So when the holidays are finished for another year, we put away the ornaments, lights, trees and packages and then we look at all those cards and wonder, what to do?

If you are a maniac recycler like me, you will try your darnest to recycle the little buggers. However, if they have metallic, foil or any glittery stuff on them, they are not recyclable. That also goes for wrapping paper with the above ingredients mentioned and if the cards and paper are bright colors; those cannot be thrown into the recycling bin either.

So what to do…? Well, I have a suggestion, just incase you haven’t purchased your greeting cards yet and you are ready to jump in the car and head to the closest big box store..make sure you purchase cards made from recycled paper and that they are also recyclable. This is important, so that the people you mail them to can recycle them…of course, they may not think about recycling them, so suggest it when you send them the card…as a way to get green for the holidays.

However, if this message has caught you in the middle of writing your cards and they are not recyclable, then you can do one of two things…send them out and never ever do it again or take them to a school, nursing home or scrapebook club that can use them in crafts and projects. Even art departments at colleges and Universities will gladly take these cards and use them for art projects. If your local stores do not carry cards made from recycled paper you can always go online and order them.

Here are a few websites that I came across which carry wonderful selections of holiday greeting cards made from recycled paper and are easily recycled after the holiday season is complete. They are: www.doodlegreetings.com; www.cardsdirect.com; www.greenfieldpaper.com; and www.greenprinter.com

So start a new tradition, by going green and recycling with your holiday cards and send the very best for the planet!

My friend, who I’ll call Dana, told me about a synchronicity event which started last week and culminated at today’s walk to Arizona’s Capitol building to raise awareness about hunger and homelessness in Arizona. It began like this: Dana and her husband, John, were doing their weekly outreach work and met a homeless man who said he was ready to get off the streets. To let Dana and John know just how serious he was, he told them that his son was coming home from Iraq and his daughter was having a baby. “They need me,” he said. This man asked them if they knew of a woman named “Esther” and told them she worked for a particular social services agency. The name didn’t sound familiar to either Dana or John (they know a lot of people), but they said they would let her know if they happened to meet her.

Fast-forward to Monday, November 17. While Dana and Joe were at this morning’s event at the Capitol, they met a woman named “Estelle” from that social services agency mentioned by the homeless man from last week. Thinking this man may have been mistaken about the woman’s name, Dana asked Estelle if she knew of him or if she knew of a woman named Esther. Estelle did, in fact, know of a woman named Esther who worked at this same agency. After a few more introductions, Dana eventually met Esther and told her about the homeless man who said he was ready for a better life. Come to find out, Esther had been trying to convince him to get off the street for a long time. Finally, the message Esther had been wanting to hear from this man had been delivered by a compassionate stranger.

When you think about it — it’s pretty amazing. Several events had to transpire over the course of a few days and the right people had to show up at just the perfect time for this message from a homeless man, full of hope and renewed purpose, to reach the one person he knew that could help him. What you have here is another beautiful example of synchronicity. Or, as I prefer to call it, a miracle. Namaste.

In an effort to raise awareness here in Arizona, wonderful organizations such as Valley of the Sun United Way, Desrt Mission Food Bank, City of Phoenix, Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness and others have created opportunities for us to make a difference this week starting on November 16.  Below is a summary of the ways we can work together to make a difference in many lives:

Monday, November 17: There is an awareness walk to th Capitol with Food Drive for Desert Mision, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance and United Food Bank.  The walk starts at 9:00 a.m. at City of  Phoenix City Hall in the Plaza to the Capitol.  Presentations will be given around 10:15 at the Capitol, including a Proclomation for Awareness Week given by the Office of the Governor Janet Napolitano.

Tuesday, November 18:   Appreciation Day — Here’s your chance to recognize people who are making efforts to end hunger and homelessness by giving a thank you card, gift certificate or lunch.

 Wednesday, November 19: Volunteer Day: the Phoenix Fire Department will serve breakfast at St. Vincent de Paul, 1075 W. Jackson Street, Phoenix, to kick off the volunteer day.  Please consider spending part of your day working on a project to end homelessness and hunger.

Thursday, November 20: End Childhood Hunger — There are over 740,000 children who go hungry in Arizona.  Join the Arizona Partnership to End Childhood Hunger and learn how you can help.  Also on this day, the Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness Legislative Summit wil be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at University of Phoenix, 4605 E. Elwood Street, Room 309, Phoenix, AZ. There is a fee of $10 members/$20 non-members.  If you’d like to attend the summit, save yourself a space by calling 602-340-9393.

Friday, November 21: At noon, there will be a Faces of Homelessness Speakers Bureau at City Council Chambers, 200 W. Jefferson St.  Here you can learn from those who have been homeless and their experiences.  If you are unable to make it, visit IAM SAM on Facebook to learn about those in our community who are dealing with hunger and homelessness issues.

Saturday, November 22: Display a lit candle or a light in one of your home’s windows as a reminder of all of the men, women and children who are experiencing hunger and homelessness.

I hope you are able to find a way to participate.  Let us know how you participated and share you experience with us here or on Twitter. Namaste.

IT’S FOR YOU:

FAR BEHIND

COME TOGETHER (Beatles partial cover)

COVER ME

I’M STILL ALIVE (Pearl Jam partial cover)

CHANGE