There are two giveaways today to be sure to enter both :)
One of today’s giveaways is hosted by a girl I met while pregnant with Ruby.
This is Jordan.
I met Jordan when I was her hostess for the Miss Salem pageant.
I LOVED being her hostess.
Jordan was so great to work with.
I was so excited when she wanted to participate in these giveaways!
Even though she had a lot going on in her life she was confident, motivated, determined, and focused.
She had just moved to Salem and didn’t know very many people, but she was willing to go out there and do anything.
I’m kind of a behind the scenes gal so I loved this about her.
She also knew who she was and what she wanted out of life, which was impressive for her age.
She is now married to a wonderful man who plays basketball for BYU.
Here is what she has to say:
Dear Ruby,
I am sorry I never got to meet you or look into your beautiful eyes and feel of your tender spirit but, I prayed for you and your family, I thought of you, and I got to hug you!!!.....
I know it’s not obvious but you are in there. I remember when your mom told me she was pregnant and she was beaming. Dearest Ruby your mom loves you more than a human can describe in words and I could see it in just that short moment.
I love your mom and she was there for me, right after my parents divorce, a time I really needed someone. I was in a new city after their divorce and wanted to do something I enjoyed, I wanted to find a way to serve, but could preoccupy my mind. So I decided to enter the pageant and I met her through that pageant I was in. She was my pageant host or even better my “backstage mom”. She was always there and always ready to help. She never missed a beat. She eased my nerves, she comforted me after disappointments and most of all she made me want to be a better person. Your mom is amazing and strong and you are a lucky little girl. Although she may not know it, she impacted my life so I want to honor your mom by celebrating you!
Ruby I love picturing you as a little girl cheering up everyone around you on the other side, giving kisses to little Hank before he came to the earth, and watching over your family. I imagine all the talents you have in heaven and the difference you make. You are an inspiration to me and so many people and you are so tiny. It proves great things come in small packages. I wanted to give away something that reminded us to keep you in our minds….
And close to our hearts…
Thank you Ruby for teaching us a little bit more about life and love.
Love,
Jordan Sharp
To win the Piano Guys CD (love love love them!!!) and necklace you will have to serve or learn a lesson from a child. Just like ruby taught us. I know being a mom is serving all day but the service has to be just a little bit extra then just your day to day routine. It doesn’t have to be big but to just take a little more time to do something extra.:)
Isn’t she great?!
Leave a comment with what you did to serve or the lesson you learned.
Winner will be announced October 30th.
Thanks Jordan for a wonderful and thoughtful giveaway.
Be sure to scroll up to enter the other giveaway from today as well.
When I was diagnosed in June with Ovarian Cancer at age 36 and my hopes for bearing a child in this life dashed, my mom brought piano music into the hospital where I spent 15 days. Since then I've gone to sleep with some kind of piano music every night, which has brought me so much peace and helped me turn this sour experience into a sweet one. One of the cd's that I listen to came from a guy I've never met who plays the piano at different hotels in Utah and is a friend of a friend; I've come to realize there are some amazing people in this world and this blog shows it!
ReplyDeleteThis has been a pretty hard year for my family. We had a pretty traumatic loss when my daughters 10 year old cousin lost his life to suicide. It seems like 1 thing right after another all year. Even the small things add up to a huge thing. This year my 5 year old has taught me so much. When I told her of her cousins death her response was "it's sad but don't be because Ethen will be alive again when jesus comes." She taught me to look at the big picture not focus on the pain of right now. Also, just this Monday I had a lot burdening me. I picked her up from dance. She chatted for a couple minutes then out of nowhere started singing "i am a child of God" and kept singing it for the next 10 minutes until we got home. She taught me that something as simple as humming a primary song can keep your mind from things that shouldn't be bringing you down. Great giveaway!
ReplyDeleteJess, so sorry to hear about your loss this year. Thanks for sharing
DeleteOne thing I have learned this week from these giveaway is that not only are you surrounded by a group of great friends, but you are also such a dear friend and great example to so many and your baby Ruby would be so proud of how strong of a woman you are and will continue to be. Thanks for letting us learn more about your angel baby and about overcoming trials in such a positive way. God bless - Chelsea Rowley
ReplyDeleteOne lesson I have learned from my daughter is to love unconditionally and be kind to everyone. I got the best compliment the other day from the secretary at her school. She told me how impressed she always is with Macy because she is kind and includes others all the time. She gave me an example that brought tears to my eyes. How grateful I am to learn more from my incredible daughter than she learns from me. Such an awesome giveaway!! :)
ReplyDeleteElise Ford
Love your giveaway!! The Piano CD reminded me of last night when I was tending my Granddaughter while her parents went on a date. She was wanting to play on my Ipad. I have a piano app on it. I opened it and showed her how to play it by pushing on the little green dots as they came down the screen. When I pushed on the dots she was soooo surprised to hear the piano sound coming from the ipad, but in she followed what I did and surprisingly she was able to do it and it really sounded like a song. She beamed from hear to hear! It's fun to watch children learn new things and see how excited they get over the small things. I hope that I will always remember to be happy and get excited over the small things.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that you two met. I love the Piano guys. Such a fun giveaway.
