Wreaths of Maine
Wreaths of Maine is a company that sells fresh balsam wreaths. You can sign up with them and sell the wreaths as a fundraiser. When you sign up with them you get a code. When people purchase wreaths from the website they just type in your code and you get a percentage for every wreath you sell. People usually sell wreaths starting in Nov-Jan.
Last year was my first year selling Wreaths of Maine.
In order to get a free sellers packet kit you needed to write an essay explaining why you wanted to sell wreaths and your cause and send it in.
This is what I wrote with some help from mom.
I'm not typically the type that likes to go door to door to sell things and ask for money, but I have a goal that is very important to me and I'm willing to step out of my comfort zone. My name is Christine and I'm 21 and I have pervasive developmental delay and health issues. My mom homeschooled me because of my health issues. Because of my learning and health issues, I'm not able to go to a regular college or hold down a job like most kids my age. I needed to figure out what to do with my life. My mom found out about Marbridge. It's private group homes for mentally challenged adults. Marbridge offers a college like experience and job training for people like me. They have a summer camp that I would like to go to. You can try out Marbridge at the summer camp and see if you want to go there for a couple years. I need to earn money to go to the summer camp. Selling wreaths is one way that I can earn money for camp.
Marbridge is located in Austin TX! From their website it looked absolutely perfect for me! It would also be great because we have relatives in Austin TX! We were going to make Marbridge summer camp part of our summer vacation/road trip! We were getting excited! We started telling all our friends and family about it! Things were looking good! We thought we finally had a solution for what I was going to do for a college like experience. We thought we finally found a place where I could be with other special needs adults and not feel so alone. I thought it would be a chance for me to make some new friends.
So we filled out the application for Marbridge summer camp and mailed it in. We were supposed to hear from them in a week. Well we never did. So one day while I was napping mom finally called them and asked them why we hadn't heard from them. They said I had been denied. Very surprisingly they could not accommodate my food allergies, my physical issues or my needing 12 hours sleep. Even though we thought we had it all planned out God knew otherwise.
Mom being the great mom that she is, started looking right away for a plan B. she couldn't break the bad news to me that I had been denied until she had a plan B. what a great mom! So she got on the computer and started researching. She found a camp that's local that's in Marietta CA. Its put on by Joni and friends. So mom called them and they took my information over the phone. They said its full so they put us on a waiting list for that camp.
Mom and I have enjoyed going to the CHEA convention together for the past several years. We get stuff in the mail from them every once in a while.
So a while ago in the mail mom got a postcard from the Great Home School Convention saying that Gianna Jessen would be the special speaker. Mom, knowing how much I love Gianna Jessen, and how sad I would be that Marbridge fell through, she got on the phone and signed us both up for the Great Home School Convention in Ontario CA!
So when I woke up from my nap that day mom spilled the news to me. She told me that Marbridge had denied me. The first words out of my mouth were "do we still get to go on the road trip? Do I still get to see my best friend in ky?" The answer was yes! I was fine. The road trip was what mattered most to me! Then mom told me that she had signed us both up for the home school convention. She told me that Gianna Jessen was the special speaker. I screamed and squealed! I've always wanted to meet Gianna Jessen! This was my big chance! It would be a dream come true!
So this past Thursday, Friday, and Saturday was the Great Homeschool Convention! Thursday night I got to meet Gianna Jessen and hear her speak live!!!! A dream come true!!! I got a picture with Gianna Jessen!! God is good! He knew that I would go to the homeschool convention instead of Marbridge summer camp.
Even if I don't get into the Joni and friends summer camp I still get my road trip and I still get to see my best friend in KY! I'm happy! Mom just booked our flights last week!!! Yippee!! I can't wait! I'm so happy!
Thank you everyone for all the love and support! It's amazing!
We need to remember that Gods timing is prefect and what we think Is best for us might not actually be what's best for us. God knows what's best for us. Our way might not always be Gods way. Sometimes God says yes, sometimes He says no or sometimes He says wait. God has the big picture. We don't.
Originally written June 16, 2014