Sun-Up Saturday!

I love how fitting it is that this lovely Saturday the sun is actually out and up and so warm and toasty, it makes it that much easier to be happier and appreciate the day before us.

This is my first "Sun-Up Saturday", if you check out my schedule HERE, or on one of the top tabs of this page titled "Venture Schedule," it gives a little more detail about what this is about. But for those that don't want to check it, I will just give you a short brief on it. Life is a venture all in itself, so I thought it would be fun to at least once a month take a step out of the crafty world and share some thoughts on life and my attempts to make it a little more sunny.
In the scriptures it talks all the time about if you want to find your life you need to loose your life. I think about this idea on occasion and it is interesting how it can be taken on so many different levels and have so many different affects. Well to get to the point, I have been thinking about this idea a little more in depth lately in thinking of a friend of mine.

For her sake (since it is a very personal matter to her), I will call her Kim, even though that's not really her name. She has been a good friend for the past years in my new life in Idaho. We roomed together, went to church together, lost a little out of touch when she got married, but not too much because we actually majored in the same degree, so we had classes together. Then we really started to hang out more towards the end of my pregnancy and on since she has a little girl as well (funny how having kids helps you befriend others with kids). There has always been something neat about her, and I have always admired different things with her parenting and her way of life and it has always been a treat to get to know her better.

We would meet once a week to let our babies play together (well, my girl isn't exactly sociable yet, it was more so we could actually have adult conversations while I husbands were forever gone and busy all day long). Even though we would talk about various things in our personal lives, there was still a level on unshared things. One week we wouldn't be able to meet because she needed to go to AZ for family matters. Being noisy that I am I was super curious about her trip, especially since I am from AZ. Being the private polite girl that she is, she didn't want to divulge into it too much, but I finally got out of her that she was going there to be evaluated if she would be a candidate to donate part of her liver to her sister in law. This sister has some kind of rare liver disease that if she doesn't get a transplant she will most likely get liver cancer and die with in the next few years. She has checked with all her family members and non were a match to donate to her and it all came down to my friend Kim. She came back from AZ and everything came in the clear- she would be a perfect match to donate. A few months later have passed and she just went down to AZ again to officially go through the process of donating- they completed the surgery last week and she is still recovering before making the long trip back up.

When I think of losing your life to find it, I would always think of "be nice," "share, even if you don't want to," you know, all the simple easy, cheesy answers. But more recently thinking about my friend and all that she went through, all the risks, and everything involved, not to mention she has a little toddler girl now that will be interesting to try and keep up with her with this recovering. I know transplant surgeries have been around for a while- so it probably isn't that risky and they will probably both be fine in the end. But I can't help but think what I would do if I was in that situation. If there was no one left, would I be willing, REALLY willing to donate part of my body to save some one's life? Hospitals and the whole setting of them all somewhat frighten me, intimidate me, especially surgery type settings, putting under type situations. The only time I have ever been a patient in the hospital was to have my little girl just a few months ago- and before her and all the doctor appointments I had associated with being pregnant I had never even gone to the doctor. For those reasons alone it would be a big scary jump for me to want to volunteer for such a task. Would I be willing to help someone out like this? Would I REALLY?

I am amazed out how willing my friend has been about this. She has been willing without question, without hesitation. Could I, will I ever be that willing to help others out!? Watching my friend through this whole process has made me think a little more differently of what it means to lose your life. I know most of us will probably not have the opportunity to donate part of  our body for someone else- but that doesn't mean we can't donate ourselves with the same willingness, with the same conviction to help others, especially for those in need; especially for those that just might need you and only you to help them feel better. You could very well be that perfect match to save them that day, only you could have helped and no one else.

On similar notes, at my primary presidency meeting (where I help in my church) this week, one of the sisters gave a spiritual thought on Ester from the Bible. She talked about how Ester could have very well been placed in her situation so she could be the one to save the Jews, but if she failed God would still deliver them somehow, because no one can frustrate the works of God. We are placed in situations in our lives to do something, be someone, help someone. We have that honor and privilege to help and prove ourselves and further God's work- but if we decide to not fulfill our part God will find another way. Am I doing everything God wants me to do? Am I being the instrument in His hands that he needs me to be, or am I chickening out that He has to get his back-up to fill my place? Am I being the blessing in others lives that He needs me to be? Am I giving up my life to God, losing it to Him that I can find it in the end?

I am certainly far from perfect, in every possible sense of the word I am VERY far from it, but I certainly can't help but think I could defiantly be doing better, I could be "losing" my life more, if you catch my drift. So I guess what I am trying to get at this "Sun-Up Saturday"- is what are you doing to help others? Is there room for improvement, to help others better? I know I have lots of room for improvement, and I know helping others will make us all feel a little more happy- a little more "sunny"!

I hope you let yourself be more aware of others and try and help them out more- I will try to be better too!

Thanks for reading this "Sun-up Saturday!" And on similar notes for this little discussion, one way to you could start your day in helping someone is actually by helping the girl I mentioned earlier. If you go HERE, you can actually read a little more about this girl that received the transplant and if you have the means you can donate to her and help her out with all the medical bills she'll be having. It wouldn't have to much, but I am sure any little amount would help- and who knows, maybe this is a way we can all help out and reach to others, being an instrument in God's hands to help someone in need.

Anyway, hope you have a "Sunny" Saturday, filled with love and service!

Until next time!....