I'm gonna ask something of everyone who sees this post (in a reader, via email/bookmark or by any ol' random search).  Depending on your perspective, you'll see me as a shameless self-promoter, a brilliant marketing mind or simply someone who's interested in and concerned about others:

Please for
Divine Caroline's "Love this site!" award. 

Will you give me a few minutes to explain why I reallyREALLY want to win this? 

1. It would thrill me to think my parenting posts have encouraged or challenged you, moved you to laughter or tears, or just helped you to realize a) it does take a village, and b) parenting is not for cowards!
2. But an ever more compelling reason is there's a $250 cash prize at stake, and if I won {<— I'm embarrassed to even whisperhope that out loud}, I'd donate the entire amount to the two little girls I sponsor through Compassion International.

Sure, I'd love an extra wad of cash; it'd be fun to go shopping or splurge on a spa day; or more realistically, buy shoes or clothes for my kids (who refuse to stop growing…le sigh).  But the truth is, ever since I returned from –no, even prior to that trip–I think of spending in terms of opportunity cost; beyond meeting the needs of our family, more and more, I'm considering what "wants" or outright indulgences could be sacrificed in order to provide for someone else in real need. 

Most of the time I pull the trigger, though, and buy that stupid, overpriced, Caramel Macchiato and feel lousy about the excessive calories and what better use my five bucks could've gone to. 

As of this writing, I don't have a chance of winning the Divine Caroline award; I'm just too far behind and my readership doesn't approach many of the others in my category.  There are over 100 wonderful blogs nominated in "Parenting" (I've even voted for a few of them* ;)).

But I got to thinkin'…if just 10% of my subscribers or followers voted for my site, I could come from waaaay behind and win!  I think it's possible, although if I'm honest, not probable….

When I was in Calcutta, I met families who described the impact Compassion International had not just in their child's life, but in their entire family's.  With great pride and appreciation, they showed me the treasures they had bought with money contributed by their sponsor families over and above monthly sponsorship. 

Their "treasures" wouldn't likely make the cut for middle-America garage sale quality….

Prior to my trip I hadn't made extra contributions; but after meeting the family above, and learning the mom knew how to sew–had even carefully cut out patterns from old newspapers but didn't have the fabric or machine to actually use her skill–and then finding out a sewing machine would cost about $100, I decided I would find a way to send the maximum amount ($300) allowed to both my girls before the end of the year. 

So…that's my story.  If **you** , I'll be thrilled to earn the bragging rights for Divine Caroline's "Love this site!" award in Parenting; that's my prize to keep.  But your vote would also carry significance into the life of another, and make a tangible difference you can know with certainty.

Which, I guess, really is a prize for me AND you to keep, too :).

* You can vote for more than one blog in a category, but you can vote only once for each blog.

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