Recently
my daughter experienced one of the happiest and saddest events of her young
life. That being said I need to make a disclaimer; I am referring to straight
up first world problems, her story does not involve true loss. We are blessed
with health, safety, security, family and friends.
Quite recently were on vacation to California, this meant we played on the beach,
visited loved ones, and to top it all off…..A Trip to Disneyland! Non–stop
fun, not only were we doing cool stuff, we were doing it with those near and dear
to us.
Now
here is the low point of the trip. I had allowed my very responsible sweet 9 year
old daughter to bring her most prized possession, her entire Shopkins
collection. She had collected 71 of these
tiny overpriced adorable figurines. Each had a personality, each had a role she
played out and basically each had a place in her heart.
So
it’s late, we are all tired, we return to the hotel, all with the single
thought of “how soon can I collapse in bed.” Fast fwd to the morning when my
girl realized she had left her collection (in a darling customized box home she
had fashioned for them) on the elevator the night before!
1-Daughter repeatedly crumbles with worry and tears.
2-Mom
races to the front desk to check lost and found and notify any possible staff
of the loss.
3-Prepare
for a day at Disneyland.
Now
we still had a super awesome happy fun time at Disney, however the mere mention
of Shopkins would result in a 3 second countdown to genuine tears. My girl wrote
a letter for the hotel staff to post in hopes of an international bulletin broadcast,
and I can’t tell you how many times I had called to check for these wee figurines.
We
returned to AZ and via social media word spread about our big bummer. Instantly family and friends started sending
us Shopkins! I can’t even start to describe the joy everyone’s generosity has
brought this little girl!!!
This
awesome kid knows charity and had decided the best way to repay this act of
kindness is to pay it back with her own kindness.
Saturday
morning June 13th Maddy and Max hosted an aid station for a
fund-raising memorial walk. The event was in memory of a local teen who tragically
took his own life. I took a round-about version of explaining suicide to the
kids, however I did explain to them how devastating the loss of a life can
be. The kids already have an understanding of the Golden Rule and Life Karma
101: “No act of kindness, however small,
is ever wasted.” –Aesop
Here
is the heartbreaking story of Marcus Wheeler.
Truly a thank you to all who helped Madeline re-establish her collection. It meant a lot to us, and a ton to our little girl.
