Latest / Neighbourly: Real Stories of Care and Community / Six Tales of Christmas | Poor Mistletoe

Transcript

Six Tales of Christmas | Poor Mistletoe · Neighbourly: Real Stories of Care and Community

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  This is Journey with Care, the official podcast of Care
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  Impact. Johan here, and today, I will be your
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  guide. Welcome to the special series of Care Impact
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  Christmas, where we celebrate the joy of the Christmas season.
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  As the snow falls outside and the warmth of the holiday spirit fills
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  our hearts, we invite you to gather your closest loved ones,
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  your kids, grandkids, friends, or family. Get cozy
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  by the fire or snuggle up with a blanket and a cup of hot cocoa
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  and get ready for something truly special. Today, we invite
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  you to journey with us through a series of short stories that capture the
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  essence of Christmas. These tales are filled with
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  warmth, care, and loving generosity.
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  So take a sip of that rich hot cocoa, nestle into your
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  favorite spot, and let the glow of the firelight or simply of your
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  Bluetooth speaker bring our stories to life.
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  Welcome back to 6 Tales of Christmas. Pucker up
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  because today we're gonna get up close and personal with a mistletoe.
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  This isn't just any ordinary sappy mistletoe you'd find in a Hallmark
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  Christmas special, the kind that makes people blush or lean in for
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  romance. Oh, no. This mistletoe has a different
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  calling. It loves to hang out above people and places that are
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  experiencing poverty. It's the story of the poor mistletoe,
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  a scrappy little sprig that made people squirm, but ultimately
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  helps community kiss poverty goodbye. So hang up your
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  stockings, grab some cocoa, and let's dive into this
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  unexpected Christmas tale.
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  There it was, the mistletoe. It wasn't like
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  the glossy curated decorations you'd find in a shop window
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  or festive Instagram photos. Its rough edges and
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  berries caught the attention of bypassers in places no one
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  expected it, like in neighborhoods that people loved to avoid
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  or in ordinary looking homes people would never have noticed
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  and lineups where people were losing hope for better outcomes.
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  The poor mistletoe was even spotted in the doorways of
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  churches, making people scratch their heads.
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  Oh, hey there. Yep. I see you. Come
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  on. Step right under here. Blow a
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  kiss. Just one and watch what happens. It's
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  not so scary. I promise. People avoided
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  poor mistletoe like the plague. Who wants to stand under a
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  sprig of mistletoe that talks to you, especially when it's dangling over
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  places so uncomfortable, like poverty? Make
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  poverty go away, they demanded of the mayor. You should do a
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  better job at alleviating family crisis. They snided to social
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  services. Crack down on crime, they insisted to
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  the police. But every now and then, someone would pause,
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  someone brave enough or curious enough to stop and listen.
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  That's where our story begins.
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  Mistletoe wasn't one for prime locations. No
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  cozy fireplaces. No grand entryways.
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  No idyllic scenes fit for a Christmas card.
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  Instead, it showed up where no one wanted to be,
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  places people crossed the street to avoid. Take, for example,
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  the neighborhood by the tracks. You know the one, the
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  street that people locked their car doors when driving through to a more affluent part
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  of the city, boarded up windows, graffiti on the walls,
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  and a reputation in the media for crime. There,
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  above a myriad of power lines by a pair of dangling shoes,
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  in the heart of this neighborhood hung the mistletoe, swaying in the
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  cold December wind. Hey there. Shouting out to
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  the family in the SUV who is anxiously waiting the red light.
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  I know I'm not what you were looking for, but how about you
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  pause for just a second? Blow a kiss.
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  You'll be surprised at what can happen. The family nervously
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  looked at each other, took a deep breath, and at the count of
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  3, they blew a kiss to the mistletoe, just as
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  they were invited to do, and something strange began to happen.
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  No, the graffiti didn't vanish, nor did the dangling shoes,
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  nor the signs of poverty all around them. But, suddenly, their
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  eyes could see things that they would have never before noticed. They noticed
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  the resilience of the elder lady warming in the bus shelter with her
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  grandkids and the creativity of youth who had painted to
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  express themselves and the compassionate expressions of
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  pedestrians as they seemed to really know each other.
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  Then the oddest thing happened as this family in the SUV pulled to the side
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  of the road. Their cell phones were getting notifications
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  saying that youth over there is aging out of the foster care system
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  and is needing a couch and people he can count
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  on. That grandma you see in the bus shelter unexpectedly took in her
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  grandkids and needs beds and a caring community to wrap around
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  them. Those pedestrians,
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  they each have stories. Each have incredible gifts and
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  abilities. Some of them have been trying to get a job.
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  Others are recovering from illness. Others are exhausted because they
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  are taking care of so many of their neighbors. Would you like to
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  help? It was a big orange button on the
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  bottom of the notification, the one that invited a
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  response that seems to linger the loudest in that
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  quiet SUV. The button read, yes,
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  I can help.
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  How had they not noticed these opportunities to care for people in their own
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  city? These requests for compassion each seemed
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  very unique, as unique as the people they saw around them,
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  like they came from the individuals themselves. What was
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  happening? The dangling mistletoe gave a little twinkle
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  as the family dashed off to the mall to respond to some of the requests.
