Sitting here by the glow of my Christmas tree, listening to Holiday Traditions on Sirius, and burning up the keyboard working on elfing magic.
I write a lot about the desire to simply put food on the table. That is always real, always heartbreaking, and always met with our help. Hunger is unacceptable to me. With each email that includes this discussion, there is always shame, embarrassment, and the universal feeling of failing one's children. I promise you, if love could fill a tummy, these children would never have a pang again. So yes, like all years, a portion of your donations have been going to grocery gift cards.
Warm clothes, pajamas, socks, coats, blankets - presents we all rolled our eyes at as children when gifted by an overly perfumed grandparent. And gifts that are so very much needed and appreciated in this very real world.
Toys - OF COURSE there are toys. I love when wish list items and my surfing collide in a wonderful explosion of box ticking and serendipity. This afternoon a six year old "total girly girl"'s desires for anything Barbie and a serious love for unicorns? Unicorn Barbie - beautiful, great reviews, and on sale for only $7.99! Dinosaurs are always a wish list staple, as are cars, characters (this year Bluey and Blippy are faves. Cannot wait till Miss Rachel's line of toys is out next Christmas.), and crafts.
But all children are different. Within the spectrum that contains all of humanity, there is another that embraces those whose bodies and minds just work a bit differently. Whether autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorders, etc, these children's "happiness" may look different (Thank you, Liz), but it is no less real and personal.
To that end, I am investing a lot of time working on items for four children we currently have in our sleigh whose happiness and desires may be harder to define, but are no less important and fulfilling. For one child, he asked his mother if they could create a "calm down corner" for him. YES. It is taking much back and forth with the Mom as I think of and find various ideas, but DGMS is building our first Calm Down Corner for this beautiful almost 8 year old. And while it may not have the outward sass of a Unicorn Barbie doll, it will be just as welcomed and provide his kind of happiness.
Each year I write to you about how humbled I am to be able to sit here and use your donations to make smiles happen. How much I value your trust and generosity. Well, I am also honored to be allowed to learn about so many children, educate myself on just how wide and beautiful is the spectrum, and be able to help these parents watch as their child's happiness unfolds in front of them.
We are a small piece of real estate on this massive internet, but what we are doing has wide reaching, long lasting impact. You are all amazing, important, and the best group of humans I know. Thank you.
Much love,
Linda
DONATION AVENUES
Paypal - [email protected]
Zelle - [email protected] or [email protected]
Venmo - @Linda-Sharp-29
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