Sweat Shop of Love

Have you ever witnessed something so extraordinary, but you don't see the beauty in it right away. You are so wrapped up in your own agenda...that you fail to fully grasp what is in front of you? Today I had a million things to do. I won't bore you with the details..simply because..well, no matter what I had to get done was completely insignificant to what I needed to learn. On my list was to pick up a check for BEMM from the sale of headbands. I went to my friend Danette's momma's house. I wanted to stop in and meet her mom...I wanted to personally thank her for volunteering her time to make some headbands for BEMM to sell. I walked into 4 ladies including Danette busy at a kitchen table. There was fabric everywhere and sewing machines were plugging along. I met the ladies. I thanked them. They showed me a bag of headbands they spent 2 days making. It wasn't the fabric I picked out and bought, instead it was stuff they chose. I looked in the bag...30 headbands to be exact. 30 headbands x $8.00 = $240. for the clinic!...only my brain was thinking 2 days + 30 really tacky looking headbands = a waste of time. I politely thanked them...after all they were doing this to help. It wasn't until I left..it hit me... I was so focused on my goal. What I needed to get done. THAT I TOTALLY MISSED IT!
I didn't just walk into a room with 4 women sewing to help BEMM. I walked into something way bigger. I walked into a room with 3 generations of women!. 3 GENERATIONS! My friend Danette (30's) her mom (60s') and her mom (85)and an Aunt (60's).
All I had never met, but came together to sew. To serve. All momma's themselves...who get it! Who understand that what they do..does matter! I was so wrapped up in my own agenda...I failed to see what was happening. When I first started this crazy journey of BEMM, my goal and my vision was ONE PERSON MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIFE OF ANOTHER. I know raising $25k would be a lot easier if I approached businesses, big churches, etc...but I always knew I wanted it to be like this...I wish I had a picture to share with you of the women..like I said..I was a fool and didn't get the significance of what I saw until after I left, but I can see them clearly in my head and they are etched in my heart. 3 generations of mommas working for days in the sweat shop of love for the mommas in Africa! Uniting..working together..for something outside of themselves. POWERFUL!

So...I hope you get it. I hope you see the beauty that I failed to see. I have 30 tacky headbands made with the purest of love. I will have a paypal buy button on the side of my blog up for 3 days (after that I will be out of town) You will not be able to choose your headband..instead think of it this way...

$8.00 + $2.00(shipping)=A momma in Africa is supported and a momma here knows her time was well spent... the headband is a bonus

And no...I will not post pictures of them..This is way more fun!

Pictures? Who needs pictures? Think of it as a surprise bag. You know those brown paper bags you buy at carnivals for $5.00 without knowing what's inside? Yeah..pretty much the same! Only $8.00...and of course the money does go to Africa:)