Chapter 25: The Giving Keys [not just another piece of jewelry]

What do the homeless, old keys, & jewelry have to do with one another? Read on to find out!

I'm absolutely in love with my new giving key, but before I tell you the story about this piece of "jewelry" & explain what it is, I have something to say...

Not everyone knows this about me, but I've always had a special place in my heart for the homeless ever since I was a little kid. During our honeymoon last year, I convinced my husband that we should buy a blanket for a homeless man we saw on the street. We all know that San Francisco gets pretty cold & I felt a strong pull at my heart to help him. I felt we needed to take the time to do this even though we had somewhere to be & were already running late. In college I was part of a campus club called 'Helping Hearts For The Homeless'. I remember getting mad the first time I heard the word 'bum' come from a friend's mouth when used to describe a homeless person we saw from our car window back when I was a middle schooler. I know everyone has different opinions of homeless people [sometimes valid & sometimes just plain mean], but what it all comes down to is that no matter what social class, we are all human. Rich or homeless—we all deserve to be loved, respected, & cared for. Homeless people are down on their luck & they each have their own story, so how are we to judge the bunch the same?

About the Necklace

I heard about The Giving Keys on t.v. a few months ago & absolutely fell in love with the idea. First off, I've always loved vintage/antique & odd things. I'm pretty old fashioned at heart. I'm fascinated by letters, stationary, pretty paper, stamps, interesting envelopes/packages, lace, miniature things, airports, journals, trees, birds, polaroids, vintage clothing, feather pens, wax seals, old typwriters, etc... & of course, keys—mostly skeleton keys, but keys of all kinds. I even have my own collection of keys that I started as a kid, simply because I liked having a bunch of keys, but it may also have something to do with the movie 'The Secret Garden'?

What I love about The Giving Keys is that it links 3 things that interest me:

• 1. Keys
• 2. The Homeless
• 3. Positive/inspiring/encouraging messages

A singer/songwriter first started making these keys for fun & would sell them at her merchandise table while touring. It wasn't before long that they started becoming a big hit. She later got the idea to employ homeless people to engrave the keys for her & to help them transition out of homelessness. How incredible & touching is that? It really is amazing & you can read the full story on their official website Click Here.

The idea is to pick out a word that fits you— a message that you need most. The most typical ones are dream, believe, faith, love, courage, etc.. but you can custom make your own for an extra cost. You wear the key around as a constant reminder to do whatever it says on the key & one day you pass it onto someone who you feel needs that same message. It takes the idea of giving a very 'personal gift' to a whole new level! I know not everyone will be fascinated by this idea, but I'm sharing this with you all because I know that there are other people out there who would appreciate The Giving Keys just as much as I do. I've read quite a few heartwarming stories on their website of who people have given their key to & just how much it meant to that person. There was once a time in my life when I wanted to wear as many rings on my fingers as possible because I wanted to pass them onto people during my lifetime. This is the same type of idea but even better, because these keys have inspirational messages on them & are hand-engraved with love by a homeless person. You know that you're helping make a difference in someone's life when you purchase one of these giving keys.

I flew into Los Angeles last Saturday & hung out with my friend. When we came across these keys in a little store I got so excited because I remembered seeing them on t.v. What is great about getting a giving key in a store as opposed to online is that you get to pick out your key. When you order online you pick your message, but you don't get to see what your key will look like. Maybe that element of surprise is something that intrigues you, but as for me, I like to pick by whichever one is calling me. That may sound weird, but I don't know how else to describe it? My friend ended up picking a key with the word 'fight' on it. I, on the other-hand, was having a lot of trouble picking my key. I was torn between 'strength' & 'let go'. Since it was taking me so long, I ended up deciding by having my friend do something my husband made up for me. Whenever I had trouble deciding between two things, he would put them both in his hand & tell me to choose. If I ended up getting sad over what was in the hand that I choose, then that would tell me that I needed to get the other one :P Sure, maybe that's silly, but it works for me! My friend opened her hand & when I saw the key with the words 'let go' I got excited :) We decided to buy each others key as a gift, so technically we didn't spend any money on ourselves ;) Right? I'm so happy that I have my very own giving key & I can't wait to pass it on to someone else someday in hopes that it can help them & make an impact on their life. I'll be sure to post my story on here & on their website when that day comes!

Is anyone else interested in getting a giving key of their own? If you know someone who might be interested, be sure to share this with them! What do you love most about The Giving Keys? Leave a comment & let me know! Please tell me if you end up getting one for yourself or as a gift to someone as well because I'd love to know :) You can visit The Giving Keys on their official website [click here] OR on Facebook [click here]. Don't forget to 'LIKE' their page!

Stay beautiful & keep on spreading the love!