Got.Give. :-)

Yes, it's Saturday! A chance to organize, refuel, and figure out what's on the agenda for the next week, month, & maybe even the new year. ;-)

I've been thinking about ways to give. My cousin mentioned I should share some ways. So, here are 8 great ways to give. We all have something to give because we are blessed in unique ways. I've found that giving from my heart is the best feeling ever. I love sharing ideas, news, laughter, experiences. It is an exchange of love, really. No matter what I may be going through, there's always, and I do mean always something I can give. Even if it's just a smile!

So here are 8 great ways to give. (you know 8 is my favorite number:-))

**Got a closet filled with clothes you rarely wear? What about a chest of toys the kids have outgrown? Grab a few bags and/or boxes and fill them up with your old but still wearable garb. There are several u places to donate clothes. Every town has a salvation army, goodwill or church that will gladly accept your gently used clothes.
Going through the toybox with your kids is a great way to get them involved with giving and sharing. It's never too early to start learning the gift of giving.

**Got old cell phones taking up space? Donate them to one of the many recycling programs. Here's a useful link to find drop off locations in your area: http://www.donateaphone.com/CalltoProtect/dropoff_states.cfm?state=New%20York

**Many senior citizens spend the holidays alone. If you have room at your table, consider inviting an elderly neighbor or someone who lives alone to join your celebration. It may be the best gift they've received in a long time. :-)

**Got books (in readable, clean condition ;-))? There are several programs that accept books and do wonderful things with them, such as Books for Soldiers, Books for Africa, and Better World Books, just to name a few.

**Got time? Share it with folks at a local soup kitchen, community center, or homeless shelter. Doing is giving.

**Got cash?  Give a microloan to a woman in a developing country. As little as $25 can help lift her family out of poverty. You choose an entreprenuer and receive email updates to see how the venture is going. Check out http://www.kiva.org/lend for more details. How awesome!!!

**Got talents? Of course, you do! Share your skills to make someone's life a little sweeter. For instance, do you love creating photo albums? I bet you know someone who has boxes of old photos that could use a home. Offer to put these "memories" in a beautiful photo album. Or go a step beyond and scan old photos onto a cd to create an electronic album that could also be produced into a leather photobook. It's fun and all the time and effort will last a lifetime. :-)
Think about something you enjoy doing and offer to do it for someone who may not.

**Got a naggy habit you really want to overcome? I sure do. This would be a gift to those closest to you, say your partner, best friend, co-workers. Recently, my dear one, humorously, made me aware of a phrase I use way more than is necessary. So I'm started to think of a couple of phrases that may be getting overused in my vocabulary i.e. "I'm so tired, oh Lord, and that's so annoying." :-/ I'll stick with my silly words and phrases though--like "you rock, sugarplum, and fantabulous!" In the meantime, I'm on a mission to lessen (cutdown to no more than once a week) my use of blah, not-really-of-any-use-to-the-world phrases.

Sending creativity your way. Tag you're it!