The second seven days.

Keeping up with the #100happydays posts! I write the paragraphs as each day happens.

May 25: Today is Eduardo's birthday! He will get another mention in my Compassion Joys post at the end of the month. We got Eduardo as a correspondence child in late January, and are still waiting on a letter from him. He will, however, be getting a special (slightly late) birthday gift from us. Kim over at Three Little Larks is currently in Honduras (she got there yesterday) and she took a bag for Eduardo for us! We sent him a Spanish Bible, some candy and gum, a pocket knife with a verse on it, some pens and pencils, a small notebook, and a leather cord necklace. I hope he likes everything! Thinking about Eduardo getting his present makes me happy.

May 26: I found a bunch of paperback books at the used bookstore to send to my kids! Everything was 20% off for Memorial Day, and I had a little bit left on a gift card, so I only ended up paying like a dollar in cash. I got some Spanish easy readers for Julian, Sandier, and Michel, two books for my knowledge-seeker Victor (one on important African-American scientists, and one on the US Presidents and their pets), plus a Batman activity book for Caleb and a Swahili alphabet picture book for me !

May 27: Bible study was really, really good tonight. There were just four of us, and it was nice to sit closer together and talk. I really enjoyed it. Also, on a more superficial note, I got my hair cut on this day, and I always have them wash my hair because it's very relaxing. I can't afford to get a massage at a spa, but I can afford the extra $3 to get my hair washed by someone else (I only get my hair cut every 12-18 months, so it's not like I'm getting it done all the time!) Is that weird? Probably. But it really is relaxing!

May 28: Today was Tasya's birthday! As my first sponsor child, she holds a very special place in my heart. I hope she had a wonderful day. When she was a little younger, I always got lots of letters from her starting in January telling me that her birthday was coming up soon. It was so cute! I haven't heard quite as much from her since we had those letter writing changes- her center seemed really affected since they are in such a remote area- but I hope she writes soon telling me about her birthday.

May 29: Today I got the chance to talk about some really great causes with several random people! I went to the dentist this morning (and saw a duck outside, exciting) and had the friendly, familiar hygienist that I like. She commented on my purse, which is a really cute tote bag from Freeset. They empower women who were once forced to work in the sex industry in India. Now they make bags and bracelets to support their families. Parts of the bags (like the handles and some of the decorations) are made from old saris! I got a new Freeset tote this week, and lots of people have commented on it- giving me the chance to tell them about Freeset! Then when I went to the Dollar Tree to look for something, I picked up a bunch of birthday cards for my kids. I apologized to the sales girl because it's got to be annoying to scan so many of those things, and explained that I have lots of sponsor kids. She asked what organization they're with, and she told me that her family sponsors a child in Thailand! So cool! Talking about things I love made me happy. And so did the duck outside the dentist's office.

May 30: I had the day off today! I didn't have to do anything, but even though I did a lot of nothing, I feel like I still accomplished stuff. If someone says I wasted my day, I can say "I folded clothes, washed towels, did the dishes, cleaned out my car, and updated my car registration. And vacuumed." Accomplishing things makes me happy, because there are some days when my pain levels or my stomach cause problems and I can't get much done!

May 31: I feel like today was a hard day. I felt like crying part of the time, for no reason. People got on my nerves. Etc, etc. I'm having a hard time thinking of something happy, and I'm sorry about that. Um, I guess I can say that I'm happy that I got to have a cookie with lunch today, because I have been wanting a cookie lately. And I wish I had another one....or several.

Well, that ended on a happy note, did it not? Even if some days are a struggle, it's important to count your blessings and name your gifts. Hopefully next week's post will start AND end happily. : )