I am so excited.  Today I reveal (drumroll…) my second recipient!

And I am going to need an Elf (FAST!) to help get her information.

Here’s the back-story:

Way back in August, I was reading some threads on the Mothering.com discussion board. (This is a board I posted on for just a little while, many years ago. It’s filled with knowledgeable, idealistic moms who strive to parent naturally. I haven’t posted there in ages, but I check in to read every now and again.) Anyway, this one thread caught my eye.  I don’t remember the exact title, but it was something like, “Should I splurge on the dress or the haircut?”  The poster went on to explain that she was attending several weddings in the next month, but could only afford either a new dress or a haircut. Not both.  So which should she get?  Her tone wasn’t self-pitying at all. She was optimistic and pragmatic. She struck me an absolutely lovely person.

That thread really set me off. Oh, I wanted SO BADLY for her to have a new dress AND a lovely new haircut. My husband can attest to the little fit I had going in the kitchen that day. “EVERY mom deserves a new dress!” I said, waving my arms around. “And EVERY mom deserves a new haircut! She needs BOTH! She MUST have both!”

Well, I never did get that mom her dress and her haircut.  I was far too shy to contact her myself, and hadn’t yet learned about Giving Anonymously or anonymous PayPal accounts. September came and went along with all her weddings.  October arrived, and it just killed me that I hadn’t helped her.

Now, I’m not a religious person, but I’m pretty sure that because of her, my heart sent out a little prayer.  “Help me figure this out,” I said. “Help me NOW, so that next time a mom like this comes along, I know how to get her the funds.” I truly think it was that little prayer that got this whole website rolling.  (Isn’t it amazing the things we may be inspiring, without ever knowing it?)

Anyway, here’s the Super Cool Coincidence part: Yesterday, I was hanging out making my mind movie and trying to decide who my second recipient should be. At some point in the morning I made myself a cup of tea, and for some reason (who knows why?) I cruised on over to the Mothering boards.  Can you guess what I found? Right there at the very top of the page, a thread started my a mom who needs a dress for a wedding, but is feeling like she shouldn’t spend the money on herself.

I broke into instant chills.

I decided not to quote from her post directly, in case she feels like that is an invasion of her privacy, but suffice it to say that she sounds like a wonderful mom, and exactly the type of person I love to gift. And as soon as I finished reading through the thread, I thought, ding-ding-ding! We have a winner!

Now all I need is an Elf with a Mothering.com account who can contact this person and see if she’d be willing to accept $100, and get either her PayPal address or her mailing address.  Just send me an e-mail and I’ll send you her username.

Do let me know ASAP if you can help.  We need to move QUICK. I want this mom to know that she DOES deserve a new dress. I want her to go to the mall, walk into any store she likes, and pick out whatever dress makes her feel the most beautiful. Because she IS beautiful. And she so absolutely DOES deserve it!

I missed my chance with the first mom.  I don’t want to be too late again.

Thank you, wonderful readers!

********UPDATE: It’s first thing in the morning and I am running out the door but wanted to update quickly that I have a volunteer! Woo-hoo! Will update again soon…**********

********UPDATE #2: It’s now Wednesday late-morning, and the fabulous L.J. has contacted the mom! Here’s what L.J. wrote:

“Hi there, I hope you’re having a great day.

I’m being a messenger for a friend. She read your post about the dress for the wedding in TAO and wants to gift you with money to purchase a fabulous dress for the wedding.

She has a website dedicated to giving money to people anonymously…just for fun of it. Her website is here: http://www.abundancebymagic.com/

You can read what she’s doing on her website and get a better idea of what this is all about. She wants to give the money anonymously, so she asked me to contact you on her behalf.

I’d suggest checking out her website so you can get a feel for what she’s doing.

I have known this woman for a few years. She is an extremely generous person and has a heart of pure gold. She has done some really beautiful things to help people out over the years and has made an indelible impression on me as a result.

I feel blessed to help her do this. I am honoured to contact you, let you know she wants to gift you with some money to splurge and treat yourself to a fabulous new dress for the wedding and facilitate getting the money to you.

Feel free to contact me, ask questions or whatever. ~ L.J.”

How awesome is that? I am SO excited! Thank you SO much, L.J., you are a total wonder.  And, everyone, if you don’t know L.J. or haven’t visited her site, you should really check her out. She is a fabulous coach. She’s acted as one for me, many times, so I can attest personally that she is a wonderfully wise and perceptive woman, and can help you find the peace in any strife.  I can’t recommend her highly enough!

*********UPDATE #3: Sad update, she has refused the money. Details in the comments section, below.