Awesome

I have this friend. We were roommates in college, we have much in common. Weird things, really. I won't bore you with the details. She's working now on a psych BA, pulling resources from every corner in order to make things work for her family--hubby, boys and girl. She is also an extremely talented shopper.

No. You don't understand. Sure, there are good shoppers, people who do retail therapy well, folks who are constantly beaming over their latest find for the summer cottage. (snort) That is not this person. She finds things, like a pair of Liz Claiborne jeans, brand new, worth at least $60, for $5.99. A skirt, Anne Taylor, $5.99, tags still on--the ones that said $62. And the clothes she picks up for other people fit like they were made for that person, thereby cutting the angst out of the dressing room experience. You see? Talent, I tell you.

She's currently interviewing people who already do this kind of thing--and what she wants to make it into--for a living: shelter directors, not-for-profit experts, personal shoppers (though perhaps no one has yet addressed this particular demographic). She's working at a shelter, researching like mad, because now, with her incredible talent, she's going to work to not only add something to her family's income, but to become a resource to women who are in the biggest transitions of their lives--striving to stand on their own feet.

You know all those nice organizations which provide a suit when a woman is re-entering the workforce and is, shall we say, living on the low end of the resource scale? What a lovely thing, right? But what happens when she spills lunch on that suit? Who pays the dry cleaning bill? What does she wear to work while her one suit is being cleaned? What about the rest of the time? A mama needs something other than a suit to wear while she's feeding her kidlets, right?

So. My friend. She can provide a week's wardrobe, work and casual, for about $200. Work and casual! And the clothes fit! And most of them are washable! And they're so cheap (erm, inexpensive) that when one of the kids accidentally drops open nail polish or an uncapped permanent marker on the pretties, well, it's sad alright, but not teeth-gnashing, hair-pulling worrisome. Which is good. Because the last thing a mama needs when she's trying so hard to make a better life for her little ones is more stress, right?

She's posting about her vision, her work, the details of this journey. Her blog is new, her heart is huge, her will is strong. Go look, check back often. She'll be adding an eBay store, links to other resources, perhaps a Paypal account for donations. She wants to have a sort of revolving fund for this, so no one would have to be turned away--something that could be repaid, like a micro-loan. And, like a micro-loan, it will make all the difference in the world for women who need much for a particular season of life, and will go on to thrive and then affect the same sort of change for others. Ad infinitum.

This just rocks. Hands and feet to faith, I tell ya. I'm so impressed I don't know what else to say.
Why are you still here? Go. Thanks. (wink)