Reflections of People.....

Please note: If this is your first time visiting our blog, please click here to hear the premise of Pass It On, Baby! and how it all began.... Pass It On, Baby!

(Before watching, please pause our song player at the very bottom of this page) .... thanks. =)




After spending the other afternoon updating our files on all those in need and also those who are willing to help , I can honestly say that I am emotional. Most days, we are so wrapped up our own personal lives and those of our friends and families, it hard to look outside of your own reality and see what others are experiencing. Today, I poured through notes asking for help....help for their children, help for sisters, help for friends....it would be more than one person could allow themselves to feel if it weren't tempered with notes from grandmothers offering to make handmade quilts, mothers offering clothing from their own children's closets, moms in the midst of struggling offering to send the clothes they have, blessed mothers sharing what they have....it's absolutely overwhelming.


Let me share with you a little of who the people we meet this way are....because they are among us all and often times blend right in. She is a single mother of three working all day and trying to scrape together extra money for the kids extracurriculars.....she is a mother going to school and working two jobs that has four children to care for.....she is a college student pregnant and scared and needs to get together clothing for a child she wants to keep.....she is a mother of a special needs child who left a career to care for her baby who needs constant help.....she is a mom and wife who lost her job when the economy soured....she is a mom whose husband left.....she probably is someone you know, you just don't know the intimate details of her life.

And the people who help? Well....they are the people who truly feel others pain. Who know how important taking care of your kiddos is important to our self-esteem as mothers. Who feel so blessed that they can't help but give back....who truly want to make this world a little better than what they found it. And you know what, you know her too.

The other day I was reading a little about Mother Teresa and I came across a quote that I have fallen in love with.....it says, “I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.” So beautiful, right? Such an amazing statement on what we all can be with just the littlest bit of effort. Spreading and sharing love. Many days the world seems like a crazy place to me....the emphasis in the media on violence and bad things happening. On the greed, the selfishness, the winner-take-all mentality. But each of us has a choice each and every day to add some love back in to the same world. To be the person that deep down they feel they can be proud of. Helping their neighbor and sharing what they've been blessed with. To bring hope...

Reflect today....on your blessings, on your gifts. On how you can give love. Maybe not through physical clothing or donations, but how you can be that little pencil too. If your struggles are deep, hang tight and know that there are people out there caring about you....right now. Wishing it weren't so tough for you...hoping things will change.

As back to school season approaches, many moms are struggling more than ever before. Sad and scared that their children will have so little....no new bookbag, no new outfits....some with no fitting shoes. If you find yourself able to lend a hand, please send us a note......we truly need all the help we can get.

In love and kindness,


Email Elizabeth & Heather

Bare Necessities...

Please note: If this is your first time visiting our blog, please click here to hear the premise of Pass It On, Baby! and how it all began.... Pass It On, Baby!

Many of you have probably heard of the classic movie Jungle Book. Well, it's a favorite in my house not only with my 2 year old but also with me. I hadn't watched that movie in ages until about 6 months ago when a friend gave me a copy for Cade (along with a whole box of other classic Disney's). One of my very favorite parts (oh and Cade's too!) is when Baloo the bear sings his infamous song - Bare Necessities. It's one of those songs that has a catchy beat and tune but it also makes you think. If you haven't heard it. Here is the chorus.

Look for the bare necessities

The simple bare necessities

Forget about your worries and your strife

I mean the bare necessities

Old Mother Nature's recipes

That brings the bare necessities of life

I'm hoping that its not only instilling good morals in Cade but it's also reminding me for myself each time I hear that funny song that the important things in life are the "bare necessities."

I know its true for me so I will only speak for myself but many times we work so hard to chase the things that really just aren't that important, that we forget to focus on the simple things that are. For me it's a reminder that the relationships with myself and others are really the most important. I get so worried about the "to do" list getting completed that I don't feel any sense of peace until it's done. I have my son's birthday thank you cards that haven't been written (from over a month ago), I have a house to put back together after a minor flooding last week, a client event next weekend and a bridal shower the following weekend. But honestly, it's songs like these that remind me that sometimes I'm working too hard on the things that don't really matter in the end. Sometimes, it's important to stop worrying about all the things that have to be done, stop running from thing to thing, and start enjoying the moment that has been provided to us. We can all get caught up in the mundane "have to's" in life but sometimes we need to take a minute, take a deep breath and "smell the roses".

Another favorite part of the song talks about searching for things that can't be found.

