Touching Your Heart

As I sit here listening to the radio (via the internet) to hear more about the finding of Sherry Arnold’s body in/near Sidney, Montana my heart aches.  All week Jodi and I have been talking about what we could do to reach out and make a small difference somehow but just couldn’t quite make up our minds on what to do (other than pray).

Sherry has been missing since January 7th when she went for a run at 6:30 AM.  Sidney, a small town (5000 people) in Montana has been shaken by her disappearence.  Today, news is being released that her body has been found (Edited:  Body has not been found see below for link to further info regarding the case).  The FBI and local authorities in that area are going to share information in a few minutes regarding her case.

As we all know, Facebook is a great way to spread information.  A Facebook Event has been started and is shared here.  Something very simple to do in order to shine some light in the world and keep our own communities lit at night.  Here is the information from the page and a link.

For the next seven days please turn your porch lights on at 9pm your time until daylight the next day. Let’s celebrate the life of Sherry Arnold and let her know we all care! Please share this and spread the word!

As a way of keeping your communities safer after the week is through… keep your porch lights on each and every night.  Light has a way of turning away danger.

Prayers for the family and community of Sherry Arnold.

Be sure to go to the link for the Facebook page and share the event and this post with your friends all around the United States and around the world.

Latest News

Please pray for the family and bring Sherry home.

…{and TouchingYourHeart’s Pay It Forward Smile Effect}

Hey everyone…HAPPY NEW YEAR!! {I warn you once again, this post is very long, so grab a cup of coffee or a nice cold pop, sit back, relax and read away!! I will bold the highlights for those of you who don’t have that quite long of an attention span. }

As always, the New Year finds many of us making New Year’s Resolutions and ultimately in the end, setting ourselves up for failure.  I try not to make too many resolutions, if any, as I know I tend to set my goals way too high.  However, this year I am taking a different approach and trying ones that I should be able to attain and maintain throughout the year.  And, my first one and most precious one to me is one I am going to share with all of you and challenge you all to join me!!

My first New Year’s Resolution is: focus more on the little things in life that make me smile…and attempt to do more of those things…and then pay forward the “smile effect” to my friends and family.

Now, I know that we here at TouchingYourHeart.net focus A LOT on enjoying the little things in life…but that is something we truly believe in.  If you remember, that is how this blog/website all started.  Some of you may remember that this all started years ago with myself just sending out little fun emails to my family and friends.  My goal was to bring a smile to the faces of those I love.  And it worked!!! My email list grew and grew…I reached out for help from Robin, Steph and Diane A and many others of you to help me keep it up…and we eventually took the HUGE LEAP OF FAITH and together…Robin and I hit that PUBLISH BUTTON for the very first time for our TouchingYourHeart.net website!! I will never forget that day! We were so nervous and had no idea what to expect.  We were looking forward to being able to reach out to all you more quickly, more efficiently and to be able to reach out to so many more people.  I will be the first to admit that I am slightly disappointed that over the years our numbers haven’t really grown and we have tried different ways of making it happen to grow the website.  We converted the website over to more of a blog type and find that that seems to work a bit better and have added a Facebook page for interacting.  Again, I find myself disappointed that the Facebook page didn’t draw in the numbers that I was hoping for….BUT…I have realized a few different things:  First, we still have the same followers who were with us from the beginning!!! That is awesome.  We have not lost a single one of you…you are still with us!!!! We are so blessed.  Thank you!!!  Secondly, I have realized it doesn’t matter the QUANTITY of followers we have…what matters is the ones we DO HAVE.  We are reaching out to all of you as often as we can trying to make a difference…one person at a time…one day at a time.  And hopefully continuing to bring a smile to the faces of all of you!  And additionally, we have had an amazing response to many of the different challenges we bring your way.  The TouchingYourHeart.net team is amazing.  You are the best prayer warriors, color wearers/displayers, support givers, etc that I have ever come across.  We call on you and you are all there…and you spread the word for us…and in the end the numbers for the challenges are amazing…the number of prayers that you send out for people is amazing!!!!! Thank you for that!! I truly believe that these challenges are HUGE to those we are doing the challenge for and also for their friends and families.  Yes, it is a big commitment to these challenges, more goes on behind the scenes than one may realize and at times they can become exhausting, but all it takes is to see the support out there and Robin and I are re-energized knowing we are MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

