Back at then end of September Hallie had a big idea. A dear little friend (pictured above) lost her life when she was hit by a car last year. Hallie had come up with an idea to honor her memory. She'd found several bandanas in her room and began to snip away at them creating a few cute headbands. She typed up a flyer and an order form asking for a dollar a headband along with a little information about the friend she'd lost, Ashley. She explained that the proceeds would go to the Humane Society since they both had a love for animals. I don't know what I thought she was going to do with the flyer. All I knew was that I was glad that, though she was still mourning, she was doing it in a positive manner. So I let her do her thing, mindful that my kids get grand ideas that they forget about the next day.
She came home from school the next day saying that she had solicited her headbands and already had twenty orders. I was worried that she might get in trouble for bringing them to school and I was also afraid that kids may order a headband and then not follow through so I posted a picture on Facebook of Hallie, Rylie and I wearing the headbands with a little blurb about what she was doing. I was hoping a few kind people or animals lovers would give her a dollar to encourage her. And then,.........Oh my!
I found myself staying up late with Hallie several nights to complete orders. In the month that Hallie sold headbands for "Animals for Ashley" as she fondly titled her cause, I learned a few things.
Sometimes grand ideas don't fizzle.
And people are kind and more generous than I could have imagined.
I learned that if a twelve-year-old can turn her grief into something beautiful, I should try in tough times to do the same.
I learned that distance and even death doesn't mean the ending of a friendship.
Teachers, church members, neighbors and friends purchased the headbands. Some people just donated money while others bought headbands to give to other people. She received money in the mail, even from Quebec, Canada.
She willingly spent her own money to pay for the bandanas and rubber bands. Hallie learned that grand ideas are hard work, staying up several nights until almost midnight making them. With the amount of orders she had, I was able to spend rare time with her making them. We shared stories and secrets we might not have shared had we not been spending that time together, just she and I.
A little over a week ago Hallie carried a shoebox, full of rolled up bills, to the Humane Society. Today, November 16 is a year since Ashley's death. Just like with any tragedy, sorrow can't be erased. But it is my hope that in all things there would continue to be kind people, like the people I know. - People who know that sorrow can be eased with just a little bit of kindness.
Here are some pictures from our visit to the Humane Society.
A Thank You from Hallie
Dear readers,
Everyone has a best friend. They play together, get into arguments (especially girls), get into trouble, and share secrets. Best friends also feel like they would do anything for each other. I had my first BEST friend in kindergarten. Her name was Ashley.
We both loved animals and we hated the fact that some of them were homeless, hungry, or abused. So, we decided we wanted to put a stop to it. So, once when she spent the night at my house, we made some videos on my old school Nano i-pod about how we felt about it. After that, we decided we would stop it together. But, time passed and she moved and I moved.
Exactly one year ago, she was hit by a car, and she didn’t make it. So many thoughts were running through my head. Like, “how could this happen” and “why didn’t I get to at least say bye?”
A few weeks before I started a fundraiser, I was on my i-pod and I saw the videos. I realized that we didn’t get to make the difference we wanted together. So I decided that just because she was gone, doesn’t mean we couldn’t make a difference. So I decided to sell headbands for $1 and raise money for the humane society. Me, and my mom never though it would get far as it did.
I had hoped that I would at least raise $15 to $20 out of pure generosity. But we raised 15 times that amount, over $300 including donations. That’s about 250 generous people.
Although that was the most tragic thing that has ever happened to me, I learned just how kind people could be. Teachers, friends, and family made this all possible for us.
Love,
Hallie