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I may pass this way but once. Therefore, if there is some good that I can do, let me do it now, for I may not pass this way again.

Feb 3 update - Dad had another stroke; I will contact my partners to let them know I shall be a week delayed in sending swaps. Thanks for yor patience, if any. Find someone you love and tell them you are proud of them. Do it while you can.

January 14 update: my father is back in the hospital and I am spending as much time there as possible. Please be understanding as we deal with our situation.

December 21 update: My father is home from the hospital after his stroke - the latest stop on his road Home. In September he had recovered from his pneumonia and several secondary infections, but this seems like God's reminder that it's time to be moving along to what's next. Please keep him in your thoughts: at 91 he still has love in his life, a song in his heart and and magic in his soul. Whatever comes next, he's ready, but if God offers him more days, he's definitely up for it - his one prayer is that he will outlive his wife; her dementia is worsening and she is lost without him for even an hour. It's hard to say goodbye, even though I know we will see each other again in Heaven. I'm updating my partners if I need to mail a day or two late depending on their needs.

Please, friends, take the opportunity this season to let people know they are special. You don't have to apologize or admit you were wrong; make a loving gesture and give someone the chance to accept it. How I wish the gestures I am making right now would be accepted by people in our extended family -- my father's time grows short and he needs peace between the two families in his life.

Thought for the season: Life is too short to spend with people who suck all the happiness out of you.

I used to have a very different profile, but I have chosen to have one explaining why I swap. I took a break from swapping for 4 months to think about swap-bot, and now hope I am a more thoughtful swapper. I got "burned out" when swappers posted things on their profile like "only send me Etsy quality items," or rated me a "1" because the swap was not wrapped in their favorite color tissue (not kidding!). It was time to take a break.

My break coincided with my father's diagnosis of lymphoma - at 91 years young he helped me find a community of chemotherapy patients who viewed the little things I made very differently; I went with my Dad to chemo and when I finish bead jewelry, I hand it to someone right then. Chemo patients know what time really means, and this gift of my time has made me understand that every person who takes the time to make me something or to build a package for me, to grant a wish or to write a note, is sharing the best of themselves -- the time they have.

As someone who lives with a disability and chronic pain, I've had to evaluate my life and my abilities in new ways. Some days there isn't much energy, and I am learning my limits. I would like to be like Beth in Little Women, who made her gifts and gave them with joy because she still had the ability to give. So thank you, for whatever you give me, and thank you for giving me a way to share and be part of the larger world.

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope I have not a single bit of talent left and I could say "I used everything you gave me." - Erma Bombeck

You will know it's a package from me if the packing materials are re-used. I dream of using quaint origami folds of epensive tissue to enclose each item; instead I usually recycle WalMart bags for padding, and my envelopes will have been around the world at least once. What my packaging lacks in eclat, it makes up for in small carbon footprint. I hope what is inside means more than what is outside. Just like me!

I joined the site in January 2009. I have two daughters, one son, a grandson who is nearly 3, and a granddaughter coming in time for Valentine's Day 2012.

Our youngest has Asperger's Syndrome, and if anyone has a child on the autism spectrum, I'd love to share ideas - our son is an honor student at a college prep Catholic high school, and we think he's a miracle.

My icon is a photo of our 'camp' in Vermont, where we escape from Florida's hot summers to pre-electricity paradise -- my folks bought the camp 40 years ago and it's Heaven on Earth as well as our retirement dream. Also in Vermont is the wonderful King Arthur Flour Baker's Store - bread baking is a real passion. So if you have recipes to share ...

I promise to do my best to think of things which will brighten your day. And I promise to find something good in everyone. Rather than rate low, I'll always contact you to see what's up - I hope you'll do the same.

Books are a vacation and a voyage. I enjoy the mysteries of PD James and Ellis Peters; biographies of all sorts; and collect old cook books (especially with historical recipes). And old children's books - the older the better, for both the beautiful language and the illustrations. Children's tales and fairy tale favorites include Beatrix Potter's books; A Child's Garden of Verses, Frances H. Burnett's stories and offbeat stories (did you know Mulan is based on a real story about a Chinese girl a thousand years ago?). Books on tape are a marvel for those long nights when I can't sleep.

