Happy Day Project printable.

Jeannett has taken the reigns of this year's Happy Day Project, and today is my favorite task of them all.
Blessing bags.
Originally shared by my dear friend Leslie from Top of the Page, as a way to tangibly help those in need with the small necessities that we each take for granted.
If the idea of Blessing Bags is new to you, please check out the original post here, how we assembled them together at Thanksgiving, or last year's Happy Day post.
Now this is where I get all honest and weird....
I love cute printables.  I have ridiculous, crippling opinions about fonts.

I also know the last thing in the world someone with a cardboard sign on the street corner needs is a cute printable.
It's gross right?
They need to be known.  They need to be seen.  They need to be acknowledged.
The need help.  They need hope.
They do not operate in a world of rainbows and unicorns.

What does a minivan driving mom on her way to soccer/ Target/ school drop off/ playdates/ know what it is like to stand in their worn shoes?

Honestly?  Nothing. 
I know different pain, I know different brokenness.  I know that each one of us has an ache in our hearts to matter.  To be known.

A cute printable cannot fix their hurts.  A ziploc bag filled with snacks, socks, and cough drops, cannot change their situation.

What words could I even jot down that would make any difference?
I have no idea.
That doesn't mean I won't try.

Regardless of how they got to that corner, they matter to the creator of the universe.  He knows the number of hairs on their head.

What He loves, I love.
It is not my place to judge their current situation.
It is my place to see them.  To offer a small bag of comfort.
To encourage them that they matter.
Even if thousands of cars pass by them, pretending not to notice.
God notices.
How can we not?

In this season of abundance and thankfulness, take some time with your family and friends to assemble Blessing Bags.
Notice those that the world pretends not to.

Include a printable with a few handwritten heartfelt words jotted down.  Your words, your care, your notice, might be the only love that they see that day/ week/ month/ year.
It matters.

"We cannot do great things, but we can do small things with great love."
-Mother Teresa

(Printable available here.)




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10 Comments

  1. Lindsay - Pen and PaintNovember 8, 2012 at 9:28 AM

    I'm sure you know, it's my favorite quote. #smallthingsgreatlove
    Thank you for sharing.

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  2. Sara NeufeldNovember 8, 2012 at 11:18 AM

    thank you, friend.

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  3. BeckyNovember 8, 2012 at 11:23 AM

    Love this. So much. Doing it with the kiddos this weekend.

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  4. grey rose (they/them)November 8, 2012 at 11:51 AM

    thanks, julie! love it! xo

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  5. Leslie @ top of the pageNovember 8, 2012 at 11:55 AM

    Shoot I am just amazed that this never gets old for me. For the third year in a row, I'm still as humbled and grateful for this project as I was at the start because I too so badly need to know my God sees me. Its something that puts us all on an even playing field. Your words on the matter are perfect. Love you.

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  6. JanetNovember 8, 2012 at 12:03 PM

    Love this!! Thank you so, so much.

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  7. Brittany TurcoNovember 8, 2012 at 3:58 PM

    I love everything about this post. It's not weird at all. It's truth.

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  8. jonahbonahNovember 8, 2012 at 4:09 PM

    Love this, Julie. Thank youfor sharing your talent!

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  9. MaryNovember 9, 2012 at 9:23 AM

    this is such an amazing project!
    this has amazing potential to tangibly share the Gospel with these precious people! it's an honor, really.
    i love the idea of blessing bags. and i love the idea of sticking a Gospel tract right in there with the gifts as well.
    there's no greater Gift we can share with them than the One that came down for their brokeness and ours.
    of course, to be the hands and feet of Jesus, sharing and providing for their physical need as well as their spiritual one is so important to catch their attention.
    i LOVE this idea! thanks for the reminder(i am basically writing this all to myself, because i seem to forget these things so quickly!)

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  10. AnonymousNovember 11, 2012 at 9:56 PM

    NO WAY!!! If this is the Lord speaking, I don't know what else to say! My kids and I had a discussion 2 hours ago about whether to do another farm project (like we did last year through World Vision to raise enough money to buy a community in a 3rd world country a whole farm) or to make big ziploc bags of items we (and our friends) could keep in our cars to hand out to homeless people on street corners. I've never heard of anyone doing this before and the Lord laid it on my heart months ago. The kids voted for the "blessing bag" idea and now I check my email and see this! All the great ideas laid out for us! Incredible!

    Just one question, Julie, if you have an opinion. My original idea was to price out all the supplies and come up with a price per bag. Then I wanted to send out an email to friends, family, church, etc. and invite people to join us by purchasing as many kits as they want to make and take. Then I would purchase all the supplies, have everything set up in my garage, and have families come one Saturday in November or December and assemble the bags togther. I also like the idea of having people sign up for different items...from your experience, which do you think would be a better route to go?

    Thanks for encouraging us along this path! I'm excited!
    Blessings in Christ,
    Molly

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