And don't spend your time lookin' around

For something you want that can't be found

When you find out that you can live without it 

And go along not thingkin' about it

I'll tell you something true

The bare necessities of life will come to you

I'm not sure about you, but that totally hits home for me. I get lost not only in the "to do" list but the never ending list of wants. They may not be major but still, sometimes they tend to take over what's important. All that "stuff" doesn't really matter. And if just attaining that next item on the want list or crossing off the next task from the "to do" list is the only thing that strings together the eventful times in life than we are definitely missing out on the simple pleasures that life can bless us with. Just spending some quality time alone or with family and friends in a simple way can be just as fulfilling if it we allow it. Today, for me, my quiet time meditating was by the pool listening to some newly downloaded music. That made my day! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a trip to the mall like anyone or scheduling a getaway or planning that next girls night out, but simply put, the bare necessities is what makes up most of the meaning in our life.

So if not for you, but for my own benefit - I hope that you can relate to the song and the message of "Bare Necessities". Good 'ol Baloo had it well put. A great reminder and something for us all to think about.

~

I would like to point out though that it's very easy for me to say to focus on the bare necessities in life. Although I have in the past, I am not currently struggling to keep a roof over our head, clothes on our backs or food on our table. I know many hurting families (including some relatives) that are struggling to have even the barest of necessities in life. Many are struggling to provide just the basics to their children let alone their selves.

No matter our circumstance or economic status, we all need to release our worries and strife for but a moment to enjoy the children we have, the significant others or family and friends that have been blessed into our lives. However, if your bare necessities are being easily provided in your life, maybe you can consider helping a family whose necessities are not. Just a few gently used or new outfits for their child could help ease the burden they are carrying.

We have two single moms that have reached out recently that could use Pass It On, Baby's help - a single mother to 4 boys (one set of twins) and a single mother to 5 kids. Please email us if you'd like more information on where to ship clothes to these beautiful families. They would love to enjoy the Bare Necessities of life.

Just for a moment, forget about your worries and your strife. Relax and enjoy what is right in front of you, what this moment has to offer and Pass It On, Baby!

In love and kindness,

Email Elizabeth and Heather

Let Your Light Shine....

Please note: If this is your first time visiting our blog, please click here to hear the premise of Pass It On, Baby! and how it all began.... Pass It On, Baby!

Many times, Heather and I hear from people facing circumstances that are heart-breaking. Struggles that seem insurmountable, situations that seem hopeless. At those moments, words fail me. It doesn't seem like enough to offer kind thoughts, prayers or words to people facing some of the hardest challenges...especially ones that I haven't myself experienced...but sometimes words, thoughts and prayers are all we have to give.

There are a lot of people tonight out there hurting. Some are dealing with sicknesses - whether their own or their families. Some are dealing with financial misfortunes...wondering where the money is going to come for the next meal, the next house payment, the children's needs. Some are dealing with heartbreak....doubting themselves and wondering if they will ever find someone again. When you meet someone like this, what can you say? How can you ease their burden? The truth is, you probably can't....but it is better to try something, than to say nothing.

When someone is sick and dying, we don't know what to say. I recently went through this with my Aunt. She had emphysema and things were quickly taking some pretty major turns for the worse. I tend to be the eternal optimist when it comes to someone being sick, and always act like we are a prayer away from a complete recovery. As things started to become painfully obvious that there was to be no recovery, I found myself without any words and not sure how to reach out. What do you say to someone who is dying? I had no idea and wasn't sure what to say because I wanted to make sure that it wasn't a goodbye. I felt as if I said any type of goodbye, it would be like giving up on her or being disloyal -- not rooting for her until the bitter end. On the other hand, though, saying nothing meant her possibly leaving without hearing everything that she meant to me. So I wrote one of the hardest letters of my life. I told her every memory that I had of her and how I'd take it with me in the future. I bawled the day away writing and thanking her for showing me so much love. For never judging, for always accepting. For sending me flowers to celebrate my first prom, to sending my new husband and I to a dinner we'd never have been able to afford, to celebrating each of our children's births, for teaching me how to cook, for all the laughs, the memories, the fun and the lessons. It didn't hurt any less when she was gone, but I knew that she knew how much she was loved until the very end.

Sometimes it's uncomfortable to reach out to other people in their time of need because you are afraid you may embarrass them. If you know that they are going through a tough spot financially, you walk this fine line between trying to help and meddling. Between being a loving person and invoking their pride. But, if your heart is in the right place I believe that it is better to ask how you can help than to say nothing at all. They may not accept, but at least they know that you care.