To watch alone: Gone With the Wind To watch when I need a laugh: My Cousin Vinny. To watch with my family: To Kill A Mockingbird. And there is always something good coming out next week. Cheers for Netflix, which has just about everything!

I like to work with stained glass; I have an embroidery machine which is presently collecting dust. I love to cook and imagine that I can garden on the days when I can walk a bit.

I love to recycle old glassware and beads to make new things. I am a thrift store junkie as a lifestyle - new isn't necessary much of the time.

I'm a veteran card maker but newer to scrapbooking. Love to make candles and hope to master cold process soap (not yet!). Getting better at jewelry.

The Office; Grey's Anatomy; Private Practice; Masterpiece Theatre; anything BBC or Python; Monk (who has Asperger's and OCD); Psych; In Plain Sight NCIS; Law & Order SVU; cooking shows!

I have gotten some wonderful things from swappers: a lap quilt; handknitted washcloths; handmade books; books with handwritten recipes. If you give me the gift of your time I will love it.

Anything vintage, Victorian, baking, history, gardening. Favorite color - all shades of green, and deep jewel tones in the colors of Fall. If you go to the trouble of making it, I am sure to like it - time is so precious that it has real value.

Favorite animals (required for a few swaps) - loons: they have been here since the age of the dinosaurs; mate for life; return to the place where they were hatched for family reunions; and are not supposed to be able to fly but do so anyway hummingbirds - they eat all day and never gain weight; they inspired the design of the helicopter; they are proof that God takes care of the tiniest creatures - so how He must care for us! Dislikes - not thrilled about modern art, and please keep kawaii for someone who adores it.

My wish list follows, but this is more important because it's about my son and his service project: we want your old books.

Stephen's Shelf

My son Stephen has Asperger's Syndrome (more on that later in the profile)/ Stephen was asked to establish a mission project and was sent to a seminar on how to organize a large-scale effort; his high school sent only 6 students for this training, and they picked Stephen because they expect great things from him (no pressure, mind!). So I've been talking with Stephen about how to establish a project that can be managed, really makes a difference, and responds to people's need to give but also with the economic challenges everyone is facing these days. "Stephen's Shelf" is the result of our discussions.

Stephen loves books more than any other physical object, and has decided to collect and share them as his impact on the world. And he has decided used books are best, because they are something one would share with a friend. Plus, people can participate without having to buy anything - they can give what they no longer use and can still feel as though they have shared.

Everyone can use a book and be changed by it. Consider, if you see a homeless person standing around, you are afraid of them. If you see someone scruffy reading a book, you are less afraid (and there is something for the person to do instead of looking scary and feeling awful - another world awaits every reader). And people living rough lose skills like reading if they don't keep them up. So his plan is to collect books and distribute them anywhere they are needed -- to offer them to shelters, cooperative feeding programs, to more permanent places like Camillus and Covenant House, Providence Place, Women and Kids in Distress. Our parish has contacts in all these places, and most other places will let us in with, face it, free stuff. Stephen will be marvelous at sorting them by type, age range, etc. Sorting is his bag. And we'll have plenty of bags to fill!

And the beauty of books is that they are small, portable and personal. Each book will come with two bookmarks - one will be filled out by the giver, and it will say "This book is from ______. The giver liked this book because ________________." Therefore, the recipient has a connection to someone who read the book and passed it along. The second bookmark is a page attached in the book -- it will be for the recipient to fill out when HE gives the book - so Stephen will fill the world with books, his favorite thing. And takers get to become givers, and share as the books go 'round and 'round. Our goal is one million books. This project can last his whole life.

So, if you are interested, pack up any books you have finished. Imagine, on your late loved one's birthday, giving someone their favorite book and writing why it was beloved, and knowing that book goes into the world from hand to hand. My mother loved Emily Dickinson, and that is where I am starting. My brother's favorite book is also the favorite of his namesake, my son - Treasure Island - and I am giving versions I found at Goodwill.

INow, to my wishlist. Thanks for listening!

... unusual glass, ceramic or metal beads ... prisms ... old Women's Day Magazines (my son loves the funny menus from decades past) ... old hankies ... anything Flower Fairies themed (if you are a UK swapper, please contact me for private swaps on the papers and stamps) ... funky architectural items like doorknobs and bits of moulding ... unusual wine glasses - singles are great ... china cups and saucers ... wax and wicks - I can use parially burned candles because I reuse the wax! ... chipboard, cigar or wooden boxes ... small mirrors ... broken jewelry ... a cure for autism.

