From Skilled Hands

When my brother-in-law died unexpectedly this summer, my husband and his sister lost a brother, my in-laws lost a son, my children lost an uncle, my niece and nephew lost a dad. Others lost a friend and neighbor. Then 33 days later, my niece and nephew lost their mom to cancer.

I am no stranger to the anguish of loss, and to the hard work of grief. These are great equalizers, and experiences no one wants, but everyone will share.

It is one thing to see that there is a need; it is another to actively respond to it and to generate a solution to the problem. One person with an idea plants the seed and nurtures it. And so the Bures-Wershing Memorial 5K Walk-Run was born.

One hundred-fifteen people, from 2-62 years of age,  from all walks of life, and assorted locations, shared their common ground. Eighty-six walkers and runners, twenty-three volunteers, and others who couldn’t come, but sent their support. One hundred-fifteen people sharing an experience. One hundred-fifteen people who, with their hearts, reached out.

We all do live in the same town, you know. We breathe the same air, look at the same blue sky and the same full moon.  Members, all, of the family of man. When we help each other, we all win. Common ground indeed.

As always, feel free to leave a comment, or a stone (o), to let me know you’ve been here.

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My Town Monday is hosted by the lovely and talented Clair Dickson. For links to others who write about their towns, run—or walk–here.

Nestled in the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is the home of Happy Days Lodge.

Deriving it’s name from Happy Days Are Here Again, the theme song of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal platform, the lodge was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1938-1939. It started as a camp for the Akron Board of Education and the lodge was a dormitory.

Happy Days was built from local materials: wormy chestnut from American Chestnut trees killed by the early 19th century blight, and sandstone quarried from nearby quarries.

Happy Days is a beautiful place, in a wonderful setting. It is the location for a variety of interesting programs including concerts, discussions and hikes. If you’re ever in our neck of the woods, stop on by. And remember to bring your camera.

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My Town Monday is brought to you by Amarillo’s own Travis Erwin. Wander over there and check out the links. You’ll have the opportunity to see how other folks see their worlds. Pretty cool.

For the past 3 years, members of the business community have donated mini Christmas trees to be raffled off at the Peninsula Library and Historical Society. The proceeds of the raffle benefits the library’s Carol Wright Children’s Fund and the Peninsula Area Chamber of Commerce.

Take a look at this year’s trees:

A young patron helped Library Director Randy Bergdorf draw the winning names.
$535 was raised to benefit the Library and the Chamber of Commerce.
It’s like that in Peninsula, Ohio, population 602.

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Cups Of Kindness continues online and at Elements Gallery and the Peninsula Art Academy. I’ll post an update later today.

Friends and neighbors helping each other.

Many hands have worked to help Cups of Kindness. There is still incredibly beautiful art available: luminous paintings, sensitive photography, glass and pottery that “sing,” lovely jewelry, fiber, wood and other media that will make your spirit soar.

Last year, my friend, artist, writer and blogger Cat Bennett and I asked, Why Buy Art

-To lift your spirit

-To expand your spirit

-To meet your spirit

-To brighten your day

-To brighten your home

-To brighten your life

-To honor an artist

-To declare your value

-To have fun

-To know yourself

-To inspire yourself

-To inspire others

-To share your wealth

-To laugh

So many reasons.

Art feeds the spirit and soul; it brings light and life to being. Art can make your heart sing and your spirit soar. Something that comes from the heart through the hands. It is no accident that there is art in heART.

When you support an artist, you affirm the creative spirit. You have the opportunity to see the world in a different way, as the artist’s vision is manifested in the piece he or she has made.

This year, we can add, to help our friends and neighbors in a time of need.
Please remember that every dollar that we raise for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank will purchase 7 nutritious meals.

These are some of the amazing pieces that the hearts and hands of some of Northeast Ohio’s talented and generous artists have donated. These pieces and many others, are available on the Cups of Kindness website, and at the Peninsula Art Academy and Elements Gallery in the Village of Peninsula.

Necklace by Carol James

Earrings by Elena Juodisius

Loving Kindness by Dottie Goebel

Batiked Napkins by Wendy Mahon


Soli Deo Gloria by Shannon Casey

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Friends and neighbors helping each other.

I had fully intended to write about Cups of Kindness and Christmas in Peninsula. And my Wordless Wednesday was just that: wordless.

We’ve been working hard preparing for Cups of Kindness. I am very excited about it—-when I’m not terrified. I have envisioned this for a very long time, and seeing it to fruition when the need is so great is an amazing thing. Kindness is all around us—we just need to take the time to open our hearts to receive it.

The generosity of our community is a wonderful thing. The cyber-community has opened its hearts and spread the word. Amy at Knit Think sent a lovely donation of a cup, some hot chocolate and 2 beautiful cloths with a cup in the middle of each that she knitted. (I apologize for the quality of the photo.)

Judy Merrill Larsen emailed me and offered to send a a couple of signed copies of her beautiful book, All the Numbers. My incredible community of bloggers has helped spread the word. I was trying to list everyone and link to their blogs, but I am too tired—-you know who you are and you have my gratitude and my love.