Sometimes it seems like all is hopeless. There are so many people struggling with depression and feelings of hopelessness. Some of the help needed goes well beyond what we can provide...but when you can reach out, do. You may be someone's lifeline. Someone's hope...their light.

One of my favorite philosophers, St. Francis of Assisi once said, "All the darkness in the world can't extinguish the light from a single candle." As long as you act in truth and in beauty, you will be that light for another. And I hope you know the exact person I am talking about....

It's the person whose actions result from love. Who listens to what you have to say and never judges. Who guides, but never steers. Quick to lend a hand, even when they probably don't feel like it. Willing to help you through anything, even if you say you don't need them. True lights of the world....I've been lucky to know a few. (And someday aspire to be one for others!! I'm working on it....just like the rest of us! =)

St Francis of Assisi said it like this, "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." Mahatma Ghandi like this, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Regardless your religion, your spirituality, your belief system -- being kind and full of love transcends it all. It is what we are called to be. That is regardless of your financial situations, your struggles, your strifes, your past.....

"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...let it be something good."

In love and kindness,

Little Noah...

Please note: If this is your first time visiting our blog, please click here to hear the premise of Pass It On, Baby! and how it all began.... Pass It On, Baby!


Hello Everyone! We hope you enjoyed a wonderful 4th of July, especially though, remembering those lives that have served our country for us to enjoy the special freedoms that we have today. 

We always like to share the personal stories that make Pass It On, Baby! what it is. It is all about those reaching out for a "hand-up" and those who are able to make that possible. We received a note back in April from a mother of a special needs child, named Noah. Noah has a very special story and you can read his story here.

A little background about Noah..."Noah was born on December 23, 2008, weighing 9lbs and 10oz by emergency c-section. Noah did not breathe or have a heartbeat for the first 13 minutes of his life. He was taken to Children's Hospital in order to have a procedure done known as brain cooling in attempts to minimize damage caused by perinatal asphyxia. Noah's brain cooled for 72 hours after which time the hospital ran an MRI and and an EEG to determine the extent of the damage. Unfortunately, the results came back with devastating news. Noah had suffered "global damage" to his brain. As a result, the prognosis was grim. They said Noah would most likely never walk, talk, or eat or even breathe on his own." Noah is now almost 17 months. His mother, Stacy, had to quit her job in order to care for him full time and their family has to pay out of pocket for his therapy that insurance will not cover. Needless to say, this family could definitely use a little kindness in helping to ease the burden.

Although it took a little time, Noah recently received a box of Pass It On, Baby clothing. Here is what Stacy had to say about receiving this little box of joy for her son.

Noah in one of his Pass It On, Baby! outfits.

Noah received a very special box this week filled with love and help. There is an organization called Pass it on Baby that helps those that need help by finding families to donate gently used clothing to help other families. Most families with special needs children find themselves much like us - struggling financially to obtain all the items that are needed to assist our little ones. When you rub all your pennies together to get equipment or therapy it leaves little room to get the everyday basics.

Noah's little care box arrived with dozens of neatly folded clothing that smelled so fresh and new. The donor had taken a lot care and time wrapping each individual outfit up like a little present before putting it in the box. Noah knew they were for him as I laid each outfit out next to him so he could see.

It is policy that they don't disclose the identity of the donors. We will never know the person who gave such love and assistance, but my hope is they may read about Noah's journey and know how much they've made a difference in our lives by caring so very much about another.

I would encourage anyone who is discarding any children's clothing to contact Pass it on Baby. You too have the potential to brighten up a day, to help another struggling family, to lessen the heavy heart of another mother trying to provide all she can for her children. It is a great reward to know that you've helped give someone a helping hand. Please consider contacting Pass it On Baby today to see how you too can help.

http://passitonbaby.blogspot.com/

Many have come to our rescue over the last year and a half. Lifting us up when we were falling, offering us a helping hand with no expectations in return, loving us as if we were your own. To all of you including Pass it on Baby, thank you from every ounce of our hearts. You have been such a blessing in our lives.

"How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it!"~George Elliston

Love,


Thanks so much to Stacy and her son Noah for letting Pass It On, Baby! be apart of their journey as well as letting us share their journey. These are the reasons we love what we do. Our goal is to affect one family at a time, one child at a time with a box of love. Thanks to all of you who continue to help us in that journey. Please pass this blog link on to someone you know that could use a little help as well or to friends and family that may be looking for a special place to share their beloved child's clothes.

Make today a great one and Pass It On, Baby!

In love and kindness,

Email Elizabeth and Heather