Okay, so…back to this challenge….I came across this “Things That Made Me Smile Today” idea from an article I read and unfortunately I cannot find it.  But to sum it up…this gal was missing her mom who had passed away and was wishing she knew what little things had made her mom smile.  So, she decided to start her own “Things That Made Me Smile Today” Journal so that her children would be able to read through it one day and so that she in turn on days she was finding it hard to smile could go through her journal to remind herself of what had made her smile in the past.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I gave a few of these journals as Christmas gifts.  {I would have loved to have given one to everyone I know but no way I could afford all those journals!! LOL}  So, this is my way of sharing it with all of you…by doing this challenge on the blog.

All you need to do is find yourself a simple little notebook or cute little journal…make it your “Things That Made Me Smile Today” Journal and take note throughout the day of what little things brought a smile to your face.  Take time to embrace that moment and enter it in your journal.  You don’t have to write a book about it..just jot down the event that made you smile!

Now this is where “TouchingYourHeart’s Pay it Forward Smile Effect” comes into play.  If you are having a day where you just find yourself not able to find something to smile about…CREATE ONE!!  Look around you…watch the people in your life or who you come across on the street or while out shopping or doing errands.  Do they look sad?  Or is there something you can do for them to make them smile?  Maybe you know they are a huge pop addict…surprise them with a pop at their workplace or home.  Maybe you can just send someone a card to brighten their day, or maybe you can just give a friend a hug.  Take time to people watch….pay attention and I bet you can find something to do that would make them smile.  Maybe someone needs help shoveling their sidewalk, maybe someone needs some errands run but can’t get out to do them, maybe someone needs a babysitter for even just an hour to get out and have some “me time.”  There are SO many things we can do.  You can even do it the secret way….maybe you can shovel for someone while they are not home and they will be surprised when they get home…maybe you can drop off a bouquet of flowers to someone who’s day needs brightening and not leave a card saying who they are from..leave it a surprise!  Use your imagination.  Have fun with it.  And I bet that by the time your idea starts coming together, you will start to smile!  Just imagine the smile that you will create for the person you are doing the good deed for!

Feel free to share this post with anyone you think might like to join the challenge!  I really think you will be surprised at what things actually bring a smile to your face…and the difference you can make by making someone else smile!!  Feel free to leave comments here on the blog or on our TouchingYourHeart.net Facebook page to let us know how the challenge is working for you!  You might help give someone else an idea that they can use!!  Or, if you want to remain anonymous, please email them to me at mjativey@ndsupernet.com  and I will post them for you.  Feel free to also email me personally if you just want to share what you did but don’t want it posted.

Oh, and by the way…my other two resolutions for this year are:

1.  To follow www.flylady.net as much as I can.  I LOVE THIS SITE. Robin introduced me to it years ago.  It is an awesome house/organization site that gives you missions and tasks for the day!  It’s a bit overwhelming at first, so start slowly and follow their babysteps!

2.  Focus more on my running, or as I call it…trotting!!  I would love to do at least two 5K’s in 2012!

{By posting these resolutions, I hope to be more accountable!!}

Good luck everyone… I hope to hear from you and am so hoping you will join our challenge!!

~Just me…and that’s enough~jodi 

Hey everyone….even though it isn’t quite Thanksgiving YET….here is a GREAT way to help get you in the Thanksgiving AND Christmas spirit!!  My dear friend and dear boss lady, Diane Paulson is part of the committee for our local “Giving Tree” and I offered to help spread the word via our blog.  {Please see the post below from Diane.} This is a perfect way for all of us to help make a difference…one person at a time…one day at a time. 

Please feel free to share this post/link with anyone you can think of who might be interested.