My son Stephen loves Tim Burton's films; Sherlock Holmes; small notebooks for writing his genius ideas; Monty Python; Fawlty Towers; the American Revolution (US History in general); Axe travel size products; gum and breath mints; and puns and good clean jokes and age appropriate music with clean lyrics. He is also a member of the National Honor Society, a senior altar server, and has a 4.8 GPA. He's also handsome, funny and a gourmet cook. Potential daughters in law should have a good supply of bad knock knock jokes.

My grandson Daniel, born December 2008, is also a subject of kid swaps. Daniel likes balls. His first word was "ball," and even the moon is a ball to him. He is a typical boy. Size 4-5T in a T shirt; loves big crayons; likes to put little things in bigger containers (like blocks into a box); loves to splash in the tub; loves to hug stuffed animals, and loves to hug me. Life is wonderful; life with grandchildren is a preview of Paradise. Dickens said "It is no small thing that they, who are so fresh from God, love us." Daniel lives in our house with his mom and dad and is waiting for Hailey to be born as his baby sister. My heart dances when I hear his feet pattering down the hallway and he chirps "Mimi! Wanna play?" You bet.

... anything from a smoking home without warning me first! We are not zealots - our son has asthma. If your item is small, you can put it in a sealed plasatic bag and I can take if from there. If it won't fit in a bag, just PM me that a potential smoky item is coming and I will use my special magic to de-smokify it. I respect your free will, but still please try to quit - our kids lost a beloved grandfather to a prolonged, oxygen-dependent illness which was the legacy of smoking in his younger days- we all deserved more time with him. Let me konw you are trying and I'll pray without ceasing for you! ... dollar store items. I've probably already bought it! ... images clipped from magazines. I've got plenty! ... after May 1st it's impossible to send chocolate to Florida. When you send, I suggest you put the chocolate in a plastic bag just in case!

Stephen and I are collecting material for a web site to help preteens through adults understand how to be a friend to someone on the autism spectrum. The friends our son has made have been the miracles in his life, and made a difference we can't begin to describe. My web site will explain how an autism spectrum individual thinks and interprets the world, so it won't be so scary for people to try to be friends with someone with autism; to have them as a coworker; to be their college room mate. If you know someone on the autism spectrum (including Asperger's Syndrome), please send me a 'profile' of them, describing them, behaviors, and how they are both different and similar to a neurotypical person. No names are needed - I'm trying to include a wide range of personalities so every kind of person can be represented. Bless you for helping. If you know someone with autism or Asperger's, and reach out to them, believe me when I say that you are making a powerful difference. We know!

Bless you, today and always, just for being you!

Flaker is another word for crook. Shame, shame, shame! If you can't make a swap on time, no worries - a message would be the thing to do. If you have personal problems, like illness or family matters, I also understand and sympathize. I may need your understanding from time to time. However, if you join the site to look around, sign up for a bunch of swaps, and just drop out because you find something better to do, you are -- frankly -- a thief. People spend money and time on swaps (and postage is not cheap), and send to their partners on the honor policy, expecting something from you. When you take your swap, and don't send you get something you don't deserve. That is stealing and karma WILL find you.

My list of people I hope will come through (and a few hopeless cases). If you angel one, I'll be very grateful!

AussieMumJen: posted a charitable swap, then disappeared after I spent $90. in postage and more on the items. benzmom: flaked on the Christmas Stocking in the Mail swap zigg13pra: hosted 24 Days of Handmade Gifts. When I said my package from here had never arrived, replied that it was a lot of work to make these gifts (no kidding, since I made and sent all of mine). Send date was November 18, and still no resolution on whether she will send, ask for angels, or something else. I am sad. Makji: Not-So-Qiuick profile swap - a $5 item. She has abandoned swap-bot with nearly 20 swaps owed! Scatterbrain crafting: natalielittlemusicnote has been off the site since 10/4. No matter how many messages I sent, the host, ladylouie, never responds.

Please, if you host, at least help contact flakers or do something - even saying you are sorry helps!!