The Things that Matter

This year, I'm getting a loom for Christmas. So is my husband, Stephen, although neither of us can weave.

We decided, with the way the economy is globally--which would be "horrible"--that we would hold off from buying a bunch of stuff at Christmas that we really don't need, and send the money to our "sisters" in Bolivia to purchase a loom with. Kullakas already has one loom, but really could use a second one, because their woven goods have been so popular and have sold well in the past. We're hoping that the purchase of another loom will help them get through these rough times by allowing them to make more of the products that sell particularly well, like their 100% alpaca shawls and scarves. 

We remain very grateful that, as of this writing at least, both Stephen and I have jobs that pay decently, and have relatively few expenses. We live simply enough; in fact, part of the reason I fell in love with and married Stephen is because he's an extremely "low maintenance" kind of guy in many ways. He simply doesn't need a lot of material things, and frankly neither do I. Now we're finding that a lot of the ways in which we've chosen to live over the past years are coming into vogue, as more and more people are asking themselves what's really matters in life, and how much do we really need to have.

Many of us are lucky to have a roof over our heads and three good meals a day, yet we see all around us many, many people losing their homes and their livelihoods. These are difficult times, and probably will be for awhile. I invite you this holiday season to remember those who are in greater need than yourself, and to ask yourself how you could perhaps make Christmas really special for them this year. Also, feel free to share with us what you're doing to have a "simpler" Christmas more focused on the needs of those who are not weathering this economic downturn very well. In doing something wonderful for someone else, I'm sure you'll find you're giving yourself a very special holiday also!

Do One Thing, and Do It Well

This is my I.D. badge chain for the hospital where I work, made with recycled paper beads rolled by HIV+ women from Uganda, who are affiliated with the not-for-profit bead for Life. The badge chain was made by Holly Dodson, one of the pharmacists at the hospital who is also an avid crafter. (Holly paints and makes beautiful jewelry in her spare time; check her out at www.lefthandedlibra.com ) Holly has made several dozen of these badge chains at this point, all of them out of Bead for Life beads, and all of them for hospital employees and their friends and family members. She just got the idea one day, looking at the packets of loose beads that Bead for Life sells, that she could use the beads to create I.D. badge chains, and before you knew it, everyone wanted one of her necklaces to clip their I.D. badges on to. Not only are they beautiful and useful, but they remind everyone wearing them that they've contributed directly to helping poor women in Uganda have a better life...

This is really just a small thing, but then again, there are no small things in this life when it comes to helping others. Holly chose and focused on one way to help these women, and she has been able to contribute hundreds of dollars to Bead for Life, through buying the beads and then selling the badge chains  to her fellow employees. When I wear my I.D. badge chain, I'm reminded that I don't have to do a bazillion things to make a difference. It's OK to do just one thing, and to do it well.

A Special Visit from "Cati" Williams

We were very fortunate to have Catherine "Cati" Williams visit us this past weekend as one of our special vendors for the Fair Trade Holiday Crafts Sale. Cati is the American member of the Kullakas cooperative, and she brought with her a large variety of knit and woven goods that the Aymara women of the Bolivian altiplano make. Many of the women knit and weave out of their homes, in addition to growing food, working in the market, and a whole variety of other "income generating" enterprises, as is often the situation in the third world, where millions of people do not hold conventional jobs per se, but make a living in whatever piecemeal manner they can. 

We also spent time at a local yarn store looking at patterns for future products, and brainstormed about new products and colors. One of the items Kullakas is experimenting with are these beautiful double knit gloves that you see above. They are 100% alpaca wool, and although they feel quite cozy, and are much heavier than regular gloves, they are not in the least bit itchy. Of course, Florida is not a good "test market" for them, so I'll be sending this pair up to my sister-in-law in Newfoundland, so she can tell me what she thinks of them...

Cati sold nearly $600 worth of knit and woven goods this past weekend, and also received special orders. Cati is absolutely devoted to her "kullakas"/"sisters" in Bolivia and works tirelessly on their behalf. She can be reached at catiwilliams@gmail.com .

"Spending Less, Giving More"

"Spending Less, Giving More": this was the little slogan we placed on all our advertisements for last Sunday's fair trade holiday craft sale. This is a tough year economically for a lot of people, so while many of us will be "spending less", it was our hope that people would consider "giving more" by making some if not all of this year's holiday purchases fair trade crafts items. We featured food products from the Women's Bean Project, woven and beaded goods from the Guatemalan women affiliated with Maya Works, jewelry made by HIV+ Ugandan women through Bead for Life, hand knit goods from the Bolivian women of Kullakas, soaps and lotions from the Enterprising Kitchen--just to name a few of the not-for-profits we highlighted. All in all, we must have had over 200 people come through the door, and we raised close to $3,000, most of it for poor and struggling women. 

