I’d like to let the world know about the kindness of two people that have played a very important part in my life and in the life of someone very special to me, for a little more than 18 years now. The funny thing is that I never knew them until I met them a few weeks ago. The very special person I mention … I just met her a few weeks ago too. This special girl is my daughter and the two people are her parents … her adoptive parents.
I was 15 years old. Just a little girl still, but old enough to know that I was not old enough to give my precious baby the life I wanted for her. I explained all this in a letter to the adoptive parents, along with the fact that I have a teddy bear that is identical to the one that went home with their new baby. I told them I’d keep this bear forever in the hopes that one day she and I would be reunited. They never hid this from her. In fact they gave her the letter I wrote for them.
It turns out that she has always had an interest in one day meeting me. Her parents have always been very open with her and supported her interest. They have been very open to meeting me and have welcomed me into their family.
For years I wondered … would she know? Would she understand? Would she want to know me? They could have told her anything they wanted. They could have hidden the letter. Could have kept it a secret about the teddy bear. Could have kept their daughter to themselves. Their openness and honesty is because they love her very much. But it’s not just love, but also an amazing and genuine kindness that they have shown her. And I see it as an amazing and genuine kindness they’ve shown me as well. I will never forget it and will be forever thankful for this very unselfish kindness.
To K.E.C.: I love you, I always have. To her parents: I thank you with all my heart and soul.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Thursday, September 6, 2007
An Experience that Will Stick
The first Komox Brownies from the Comox Valley and the first Wellington Brownies from Nanaimo participated recently in Hands Across the Border at the Peace Arch Border Crossing.
We thought we would go a day early and take the girls to Playland, so we arranged bus service with Cardinal Bus Lines to take us to all of our prearranged locations. All 47 of us arrived at playland at 11 am. just as the gates opened for the day. The plan was to play until 5 pm then have dinner at the White Spot in Playland. Our bus was to come back at 7pm. Although it was pouring rain we really didn't count on Playland having to close due to weather. But at 3pm, Playland closed for the day.
Starting at about 1pm a Brownie Leader and a Playland manager made many attemps in vain to contact Cardinal Bus Lines to come back and pick us up early. Slight panic began to set in as we wondered what were were going to do for 4 hours in the pouring rain with 35 eight year old girls.
This is where the Playland staff far exceeded our wildest expectations.
At 3 pm once the park closed, they honoured the package deal and fed all of us White Spot.
After finishing our meal (with 3 hours left to wait for the bus) the manager and her staff decided to open up six of the carnival-type games to our group. They split the group in to teams, showed everyone how to play the games, let them practice, then led everyone through a very organized tournament. The staff ran each game with more enthusiasm than I have ever seen and made all of us forget that we were stranded in the pouring rain.
From the beginning the girls were told that this was for fun and no prizes were going to be given out. In the end they surprised everyone yet again by giving the overall winner a large stuffed toy, the team with the most points a medium stuffed toy and everyone else got a small stuffed toy. Everyone was more than thrilled.
With an hour to go they took all of us back in to the White Spot where they had made hot chocolate and coffee. At 7pm our bus arrived and we all left Playland soaking wet, tired and very, very happy.
A very large part of Brownies is to teach the girls about kindness, caring for others and caring for the community around you.
The staff at Playland not only saved a group from being out in the pouring rain; they showed our Brownies first hand how it feels when someone steps up and helps out. These girls often give this gift to others and rearly recieve it in return. This was an experience that will stick with them forever.
We thought we would go a day early and take the girls to Playland, so we arranged bus service with Cardinal Bus Lines to take us to all of our prearranged locations. All 47 of us arrived at playland at 11 am. just as the gates opened for the day. The plan was to play until 5 pm then have dinner at the White Spot in Playland. Our bus was to come back at 7pm. Although it was pouring rain we really didn't count on Playland having to close due to weather. But at 3pm, Playland closed for the day.
Starting at about 1pm a Brownie Leader and a Playland manager made many attemps in vain to contact Cardinal Bus Lines to come back and pick us up early. Slight panic began to set in as we wondered what were were going to do for 4 hours in the pouring rain with 35 eight year old girls.
This is where the Playland staff far exceeded our wildest expectations.
At 3 pm once the park closed, they honoured the package deal and fed all of us White Spot.
After finishing our meal (with 3 hours left to wait for the bus) the manager and her staff decided to open up six of the carnival-type games to our group. They split the group in to teams, showed everyone how to play the games, let them practice, then led everyone through a very organized tournament. The staff ran each game with more enthusiasm than I have ever seen and made all of us forget that we were stranded in the pouring rain.
From the beginning the girls were told that this was for fun and no prizes were going to be given out. In the end they surprised everyone yet again by giving the overall winner a large stuffed toy, the team with the most points a medium stuffed toy and everyone else got a small stuffed toy. Everyone was more than thrilled.
With an hour to go they took all of us back in to the White Spot where they had made hot chocolate and coffee. At 7pm our bus arrived and we all left Playland soaking wet, tired and very, very happy.
A very large part of Brownies is to teach the girls about kindness, caring for others and caring for the community around you.
The staff at Playland not only saved a group from being out in the pouring rain; they showed our Brownies first hand how it feels when someone steps up and helps out. These girls often give this gift to others and rearly recieve it in return. This was an experience that will stick with them forever.
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