The Macs » Blog

joyful life library update

Your overwhelming support in this project has been such a blessing to me.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Words cannot express the overwhelming sense of gratitude I have as I have watched these books fly off the Amazon shelves.

We are filling up libraries!!!

Children and families will find a little bit of comfort as they read these familiar stories together…and you are making that possible!

I have been totally moved by your generosity as I have read through all the comments.

Thank you!!

I still remember so vividly one particular evening in Cora’s PICU room. It was just the two of us except for the nurses coming in and out. She was on a respirator so we couldn’t hold her or communicate with her. We had no idea how she was doing or how to comfort her. It was such a horrible and helpless feeling as a parent. The nurses told us she could hear us and would be comforted by our familiar voices as we talked to her. So we did. I remember leaning over her hospital bed and whispering the words to Moo Baa La La La. It was one of her favorite books that we read almost every night before bed. I didn’t have the book with me but we had read it so many times together that I knew the words by heart. There was just something about having that small moment of “normal” together amidst the crisis that we were going through. Reading together was comforting because it was as if just for a moment we were at home sitting in her rocking chair just like we always had done.

True comfort can be found in God alone. He is our Comforter (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) The One who understands our pain and suffering (Isaiah 53:3). The One who is close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). I am so thankful we serve a God who meets us in our heartache. But I believe that by the simple act of donating a book we can be an agent of His comfort to these hurting families. It is my prayer that the children who hold these books would know that they are loved deeply.

So, how about a little update?

You guys ROCKED the Wesley library. I think the books were gone in a few hours on Tuesday. Soooo awesome. Wesley can only handle so many books at a time, which is why there was a cap placed on the books that were available to order. Heather did add 90 more soft cover books yesterday but last time I checked there were only 27 left! Wow! Soft cover books are used to bring comfort to children that cannot be exposed to germs carried by shared books. These less expensive books are given to those patients to keep as a special bedtime story of their own.

I know that so many of you wanted to give to Wesley in honor of my Cora. I can’t tell you how much that means to my family. We feel so very loved! But when Wesley’s book list is emptied again, I would LOVE it if you would give to one of the other nine sponsored hospitals. I noticed lots of you were giving to Children’s Mercy in KC which is so great! We are so thankful for our Kansas hospitals! Heather also shared with me that the hospitals in Portland, Tucson, and all the California locations are in need of books. Make sure you check out those book lists too! Let’s spread the love!

And one more tip about donating books…

Quite a few people bought one or two books and then had to spend as much on shipping as another book would have cost. Heather tries to only list books on the wish lists that qualify for free shipping after $25. Sooo…if you will end up spending $25 because of shipping anyway, maybe check and see if you can add another book to your order instead of paying for shipping…that way all your money goes towards books instead of shipping. Just an idea! 😉

The book drive will continue through Sunday. There is still time to donate and still time to enter to win some of those amazing prizes. So, go check out those wishlists! And I would love if you continue to spread the word so we can get these libraries filled with books. Thank you to those who already have donated and shared about this project.

For all the details about The Joyful Life Library and to donate books/enter the giveaway…go check out this post! Please do not leave your giveaway comments here because you will not be entered into the drawing.

Happy Friday!

sharepinTweet
  • Andrea Greene - Hi Jess. And happy birthday to Cora. I can’t believe she would have been five this year. What a beautiful girl. I’m so glad you can celebrate her life through this project–what a beautiful and meaningful gift to other children. I regularly follow Ashley Ann’s blog…I randomly found hers…and today I was shocked to see I KNEW the person she was featuring on her blog!!! That was a fun surprise :-)Anyway, just thought I would leave a little note for you…and am praying for you guys! Andrea (Leah’s friend 🙂ReplyCancel

  • amber - I know that book by heart too. My 5 year daughter loved that book. It’s hard to go to those painful places with you. It hits really close to home. What a precious, precious baby she was & what a wonderful testament to God’s redeeming love she still is. Til one day…what a glorious day that will be. Praying for you.ReplyCancel

  • Brady - Just a thought on shipping….Amazon offered a free trial of Amazon Prime (which gives free shipping on all orders). If you signed up, shipping was free. So I did that before I ordered and then as soon as my order had gone through, I cancelled my trial offer 🙂 It was truly no hassle at all to cancel!ReplyCancel

  • Chelsa - I went to give to ya’lls hopsital, but then noticed Riley’s (Indiana) was on the list, this is close to my heart in my state, so I donated a couple on the list to there, but thank you so much for sharing this. Your sweet Cora will always be remembered.ReplyCancel