John 15:12
"This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
Our oldest daughter is a born entrepreneur. She wants to invent something useful, loves the feel of money, is fascinated at the prospect of owning a business. In fact, one of her dreams is to own a hot dog stand alongside the Boise River. I may be partial, but I think she'd be the cutest hot dog stand owner EVER and think she'd be quite successful as well.
Her parents are not entrepreneurs.
We are inventors and creators, but when someone asks to buy things, we hide under the rug and hem and hah when it comes time to name a price.
Liv has asked me countless times if she can go door-to-door selling something, anything. I have to admit I cringed every time. She is not old enough to walk door-to-door alone, so that would mean her non-entrepreneur mother would have to attend as well. This makes me very uncomfortable and I would be tempted to hide behind the owner's shrubbery and then be talked about later as the "weird mom who hid behind shrubs". But it was still really important to me that we find some way to fuel her dream.
Our friends Scott and Keri were kind enough to let her set up her own booth at their garage sale. Liv was in absolute HEAVEN.
I also let her plan our garage sale this Summer. She helped me for days before hand, never tiring.
She decided, last Spring, to help raise money for a boy our Co-op sponsors in India. Brian and I bought her 75 pencils on amazon, with the understanding she would cover the costs with the money she made. She embellished them with toys and pom poms and pipe cleaners. It was important to Liv that every child who wanted a pencil could afford one, so although she had suggested prices posted, she also had a sign that read, "Donations accepted" and even allowed kids to buy her pencils for a penny. She had price tags, signs, and advertisements. She was organized and professional. I love her. :o)
Hebrews 13:16
And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Opening her booth before co-op and during lunch, she counted her money and was able to pay us back for materials and even earned 20 dollars for Jebastian! When she threw in an extra ten dollars of her own for Jebastian, we told her we'd also help her with her next endeavor, since she was so generous.
Matthew 25:35-40
'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 'And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
Her first customers!
I am continually amazed at Liv's desire to help others and I love how she is never detoured, but energized by hard work. What a blessing and a gift she is!
