By Tia Kelly | project leader
I want to tell you a story about a little girl one Christmas long ago.
Imagine if you will that it’s snowing outside! This little girl is ten, soon to be eleven, her family has no money this Christmas. And to be clear about “no money” all seven of them have survived on $8,000 dollars this whole year with no other assistance.
Usually by this time they would be gone from the cabin in the woods, but this year they’ve decided to stay until after Christmas. These winter days are short in the woods, the sun seems to set even sooner behind the tall pine trees.
The anticipation and secretism in the house is building as everyone tries to work on each other’s handmade surprise gifts, but trying not to be seen. They all have to say things like “I’m coming into the living room now” only to receive synchronized shouts of No!"
It's time to go and harvest a Christmas tree! The little girl walks through the woods with her family and their dogs and the cat, (the cat goes for family walks too) They select a beautiful crooked tree from a thicket that needs thinning and they drag it home, leaving a wide sweeping track in the snow along with their footprints.
Their cheeks and hands are burning from the cold but the fireplace is roaring inside as they put up the tree and hang their handmade decorations.
This year they have near to nothing! And by nothing I mean nothing but love and creativity, family, music, home-grown food, nature, and Christmas magic. So really they have everything they need! Despite how we could perceive a lack of abundance through another lens.
Yes that little girl was me, I still remember the gifts my parents made for me that year. And it stands out as one of my most special family memories.
The life of that little girl living off the grid in the woods is so far removed from where I am today, but those years growing up shaped my perception of what true abundance really means.
This year has been an amazing blessing for our little organization, with so many little girls lives that have been altered by your contributions.
Our cofounder Loretta and our filmographer Andrea just returned from a trip to the frozen North West territories to work with native youth in a remote village called Fort Liard. Look it up on a map! They didn’t even have a road to access it by until the 1980’s!
This community is also desperately poor but to listen to what the kids chose to do for their community contribution projects will melt your heart.
Studies show that the key to happiness and a long life are deeply tied to our sense of purpose in life, and we have seen that children are also drastically effected by having or not having a sense of value and purpose.
I interview Loretta about this GS trip, and the transformations that the kids experienced. We also get to see the cute puppy that she pulled out of a frozen dirt hole and brought home with her. Check out the video interview here. https://youtu.be/xoINSvb-_nk
Happy New year to you! We hope that you had a holiday season to remember and may your life be blessed with an abundance of love, purpose and meaning in 2017
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