Have you entered?

Have you heard of the HGTV Dream Home? Every year HGTV picks a new location and then they build a Dream Home there. Usually the homes are really pretty in my opinion, but this year I personally think the home is kind of ugly, but it’s worth over $2 million and who couldn’t use a little extra cash in their wallet? I think all the winners have sold the home almost immediately anyway! (I mean really, who can afford the taxes on the thing?) Anyway, if you have a few extra seconds head over to the HGTV website and sign up, what could it hurt? The contest ends on February 19 so you only have a few more days!


Now that I’m done being selfish and wishing I could win a $2 million home so I can turn around and sell it, I want to share what I signed up for to be unselfish. Not quite a year ago I was feeling sorry for myself for some reason or another and decided I needed to get over myself so I signed up with Women for Women International. I had heard about it quite a while ago on an Oprah show. It’s an organization that helps women throughout the world get job training and puts a few dollars in their pocket so they can feed their kids, or send them to school, or get out of an abusive relationship if needs be. They match you up with one “sister” and you can either choose a country or you can just choose to let them give you a sister wherever there is the greatest need (that’s what I did). My sister lives in Afghanistan and her name is Nazanin. They send you profile on your sister and the country where she lives, and you are welcome and encouraged to send your sister letters of love and encouragement. It has definitely been a wonderful experience for me for the price of what it would cost to go out to dinner once with my family ($27 a month). Once your sister has completed the job training and is on her feet they give you the option to receive a new sister or to stop your commitment. If you want to learn more about it go to the Women for Women International website or you can catch the Founder and CEO Zainab Salbi on NPR’s All Things Considered tomorrow, February 16. (Go here if you want to check out a station in your area.) It is an amazing thing when you can help a woman a world away to hopefully not have to struggle so much. Sometimes I do believe this is a wonderful world we live in.