... Seems like a terrible thing to say in the face of so much loss, and sacrifice many of us around the globe have experienced this year, but also there's an entire group of folks out there who simply keep on keepin' on, no matter how tough things get, and it's a bigger deal than most of us allow ourselves to think it is. It doesn't take anything away from our tragedies to acknowledge a little resilience along the way.
I see you.
I love you.
And I hope where ever you are, and how ever you're doing, and what ever the new year brings our way, that you remember to be kind to yourself, always.
It started coming down, the first snow of the season, on the way back from something that's become a tradition over the last several years that I share with my mother. The city was dark. And quiet. Most folks don't leave their lights on overnight anymore, I enjoy slinking around in the shadows, though, especially on a day when it seems to be accepted logic that we're all snug in our beds with visions of sugarplums dancing in our heads for, well, another few hours, at least. There's something almost forbidden to being out and about this early, and I love the camaraderie amongst the holiday stragglers in those pre-dawn hours. All of us going about our business ... alone ... together. A little bit curious, with a warmth in our aloofness. No prying, just acceptance. And then we're back at home, at least I am, before the sun comes up. I'm typing this from my bed, curled up in a fuzzy sweat suit, listening to the slush pelt the glass panes of my window.
Pick up your feet! It's the last day to jingle on over to Pat Rothfuss' end of year Worldbuilders fundraising event, and donate for the opportunity to change a person's life forever, and for your chance to win lovely lottery prizes. If you've been a reader around here for a little while, you already know every year around this time I hype Pat's charitable efforts (in fact, I can't believe this is the eighth year I've been a part of this, read more here) on behalf of Heifer International because I've come to respect, and admire the organization in ways that completely eclipse my involvement with any other outfit. Simply put, I believe in their work. Pat REALLY believes in it, I mean just ask him, he will go off for hours detailing the minutiae of why Heifer's involvement with some of the poorest regions of our world is so awesome, and worth getting excited about, and super worth lending a hand to.
Pat's passion is what truly sells this thing each year, the rest of us are just the messengers. Because of the lack of major media attention on the merry-making mayhem, we've been left to our own devices, which means Worldbuilders has had to rely on word-of-mouth in the geek community, and still in just a two-week span, most years have seen totals of over a million dollars that go straight into Heifer International's purse to be put to immediate use helping people around the world who are living in peril. For everything that Pat puts his hand to, I believe this is the man's true calling, and thanks to him, for a brief few weeks at the end of the year we get to be part of something special.
If you'd like to join in the festivities today, check out Pat's Twitch streaming schedule below, and come say hello!
(Pacific Standard Time)
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Doors of Stone Prologue Reading and Q&A
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Underthing Related Reveal with Shawn Speakman
