Miracles happen. I believe they do. Sarah Ban Breathnach,
one of the sages of our time, suggests in her book Simple Abundance,
that you ask for a miracle each day. I do. How we judge those
miracles, if we even recognize them, makes all the difference in the
world. I believe it was divine intervention, or a miracle, when I ran
into a an old college pal who is part of an amazing Boy Scout troop here
in our area. That troop turned out to be the right mix of boys and
leaders who were a perfect fit for the Sun and my husband as he is one
of the leaders now as well.
(This is the part when it becomes all about me.) When I found out that the leaders paid for a large portion of the trip fees and supported camp fees for families who could not otherwise afford it, my fundraising instincts kicked in and I searched for the perfect means of bringing in much-needed dollars to the troop. We (meaning me) decided upon the Sherwood Farms Wreath Fundraiser. When deciding on a fundraiser, I have some personal criteria it must meet. It must be: consumable, environmentally friendly, food-free and a value for the patron. This met it all. We set the goal for the troop – $2,000 (or, enough money to purchase 10 new REI two-person tents.) Despite my do-it-myself nature, I stepped out of the picture at this point and allowed the troop take over. Guess what? They met their goal and purchased the tents with the profit from the first fundraiser they have undertaken in over 20 years. (Did I mention this troop is 75 years old?)
You are wondering where the miracle come in, right? Of course, I think there are many miracles in this story. The first is connecting my family to this group. The second is the community support of the wreaths to purchase the tents needed for this troop (a very active group of boys and men!) Now, here is the third.
During the wreath sales the troop was asked to work with a profoundly disabled youth, to bring him into the troop and treat him like any other boy. They did. I won’t go into details about this child, but I will say that being physically present is his only participation at this point. No one batted an eye at the presence of this child. He was welcomed as every child is by each of the boys and leaders. And, finally, due to the presence of the troop and its wreath sales (which by the way, attracted several new Boy Scouts to the troop) another group took notice of this troop and awarded them a large donation which will serve as the seed money to pay the way for trips and camps for the boys whose families cannot afford to pay.
There is good in the world. Miracles happen each and every day. The media would have us believe in hatred, war and violence – and yes, those things exist. But what also exists is generosity and love and…..miracles. How have you made a difference in the lives of others this year and are you able to make a difference, even in some small way, each and every day?
(This is the part when it becomes all about me.) When I found out that the leaders paid for a large portion of the trip fees and supported camp fees for families who could not otherwise afford it, my fundraising instincts kicked in and I searched for the perfect means of bringing in much-needed dollars to the troop. We (meaning me) decided upon the Sherwood Farms Wreath Fundraiser. When deciding on a fundraiser, I have some personal criteria it must meet. It must be: consumable, environmentally friendly, food-free and a value for the patron. This met it all. We set the goal for the troop – $2,000 (or, enough money to purchase 10 new REI two-person tents.) Despite my do-it-myself nature, I stepped out of the picture at this point and allowed the troop take over. Guess what? They met their goal and purchased the tents with the profit from the first fundraiser they have undertaken in over 20 years. (Did I mention this troop is 75 years old?)
You are wondering where the miracle come in, right? Of course, I think there are many miracles in this story. The first is connecting my family to this group. The second is the community support of the wreaths to purchase the tents needed for this troop (a very active group of boys and men!) Now, here is the third.
During the wreath sales the troop was asked to work with a profoundly disabled youth, to bring him into the troop and treat him like any other boy. They did. I won’t go into details about this child, but I will say that being physically present is his only participation at this point. No one batted an eye at the presence of this child. He was welcomed as every child is by each of the boys and leaders. And, finally, due to the presence of the troop and its wreath sales (which by the way, attracted several new Boy Scouts to the troop) another group took notice of this troop and awarded them a large donation which will serve as the seed money to pay the way for trips and camps for the boys whose families cannot afford to pay.
There is good in the world. Miracles happen each and every day. The media would have us believe in hatred, war and violence – and yes, those things exist. But what also exists is generosity and love and…..miracles. How have you made a difference in the lives of others this year and are you able to make a difference, even in some small way, each and every day?
https://www.facebook.com/PositivityToolbox
No comments:
Post a Comment