We now have 74 artists who have donated 164 pieces of artwork to benefit the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

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Yesterday, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad ran a special train of their popular Polar Express. Their passengers were kids with a variety of special needs. Volunteers elves and others came to greet the train and wave to the children as they entered the North Pole.

We constantly prove the Power of One. Keep your eyes open. You’ll see it all around you. And you can pass it forward.

Remember: every dollar raised provides 7 nutritious meals.


Friends and neighbors helping each other.

The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank does amazing work. Just because. Their mission is simple: ENDING HUNGER.

I’ve discovered some astounding statistics:

**as of a couple of weeks ago, the Foodbank had distributed over 1,000,000 pounds more food than they distributed for the entire year in 2007.
**so far this year, there has been a 29% increase of families with children who need the Foodbank’s services.
**each dollar ($1) donated provides 7 nutritious meals.

Right here in these United States. The people who are in need are our friends and neighbors; folks just like you and like me. Folks who have to decide between medical care and food; between heat and electricity or food.

We the people can make a difference. Over 60 artists from points near and far have donated small scale works of art to help us help the Foodbank. Cups of Kindness is a show and sale of these pieces. All proceeds from the sale of these works will benefit the Foodbank. Please take a look at our website, http://www.cupsofkindness.net. Help us raise a cup of kindness for auld lang syne.

Friends and neighbors helping each other.

Hunger does not discriminate; it affects people without regard to background or social status. In our land of plenty, people are hungry every day; they have to decide between paying rent or eating, between medication or food, between staying warm and buying groceries. Of this I am certain: having enough to eat is a right rather than a privilege.

The mission of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank is simple: Ending Hunger.

We believe that no one should have to go hungry in our “land of plenty.” Children shouldn’t have to go to bed hungry; families shouldn’t have to decide between buying food and paying rent; and seniors shouldn’t have to choose between paying for medication and having a warm meal to eat.

Ending hunger is more than just our mission; it’s something we strive to do everyday. It’s a pledge we have made to our community to end hunger in Summit, Stark, Portage, Medina, Wayne, Holmes, Tuscarawas and Carroll counties. In 1982, based on a commitment by community leaders to help the increasing number of families requesting food assistance, the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank was formed. In 2007, the Foodbank distributed over 12 million pounds of food and provided meals for over 163,000 people in need in Northeast Ohio.

The Foodbank uses its resources well: each dollar that is donated purchases 7 nutritious meals. Meals that provide sustenance to people who are already stressed. No questions asked. When I recently toured the facility, I was amazed by the quantity of food that was ready to distribute to agencies large and small. The facility was immaculate; the people, both volunteers and paid staff, passionate about their purpose.

We are reaching out to others by giving hope. There is, I think, joy and intrinsic satisfaction in helping people who will never know who we are. As members of a world community, we have a moral and ethical responsibility to share our resources and to preserve dignity.

Cups of Kindness has been on my mind for a long time. This year, we are pleased to join with the Peninsula Art Academy, the Peninsula Area Chamber of Commerce, local. regional and national artists and a group of dedicated volunteers to support the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

This show and sale of small scale art will showcase artists’ interpretations of a Cup of Kindness, and will include both 2 and 3 dimensional artwork. All proceeds from the show will benefit the Foodbank. For information about this event, please go to http://www.cupsofkindness.net. If you would like to donate directly to the Akron- Canton Regional Foodbank, please click here.

It seems to me that blogging is another incarnation of the backyard fence: we chat, share thoughts, ideas and stories, even have a cup of coffee or tea.

The high tech has become the high touch—interesting stuff. This international community supports and challenges ideas, encouraging the writer to expand his or her thinking. Pats on the back are freely given in a world that is generally less willing to do so. We recognize and encourage creativity, and share what we’ve discovered. We may not borrow a cup of sugar, but we certainly help those in need. Isabel Hoskins, has asked us to come together as a community to help. Bella writes:

In the past weeks I’ve been sharing with you some of my friend, Jen’s, story.

She is a single mom and has a six year old son, Jack. She has stage four colon cancer. She is funny and wise, honest and real, beautiful in every way. She is one of my real life heroes and I love her.

Jeni forever changed my heart and life in asking what I would do if I knew I only had one year to live.

And she is living this, not as idea, but a daily reality. Her honesty and courage and love have sent out ripples of change in people’s lives, as she continues to share her journey on her blog.

And now we are coming together to offer her a tangible expression of our care and love.

The power in this is that, as Bella says, “We are not a non-profit. We are just a group of women coming together to support one of our own. We are rallying behind Jen because the reality is it could be one of us and we strongly believe that this is what community does.” Bella and others are planning an auction on eBay to raise money for Jeni’s needs that are not covered by insurance and to set up a trust fund for her 6 year old son. To find out more, please visit Bella’s post. We have donated a Little Blue Santa to the auction.

Jeni asks a challenging question: What would you do if you had only one year to live?
Important question, one on which I am working. I’ll post my thoughts as they become more clear. I pose the question to you: What would you do if you had 12 months left to live on this planet?