Feeling All The Feels

It's the weirdest thing... asking for money.  That; and childbirth, but that's another post.  Nonetheless, I found myself nervous as I drove the girls + 1 friend to Winterset this morning.  After spinner order delivery, I made a personal appointment with myself to go around the square asking for donations for our upcoming Facebook Auction. 

Talk... About... Humbling...

What tone of voice to use; chipper or desperate?... Should I have purposely looked more 'rough' than I already did?... should I have brought Mack along for the Asian visual? ... should I have bought one of their items first to show I'm a loyal customer... It was HARD.

But I did it.  I did it for my friend Emily and for my boy, Jayson.

And I watched faces turn from soft to hesitant, from curious to excited, from annoyed to willing.  Truly, if someone were seeking their degree in psychology, go door to door asking for adoption donations.  It's WEIRD!  There are so many strong opinions on adoption support and it's fascinating!  But whether or not you agree with adoption support is not the point of this post.

As a mom, you do everything, I mean EVERYTHING when you know you have a child depending on you.  When you have a child across the world counting on you to bring him home to his forever bedroom, toys, stuffed animals and his 'people'.

So I did it.

It was like selling Girl Scout Cookies, as an adult.  Sigh.

And as the rain poured down during the John Wayne Days horse parade and I hauled 3 littles behind me telling them to 'stay close to side of the buildings' as we went from one business to the next trying to stay dry, I felt all the feels.  Desperation, Compassion, Annoyed, Excited, Nervous, Grateful... but mostly, I felt SO BLESSED.

And because I never want to stop learning...

Today I learned it's easier to ask for donations for OTHER PEOPLE.  Asking for yourself is just plain awkward.  The majority of people will donate, but not always eagerly.  Face-To-Face is always the most effective.  A parent will do ANYTHING for their child.  They'll put themselves out there, regardless of the cost.  I don't think anyone can understand how much they are loved by their own parents, until they become a parent.

And as I sit on the porch, sipping Aldi's wine while my 4 kids, 2 overnighters, and Maddie (14 year old neighbor girl who wandered down) eat spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, I can't get over what an amazing world we live in. 

Love is deeper than you can see.  Family is even deeper.  Marriage is unique and good, kids make the world go round, stages make life interesting and LOVE is always the answer.

Macks Mothers Day Poem

20 minutes after returning home on the last day of school

Summer at last