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Gratitude for All of Life |
 It's been two weeks since our celebration and many of you don't yet know how it went. The rushing river of life keeps moving so fast. However, BIG thank-yous are in order, so here goes!
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy |
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 Our Celebration was full of love, laughter, tears, beauty, connection ~ AND great performers, people, Pearls and food. Immense talent and energy filled the space at White Horse Black Mountain. Thank you to EVERYONE who was part of it, including all of you who came!
People came early, and the lines were long. The donated food was incredible. White Horse calls it a full house, with about 250 people total. Friends came from all of Little Pearls’ life and most of mine, too.
We had challenges and glitches, yet people laughed, cried, cheered and ooohed anyway, all evening long. I'm still hearing how wonderful it was, and I'm feeling it, too.
An emotionally rich, spiritual sense of connection wove through the whole evening. We were all aware of the preciousness, and impermanence, of life.
This event did not raise as much money as we hoped because of expenses and the fact that most of our sponsors were in-kind, yet it was a great friend-raiser and awareness-raiser. We managed to pull it off with just a couple months' lead time and completely on volunteer power. We're learning how to make future events even better. It was a short, intense marathon, and it was worth it!
If you would like to help us raise more actual money, so we can create new Little Pearls, please Donate. Thank YOU! |
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Spotlight Pearl: Dr. Willie |
 The intensity of it all was magnified for me the morning after our event by some sad news. Our Dog Star Dr. Willie, who was going to appear in the show but got sick just before coming, died that next morning.
People loved Willie's Pearl that night. His serendipitous timing may have been his way to kiss us all goodbye.
 Willie was a small dog with severe injuries from a long-ago accident, yet he lived a rich life, to age 14. In that lifespan, he made a big difference in the lives of many children and adults. He also racked up impressive awards, some of which are shown here with Dr. Willie, his "leash holder" Clyde Hollifield, Debra Roberts and me. You can learn more about Willie on his three linked webpages.
As Penny Bond said, "Many hearts were holding him in great love as he left for new meadows to run with all four legs." We love you, Willie! |
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 Our event did not raise enough money to make even one new Little Pearl, though we're still dreaming! I'm open to guidance on which Pearl comes next, most likely one of these current Pearl Dreams.
Do any of them speak profoundly to you, or do you have another idea? If so, let's talk! |
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Special thanks to:
- EVERYONE involved in our event! You can see our performers, event sponsors and food donors on our Celebration page. Please check them out and support them. Most event sponsors will be added to our regular Sponsors page soon. Our volunteers aren't on this page, yet I hope they know how great they are, too!
- All of Our Sponsors. Many are repeat sponsors, via financial or in-kind support. We SO appreciate their generosity and loyalty. Share the love and join us!
- Our Music Sponsors. Several of these talented folks were in our celebration, shining onstage as well as in the Pearls they helped create.
- The caring businesses that have our beautiful DVD available locally.
- Sponsor Spotlight: Laura McCue and Priestley Ford at White Oak Financial Management have been friends for several years now, are great animal lovers and regular supporters of Little Pearls, too. Thanks, Laura, Priestley and Kevin Martin!
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As many of you know, my life is very full... okay, probably over-full. Our event was postponed twice because of my husband Jim's medical issues. Once he was stable, many other things were put on hold while I focused on the event. And now... back to the ongoing challenge of creating balance between Life and Little Pearls.
We return to Duke's Brain Tumor Center after Jim's next MRI on September 10, hoping all is still stable. He will post a new Caring Bridge update after that trip, though you might want to check out this one from a couple weeks ago: Blueberry Scouting Gone Awry. Jim's definitely got some angels working overtime!
And if you'd like to be a Little Pearls angel, click this link, too:
 Warmly, with gratitude
Linda McLean
Executive & Creative Director
Little Pearls
LittlePearls.org
828-658-9097
linda@littlepearls.org
GreatLittlePearls on YouTube
(photo by John Fletcher, Asheville Citizen-Times, 2011) |
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