If you have any questions or would like to suggest someone for the Giving Tree, please email Diane at diane@paulsonseed.com with “Giving Tree” in the subject line.

From Diane: For anyone wanting to help a local charity this year, the Giving Tree is a great way to do so. There are  forms to submit on someone’s behalf that you may know who could use something extra this year. They are available at Social Services & most of the area churches in Bowman & Slope County. Or if your family is in need they would love to receive more requests than they have.  The deadline is Nov. 28th to apply and the gifts can be picked up at the Bowman Lutheran Church on 12/21 8-4 and it is all strictly confidential. Most churches will have gift request ornaments on a Christmas tree and you can take those requests, get the gift listed & return to the tree at the church. It is a wonderful way to help our friends & neighbors have a better Christmas.

THANKSGIVING

Your brain may have immediately thought of the Christmas song, but I tricked you.  Miss Jodi has been quite busy lately and even a bit under the weather so I told her I would give this whole Thanksgiving post a try.  I’m not going to be as good at writing about all the wonderful things she does when it comes to Thanksgiving.  Not that I don’t love the holiday, just that there is no sense trying to top the best of the best when it comes to thankful days.

So in the Facebook world, I have noticed people posting “30 Days of Thankful”.  On a side note a friend of mine did 31 Breast Cancer Facts for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Wish I would have thought to copy and paste them over here each day.  Maybe I will still get the info from her and share it.  Back on track… Go Robin!  Focus!

A friend of mine, Tami Wilson, posted on her blog today a way to incorporate the “30 Days of Thankful” into your family and have your kids be involved AND as a bonus you get a lovely keepsake.  Here is the link to Tami’s blog and the FREE templates that she designed for her son and shared with the world.  THANK YOU Tami!  The templates print on 8 1/2 by 11 paper so they are easily printed at home.  Just download her FREE templates and have a ball.  When I showed Jodi she asked if she had to draw a picture for each of the days.  Well, I think that was Tami’s way of keeping her son excited, but if you want to print a picture of someone or something and paste it in the square… that would be great to.

I know in the past we have shared via comments on the blog and on Facebook so, if you wish please feel free to share your ideas each day with us through the blog or on our Facebook page.

Thanks again to my friend Tami Wilson of Tami Wilson Photography (Denver, CO) for sharing the templates.

Have a wonderful November!

—robin—

Hey everyone…boy it has been a busy past few weeks for our TouchingYourHeart.net blog and our GAAW Prayer Chain!! ….{well…maybe a busy past few months by now…I am losing track of time!!} But that is GREAT!!!!

I just wanted to take the time to remind you all of a few things we have going on…and updates on other things we have done.  I know we have thrown a lot at you lately and it’s so easy to lose track of what we have going on. {Please excuse my “ugly links”…I didn’t take the time to do the “pretty hyperlinks.” And….this is a LONG post so please bear with my babbling and rambling!!}

