Christmas can represent so much love and joy, but like all things human their are two sides to every story.
Layers of truth and experience, and a juxtaposition often highlighted by commerce.
Like many cities this time of year, Sydney is lit with the glamour of lights and littered with less glamorous sights too.
This juxtaposition was represented when I met this lovely gentleman outside the David Jones Christmas windows.
David Jones Christmas windows are an annual long standing tradition and very much a destination at Christmas time.
He sells the big issue every day.
To supplement his income and support his kids during a tough time.
I bought a 2018 calendar from him.
We got talking and I told him a bit about myself too, and with all he is going through he offered to chat anytime, and said, You know where to find me.
The Big Issue magazine is a fortnightly, independent magazine that's sold on the streets by homeless, marginalised and disadvantaged people.
Big issue
I had ventured out unexpectedly.
I don't go out for social reasons at the moment.
After an unexpected doctors visit and a lovely encounter at the David Jones Christmas windows, I took an nostalgic walk through Sydney town.
This is where the doctors office was situated.
Yes, that close to the harbour.
And minutes from this guy.
I decided to take a walk through the area where I grew up.
Sydney town hall
A popular meeting place.
These are the reclining chairs on the grounds of St Andrews at town hall.
Set up for people to catch some rays in their lunch break.
Nice!
In this shot you also see the security who's job it is to move the homeless people on.
I took a walk by the place where I spent a lot of my Childhood, where my dad had a shop for many years.
Lots of old memories live there. It was very much unchanged.
In it's place however was a woman's empowerment programme with a global union of mothers.
Among other gifts, I bought a bookmark made by women in Bangladesh.
I spent some time talking to them about @azizbd and his initiatives.
They gave me some contacts for him too.
I went home feeling like that connection had to mean something. I don't usually buy into fate, or everything happens for a reason stuff.
I do believe that opportunities to connect present themselves and we choose to take them or ignore them.
Talking Marie Antoinette.
Let them eat cake!
I used the analogy of Let them eat cake, to explain to @azizbd how I felt about the growing amount of luxury items that swamped me when I promoted the idea of a sisterhood exchange of resources on facebook and Steemit
The quote basically claims that when Marie Antoinette was informed about the hungry not having bread, she said, Let them eat cake.
Qu'ils mangent de la brioche.
It is a quote that was used to fuel or at least keep the embers of a revolution burning.
I always thought that she said that.
I did a spot of research. It seems unlikely that she did. If she did she was a child of 11 at the time.
I found another quote.
She was older, a mother thinking only of her children as she faced death.
The interest of my son is the only guide I have, and whatever happiness I could acheive by being free of this place I cannot consent to separate my self from him. I could not have any pleasure in the world if I abandoned my children.I do not even have any regrets.
Then when led to the gallows as a priest told her to have courage.
Courage! The moment when my ills are going to end is not the moment when courage is going to fail me.
I couldn't help but think about the courageous mothers in Syhlet.
They fight and work and would give their last breath everyday for their children.
We need to always remember that while social constraints divide us. We are all people.
Mothers want nothing more than a better life for their children than they themselves have, regardless of our differences.
My Muslim Steemit friend @azizbd was the first person to message me on Christmas day.
Wishing my family a wonderful day.
I sent him pictures of the gifts I bought at the store for mothers empowerment and told him I had been thinking of the mothers.
@azizbd told me that seeing the dolls I sent in the hands of the children was an unusual, luxurious sight.
I was chatting with @azizbd about the good intentions of my connection with the school. Also how the division between our worlds has the potential to leave a gap between what is needed and what is provided.
We need to work out how to best benefit the mothers and children with the items that were sourced.
The reality is. They are hungry and tired and unsure of where they will be living, and if they are safe.
The last thing on their minds when they are in need of sanitation and safe drinking water is, Eau de toilette.
I am glad that the drive has brought hundreds more people to their facebook page.
And I get another chance to talk steemit.
I have connected some Australian teachers.
Every time I catch up with an old friend who saw my posts, they ask about the school.
These ripples of connections matter.
We will work out how to use the resources to benefit the right people in the right way.
Maybe he will sell some things, and give away others.
Part of @azizbd's success on steemit is his willingness to involve everyone on steemit who supports @schoolforsdg4 in the decisions about it's direction.
I invite that same transparency to this conversation too.
I am excited to continue to support @schoolforsdg4 in 2018.
This initiative albeit somewhat untargeted, has many people from my community interested in the schools future.
Every life matters.
The students at @schoolforsdg4 wearing the winter hats I recently sent
We are all connected by a global community of humans continuing to try to find humanity in our daily lives.
