Tough times don’t last…

But Mountaineers do.

Hello there, friends. I have officially passed the work math test. And have officially crossed the fine line between, “Just a busy gal,” and, “Actually a shitty blogger,” based on the length of time between posts.

I would be lying if I said the frequency with which I’ll be posting is going to improve like now, because work is about to get real crazy for twoish months, but I do intend to work a lot harder to deliver here :). Please don’t give up on me just yet!

As many of you may have heard, or are unfortunately living through right now, West Virginia (my first true love), was hit very hard with devastating flooding earlier this week. I would love to post some videos here so that my Ohio readers can get a real feel for what I’m talking about, but frankly, they make me sick to my stomach.

This is not going to totally turn into a sappy West Virginia post, because I have drafts upon drafts dedicated to that particular notion, and would much rather share that passion during happier times. But, if you’re reading this and you’ve never met me, or you’re reading this and have always thought I’m a lunatic because I love WV so much, let me explain my heart and love for Mountain Momma in the simplest way I know how: I feel like I’ve been a part of the best kept secret for my entire life <3.

From rolling hills to the sweet smell after a summer rain, friendly waves from strangers and one-laned winding roads, I feel that West Virginia, as a people and a place, has shaped every ounce of my heart and soul and I am thankful for that every single day. There we go, not sappy at all…. ???

That being said, I am basically never the first to admit that times of struggle are just that, struggle. That sweet and slow-paced life lends itself to being behind the times. I am in love with that about my beautiful home, but when tragedy strikes, it is sometimes not so easy to recover when you’re the best kept secret.

Miles of separation had me feeling a little helpless, but with the guidance of the internet and the hearts of my friends, I have discovered a few ways that we can help out. I wanted to share those with you here!

1. You can donate specifically to the American Red Cross here. On that page, use the dropdown menu to choose, “West Virginia Floods.” Being away from home, I feel particularly led to this as I am unable to get goods to my home state.
2. To piggy back on that, I have reopened my Etsy shop for a short time and will be donating all profits from my handmade shell necklaces to the American Red Cross to go toward flood relief. I am not tech savvy at all, so I am totally open to suggestion on a more efficient way to do something like this, as Etsy does take a small portion of profit. For the time being, I’m going to wait until orders accumulate in my shop, and I will make donations as funds trickle in. You’ll just have to trust my character on this as the American Red Cross only allows you to make donations in honor of one person. In the meantime, I’ll try and figure out the best way to screenshot proof of donations.
3. I also found this article that lays out specific supplies needed and where you can drop them off. This is an awesome resource with many familiar drop off locations. That being said, I did read a really compelling article yesterday (and I’m not going to link it because this is a lighthearted place and I do see some room for that article to be mistaken as sort of insensitive), that explained to be practical when donating. Though I do believe all donations come from a good place, they sometimes have the tendency to be unnecessary and even detrimental in times of tragedy. Stick to the necessities. For example, none of the victims need winter coats right now. If a need for something specific like that exists, take action! But for now, stick to the basics outlined within that article.
4. Lastly, Kinship Goods has a really unique way of helping out. All profits from the sales of their Come Hell or High Water t-shirt will be donated to the West Virginia chapter of the American Red Cross as well. I’ve already snagged my t-shirt! I feel particularly warm and fuzzy about this relief opportunity because when I showed the t-shirt to my Ohio raised husband yesterday he said, “What does that mean?” Haha, silly Ohioans.

But really, come hell or high water, us Mountaineers will persevere. #almostheaven #countryroads #mountainmomma

xoxo homeatheart