Thursday, November 29, 2012Tonight's picture was taken in November of 2007 on Roosevelt Island. This is one of my favorite photos of Mattie, which has been enlarged and is on display in our living room. In Mattie's hand was a crinkly green hedge apple. Mattie and I loved this tree on the Island and we also loved the look of the fruit it produced. Mattie brought that hedge apple home with him that day, and we cut it in half to see what was inside. What we quickly deduced was that the fruit has a lovely citrus fragrance which we weren't expecting.
Quote of the day: The women's song was always the same, as monotonous as the beating of the waves against the beach: loss, loss. The conch offered them no enchantment. When they put their ear to it, all they heard was the echo of their mourning. ~ Carsten Jensen
One of the things I have surmised is as a family run Foundation, it is imperative for Mattie Miracle to make connections. Connections and networks I believe are the backbone of our Foundation and they are what helps it to run effectively. Today I saw how such interactions can and do make a difference.
For as long as I can remember, talking with people and getting to know them on a personal level has always been second nature to me. I don't reserve this kindness to just friends, but instead anyone who I am interacting with or will have the opportunity to work with or who is providing me with a service. I have friends who at times get annoyed with me for doing this and will say..... "there she goes again." Meaning, why stop to talk to this person, listen to this person, and try to connect?!
The reason is simple. It is not only good business practice for the Foundation to get to know our audience and those who help us, but it is also a wonderful way to live one's life. Each week when I visit Mattie Miracle's PO Box, I make it my business to say hello to one of the mail clerks. This particular clerk, Darryl, has looked out for me and our mail numerous times. In fact, he saved our mail box this May when the post office accidentally decided to cancel our mailbox account. I am not sure why Darryl has taken a liking to our cause, but needless to say, I appreciate his good will, kindness, and efficiency.
This morning, I went to the Foundation's post office (where our mail is delivered to) and began working with a different clerk, because Darryl wasn't available. As the Foundation prepares for its December mass mailing campaign, I need to verify the postage that goes on each envelope. So I brought a sample envelope in to be weighed. When she weighed it she told me that each envelope (and we have over 500!), would need close to $2 in postage. I literally was in shock, and immediately pushed back at her that this did not make any sense, considering I have experience doing this two years in a row. She was quoting me a rate that was more than double of what we paid last year. But she was adamant with me and said she did not make the rules. I was courteous, but I asked her what time Darryl would be at the post office. She told me to come back in two hours, and that is exactly what I did. I waited on line for Darryl and even made people go ahead of me just so I could get into Darryl's queue. As soon as I showed Darryl the sample filled envelope he immediately quoted me the rate of 85 cents, the approximate rate we used last year. Just like the previous two years, Darryl has agreed to work with me again this year, and will personally hand cancel each item that we are mailing to supporters. So the moral of the story is making connections with people and treating people kindly are remembered and appreciated. To some extent, not always of course, but how you treat others has a way of coming back to you. Darryl was the highlight of my day because he looks out for the Foundation and saved us money today!
Though I have been battling a migraine this week, and now an intense headache that doesn't want to go away, I took on another craft project. It gets me away from the computer! I made this holiday centerpiece out of candy canes and silk flowers. This is the finished product, the design just came to me. I like to design holiday items with candy canes, and the last two years I made candy cane trees. This year I incorporated flowers with the canes and to me it looks very festive. 
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