hey sister, can you spare some bling?

UPDATE: This event was a wonderful success. We raised $3500 due to your generous donations. There are still some pieces and checks coming, so it is not too late, if you are still interested in making a donation just email me. My friends are in actually in the process of bringing their baby home, so the timing is perfect. Again, thank you all from the warm cockles of my heart!!! Read on for the whole story....

You know how certain people in your life just warm the cockles of your heart? You're not sure what "cockles" are, but you know they exist because you feel them get warm when you think about those people?

I have the enormous blessing of being friends with just such a cockle-warming family. They have spent the first year of their daughter's life at Children's Mercy Hospital, exhibiting profound grace and forbearance throughout. Every day they demonstrate the enormous power of family. They have loved, supported, and held each other up during a very challenging year. All the while, they have afforded their daughter the routine and regular family experiences of the first year-- in an environment that naturally does not feel like a home. But they've made it unbelievably homey.



I am not kidding folks, you can actually forget where you are, and you'll be surprised when a nurse walks in. The power to transform and transcend environment does not come from scotch taping some photos to the wall. It comes from within. This is a powerful family with a wicked bright light.

Their utter devotion and superb skills are evident in the smile and sparkly eyes of their baby. There is little doubt that their special little daughter found her way straight into the arms of the perfect parents for her, and in return they have been blessed with quite an amazing babe.

As my friends undertake the enormous and joyous task of preparing to bring their baby home, I ask you for your old jewelry. In case the connection isn't immediately apparent, here is the skinny:

To help my friends manage costs and make accommodations required inside their home, we're working with Mark's Jewelers. This WONDERFUL local business has agreed to take all of our unwanted bling and turn it directly into cash for my friends.

So if you have a Vanilla Ice-esque gold chain collecting dust, a broken promise ring, a tarnished purity ring (no questions asked!), a mismatched earring, a forlorn piece of silver flatware, whatever ... please donate it to this CWF (cockle warming family).

Come on, you don't really need to keep that, ahem, "body jewelry" you picked up during spring break '96.

Mark's is located at 817 Massachusetts, in Lawrence. If you walk in and say you are donating to the "Bling for Baby Leah" event they will happily accept your donation. I can also accept your donations and promise I am good for it. You will not catch me cavorting around town with your old class ring, no siree! Just send me an e-mail.

Thanks everyone for giving me the opportunity to share a bit about my friends – and for your wonderful compassion and generosity. Thanks also for sharing, Tweeting, and Facebook-ing this post (just scroll down and hit the word "share," located next to the orange square).

Word to your mother.