Wednesday, December 22, 2010

A Worthy Cause

Got a Guest Ramble for you tonight - from my good friend (and excellent writer) Shadowriter. Thanks Shadow, the floor is yours...


    Seasons Greetings

    I usually love the holidays. Trees make me smile, sparkly lights make me feel warmer, and wrapping gifts is just gleeful for me.

    But not this year. This year I've been unemployed, again, for months. Which means no real gifts to be wrapped, and not a lot of sparkle in any lights. The tree this year has just been a tree, and there won't be many packages beneath it.

    I'm lucky, however, to have friends, and I know this. One of those friends is one half of a straight couple that I've known of since the early days of Xena fandom, and been close friends with since we went on a trip together. She was heading up to Montana to adopt a couple of rescued English shepherds and had invited me along. That was a year ago August, and we've been good friends ever since.

    As I said, this friend is straight; but she and her husband have very definite opinions on gay rights, as in they should exist. When Prop 8 passed, denying marriage to gays and lesbians, they were as upset as if it was their marriage nullified. They celebrated just the other day when DADT was finally overturned. They are the most generous and caring people I've ever met, and I love them very much.

    My friend (let's call her Double-dog) became involved in Xena fandom a long time ago, meeting people, going to the conventions, and every year she throws at least two parties for the Xena 'pups' here in SoCal. At last year's Christmas party, she and her husband started a tradition; each Christmas we'll choose a charity and everyone who comes to the party brings a donation of food or money or whatever.

    This year, for our second year, she had suggested we contact the LA Gay and Lesbian Center to see if they had an adopt a family program or something, and our small group could then do exactly that; adopt a gay or lesbian family to help. Turns out they don't, but they did suggest something else.

    The Jeff Griffith Youth Center. This facility has 24 beds for homeless GLBT youth. With counseling, warm food, employment assistance, and many other services, this really is a place for homeless kids to start over. But money is tight, and sometimes they have to pay bills rather than worry about Christmas.

    So, this was it. Double-dog wrote to the director, who sent a list back to her of what all the teens at this center really need. It included everything from body lotion and body wash to toothpaste, toothbrushes, towels, clothes, underwear, and lots of other stuff. She forwarded this list to the rest of us and when we arrived at the party on December 11th, we all dropped off our donations. It made a pretty large box, and Double-dog said she was going to take it to the center the following Tuesday.

    I got a phone call on Tuesday, and Double-dog asked me to help her take the box to the center, but first we were going shopping because not everything on the list had shown up in our donations. Not surprising, since there were only like six of us at the party this year.

    She picked me up and we went to Target. First thing to go in the cart was Underwear because almost no one ever donates underwear. Then toiletries; razors and samplers of hand lotion and hair spray and whatever else we could find. Socks to go with the underwear. Five dollar gift cards. And then chocolate, because it is Christmas.

    And then it was the dollar store. Stockings, all kinds of things to fill them. Candy canes, little games, just because. She had an 8:00 deadline to get things to the center, and at 7:45 we were sitting in the parking lot next door tearing open bags of Lindor candies and chocolate holiday kisses so we could fill stockings. We made it into the center with just minutes to spare, both of us loaded down with bags and boxes. The staff was more than grateful -- I think they were kind of surprised.

    I think the total amount of stuff donated must have been at least $450 worth, and more than half of that came from Double-dog herself. I think I'll remember that night for a long time to come.

    Sometimes I think the gay community forgets it's straight allies. We forget that it's not a battle between points on the Kinsey scale, simply an argument with those that hate rather than love. Our straight allies don't always understand us, and we don't always 'get' them. But they love us, and we love them, and that's what matters.

    So, if you know someone who's straight, but not narrow, and has done something, anything, to show their support for gay rights or the gay community, send them a note and say thanks. Because of one straight woman there are 24 GLBT youth that will have a better Christmas this year, and I thank her for that will all my heart.

    If you wish to donate to the Jeff Griffith Youth Center, which is part of the LA Gay and Lesbian Center, please just follow the link. Or go to the Center's website and let Jane Lynch tell you why this is so important.

    And finally, if you want to send a message of thanks to my friend Double-dog, send it to me, and I'll forward it on. If she inspired you to do something in these final days before Christmas, let her know. She'll appreciate it very much, and so will I.

    *Hugs* and Happy Holidays to each of you, and wishes for a great New Year.

    Love, Shadowriter


There you go. I'm lucky, I have a home, family, good friends, work, reasonable health. But I've been there. I know how it feels. And I'm immensely grateful to be where I am now.

I'm off work until the new year, we're still snowed in with more on the way, so tomorrow I'm going tobogganing.

Merry Christmas to you all, goodnight and may your God/s go with you

Ze

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