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  We'll be back. They waved. But this time, they'd come back
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  as good neighbors.
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  A small group was out caroling in a quaint and beautiful old neighborhood.
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  The snow sat so perfectly on the trees. Many homes were
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  warmly decorated with lights and wreaths and trees in their front
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  window. It felt like walking through a Christmas card.
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  The joyful carolers were about to cheer up the next beautifully decorated
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  home when the poor mistletoe caught the attention from a
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  dimly lit home right beside them. Hey there.
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  Shouting out to the carolers. Yoo hoo. Over
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  here. Jostling its little leaves and berries.
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  The jovial singer squinted through the darkness, took a few
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  steps closer, and were shocked to see the mistletoe is talking
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  to them. I know. I'm not hanging out where
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  you expect to see Christmas cheer. But how about you come closer,
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  blow a kiss? You'll be surprised at what can happen.
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  To be honest, they hadn't even noticed the plain house that they were
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  just passing. They weren't trying to ignore it, but it was just one
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  of those homes that was, well, ignorable. They
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  glanced at each other nervously, blew a kiss at the mistletoe,
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  and something strange began to happen. No, the house
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  didn't suddenly sparkle with twinkling lights or decorations,
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  but suddenly their eyes could see things they would have never noticed
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  before. They noticed many footprints leading to this
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  door, small and large, and aromatic,
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  mouth watering, foreign smells of spices. They can
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  hear laughter and weeping, conversations in a
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  language the Kaelers could not decipher. Then the honest
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  thing happened as these Kaelers came closer.
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  Their cell phones were getting notifications saying, this
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  family has come through war and famine, and they're starting life
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  again in your neighborhood. They have things to teach you and
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  stories that will change you and a deep need for community.
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  They are sleeping on the floor. Do you have beds? The
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  kids are struggling to keep up with school. Will you tutor them?
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  Dad unexpectedly was laid off and has no means to pay for a
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  bus pass to find another job. Will you support his efforts?
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  It was the big orange button on the bottom of their notifications,
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  the one that invited a response. It seems
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  to linger the loudest in a hushed group of carolers.
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  The button read, yes, I can help.
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  How had they not noticed this home before? These requests for
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  compassion each seemed very unique, as unique as the people
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  who were in the home. What was happening? The
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  dangling mistletoe gave a little twinkle as the
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  Kailers excitedly chose which request they were meant to respond
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  to. We'll be back. They waved, but this time they'd
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  come back as good neighbors.
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  In the heart of the city stood a sturdy, tall, old building
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  with floor upon floor of offices and waiting rooms, filled
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  with disgruntled and sad clients who were hanging on by a
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  thread. The first floor was a medical office filled with
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  people in pain waiting desperately for more help than the
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  medical system could manage. The second floor was an employment
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  office filled with people who had lost their jobs and were struggling
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  with practical barriers to gainful employment. The third
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  floor was a child and family social services office, and
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  oh, the heart wrenching stories that filled those cubicles
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  as families were struggling to find their way back home. So many of
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  these crises was due to poverty. If
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  only, then maybe their stories could have a more
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  hopeful outcome. The clients in the building weren't the only ones
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  feeling the disparity. The staff worked tirelessly to
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  do what they could, some burning out, others growing
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  more jaded, and others preparing their resignation letters
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  because of the weight of it all seemed just too much for them to
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  handle on their own. But this Christmas was different.
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  This Christmas, the poor mistletoe perched itself up in the
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  elevator of this tall, old building. It would go up and
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  down, up and down these floors like a faithful companion to
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  weary workers and discouraged clients. Hey
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  there. Shouting out to each elevator crowd.
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  Yoo hoo. Over here. Jostling its little leaves and
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  berries. The medical assistant gave a startling glance.
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  A mom who had just said goodbye to her kids on the 3rd floor wiped
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  her tears to notice the green cluster too. And the
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  newcomer man who had just lost his job at the factory and wasn't
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  able to pay for his family's rent unfurrowed his brow
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  to notice this phenomenon too. Everyone who worked in this
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  building and those who had the misfortune of needing their services
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  were shocked to see the mistletoe was talking to them.
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  I know I'm not hanging out where you'd expect all the Christmas
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  cheer, and this is hardly a place to feel festive. But
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  blow a kiss in my direction and give me a chance. You'll
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  be surprised at what can happen.
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  1 after another, people would quietly and discreetly lift an open
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  palm to their quivering chin and give whatever breath they had to
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  exhale with, and something strange began to happen.
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  No. None of their challenging workspaces or personal crisis suddenly
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  changed. But the workers suddenly noticed a new app on their
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  phone, and clients noticed community wrapping around them
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  with just the right support they needed. All
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  the floors began to buzz with excitement. And as they all began
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  to get curious about this new technology, someone showed the workers
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  how they could safely advocate for their clients in ways above and
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  beyond what they can currently provide. With this
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  new app, the workers would enter needs in with their clients.
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  And suddenly, people all across the town, many from churches,
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  others from businesses, began to come out of the woodwork.
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  People did wanna help. They just didn't know how.
