally and we do not have to allow it into our lives. Worrying is a choice...and, according to I Peter, it is an arrogant one.

I love this story I came across on Saturday when I was studying for my lesson. C.H. Spurgeon shares, "I heard of a man who was walking along the high road with a pack on his back. He was growing weary and was therefore glad when a gentleman came along in a carriage and asked him to take a seat with him. The gentleman noticed that he kept his pack strapped to his shoulders, and so he said, 'Why do you not put your pack down?'

'Why, sir,' said the traveler, 'I did not venture to impose. It was very kind of you to take me up, and I could not expect you to carry my pack as well.'

'Why,' said his friend, 'do you not see that whether your pack is on your back or off your back, I have to carry it?'"

How much does this story apply to all of us? We cling to our pack filled with anxiety and ask the Lord to carry us, without releasing the pack. Silly, silly us.

After Sunday School, I appreciated a worship service dedicated to the Sanctity of Human Life. We worshipped the Creator in song and focused on the lives of both the unborn and the born. We talked about the work of the Women's Choice Network, a non-profit organization that I was privileged to be a part of as a member of the Board for nearly five years. I was proud to be associated with the them (and not in the prideful, non-humble way) because their focus is not only on the preborn babies, but it is also on the emotional, physical, spiritual and mental well-being of the women and men involved, regardless of the choice that's made. While the Centers do not do abortions or refer for abortions, they do offer hope and healing to those who have been wounded by an abortion. WCN is comprised of staff and volunteers who truly understand and offer grace to everyone who walks through their doors.

After church, we went out for lunch and then headed home for a nap before going to our daughter's to watch the Steeler game. And what a game it was! So, all in all, it was a wonderful Sabbath day, topped off with the song, "Pittsburgh's going to the Super Bowl!"

What a way to start a week!

Keeping it restful and focused on the Sabbath,

Hana