in good spirit

So I'm going to do something a bit different with this one. Usually my posts are a tad on the superficial end of the humanity spectrum, what with fashion and art and tea and all of that. Those things are great and the crux of my day to day existence, but I ought not forget the reason why I started this blog in the first place, and that is to chronicle the birth and growth of my bohemian spirit. I'm home in Dallas for the holidays, and my father has been reaching out to a woman from Rwanda named Evelyn and her seven children who are new to America. One night, weary of my misadventures with Friends and Christmas cookies, I decided to participate. A local business had joined together and provided numerous Christmas presents for Evelyn's children, because despite her consistently working eighteen hour shifts, money was very tight. On this evening we were to present them with the gifts. On the way to our local church where this was all taking place, my dad told me a bit about Evelyn's background. He explained that she was just twelve years old during the Rwandan genocide, and one night a group of men stormed into her house and murdered her entire family. Evelyn sustained various stab wounds and gunshots and barely survived, lying for three days on the floor clinging to her dead fathers leg. "She has seen Hell," my dad told me, "and she has so much faith." We arrived at the church just a few minutes before Evelyn and her children, who could hardly speak english. They hadn't opened a single present yet and they were so grateful. We watched as they unwrapped soccer balls, board games, gift cards, an xbox and kinect, and a television. They all had tears in their eyes. When they finished opening the gifts, Evelyn dropped to her knees and cried for several minutes and mumbled something that I couldn't understand. I left feeling so touched by what I had just seen, and I continued to reflect on those events and that family for the rest of the evening. I believe that as humans, it is so easy for us to get caught up in the minuscule spheres of our own lives. This holiday season I'd like to encourage anyone who is open to personal growth to step outside of yourself for an hour or two and give your time to someone who needs it. I think you will not only gain some perspective into the condition of our world, but you will also experience self-fulfillment on a level that you may not have otherwise. Enjoy your time with your families and the people around you who care for you. Merry Christmas!