How to make a Canoe Ornament

Oh, it's easy.

A potential client admitted - her canoe had turned into a GARAGE ORNAMENT…it wasn’t what she’d intended but it happened, seemingly overnight.

There it hung, in the rafters of her garage, for over a decade. She was ashamed, embarrassed, exceedingly regretful. Every season, she'd look up, imagine the canoe on the water again...and then turn away. It seemed far too much trouble to get it down, on the car rack, and onto the lake.

To deal with the stuff, the excess, the overage, the mass quantities of textile, hardware, glutten, it incredibly painful.

We are clear about what we want, right?

Are we as concise about what we don’t want…?

Nope.

I can tell you from experience, it’s very difficult to let go of what we don’t need NOW.

We hang onto what we

THINK WE MIGHT NEED IN THE FUTURE,

though you might not have needed/used it in the last ten years.

It isn’t always a bad thing that you still have it, ‘cause I can turn IT into an amazing gift for someone else!

• I can find the kid who wants a wooden Thomas the Train set.

• The woman who will gloat over a gorgeous repurposed scarf.

• A man that stares in awe at the practical kitchen gadgets I deliver.

The well-read books, still in their original packaging office supplies, grannie’s linens, slightly stained small cabinet, flexible reading lamp, and stemware that still sparkles makes some family incredibly happy-go-lucky.

We aren’t talking a "hand-out."

We’re talking respect, honor, integrity, humility and grace in the presents you provide.

Thank you, I always thank you for being willing to do the hard stuff. To sort, organize, give up, share the story and turn the very thing you once cherished over to someone else. Who can love it just as much as you did the day you brought it home. Like the brand new baby.

We admire your guts, your instinct to finally let go and be a GIVER.

Wanna know what happened to the canoe?

The Giver turned it into an offering for the Teen Shelter so they could start canoe lessons this summer.

The thought of a group of kids, sliding that precious canoe into the water makes her heart soar.

Everyone loves a story, and now she's a part of mine.

Call me for your very own story!