Weeks ago I had the pleasure of receiving a call from Joan Sputh. She explained the impetus of her call was to rent glassybaby. She was spearheading an auction for the Eastside Domestic Violence Project. Her goal?...to raise funds to purchase computers for kids at the crisis center. Through our conversation I learned more about Joan's role in this event...it requires a list:
- Creator
- Decorator
- Caterer
- Master of Ceremonies
- Banker/Accountant
You name it she did it...with the generous support of her dear friends, volunteers, her husband, her 12 year old daughter, and her step daughter who flew in from California to lend a hand. Joan dubbed it the "No Frills" Auction and pulled it together in a mere 6 weeks. Six weeks plus Joan equals 16 thousand dollars for computers. Altruism, generosity, stewardship are apparently alive and well. It is inspiring.
A footnote to the event. Although glassybaby might be considered a frill at the no frills event...Joan harnessed their beauty into dollar power. She lit her event with a rainbow of color and offered the glassybaby for sale at a slightly higher premium...her organization was able to take home the difference. Brilliant. And Joan's 12 year old bought a Poppy glassybaby, at the steeper price, with money from her piggy bank.
Let me describe a recent store encounter and the embroidery from a conversation that has nicely hovered in my memory. A woman came in to our store to select a spring colored glassybaby...something to brighten her day. I learned that she had gone for a routine mammogram and felt good about her slightly overdue, healthful feat. She then traveled to Value Village, a local thrift emporium, to have a brief conversation with the manager there. Her question to the manager was something close to this:'Perchance, had an employee or customer found a cache of family, gold jewelry, including a diamond necklace, hidden in the pocket of an old ski sweater that was donated?' She awoke recently in the middle of the night to the excruciating revelation that her Spring cleaning had gone too far. The manager had not recovered the jewelry. But this I love...our sweet customer's philosophical bent was expansive. It was her day to surrender to the loss and finally let the jewelry peacefully go. Wonderful. Surrender and a single glassybaby antidote...so wise.
Until Next Time, Nicola
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