Attention: This is Operation Hope in a Ziploc! Please Share!

Recently, I have been floating on cloud gratitude thanks to the wonderful support system I have in my life. I am truly blessed. I sat down with a cup of tea the other day- it was cold out but my house was toasty; it was quiet and I was alone with my thoughts. I started thinking about what my options would have been in my lifetime had it not been for the many wonderful people who surround me; people who they themselves mirror out as beautiful gifts. I was humbled when I thought of where my family might be if we weren’t so lovingly surrounded and supported because the truth is, there are so many people who do not have the kind of support I am so fortunate to have.  

I’ve realized that I want my children to understand that life can be very bleak when you stand alone without a community. I want them to grow up sensitive to it and appreciate those who stand with them without expectation. I want to teach my kids that they have the power within their little being too grow up honoring such a priceless community, but respecting that during their time here, it is their responsibility to always pay it forward. I want to show my children what that looks like by being an example they will one day be proud to have learned all of this from. I want them to believe that hope is never lost and the world itself is nothing short of a miracle. I want them to believe right down to their core that people are always a worthwhile investment and humanity is a beautiful thing as long as you are contributing to its beauty. I want them to understand what the holidays are really about, but more importantly, I want them to understand what every day is about.

I’m setting my intentions and taking another step toward being that example for them. As this is all about hope, I, myself am hoping to reach out and help someone - someone who may really need it right now, someone who may not be as fortunate as I am in when it comes to having a beautiful support system.

This is ‘Operation Hope in a Ziploc’

My plan was to leave a Ziploc bag in some random place around town; in the bag is 10$, a signed Christmas card and a letter explaining that I hope that my care package will be found by someone who needs it more than I do.

I had to fight the urge to forget this whole idea when my brain wanted to convince me that 10$ was a joke…but then I thought about certain times in my life where finding 10$ lying around as though it was meant for me would have been nothing less than a miracle.

Included in the letter is an open invitation to anyone who might find the Ziploc to take a minute and assess their life, if they feel that someone else would benefit from it more that they would, I asked them to contribute alongside with me, adding whatever amount they could to the bag, signing the Christmas card and leaving the Ziploc for someone else to find. My intention was to build a little community of gracious neighboring folks right there in that bag; a small group of thoughtful people who may bring someone the hope and comfort they might so desperately be needing right now. 

I started really thinking this through. One of my girlfriends has jumped on board with every fiber of her gorgeous heart and she will be dropping her own Ziploc!  I’ve decided to share this online for anyone who feels they want to pay it forward right along with me.

I’m asking that you share this message and pass it along to the people in your life! We are limitless in connection and communication thanks to the internet, please help me take advantage of it!

If you wish to start your own bag all you will need is a printer, 10$, a Christmas card, a pencil you’re willing to part with, a large Ziploc bag and an open heart!

I’ve included pictures of the contents of my Ziploc, as well as a link to the printable letter and tracking tabs!

If this intention works the way I hope it will, I promise to post any follow ups I receive right onto my facebook! I’m hoping there will be people who take the time during this busy season to share their story, their pictures, or let us all know where they’ve found a bag and where they’ve left it!

Let’s make it snow Hope in Ziplocs this Christmas!


Love,

Jen xo

‘Operation Hope in a Ziploc’ is a ten dollar, yet priceless Christmas gift for my children; one they cannot outgrow! Merry Christmas Brandon and Emma! I am still growing right along with you, my loves! Never hesitate to be the change you wish to see in the world! I love you both in endless amounts xo   

  

Be a part of this and make your own Ziploc! 

Here are the printable links to the letter and tabs

Hope in a Ziploc Letter

Hope in a Ziploc tracking tabs




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 Feel free to send me pictures of your bags before they go off and do what they're intended to do!!! 

  Original Location Vaudreuil, Quebec, Canada

                                                Original Location- Taunton, MA, USA    

                                          Original Location- Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada

                                             Original Location- Vaudreuil, Quebec, Canada

           (This Ziploc is extra special; it belongs to a small child who has donated 10$ of his own
          money to be a part of Operation Hope in a Ziploc! This is his Ziploc! Thank You Monkey!)

Being the Change

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?  Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's  not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own life shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others ~ Marianne Williamson"

                                                    


The little girl in me has always believed that we all have an innate capability within us to make a difference in this world. Maybe we’re not all built to live as the Mother Teresas or the Dalai Lamas of this earth, but within each of us exists a pull toward earning our keep here by being a 'meaningful' contribution to humanity, just as we are; we just don’t always pay attention to that place in us. We’ve gotten side tracked...and as we go through our days, the veil of smoke that covers up what our hearts once knew for certain has gotten too thick to see beyond. I shrug my shoulders because I share this with you from a place of humbled personal experience.

Here’s my truth; I have struggled in my life and I have struggled hard. The harder I struggled the harder I fought my circumstances. As the trials and tribulations sometimes trickled, at times flooded in, the angrier I became. But underneath all that anger, my compassion for those struggling in hardships grew at an intense rate. Hubby often jokes that I’m a bleeding heart, but the truth is, I’d rather care than not care. For a long time however, my struggles seemed to become my life’s primary focus. I knew that somewhere along my journey I was meant to be the change I wished to see but I didn’t see how that would be possible for me while I myself was having such a hard time. How could I really help someone else if I couldn't even help myself? I had the best intentions but all the while telling myself that I wasn’t in a great position to do all the things I felt inclined to do. I kept telling myself that the day life stopped feeling like such a struggle, the day I got it together was the day I would be able to build the life I’d always imagined and show the world that I had something to offer. Unfortunately I’ve spent a lot of time always waiting for some situation to get better.

“Once this happens I’ll be worthy of coming out from the shadows and sharing my personal value; once that happens I’ll be able to afford to set myself up to make a difference; once this situation improves I’ll be able to help someone else’s situation improve. Once that starts happening I’ll be convincing enough to avoid criticism.”

I’ve spent far too much time waiting…waiting for things to happen in order to convince the outside world that I had a value to offer. What I needed to learn though, was that I didn’t need to wait for the world to believe in my value in order to share my value…What needed to happen was that I had to believe that my personal value didn't require environmental conditions in order to exist or to be of service, knowing at a core level that my personal worth wasn't something that required a majority vote to hold value.

The truth is, my life’s struggles continue much like many people, but I am finally in better place within myself and I’m now seeing my life as it is through different lenses. I've come to terms with the fact that I may struggle my whole life as I haven’t been privileged the knowledge of what’s in store for me…but I do know this....that I can’t keep moving through my life acting as though I’m powerless right from where I am, even today.

I may have been living backwards; perhaps my life’s circumstances aren’t meant to change until I change direction…or change my perceptions for that matter. Maybe it’s time to stop waiting and time to just start doing what I can, as I can, from where I am. If I’m going to live as I’m meant to, on purpose and of service, I’ve got to believe that where I am right now is all part of that equation.