• Please remember to cast your vote for the Make A Wish Foundation. ONLY FIVE DAYS LEFT-voting ends September 15!! {Fellow GAAW, Kelly Braun requested our help spreading the word on this and we are so THRILLED to be able to help!! Let’s not let him down!!} For more info go to: http://touchingyourheart.net/blog/2011/08/30/subaru-share-the-love-event-make-a-wish/  and/or for a direct link to vote on Subaru’s Facebook page, please go to: https://www.facebook.com/subaruofamerica?sk=app_257448760939476
•  We jumped on to help with spreading the word on selling “Save Your Skin” Tshirt Fundraiser for Lindsey Bowman. The first order was a huge success with 405 tshirts ordered!!! Now that people have seen the tshirts, we have more people wanting to order, thus we are helping with a 2nd order. So if you are interested, check out the Facebook link at http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=242333769130929 or follow this link to order directly: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHRqNnJCdXBoNWpyOWpnWktiTHgwU0E6MQ  Orders and $ must be submitted by Sept 23. 
• The  “Team Lindsey’s Kicking Cancer’s  A$$ Challenge” has been reactivated.  Robin and I decided we wanted to reactivate it so we could all wear GREEN for Lindsey on Friday’s…the day of her weekly treatments.  She is currently scheduled to receive weekly treatments for 16 months…so we thought it would be great to continue to show our love, support, positive thoughts, prayers and energy until her treatments are done.  We know we most likely won’t get as high of numbers as the day of her 2^nd    surgery, but as dear Robin always says, “Each time someone wear/displays green, then that is just one more prayer or positive thought that is sent Lindsey’s way.”  To follow the challenge on Facebook, go to:  http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=200963326622037  You can also continue to follow Lindsey’s journey and show your support on
  her Team Lindsey Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/groups/112301302196286/
• The “Back Pack Drive for flooded families in Ward County and surrounding areas” was a HUGE success. Last count I
   heard was they ended with 96 back packs I believe! We were so thrilled to be a part of this awesome event by helping the Bowman County 4H Council spread the word!! {we are GREAT ramblers and babblers!!} Thank you all for the great support!!!
• We did a “Pink Day Fun Day for Shay” where we asked you all to wear pink on the day of Shay’s surgery to close up her feeding tube hole.  From what we hear, Shay continues to be doing very well!  GO SHAY!
• I hope you are all continuing to keep Minot and surrounding areas and Bismarck/Mandan in your thoughts and prayers as many are still affected by the flooding that went on this summer.  Many are still not in their homes, many will not be able to go back to their homes and many are moving back into their homes.  Each of them will have issues to face, so please, please, please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers and count your blessings and offer up a quick bullet prayer of thanks for those blessings.
• Starting August 1, ND passed the Texting While Driving Ban.  http://touchingyourheart.net/blog/2011/08/10/texting-while-driving-ban-in-north-dakota/ I wrote a little post on this issue and was honest about how I was doing with it.  I continue to honestly be doing GREAT!! I am SO proud of myself!!  I honestly have not texted once or checked Facebook or emails while driving since then!!!  That is a HUGE feat for me.  {Unfortunately, I do still continue to talk on my phone while driving!}  I would LOVE to hear how this texting ban is going for you and any thoughts you may!! 
• I still have not found anyone willing to take on the duties of our “Teaser Fairy”, so I have decided at this point to discontinue the
  Teasers for now…or at least put them on hold for now.  I LOVE this feature of our blog/GAAW’s and feel so guilty for not having posted more of them the last year, but now that I don’t work at home, I personally just don’t have the time to post the teasers,
  send out the emails, keep track of the answers and then announce the winners.  Doesn’t sound like much, but for some reason I just can’t keep up with it. It was a huge relief having our dear Karen pick and deliver the prizes for me, but now that she is also swamped and has no time, I know I can’t do it all.  I AM SO SORRY..and thank you to all of you who have so generously
  donated prizes and to those of you who played along.  I will plan on holding onto those prizes and if someone comes up with a great idea on what to do with them please let me know!!  {Mitt-you still have a prize coming, I just need to pick it up from Karen!!} 

Okay, I think that wraps up the last few months! Whew!  On behalf of Robin and our great helpers-Steph and Diane A…and myself….we want to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts!!  YOU ARE AWESOME! Thanks so much for your support with all that we bring
your way.  You are simply amazing and I hope that you all realize that you are helping us achieve our goal of what we wanted TouchingYourHeart.net to be all about…

“Making a Difference…One person at a time…One Day at a time.”  

