The other day, I was in the bank, talking to the teller, and suddenly we both noticed a strange smell. It was getting worse by the minute, so I checked my shoes, my purse for old food, and looked around, wondering what the heck it could be. We finally found out that there was a spot of poop, on the floor, by the bank machine. It was tiny. A pile of poop, no bigger than a quarter. It stank up the whole bank.
If you’re a parent, you know it doesn’t take much poop for the whole room, or car, or house, to stink! I walked away from the bank feeling sorry for the tellers, who had to clean it up, and then my mind immediately went to of the presentation I watched, at BlissDom Canada, by Krista Jefferson. Krista runs I Am Just One, a fair trade organization that offers world-changing fashion. Each purchase, from I am Just One, directly supports people around the globe struggling with poverty and brings awareness to their needs.
She spoke to us about the path that too her to Africa, and the difference that just one person can make, in changing the world. What I remembered most about her presentation, during this poop moment, were the photos of the Nairobi River, next to the Kibera Slums in Kenya. Krista spoke about how slippery the river was, because, many of the people living in the slums didn’t use the washrooms provided, as there was a fee to use them. I can only imagine the smell that must have come from that stream of water, and here I was complaining about a small poop dropping, on an otherwise pristine floor. It hit home.
I did some more research on the Kibera Slums. I wanted to know more…once you start learning about something and it gets into your heart, you need to know more. So I looked it up on Google Maps. I was shocked. I hadn’t noticed in Krista’s photos that there are big subdivisions of houses, and a golf course, right beside the slums. I find this so hard to understand. Still, I want to have hope. Krista has inspired me to see the positive that can come out of these situations.
What is the positive? It is people, like Krista, coming into the Kibera Slums , offering hope to people like Prossy, (in the photo above, from Uganda) by giving them a way to support themselves and their families. I Am Just One gives them back their hope, dreams and teaches them new skills. You don’t need to change the whole world. You just need to change one life. There are so many ways we can give back to others in Canada and around the world.
Today, on Thanksgiving, I am reflecting on my life and how thankful I am: to have been born in Canada, to have had wonderful, encouraging, supportive parents. To have relatively little disease and sickness in our family. To have become a mother myself to two intelligent, empathetic, healthy girls. I have so much to be thankful for!
Today, as you are having dinner with your families, whatever your situation may be, I ask that you consider others around the world. Be very thankful for all the little things you have, and perhaps have a conversation with your loved ones, about how we all can make a difference in the world, one person at a time.
You can learn more about I Am Just One on their Facebook Page and Twitter Page.
Great message, Laura. We need to truly be thankful!
Thanks Laura! I think it’s pretty important to be reminded that there are so many ways we can help others through awareness, our purchasing power and our community. Whether it’s through buying local, donating to an agency, or giving blood. It’s only takes one small act from all of us to make a difference.