It's like a virtual Birthday Party!

For those of you who know Harmony, you know that she is maybe most selfless, thoughtful, and generous person on the planet. Having lived with her for 16 years now I have seen her give of her time and of her energy to help all kinds of people. Most often, it is her husband and her children she serves, and we love her beyond words. But I have also seen her thinking, working, cooking late into the night on behalf of friends, neighbors, church members, and even near strangers. In short, she is practically perfect in every way. (pardon the Marry Poppins quote). She really has only one serious fault:

Harmony has no hobby.

That's right, she spends so much time doing good things for everyone else that she forgets to do anything for herself. This blog is here to change that, and I am hoping you will want to help. I have two propositions, one is rather shameless, the other not so much.

First, if Harmony has ever done anything for you, and you want to say thank you, this is the place to do it. Send in a story, or a thank-you, or whatever you would like. On her birthday (on January 10) I want to present her with this blog, which hopefully by then will have a whole lot of responses on it where she can see what an influence she has had in so many people's lives.

The second purpose here is a little more shameless: I want Harmony to spend time on herself, and I want you to help. Harmony has hinted rather strongly several times in the past few months that she wants this camera, a Canon Rebel XSi digital single lens reflex camera with an 18-55mm image stabilized lens. Some of the pictures she has created with a simple point-and-shoot have really turned out well. Harmony has a great eye for composition and for what makes a good picture.

The thing is, photography is not cheap. Thanks to parental help, Harmony will get the camera for Christmas, and I am going to enroll her in a photography class at the local university where I work,but she will still need things like lenses, tripods, flashes, etc. to get her set up. Please do not feel obligated to more than the notes I am asking for above, but if you would like to contribute to Harmony's hobby, your contribution would be more than welcome, since I cannot afford to do it all on my own.

If each of her friends were to contribute $5, I think we could make a very nice birthday for her. I have this image in my mind of presenting her with a large stack of unexpected cards and letters, as well as a blog full of comments telling her how much we love her, along with them a nice gift from as many friends as I can contact. We have met so many wonderful people in our travels who have been such a blessing to us. I am sure Harmony has left a bigger impression on you than I have, and I would like her to know how much she is loved. I will be sending a note to everyone on her email address list, but if you know someone who knows Harmony, send them a link to this site.

You can post a note here, or send a card and/or a contribution to:
Jeff Packer
PO Box 603
Pleasant Grove, Utah
84062-0603

Thanks,

Jeff