For my daughter Jackie Steves, Christmas morning had a happy Moroccan connection. I brought home the bundle of letters that readers of this blog sent to her (via my office) over the last month with donation checks to fund sending kids from the town of Sale to summer camp (as inspired by — and proposed at the end of — her high school trip to Morocco Journalfeatured recently on this blog). With her teacher/chaperone, Jackie will be sure these donations get used as intended. Here’s Jackie’s Christmas morning report:
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It’s Christmas morning. I’m with my family at our house in Edmonds, Washington. I look out the window and there is actually some snow mixed in with the rain! What a magical morning.
I woke up this morning when my brother jumped on me, yelling obnoxiously in my ear, “Merry Christmas, Jackie!” It’s good to have him home from college. In a week he’ll leave to study abroad in Rome for a semester. He’s three years older than me, and up until now I have been the little sister watching him enviously while he has gotten to backpack and be a tour guide all around Europe (without any parents!).
Pretty soon, however, I’ll enjoy similar adventures. After I graduate from high school in June, I’ll travel through Europe with a friend for a month. I’m so excited. When my parents asked me what I would like for Christmas, what immediately came to mind was some seed money for my Europe graduation trip! When that’s what I found under the tree this morning, you can imagine my elation when I thought of how this money would be the wings for some of my travel dreams.
The last present I opened was a manila envelope. Written on the outside in my dad’s handwriting it said, “To Jackie’s friends in Morocco. From Jackie and those she inspired to care and share.” Inside I found 19 envelopes, which contained checks made out to the Sale Town Association in Morocco. Most of the checks were for $31, enough to send a Moroccan child to educational summer camp for two weeks. Many of the checks were for twice or even triple that amount, enough to provide for two or three kids!
Finding those checks and reading all the thoughtful notes that accompanied them was like having Christmas all over again. The best Christmas gift is witnessing the compassion of other people. We always hear from the media about the bad side of humanity: war, greed, and waste. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to read all the kindhearted comments that people posted in response to reading my journal. I never expected so many people to take an interest in what I had to say. Your comments instilled in me confidence, hope, gratitude, and happiness. Receiving these letters and checks has been a huge testimony that a little exchange of cultural insight can have a tremendously positive effect.
The money people donated is enough to send 27 Moroccan children to camp! I am so excited for these kids from the poor city of Sale, some of whom live in slums, to have the opportunity to go to a summer camp by the sea. Thank you so much to all of you who took the time to mail a check. You have truly been an inspiration to me. I will follow through and be sure these kids get to camp and report on things (via this blog) again later.
Have a Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and a wonderful New Year!
Peace, love, and joy,
Jackie
Jackie, what an inspiration you are for other teens. You are very fortunate to have the family you have. I wish you the very best for your remaining senior year and your trip this summer. I hope Dad will convince you to maintain a blog as Andy did. You’re fine kids. Much happiness and success in 2008!
Hi, Jackie! The joy of the season will shine throughout the year as the kids from Sale go to camp. Happy Holidays!
What an amazingly touching blog. Jackie, it’s easy to see that you’ve inherited your dad’s great writing talent.
Jackie, I enjoyed reading about your Christmas, as I’m sure many others did. I would like to suggest that you post the address to which we can send checks which will allow more Moraccan children to attend camp. Happy travels to you. Continue to do good in the world.
I read Jackie’s blog with such interest. You have a gift for writing and I hope to see more from you in the newsletters. I enjoyed the pictures also.
Jackie, I agree with all the previous comments. I am thrilled to have made it possible for one child to attend camp this summer. Hopefully, we can make this an annual event. I returned from Morocco days before I read your newsletter and you certainly captured everything. The people, the food, climate, and yes the “holes”. I also succumbed to some stomach problems, but not as much as you. Keep up the good work. I am glad you branched out of the traditional Europe. I have also been to Turkey with RS’s tour and found it to be just as exciting, interesting and diverse, if not more.