My Own Big Give: Kris, Part 3

So, here's the part where it all plays out.  And, know what?  It was fun!

Step one: Shopping.
This part was kinda boring.  You know I already that I had flour.  So my budget looked (roughly) like this.
Gallon milk : $4.50
Yeast:            $5.00
Margarine:  $4.50
Now, I realize this doesn't equate quite my $20 budget, but it eases the guilt I was feeling for using all sorts of ingredients that I had on hand.  I also bought a bunch of bags, but they didn't end up fitting a full loaf, so I had to scrimp some up.

Step two: Baking.
Here I managed to be efficient and skilled.  Every batch I made met with success.  Hopefully there wasn't a batch with ten-fold salt or something.  I'd never know about it.  Unfortunately, I had to bake in sets of two since I had only two pans.  And since bread is fairly time consuming this was a long process.  This is a picture of some of my healthy bread set out to cool.  Check Pt. 2 if you're interested in the recipe.

Step three: Delivery.
Now this was the fun part!  I've always enjoyed leaving secret surprises for people.  I seriously met some small adrenaline sneaking through people's backyards and popping loaves of bread on their porch railings.  I included brief handwritten notes with their names (for the ones I knew), so they wouldn't be creeped out, and a bit of nutritional info.  Wouldn't want somebody with a severe dairy allergy cutting into my fresh loaves...

I was discovered on occasion.  It would be hard not to be.  But just ripped the note off, stuffed in in my pocket and said, "Here.  My recipe makes two and I can't eat both!"

And, here's what I think.  It's true!  I can't eat two loaves.  But I love homemade bread.  So in the future that extra loaf will be finding it's way onto porches and door stoops around town.

TBG Coaching Sessions, part 1: Find Your Inspiration

We thought it would be a great idea to give you an advantage some inspiring examples. Watch this blog over the next couple weeks for a five post series touching on all the different topics related to your Big Give. Today...

---

Who Inspires You?

When you first thought of giving, who popped into your mind? We tell you to "choose someone who you appreciate." Hard to narrow it down, isn't it? Let me give you some examples.

Think about the people in your personal life. It might be someone obvious who may have given so much to you. Your Mom, say. Or maybe it's the quiet co-worker who probably thinks that no-one notices that she always has the coffee going in the morning. What about someone you haven't connected with in too long? How about looking up your high school sidekick on Facebook and finally finding a way to thank her for the times she stood up for you?

Another option is the aspiring folks in your community. There are total strangers who probably have a deep impact on your life, or the lives of others. By this I mean volunteers and public service employees. Maybe your Grandma is in a nursing home, and the staff there do an amazing job of keeping her comfortable, and going out of their way to do their job. Think outside the box. Did you have a high school teacher who taught you to love her subject? What about fire fighters, soup kitchen staff, ect?

My final example isn't quite so personal, but maybe it's something that's close to your heart. We're going to look a little bigger here. What about an organization that means a lot to you? Possibly you want to focus your efforts into a cause you really believe in. This means throwing your give at an issue that inspires you. Ending world hunger through sending a food package to a charity you care about. Or raising awareness for the aids epidemic in Africa. And, you know what, maybe it can be personal too. Let's say you have a friend struggling with cancer, and you want to raise funds to help obliterate the disease all together.

Everything you do counts. This is your chance to ask who really calls your attention, and give it your all. Mostly I just want you to take a minute to ask yourself, "Who do I really want to give to?" Begin by answering that question and I can guarentee your give give will be a benefit, not only to them, but to you.