Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day: appropriate, as its intent is to celebrate the things we are thankful for among family and friends, ideally in a home filled with love. Today, we have a $1000 anonymous match to help us kick off the holiday weekend...and we already have so much to be thankful for.
As you can see in the banner image, when this project started there was a literal bare patch of earth. From pouring the slab and setting the cornerstone, work commenced: the first floor was built, then the necessary reinforcements for the second floor added; after that, work on the ceiling/floor and second-story, then the roof…
We’ve come a long way together to help two dear friends finally get into a real home — one that can’t be taken from them simply because someone had the ability to do so.
No more risks of life or death due to degrading systems in a 30+ year old RV.
All throughout the process, in the background, Aji has at times urged folks not to worry about her whenever someone else’s perceived need was greater.
And all throughout the process, in spite of burps and fluctuations, time moved inexorably onward: the seasons, teasing a bit here and there, slid steadily into the winter season. One of the important items not easily captured in the images of progress here is the need for a new septic system, which won’t be possible once the ground has frozen solid. And that’s just one of several other mitigating factors which are being juggled.
In spite of the size and scope of the challenge over all, and the constant need to nudge and nurture the scheduling of various tasks as dictated by affordability and resource availability, progress has been steady.
There’s a lot to be thankful for here — and I’m talking about my personal thankfulness: I’m grateful to have the opportunity to help in whatever small way that I can, either by writing or generating images, or simply sharing the word and appropriate links whenever possible. I like helping people. I enjoy taking part in helping complete projects — whether my role is direct or indirect. It’s a personal way for me to assess that I’m doing what I enjoy, and that my satisfaction is tied to my ability to make a positive contribution or impact on people, places, or events.
That may sound self-centered — and it is, at least as-stated - but I disagree with that definition as an absolute, particularly based on this: for me, my help or assistance has to be approved (in most cases). I can’t simply help out — I have to have permission to do so, whether it’s implicit or explicit. Part of that is due to the nature of how I work, and how I attempt to integrate what I do in any concerted effort I make. So, in order to actually be of use to anyone, I need them to allow me to be.
Without others who are willing or able to accept my assistance, I’d have less to be thankful for: I would always have friends and family. I have a job, and whether I’ve been employed or not, I’ve rarely had issues finding work or generating income. Those are things I can be thankful for, and I am. But to build on, share, or extend that thankfulness in friendship, in gratitude, or in hope, I need others.
They can be strangers, or friends, or family. That doesn’t matter. Even strangers become a part of one’s family in a sense when they work together to achieve something. “Family” isn’t just what you’re born into: it’s what you build in addition to that as you make your way through life.
And it’s also, often, being a part of something — whether you know it or not — that can make you a part of a larger extended family.
Like the community here. Or like in our individual neighborhoods, states, or regions.
Or on a national and international level.
We can be tied to one another through our shared cultures, religions, traditions, and histories.
And we are all tied together by our existence — not only as “humanity” but also our existence as “life on Earth.”
The recognition that we can be thankful on our own, but much more enriched by and thankful for the fact that we are all part of a larger community — multiple communities — is another level of awareness that draws us all together.
And I’m thankful for that, as well.
Nobody should have to “go it alone” when there are friends, family, and even the shared humanity of strangers. That’s a fact that many people recognize — whether they’ve “been there, done that” or could empathize with those who have. Even folks who are fiercely independent gain strength when they acknowledge and accept the love and support of others. In most cases that I’ve seen, nearly everyone who has been in a tight spot works hard to get past it: assistance offered or accepted helps, but the person or persons on the receiving end don’t quit. When it comes to working together, those who offer assistance to others who may need it are serving as the metaphorical “wind beneath the wings” of others.
It’s an apt metaphor.
Throughout this drive, one of the most important things folks can do is to help spread the link to the NDN Silver / Wings of the Wind Photography page. The site is a showcase of silverwork by Wings, as well as for his photography. His site also hosts galleries for other Native American artists.
You can help support this fundraising effort simply by sharing a link to the site, or — even better — perusing it, perhaps placing an order for a gorgeous photo or hand-crafted work.
Here are some other ways you can help as well:
- The YouCaring fundraiser allows you to donate specifically to this cause. You can also share the fundraiser via social networks by using the “Grab Our Widget” button (and other social media buttons) on that page.
- If you prefer, donate via PayPal at Aji’s blog, or at her Tumblr blog where she posts her own writing and photography.
- Kosmail belinda ridgewood if you absolutely need to donate by mailing a paper check.
- Their Amazon wishlist mostly supports the health needs of their rescue animals and themselves, if that’s more your style.
- Purchases from Wings Silverworks will help them make a living the way they’d prefer, by selling Wings’ work as an exceptionally talented NDN silversmith and photographer.
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- And, as mentioned above, you can help immensely by Tweeting, sharing on FaceBook, tip/rec/republish these diaries on Daily Kos, randomly email your friends about it, and even drop it into casual conversations. This seems minor, but it is not! When you share, please link to this YouCaring page, or embed the widget!
Thank you, everyone, for reading and for whatever you can do to help our friends.