Casted Shadows

Dave and I are exactly one year apart (October 18th and October 25th).  With the coming and going of our 39th birthday we decided to challenge ourselves. Although the idea was Dave's, I am so excited to see what our 39th year will hold (and I will take a little credit for the follow through of his great idea)!

Here is some background:  Since I was little I had a heart for children, specifically those in need.  I couldn't stomach to watch the infomercials for World Vision, Stopping Hunger etc.  I struggled with the unfairness and inequality between me and children born in Mexico or Africa, or those born homeless in  my backyard of San Diego.  My favorite church memories are those spent giving back, or on weekend mission trips.   As an adult, but more specifically, since I had Gavin, I have struggled with wanting to find a charity, family, or specific cause that we can invest and commit ourselves to. You may wonder why I use the word "struggle" and I think it is because it is something that I truly wrestle with.  How can I look at my life and not want to give back?  How can I know with all of my being that our family is set apart, loved by God, and given more than what we need without deserving it.  I have made so many poor choices, taken so many long roads, up until becoming a mom and wife (and even then, I have been far from perfect), and I don't want the rest of my life to follow that trend.  With all of that being said, I continuously looked to Dave to come up with some genius idea for us because I just haven't found our "fit".....

The day the idea was born.....As we sat out in Temecula having a picnic, Dave brainstormed what will be the next year of our lives. We can't control others, but we are able to control our own actions, decisions, and investments. We had to decide what we wanted to invest in, specifically in regard to our time and finances.  Dave refers to this as where we will "cast our shadow".  Where will we be, who will our shadow cover, and most importantly, will they be better because of the choices Dave and I are making.  His favorite time of day are when there are long shadows.  The time of day when things slow down, become quiet, and you can truly just enjoy being where you are, where your shadow is, sooo.......

Casting our shadow in October 2014

We have decided that for our 39th year of life, we will only buy clothing, shoes accessories etc. for ourselves from companies that give back to charities, communities, foundations, countries, etc.  Obviously, we see the limitations of this so to begin with, we have not included our children, groceries, household supplies etc. (although we are going to try our best to do this as we can).  Any item we choose to buy for ourselves, we will research and make sure it comes from a charitable company.  This will be SO difficult for me, I am going to be totally honest about it.  I love to impulse shop for a cute top before our date nights, I love to buy Dave gifts after a long work week, I love to frequent TJ Max or Target (I even just got a Red Card) for house decorations,  I like to shop period.......I can still do this but will need to be more specific and intentional....

The gifts we purchase for others, well......we are going to try our best to ensure that there is a purpose behind it and as much as possible from one of the companies we meet along the way.

So, here you have it.......we are pledging that for the next year, 365 days from October 25th, 2014, we will not buy any clothing, shoe, bag, gift for ourselves that is not "charitable"

Why?  Our hope is this small effort of paying it forward, casting our shadow, both locally and globally, will inspire us to continue to do more and potentially open many more doors during the next year that we didn't even know were there.  Our raw purpose is simple....we will be better people, better parents, better family members,  better friends, better coworkers at the end of this year with softened hearts and a true passion for giving and sharing what we have been awarded in this life.   We will continue to blog along the way, share with you the companies that we have found and hope that maybe one of you will join us for a week, month or even a year in the challenge!!!  We would love to hear YOUR story too!!

With Love and Excitement,

Jen