Nie Nie Day

It's amazing what the internet can do - help loved ones keep up on your life from afar, bring back blasts from the past, and expose you to everyday people you would love to call friends. Sometimes I worry that such a cyber-life can actually be bad for you socially with your real friends. Other times, like now, I am grateful for the way technology can bring you closer to the best of what people have to offer.

Sunday, when I returned from vacation and read of Stephanie from Nie Nie Dialogues and her literal fight for life and all she loves I was heartbroken and touched. I have read her sister's writing for Segullah and her personal blog, but I don't actually know these people.

Yet I feel some connection to the story - maybe it's the number of children - mine are the same genders just a couple years ahead of hers; the pursuit of all things retro and beautiful; the burns; or the unbelievably divine love her sisters (I'm always a sucker for a good sister story!!), friends and family are showering her with. Maybe it's that I love her blog and want to copy 1,000 ideas from it (we are scheduling our own back to school feast for this weekend). I don't know why my heart aches for a total random stranger, but I do know it's good for me.

So, I am participating in Nie Nie Day, a day her friends and fellow blogging sisters have all set up auctions to donate money to her recovery (see Design Mom). 2SiS will be at the Yellow Daisy Festival next weekend premiering our adorable new pleated bag:

I am not one for pushing my product on my friends, so I invite you all to go do some early Christmas shopping following this link. As for me, the first bag at Yellow Daisy goes to Nie.

Godspeed Nielson family. My life and family are better for knowing you (even though it's only cyber-ly).