ReplyDeleteToday I decided to do a little "extra" for my little boy. On the days that we drop his sister off at preschool, he has a hard time leaving since he sees all of the fun things that she gets to play with. One of those fun things that is always out when we arrive is playdoh. I'm not a fan of playdoh mainly due to the mess it usually produces (so I'm excited that she can play with it at school!) But today I read this and decided my little extra would be to get out the playdoh that is hidden in my house and play with my little guy. He was so excited! And it always makes my day to see that smiling face!
ReplyDeleteI am blessed to be stepmom to lovely Jordan who is sponsoring this giveaway - thank you Jo for sharing Ruby's story with us. As I was, thinking of something to share that I have learned from a child - I kept thinking about Ruby and your family, Kristin and Jared, and wanted to tell you about what I have learned from children like Ruby.
ReplyDeleteLong before I married Jo's dad - I worked in the OB department of our little local hospital. I especially loved working in the nursery, caring for the newborns in those first precious hours of mortality when the breath of Heaven still surrounds them. Going to work was a healing experience for me as I wanted so desperately to be a mom myself but was unable to have children of my own. During that time, I found a unique opportunity to provide service to families like yours whose little ones were only here briefly. Whenever we had a baby pass away on our unit, I volunteered to come to work and help create some memories for their families. I would take pictures, make foot and hand print cards, preserve little locks of hair, and make plaster casts of tiny hands for families so they wouldn't go home from the hospital "empty handed". I always felt humbled to be a part of what I considered very sacred time with these families, and it helped me to deal with my own infertility grief, so I didn't mind the unpredictable timing of the opportunity to serve. Ironically, after adopting my daughter, I spent most of my first "real" Mother's Day at the hospital with a family who lost their baby that day. Needless to say, I hugged my daughter a little differently when I got home that night.
A few years after I left my OB job to *mostly* stay at home with my little girl, I was going through an extremely traumatizing divorce. One day, I was a few hours away from home, spending time with my parents while my siblings were all visiting from out of state. We had decided to take all the kids swimming at a nearby pool for a day of cousin fun. As I was standing at the edge of the pool watching the kids have fun, I was approached by a woman who asked if I was Lisa who was an OB nurse. We started to talk and she explained to me that years before, she had delivered a stillborn baby and that she remembered that I was the nurse who had made the keepsakes for her family. She told me that the little plaster casts of her baby's hands had been such a comfort to her and that they are still prominently on display in their home. She threw her arms around me and thanked me. I was speechless, overwhelmed that something that had been simple for me to do had been such a comfort for their family. That experience taught me that sometimes small and simple acts of kindness often have much greater impact than we realize, and that even when we cannot take away another's painful life experiences, we can make their burden a little lighter and help them through their journey.
Wow, what an amazing story! I feel a close connection to the nurses that took care of Ruby so I understand the woman's thankfulness to you! Thanks for sharing!
DeleteMy son is turning 10 this weekend, and ended up getting the same Lego set from 2 different grandmas. I had told him that we could go exchange one at the store for another one, and he actually suggested donating one of the sets to Sub For Santa so that another child could enjoy them as much as he does. I have never been so proud to be a mom!
ReplyDeleteMelissa Arakaki
I learn this from my students everyday- sometimes laughter really is the best medicine. :o)
ReplyDeleteKatie
One of my favorite lessons I learned from my son (and I am still working on everyday) is to be nice and friendly to everyone. He loves to make friends and sees so much joy in being with others. One day some neighbors down the street were out and since they don't have kids and aren't LDS I don't know them. He said, "Hey Mom! You should be friends with that lady over there!" I shushed him but then really thought about it and it's stayed with me. I have a lot of anxiety meeting new people, but I don't know why. Since then I try to talk to neighbors I don't know more and be more friendly to strangers when we're out and about. Ruby taught me that we are all children of God and gave me a little peek on how much he loves us and how we should try and love each other as he would want us to. And my son's lesson goes right along with that. Little children really do have so much to teach us if we're willing to listen. :) I love this giveaway! And all the words you wrote. Kristin is the best and I am so honored to be her friend. And I love the part where you said you did get to hug Ruby and showed the picture. That is so sweet.