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  These office staff were not alone. They were people willing to
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  learn to be good neighbors. How would local social
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  services and churches and businesses not work together like this
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  before? It was obvious that everybody gained from working better
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  together. People had been using apps to order
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  food and get rides, but now they had a way of
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  advocating and caring for each other. The dangling mistletoe gave
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  a little twinkle as the last of the workers and clients
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  left the building late that Christmas Eve. We'll be back,
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  they waved. But this time, they'd have the support of
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  good neighbors.
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  And, finally, the mistletoe found himself in many churches,
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  not above the altar or the nativity scene, but over the doorways
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  and sanctuaries and coffee bars and, well,
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  pretty much everywhere where people found themselves hidden in plain
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  sight to each other. A pastor who caught up with the news of the
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  poor mistletoe phenomenon around town was startled to see the
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  green festive cluster dangling all around his church
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  on Christmas morning. Good morning, pastor. Welcome the
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  mistletoe, relaxing its little leaves and berries, trying to
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  adjust his expression to mirror the sobering look on the man's
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  face. You look sudden, but not that surprised to see
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  me. The foyer was crowded with people dressed in their holiday
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  best. There were treats for the children and the coffee bar
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  was buzzing with friendly chatter. Greeters welcomed new
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  people and the place was just so well decorated for the many
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  holiday programs the church ran every year. Yet amidst all the hustle and
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  bustle, the poor mistletoe's words to the pastor seemed to
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  muffle all the commotion around them. I know, pastor. I'm not exactly
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  what you wanted to see hanging around your congregation, but I do have some good
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  news. The pastor had been feeling it for a while. Every
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  Sunday morning, people would fill the place up with friendly smiles and shouts
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  of hallelujah. But outside those hours, it felt
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  hollow. What could they do? The relationships were
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  surface level and no one really knew how to address the deeper needs of
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  each other or those in the community. Go ahead, pastor,
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  encouraged the mistletoe. Kiss poverty goodbye. You'll be
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  surprised at what can happen. He glanced up nervously to the poor
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  mistletoe, overthinking this weird phenomenon on this crowded
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  Christmas morning, and with a sincere whisper,
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  Iblua, Jesus, help.
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  Something strange began to happen. No, the church didn't
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  suddenly become a safe place for deep relationships or compassion
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  for others, But the oddest thing happened. People
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  began getting notifications of specific ways they can support each
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  other and those in the community they would have never known of before.
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  It wasn't just the pastor or usual leaders who got these notifications.
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  The whole church was getting invited to find meaningful ways to respond.
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  And as they began to click the big orange button on the bottom of their
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  notifications, the one that said, yes, I can help,
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  More and more of the church members were rescued from their own relational
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  poverty, learning how to love their neighbors in meaningful
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  ways. It's true. The church needed
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  support in understanding poverty better and how to support others through
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  their traumas. They did squirm as they were faced with their own
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  prejudices and blind spots. Church became
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  messier. But what really stands out is how vibrant and
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  vulnerable people became. People were learning to get
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  comfortable with discomfort, helping their community as they learned to
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  work with God and others. The mistletoe gave a little
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  twinkle as the congregation left the building. We'll be
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  back, they waved. But next time they'd come back
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  as good neighbors, knowing their greatest opportunities
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  were in caring for others in the community.
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  So this Christmas, when you see mistletoe, take a moment
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  to rethink how you can help kiss poverty goodbye.
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  This Christmas, you can help kiss poverty goodbye with the gift of
• 17:24
  mistletoe. Check out our fun gift giving catalog at careimpactchristmas.com
• 17:30
  to help more communities care better together through our care portal
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  care sharing technology. The care portal is already connecting
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  churches, agencies, non profits, and businesses to
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  coordinate meaningful wraparound care for those who need it most.
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  Imagine more people getting notifications of opportunities right in their
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  neighborhoods to support those who otherwise would go unnoticed.
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  People wanna care and people are craving for community. And now with
• 17:56
  care portal technology, we're helping take the guesswork out of that
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  compassion. Did you know that over 3,000 people have
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  already been served so far? A church member commented,
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  not only was my church able to support this young mom and newborn in a
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  critical time, I've also gained a new neighbor. I
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  literally can see her apartment from my kitchen window. I could have
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  missed this. I listened to the response of a social worker who
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  entered a need into the care portal and had a local church quickly
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  respond. She said this, everyone was so generous
• 18:30
  and supportive, providing what this family needed the most after
• 18:33
  the fire. They went above and beyond. Thank you.
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  The care portal makes it so efficient to advocate for the right
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  kinds of help. So this is your mistletoe moment.
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  This technology is working, and we need your help to
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  expand our services to more cities across Canada and to
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  under resourced nonprofits and churches who have the most
• 18:56
  amazing connections already with those in need and who would benefit from
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  tapping into a network of churches and businesses and people who wanna
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  care. But they just need that notification on their phone with
• 19:07
  the big orange button that says, yes, I can help.
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  Help kiss poverty goodbye by gifting your loved ones with
• 19:14
  mistletoe. Go to caring packed christmasdot com for fun
• 19:18
  ways to make a serious difference.