{Robin and I have decided to officially make this our new motto…as it is so perfect for what TouchingYourHeart.net and our God’s Angels at Work {GAAW} Prayer Chain is all about!}

~with all my love~jodi

Hey everyone!! We have a chance to help make a difference for the Make-A-Wish Foundation!!!!!  We have been asked by Kelly Braun, formerly of Bowman, to help promote this amazing event!!!  Kelly is a huge part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Dickinson, ND and they are looking for help to spread the word on the “Subaru Share the Love Event.”  Please read the below info on how you can help and please, please, please share this link and the Facebook link with anyone and everyone.  We have until September 15 to get the Make-A-Wish Foundation added to the Share the Love Event! We can do this!!!!!   Direct link to the Facebook page for voting:  http://a.wish.org/SubaruWishVote

{through the eyes of a very proud member of “Ray’s Harem”}

 I first met Mr. Ray Sheets and his dear wife, Miss Nancy, when I started working at the Finder/Bowman County Pioneer about 17 years ago or so.  I remember I was SO scared of him at first.  He was gruff, quite the smart a**, very detail-oriented and had a routine you didn’t want to mess with.  However, within a week or two, as long as I greeted him every morning with a smile and a “Good morning, Ray”, as long as I respected his detail-oriented paperwork and let him stick to his routine, and as long as I made small chit-chat with him…. I quickly learned that his bark was worse than his bite and that deep down he was an amazing loving man who I grew to love and admire deeply up until the day he went to Heaven.  Somewhere along the line he became “Mr. Ray” to me and dear Nancy became Miss Nancy.  I’m not sure when it began or why, but it stuck through the years and to this day and through my remaining years, he will always be my “Mr. Ray” and Nancy will be my “Miss Nancy.”

Mr. Ray was a unique individual…he LOVED working with us women at the Finder/Pioneer.  Or at least, he made us FEEL like he did!  Even before I started working there, Mr. Ray had worked with many many women over the years…and somehow he managed to have a unique relationship with each and every one of us.  No one was more important than the other…we were a group…soon to become known as “Ray’s Harem”, a term which he loved dearly and so did the rest of us.  Mr. Ray and Miss Nancy loved getting together with all of us even after some of us had gone on to different jobs and Mr. Ray had retired.  We got together often to meet for supper at the Sharivar, playing Bingo at Windy’s or HasBeens, tried to get together for birthdays and even managed to get together for an occasional ice cream at Eat’s N Treats.  {He also managed to get ME to dance at the Crystal one night on one of our get-togethers…and trust me, that was a HUGE feat in and of it’s own…I hate to dance, but Mr. Ray loved it and of course I could NOT say no to Mr. Ray.} He and Miss Nancy even came to my 40^th Birthday Party last year and that is where this photo was taken.  What precious memories! 

Mr. Ray was one of those rare individuals who literally took the time to visit with you and who honestly cared what your responses were when he asked you how you were, how your family was, etc.  There was never a time that I met him on the street or in the store that he didn’t ask how I was, how my job was going, how my husband was, how my daughter was and how school was going for her and if she was still dating “that Rafferty boy.”  He truly, honestly cared about people.  At his funeral I heard over and over how important his family was and how he took the time to be with them and to listen to them and how he cared about them.  Trust me, if you knew Mr. Ray at all, he made you feel like family.

Of course, Mr. Ray wasn’t perfect…nor would we want him to be.  You definitely knew where you stood with Mr. Ray and he wasn’t scared to tell you what he thought either.  If he liked you, he liked you.  If he didn’t, he didn’t.  And you knew which one it was for sure.  LOL!  He was quite the smart a** and always had a smart-alec comment or joke for you and no matter how hard you tried to be ready for it….he usually had one up on you. 

Over the years Mr. Ray’s health declined and he just wasn’t able to do the normal ROUTINE things that he loved to do, playing cards, going for coffee, visiting with people….enjoying life, but he gave it a great fight with dignity, and for that we loved him even more.  Our hearts broke for him and Miss Nancy as we saw the changes in Mr. Ray, but it was still always a pleasure to see him on the street and to be able to give him that little squeeze and have a quick little chat with him…and yes still usually with a smart a** comment from him. 

This last week the world lost an amazing man, mentor, friend, husband, dad, grandpa, etc…..I know I speak on behalf of all of the members of “Ray’s Harem” when I say:  Mr. Ray….It was a pleasure to serve you, our dear master of Ray’s Harem.  We are blessed to have shared your life and we will miss you dear friend.  May you rest in peace….your work here is done.