Breathtaking. Our friends from Nepal arrived on October 1 to a flood of gifts welcoming them to Denver. There was such a steady flow of extravagance, that they needed an extra suitcase for their departure from Denver to contain it all! {Ohhhhh, yeah! That’s what we’re talkin’ about, right, friends?}
Here is one of the beautiful things that happened. Yes, some gave {in WOWza ways}. Yes, some received. And, also … the givers infinitely received, the receivers abundantly gave, such that it became blurry, unrecognizable and unimportant to understand just who was giving and who was receiving. Friends, it’s something I’ve read about, have caught glimpses of how it is TRUE, and yet something happened during this village week of feasting, playing, working, dreaming, praying, resting…that is soooooo beauty.FULL, I cannot wait to give you a few glimpses.
No one is so poor that they cannot give, and no one is so rich that they cannot receive. -Adrienne Clarkson
Hand-crafted with love, welcome bags were waiting for each guest on their bed.
Kelly Craighead, an extraordinarily-talented artist made these stunning bags
Inside the bags: water bottles from Jibu + Transformational Ventures {thank you, Melissa Schaap!}
Bracelets from a powerful women’s cooperative in Kenya {thank you, Tobias Odhiambo Oyare!} | The members are all widows who now have a future and a hope due to this business opportunity
More beauty + treasures for the bags from Kelly + Jo Craighead
Bountiful harvests arrived from several families, with welcome notes to soon-to-be friends inside.
The Walls delivered bounty from their garden
The Crosby’s delivered this bag FULL of their garden harvest {+ also some cookies + pudding}
Our garage was full of bikes shared with us by friends and neighbors {thanks, Stenson + Antonson families!}. And, my goodness – did we EVER use them! Thanks to the generosity of our kula {community}, we sent funds back to Nepal for Ruth {third from the left, below}, to buy a bike to ride to and from school.
Pabitra, Hanna, Ruth + Papa Håkan, founder of Out of Ashes
Our garage for the week | bike parking
Wow…sassy bike – perfect for our Ruth!
Ruth riding her bike in Kathmandu yesterday
Funds were generously and compassionately shared ranging from $2.35 to $500, which resulted in a grand total of $2,600 to support the dreams of our Nepali sistas to go to college.
We received this treasure from 2 kiddos in our kula {community}
A few peeps gave funds for our sistas to go shopping at Stylish Sparrow {facebook page}, founded by Lisa Sharpe. They had a BLAST. Sangita (house-mother to 800 first-generation educated youth in Kathmandu) has been looking for a black leather jacket for some time, and when she found it, with tears in her eyes, she exclaimed,
My dreams have come true at Stylish Sparrow!
Ruth, Pabitra, Sangita {in her leather jacket :}, Hanna + Lisa | Stylish Sparrow
Our beloved, beauty.FULL sistas, Pabitra + Sangita relaxing in Lisa’s home | Stylish Sparrow
Lisa, Raju + Håkan | There was enough $ left for our brothas to purchase gifts for their wives @ Stylish Sparrow
Although not an official member of our kula, this sheriff in Lakewood gave quite a gift to me. While heading to the Global Grubbing event at the Sherpa House Nepali restaurant in Golden, I ran a red light. When I pulled over, our friends from Nepal asked what was happening, and wondered if we were going to have to go to jail. (We had a very interesting conversation about the rule of law in the United States and Nepal while waiting for the officer to return.) After inadvertently handing over an expired print out of my car’s insurance {retrieving the valid version on my phone – phew!}, the officer returned to my car, smiled, and kindly let me go without paying a fine or giving me a ticket. What amazing grace. FULL of gratitude.
Treasures forever. Our dear sistas and brothers from Nepal and Sweden gave riches to me that I will treasure till the end of my life. Seriously, with all my heart, I say this: I am not the same – in fact, many in our kula are not the same – after meeting and coming to love these friends. They gave these stunning gifts to me the day they were leaving. {Lemme know if you want to borrow them, ‘cuz these are kula shoes forever. :}
Hanna’s favorite pair of earrings + red shoes | Ruth’s favorite bling shoes
If you want to join the giving and receiving partay, you are most welcome and we invite you to make a tax-deductible donation via Code Red Films: 100% of your funds will go to the college education of these 3 sisters and the nearly 20 young women dreaming of attending college with them.
More deets in another story, but these are historic times, friends. Hanna is the first from the Badi ethnic group to attend college. Ruth and Pabitra will begin soon. These young women and their sistas have hopes and intentions to shift the narrative of violent devaluation, abuse, sexual slavery and trafficking of women in their people group. They are leading the charge and it is our honor to support them, aye?
Pabitra, Hanna + Ruth | City Park
To donate, click on the link below | Code Red Films, founded by our brotha, Grant Knisely
And, dear friends, know that if this is a season in which you are max’d out and are giving all you can to your family, friend, work village(s), we are with you in this journey. Be free and feel no pressure to do anything now if it’s not time. There are seasons for all things.
There is a funny thing that can happen in the midst of global narratives in the hearts, minds and spirits of people…we can feel diminished, judge, worry about our part. We at Seeds believe all are here with a unique, amazing, beauty.FULL, power.FULL thing to be and do and we celebrate the diversity of expressions of our village.
Be and do your thang.
We. Celebrate. You.