A team of us affiliated with the Franciscan Retreat Center in Tampa got together to hold the craft sale, which didn't take as much work as you would have thought, since many other people came out to volunteer to set up the booths, sell the items and even clean up afterwards. It really wound up being a lot of fun, and got everyone involved in the holiday spirit. Of course, the delicious, warm-out-of-the-oven cookies Roxanne made, and the festive music, added to the whole ambiance, as did the already peaceful environment of the Franciscan Center itself. We were pleased that all our vendors did very well, and all our customers left happy! 

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I know this sounds hokey, but really, so many of us have so much to be thankful for, despite the tough times many of us are facing. When I get together and do something like this fair trade crafts sale with other like-minded women, I just feel good for days! And it reminds me of all the little things I have to be grateful for: a roof over my head, enough money for food, friends and associates whom I care for, meaningful work. Many, many women the world over--some of them right down the street from us-- do not have even these basic necessities, or are struggling mightily to provide them for their loved ones. In the spirit of the season, I invite each and everyone of my readers to remember this holiday season--a time of year that is all about hope, charity and gratitude-- to try and do even one small thing for someone in need. You don't need to go out and throw a holiday fair trade craft sale--although it was a blast and we'll be doing it bigger and better next year! A holiday sing-along at a hospital or nursing home, donating fruit to a food pantry, or giving a blanket to a homeless shelter, may well be the best holiday gift you wind up  giving...to yourself!

"Kullakas" Comes to Visit...

OK, actually, Kullakas isn't coming to visit per se, but Cati Williams, the American member of Kullakas who is also a Maryknoll lay missioner and currently on leave in Washington, D.C. , is flying down for a visit this weekend. 

Cati will be bringing some of Kullakas' beautiful handmade alpaca products to sell at our Fair Trade Crafts Sale at the Franciscan Center in Tampa Sunday (3010 N. Perry Avenue, from 2-5 pm for those of you in the immediate area). But the purpose of the trip is also simply to visit, getting to know one another better as well as brainstorming how to continue helping these indigenous Aymara women from El Alto, La Paz, Bolivia produce and market their woven and knit goods. 

The weather has turned mighty cold down here (maybe a good thing for selling alpaca wool items!) so I'm not sure what Cati's going to think of Florida (although it is supposed to warm up a bit this weekend). Regardless, we'll also try and stick in some "sightseeing" for her. More to report next week...and remember, keep fair trade products in mind for your holiday buying...

Out Picking Oranges

Today we went over to Carol Mitchell's and helped ourselves to four bags of her lovely oranges. So it's more marmalade--and fresh squeezed orange juice--on the way. Whatever we can't use we'll be donating to a local food pantry. Thank you so much, Carol, for generously sharing your bounty with us. 

It's nice to know that, living in Florida, I'll still be able to satisfy my hunger for "food foraging" and time spent in nature, gathering things to eat. It's even nicer to know that I have friends that care enough to share what they've got--be it knowledge about a u-pick farm or produce from their backyard fruit trees. 

Giving Up "Stuff" Translates into Gifts for Others

Maureen Connors told me about a friend of hers, Barbara Rhode, who was holding a "holiday stuff swap" today at the local  YWCA, so I wandered over, with some stuff to swap.  Billed as an event that was "like shopping in your best friend's closet" and a way to "go green" by trading with other women, the swap featured snacks and cold drinks (it was 85 degrees here today!), comraderie amongst women (which Barbara explained to us is actually neurologically beneficial to us a women!) as well as a room full of shoes, purses, clothing, jewelry, books and assorted odds and end.  I learned that Barbara is semi-famous locally; the St. Petersburg Times did on article on her personal pledge to go from January through the end of December 2008, without buying herself anything new, and learning to live with the "stuff" she already had. Participants of the "holiday stuff swap" were encouraged to consider buying something not for themselves but for someone who really could use a  little something this holiday season: the women inmates of Goodwill Suncoast's Correctional Facility. Most of these women were asking for modest enough Christmas gifts, like a pair of gold loop earrings or a bottle of cologne. CD players and Bible concordances were popular requests.  I wound up leaving the swap with a brand new shirt for work and the name of another woman in need of a Christmas gift, for whom it will be a pleasure to make this coming holiday season a little bit happier...