ReplyDeleteWhat a blessing that the two of you met!! Of course I learn from my kiddos everyday, but my four year old has a long memory and has really started asking me when I am doing things that I correct him for doing. It is really helping me to practice what I preach and has made me so much HAPPIER!! :)
ReplyDeleteJane
Just this morning while dropping my son off at kindergarten his young classmates was in tears saying goodbye to her mom. Sean is a very sensitive little boy and when he saw her crying he got teary himself. He's been in kindergarten for almost two months and he's never once shed a tear at my departure. Today, however, he could not stop crying when I tried to leave. At first I thought he was just tired because he got up so early this morning, then I realized something. He was crying because he had seen the emotional suffering of his dear friend, and in turn started to suffer. Sometimes I worry about how tender Sean's heart it, but today I was reminded what it truly means to "mourn with those who mourn." Genuine empathy is priceless!
ReplyDeleteI learn this from working with special needs children...celebrate the little things in life and don't take anything for granted.
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet note. I feel like I learn something from my kids everyday but most recently that I need to forgive and forget as quickly as they do. They don't hold grudges and neither should I.
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet note! I have 5 children I get to raise here on earth & 1 watching over us from above. My 5th child was born sleeping almost 3 years ago & he taught me SO much! He's still teaching me things. The biggest thing I've learned is to SLOW DOWN & ENJOY YOUR TIME with those you love!!! You never know when a loved one will leave us, so tell them & make the most of it! Life is CRAZY, but remember to slow down.
ReplyDelete*Chandi Wilde*
I spent some extra quality time with my kids--it made their day! Time with them is something that I take for granted and I am going to try harder to spend more quality time with them.
ReplyDeleteGreat giveaway gifts here! Love the Piano Guys CD - especially since I play the cello and the necklace is gorgeous. Yesterday, I donated some gently used gowns, coats, and toiletries to a women and children's shelter. Thinking of all of the homeless high school students that should have the opportunity to don a gown for Homecoming, and thinking of the homeless mother's out there who just need a warm coat - inspired me to serve and give this weekend. Loved this post ... very sweet.
ReplyDeleteI was called into primary about 4 months ago and it's my very first time being in primary. I LOVE it!! I think I've found my niche in the church and hope I can serve here for a long, long time. What I love is being able to focus on the basics of the Gospel and strengthening my testimony of the small and powerful things. I teach the 6 year olds, and one of them is Reagan. They love to tell me examples of how they have served. It is so sweet how these little things they do can be such important and valuable lesson in their lives (a simple answered prayer, playing with someone on the play ground that didn't have a friend, getting a bandaid for a sibling when they got hurt). I love these kids and the things they teach me about loving and serving our fellow beings and in doing so, serving our God. Julie Anne
ReplyDeleteOur Bishop talked about this yesterday,
ReplyDeleteHis you son can into the bathroom one morning and said Dad stay home from work today. The dad said "son I have to go to work to make money so we can live in our house if I didn't we would live in a cardboard box". The Dad was thinking, I just taught him a great lesson about hard work and money. The son replied, "dad I could live in a cardboard box ". The Dads heart melted. The son taught the father the greatest lesson that morning. Children don't care where they live, what car you drive, all they want is YOUR time. It was a great message and reminder after a wonderful primary program. Even if you don't have children give the people closest to you your time. All they want is you.
As I look at my kids each day, I learn from them to be genuine! They are what they are. If they are mad, they act it. If they are sad, they let you know, and if they are happy, they are the most delightful little things! We can all be a little more genuine, maybe it means saying something nice about someone that you have always thought. Maybe it means letting people see the tender, vulnerable side of you. I know sometimes I try to cover that up because it makes me embarrassed! But, I think that is one of my positive qualities, that I am sensitive to others.
ReplyDeleteI was able to help a friend by watching her 4 children so she could clean her house to get ready to move. I have 4 of my own, so it was kind of a crazy house, but I was glad to be able to help
ReplyDeleteWhen we were in Wyoming this past weekend, we got the chance to hang out with my husband's cute cousin who has Down Syndrome. She is actually 30 years old (which is a miracle in itself since doctors told the family she probably wouldn't live to be older than 7 because of her heart condition), but because of the Down Syndrome seems like a small child in so many ways. Anyway, we all love her, and whenever we get to see her, I try to pay special attention to her...not for her, necessarily, but for me. I feel so happy around her; the spirit of innocence that she embodies is remarkable. We got to play some games, and as always we talked about the tv shows that she loves (we like a lot of the same shows ;) ). Anyway, she was talking about a certain show, and how the people did this and that and the other, and how that's bad (she actually used the words "yucky" and "gross"...so cute), and it reminded me (here comes the 'lesson' part...the whole purpose of the comment) that we (or I) can be so jaded about the things we see on tv. Things are shown so often that oppose our standards/values, yet we just excuse/dismiss it. I suppose I need to re-evaluate and be more sensitive to things that are not appropriate. P.S. I don't know that I can give up Bachelor though. ;)
ReplyDelete