Once again I have been very lax in my blogging, sorry followers ;(
As some of you may know recently I organized a benefit fundraiser to raise money for the Red Cross to help those in Japan. After the catastrophic earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit the shores of Japan on March 11th I was left with feelings of helplessness and sorrow. Seeing all of the horrific images of devastation I was so overwhelmed and consumed with grief. What kept popping up in my sub conscience was "what can I possibly do to help these people, these people on the other side of the world?" You have to understand I am a doer, if I see something that needs to be done, I take a course of action, roll up my sleeves and get it done. That is how I work. This situation had me second guessing myself and my abilities, what impact could little old me have on such a devastating occurrence? This had me thinking, "I can't be the only one who feels this way, there has to be others who are feeling the same as I am, right?" So I put it out there, out there on Facebook, I posed the question, Who would like to help me figure out a fundraiser of sorts to help those in Japan? No sooner had I pressed send then people, wonderful woman immediately wrote back, "I'm in, what do you need me to do?"
The Cherry Blossom Benefit was born. Immediately me, and four beautiful, giving, compassionate, strong and funny women jumped into action and quickly brought together the event. We had bellydancers, a silent auction and a 50/50 draw. As the night was drawing closer, most would have feelings of nervousness and anxiety, Would anyone actually come? Is this even gonna work? Ironically I actually became calmer and more at peace. You see in my eyes we had already succeeded. We, a band of women joined together in our community to help another community on the other side of the world. Not to have praise or to get anything out of it; no, just out of the sheer need and desire to give, to help those in need. So yes, "little old me" with many other "little old me's" were able to make a difference, an impact on something larger then ourselves. We were able to raise over two thousand dollars that evening. You see it has been estimated by the Red Cross that twenty dollars provides food and shelter for one person. We were able to provide food and shelter for over a 100 people. That to me is a success.
I am still in awe in how my community, dancers donating their performances, businesses donating goods and services to be auctioned off, men and women young and old coming out to take part in the evening to give not only with their pocketbooks but with their hearts as well, all generously joining together as one for no other reason then to merely pay it forward. The energy and the love in that room that night was electric, palpable in fact. That above anything else is what I will carry with me in my heart for the rest of my life. If you can take anything from my little post here it is this, do not underestimate the impact you have on one another. The mere act of smiling at someone, holding a door, saying hello or donating your time talking to someone in need has a profound impact. It truly does, but what I wasn't expecting was the profound impact it would have on me and how I will choose to lead my life in the future. Both my eyes and my heart have been opened and now my outlook has never been clearer.
