My Dear, Sweet Friend

This is my friend, Rebecca. 

Isn't she beautiful? She is mommy to two of my favorite kiddos/two of John's best friends. 

She is also the owner,creative genius, talented sewer, bag designer, manager of this little business known as Better Life Bags. 

Check it.

She makes really pretty things, like this (sisteo's diaper bag).

And this (happy mama's wet bag).

And this & this.

Yep, gotta get some of that leather. 

And I am just so insanely proud of her. You see, she used to be a fifth grade teacher (a fifth grade teacher who really helped me become established in my walk with Christ, mind you). 

And then she got pregnant, and at that point, she fell off the face of the earth.

[I thought she was such a spiritual slacker, by the way. But I was a young, nearly married, carefree college student who would experience the woes of pregnancy and motherhood soon enough.]

Now, might I add, I am amazed at the feat that she accomplished ... starting a new custom bag business (by accident) as a new mother. WOW! 

You see, she made a diaper bag to use with her new baby boy.

[Like this.]

And other people liked it so much that they started asking her to make them one.

This one girl named Ashley Williams Beam asked for a bag to honor her favorite Mouse.

Oh. My. Gosh.

And the business grew.

Rebecca decided (because of her commitment to Jesus and His commands) to use her talent and new-found popularity to help those in need. Thus, she decided to donate 10% of her bag sales to Kiva, an organization which lends to people living under the yoke of poverty to get their own business ventures off the ground. 

In 2010, Rebecca moved to Detroit, Michigan. She lives in a very international part of town. Rebecca had the idea to give women the opportunity to work who would otherwise not be able to, and earlier this year she hired her first BLB employee to help alleviate poverty in her own city (making lives better in more ways than one ... read about Beck's first hire here.)

[Oh, and did I mention that I live in the same city? And that Rebecca is one of my closest friends? Yep, I love her.]

Today the business continues to grow (and I like to think of myself as her #1 fan). 

In fact, this weekend Rebecca traveled to Indiana for a blogger's conference called Influence (maybe I'll go with her next year?). She is being inspired (as I type) to use her influence (and her business) to point people to Jesus (the One who truly makes lives better).

So, I wanted to write this post to honor her. To tell her how proud I am to call her my friend. And to say, "Hurry home to Hamtramck. I stinkin' miss you!!!"

There you have it. My friend, Rebecca. She's one in a million.

What are you waiting for, friends? Get to her shop and start your Christmas shopping! 

Whoever oppresses the poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.

Proverbs 14:30