since waking to the news of the earthquake and tsunami in japan on friday morning, my heart has been heavy. i'm in a state of shock and disbelief, stunned by the force mother nature has thrust upon on our world. i am deeply saddened by the loss of life, livelihood and sheer devastation that the people of japan are facing. it's been hard to stop thinking about it. in fact, i'm not sure i have stopped thinking about it since seeing those first video clips early friday morning. the fragility of life. this time a much more poignant and significant reminder than the last reminder. my goodness. there are just no words.
but.
if there are no words, then perhaps action may be a better method of expression? i have been desperately trying to think of a way to contribute to the relief effort, with the idea that the smallest action may make a difference, even if it is only a minuscule one. at first, i thought a personal donation to the canadian red cross would be my action of choice. and then i wondered if perhaps i could do this, as well as something more. here is my idea for the something more. {and pretty please, bear with me! i have never, ever done something like this before and my confidence has waxed and waned all day about whether or not this will work}
the 'one thousand wishes :: one thousand dollars' project.
strangely enough, the night before the earthquake and resulting tsunami struck the coast of japan, ella and i had been looking at the pictures in her book, sadako. i bought this book for ella a couple of months before she was born, from the japanese american national museum in los angeles. i treasured this story when i was growing up and i wanted her to have a special copy all of her own. she is still too little to understand the story, so we just look at the pictures and talk about paper cranes and the message of hope, peace and recovery they bring to people who are unwell or facing adversity. she is fascinated by the strands of paper cranes we have displayed in our studio, she loves to touch them and chatter away about their pretty colours and fluttering wings. our studio is also home to a beautiful collection of silk-screened chiyogami and handmade tissue papers, as well as an array of untouched japanese fabrics and washi tape. many plans are enveloped within these items. plans that will come to fruition soon. but in the meantime, some of them can be spared for a cause close to my heart. and now, finally, the idea. i'm hoping to open an online pop-up shop to sell some of these beautiful papers, fabrics and tapes. all proceeds will be donated to the canadian red cross japan earthquake and tsunami fund. during the 2010 haiti earthquake and a few other international disasters, the canadian government pledged to match canadian donations, dollar for dollar. i'm not sure that this will happen this time, but it may. so i have chosen the canadian red cross for this reason, as well as to ensure the funds raised will provide direct relief to the people of japan. i also plan to contribute some handmade items to be sold in the pop-up shop. i would love to have a selection of handmade items, art prints or photos from others, too. i will try to work on this over the next couple of days. the goal is to raise one thousand dollars, if not more.
now, the second part of the project. heartfelt wishes and peace spring from the wings of a thousand cranes. a beautiful sentiment. according to ancient japanese legend, folding one thousand cranes makes a wish come true. while financial aid is no doubt the most meaningful contribution those of us who live so far away can make, there is also something to be said for helping the human spirit overcome the most dire of situations. so i'd like to send a message of hope, peace and recovery to those affected by this crisis. i'd like to send them one thousand wishes in the form of one thousand paper cranes. for every $5 spent in the pop-up shop, i will make a paper crane. i will also make strands of cranes that can be purchased through the shop. when one thousand has been reached, the strands will be assembled to create a wall-hanging that will to be sent to japan. i will also make an extra paper crane to send to each person who makes a purchase or who donates an item. a small keepsake to say 'thank you'. it will take some time to get everything into place. so i will update you soon. in the meantime. i'm not very good at asking for help, but this is one time that i'm going to stick my neck out and say 'please help!'. you can help by:
:: sending me an email with advice or thoughts on how to make this better ::
:: donating a piece of artwork to be sold in the one thousand wishes shop ::
:: contacting someone you know that may be able to help ::
:: spreading the word on your blog once the shop is up ::
:: maybe even buying something once the shop is up ::
:: i'm sure i'm missing something, so anything else you can think of! ::
i now realize that perhaps a photo of paper cranes would do this post more justice than one of glass hearts. when i started conjuring up this post, i was thinking about the fragility of life. fragile, like glass. and the colours. green for the land. blue for the water. the two parts of nature that have clashed in such a devastating manner. the symbolism of the heart. full of love and emotion. essential to life. strong. a force to be reckoned with.
