UPDATED: Go here if you’d like to contribute to For Kelli. Thanks!

Sometime back in the spring or summer – I really don’t remember when – I started seeing comments from Kelli on my blog. I have no idea how Kelli found her way here, but I quickly realized that she cracked me up. And one night, when I decided that I was going to devote myself to visiting blogs I hadn’t gotten around to yet, I found Kelli’s blog. Her warmth and humor made me feel right at home.

Kelli is married to a man she adores, and they have two wonderful children. She loves the Lord, loves to laugh, loves her life. I think that, even in light of her circumstances, she would tell you that she is blessed beyond measure.

But the fact of the matter is this: Kelli needs a kidney transplant. Desperately. She is currently on daily dialysis, though she can’t continue with it indefinitely. She has made her way through the bulk of the process to become an organ transplant candidate, and on the medical end of things, the prospects look pretty good. She needs a donor, of course, but in terms of her being a suitable candidate, everything looks fine. She’s been poked, prodded, questioned and tested – and she’s passed with flying colors.

Kelli has been on my mind and on my heart a lot lately, mainly because I can’t imagine being the mama of two teenagers and knowing that death is a very real possibility if certain events don’t fall into place. I’m blown away by Kelli’s unflappable spirit, her ability to focus on the Light in the midst of the darkness. And when I read this post over the weekend, I knew that I wanted to do something to help.

I mentioned in a previous post that I am resolved to just love on some people this year. Why? Because God cares about them. And Kelli, for me, is at the front of the lovin’ line.

Next Tuesday, January 16th, I’m going to have a button on my blog that will link you to an Amazon Pay Page that I set up yesterday. What I’m going to ask – and I know that this is pretty bold of me, but I’ve never been much of a wallflower, anyway, so why start now – is that the people who visit my blog that day consider making a donation to Kelli and her family. I’m not talking big bucks here – just $1.50. And if you don’t feel led to contribute financially, that is perfectly fine – I think it would mean just as much to Kelli if you simply said a prayer for her. But if you do decide to make a contribution, you can make a secure payment using your debit card or credit card through Amazon’s website. The beauty of this set-up is that neither Kelli nor I will have any idea who donates – the whole shindig will be totally anonymous (and you can donate more than $1.50, by the way – that’s just the minimum amount that I set).

Kelli quit work several months ago because, honestly, work was no longer viable with her condition. Her family has their health insurance through her former employer, and that will run out at the end of this month. What I’d love for us to be able to do for her is to cover a portion of her COBRA payments so that she can be free from the worry of being cut off by her private insurance. We all know that sometimes when it rains, it pours – and on top of the COBRA pressure, Kelli’s facing some incredibly expensive post-transplant medicines, the adjustment to being a single-income family, and, more than anything, the realization that if COBRA doesn’t come through – and if she and her husband can’t show the ability to pay for part of the transplant on their own – she’ll no longer be a transplant candidate. Without a transplant, quite frankly, she will die.

Kelli didn’t ask me to spearhead this thing – she knew absolutely nothing about it until I emailed her with my idea and asked her permission. But since I feel led to do something – and since I have the tens of you to tell about it – I think we can really do something special to minister to Kelli and her family.

And you need not worry. I will not be coming back to you month after month with a new cause, with a new Amazon Pay Page, with a new request for donations. This is the only bloggy lovefest involving money that I’m planning for the next, oh, ever. Just consider the $1.50 as your lifetime BooMama subscription rate, and know that I’m going to donate all the “subscription” proceeds to Kelli.

So all that being said, I really hope you’ll participate. Whether we raise $10 or $100 or $1000, my prayer is that Kelli will feel the love of her brothers and sisters in Christ – and that somehow, even just by donating $1.50 – we can play a small part in helping Kelli receive the gift of life by way of a kidney transplant.

Feel free to grab the button (thanks, Shannon, for your handiwork) and post it on your own blog…and if you need the code so that you can link the button back to this post, just email me and let me know.

January 16th is For Kelli. I hope you’ll make a point to be here.

Read this post. And you’ll understand why.

I mentioned in Veronica’s comments that I don’t often cry when reading someone’s blog. But this morning I was overcome by the beauty of her words, the timeliness (and timelessness) of her topic, and, above all, the reminder of the transforming love of Jesus.

Go. Read. It’s a wonderful way to start your morning.

My friend Lori is starting a new Bible study this week, and you’re all invited to join. She’ll be leading a group through reading the Bible in 90 days, and the study gets underway this Wednesday. For more info, click here.