Bottle of Tears...

If I’m being honest, I’m not really sure how I stumbled across Bottle of Tears. I am pretty sure that I was goofing around on Instagram one evening looking at what other people were “liking” or who they were following and I just stumbled into it.

The name interested me, the vintage bottles involved are absolutely adorable and once I read about the message that was meant to be shared with these little goodies – I was hooked.

Bottle of Tears is an online shop that was born out of, owner/creator, Lindsey’s own experience with heart ache and struggle. Give her story a read and you’ll understand why she is so passionate about Bottle of Tears. If you don’t have the time to read it now here is what you need to know:

Lindsey took her challenges and life upsets and turned them into an opportunity to help her family and to help others. She could have just given up or she could have gone some other random route to try and make some money. But I admire that she’s chosen to create a business to raise the funds that she needs that also serves to spread goodness to others in the process.

Here’s how it works: You know someone who is going through a hard time, struggling, sick, upset, or lost…whatever the scenario may be…you know someone in your life that you want to reach out to. So you go to Bottle of Tears’ website, look through the beautiful vintage bottles and find the best one for that person, include a personal message for them and you order it up. Lindsey earns money for her family and for her treatments and your loved one gets a surprise in the mail that just may be the pick me up they need that day.

The bottle includes a rolled up print of the following Bible passage:

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. Psalm 56:8

Along with the Psalm you can include your own personal message to the person that you are sending it to. You are quite literally sending someone a message in a bottle (way more exciting than a text or an email right?!). It’s a simple and sweet way to let someone know that they are not alone, that you are thinking of them and that you are praying for them during their struggle.

I have sent one bottle so far. I like to imagine that it sits somewhere in their home and when they stumble across the bottle that they see it as a little token of love…a reminder that they are always in my thoughts and prayers…that they are not alone in this journey.

Have someone you think needs a message in a bottle? Check out the bottles or read Lindsey’s story here: http://www.bottleoftears.com/

I love the idea that somewhere out there someone will open up their mail and find a bottle full of encouragement and love today.

Sharing Stories…and Clothes?

I rarely run into so many interesting companies in one week that I feel compelled to write this often but it’s just one of those rare weeks I suppose. It would seem that the continuing theme this week is going to be all about giving…

I took some time during my lunch break today to glance through Instagram and noticed that I had a new request to be “followed” by P1124. Being naturally curious about who it is before I am inclined to accept, I began exploring their website.

Here’s what you should know:

1) I’m a sucker for a company that promotes positivity, change and especially those that give back to others.

2) I’m also a sucker for cute clothes.

And once you read about P1124 and then take a look at their product line you will see why I was motivated to write about their company.

The concept is simple: You buy a shirt/sweatshirt from P1124 and you write your name on it. Their clothes display all kinds of positive messages from “Share” to “Today is a Good Day” and their designs are clean and simple. You purchase and wear your rad new P1124 clothing item and look for the opportunity to pass it along to someone else who needs it more than you. Maybe you see someone on the streets that is in need of another layer, a friend who could use the pick me up…etc. You give them your sweatshirt, tell them to write their name on it and instruct them to pass it on when they encounter someone who needs it more than they do.

Icing on the cake? Give your sweatshirt away (that you purchased not that you received from someone else), share the story with P1124 and they will replace your sweatshirt/shirt. Hello win win. They do this once for each sweatshirt/shirt you purchase (this is not an unlimited supply of new clothes…though that would be awesome).

During a time when media seems to want to glorify the hoarder (I cringe just thinking about that show) instead of focusing on acts of kindness and generosity; it’s refreshing to see that companies like P1124 encourage people to realize how great giving can feel.  

Take a minute to check out their website http://p1124.com/ and consider supporting a company that’s encouraging a movement of sharing...not only clothing but stories.