Tuesday, July 31, 2012

The Plea

I have no idea if this is going to work. I have no idea if anyone will care.
What I DO have is HOPE. I hope that my plea will reach the minds and hearts and ears that it needs to and that they will feel and follow the need to help.
When I began talking to people on the internet I had an intention.
I found all sorts of people from all sorts of places but my intention never wavered.
My intention was to make friends with people from other parts of the world with an open heart and mind and to listen and learn from them so that one day when and if I ever get to TRAVEL I would have places to go and friendly faces to see when I get there.
I have found many lovely people and many, many beautiful friendships. The thing is that next you want to MEET in reality and share the things that we all share in our daily lives and families and friendships. That isn't always possible. Usually because MONEY is a big obstacle.
I know there are people who HAVE money and they have so much they don't know what to do with it. I also think they WOULD want to help if they knew they were actually helping a person individually or a family. So I HOPE that my friend's story and the pain and separation he and his family go through will touch someone else and move them to help.
If your answer is who am I to him and who am I to tell his story? The answer is to be found in this blog. Please read it all and come to your own conclusion.
If your next question is who are you to tell me anything or ask me anything...I don't know you are trustworthy. My answer to that is...read any blog I have...I have many. Google me. You can google Dawn Bissonette or FatCatMomma though I do have various other names too. Those two will give  you most of the info you might be looking for. I'm just me. Just a girl with a big heart and I'm an open book. I don't have secrets and I don't hide.
You can judge for yourself if you think I'm gullible or naive or if I'm just the kind of person who will go out on a limb for her friends. I know I wouldn't do this for everyone but I also know my soul doesn't speak so LOUDLY to me about every other person I meet.
This time it tells me to believe in something, commit to it and follow it through.
I don't know if it is right or wrong. I only know I have to try.
So I'm asking if you feel anything in response to the whole blog and all the information we've shared and you want to help make ONE family make their dream come true feel free to donate by clicking the button at the top right of the page. Any amount will be appreciated very much and thank you.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Why?

Why? I'll tell you.
David is NOT the only Nigerian I know.
Nor is he the only one who has been with me as long as he has.
Even if I have never met them in person, in real life.
I've met MANY people online in the last few years and many of them come and go but some of them STAY. I appreciate both. I have ALSO met many Nigerians in the course of that time.
Even Nigerians themselves will tell you to be careful of Nigerians.
YES, absolutely some of them try to scam you. I've met my share of them too.
I won't deny it or lie about it or give upon the rest because of it either!
I didn't and don't think it is fair to judge a whole country or society based on the deeds of SOME so I continued talking to them, learning from them, trying to understand them and I have to say...
I LOVE them.
I can't help feeling over and over, again and again, that I have some destiny with Africans most specifically Nigerians. I don't know WHY. I only know that I love them and I'm going to try to explain to you why, though I suspect that my words won't do my feelings and thoughts and understandings justice at all. Yet I will try.

I have found MANY friendships online from many places and there are many reasons and many things to learn from them. What I have learned from and about Nigerians is this:

  • they LOVE me
  • they make me laugh
  • they are POSITIVE people
  • they are respectful
  • family is important to them
  • they are encouraging and supportive
  • they are intelligent
  • they are friendly
  • they are fun
  • boys from Nigeria are the same as boys from anywhere else: some are playin' and some are SERIOUS!
  • they work hard
  • they love their home and family and country like any of us do
  • they HOPE for better
  • they strive for better
  • they can be sweet and charming
  • they long to love and be loved like anyone else
  • they can endure hardships and sorrows like nobody else I know and STILL remain positive and moving forward
  • they INSPIRE me
I must say also, honestly, that while most of them care about and follow their religion and some of them are pentecostal, catholic, baptist or muslim, I don't care which. I'm not judging. I've learned much from ALL of them.  

The truth is, they are just people doing the best they can in the world that they live in, like any of us are doing and judging them doesn't allow you the time required to get to know and appreciate them...the same length of time it takes in any friendship or relationship.

I am GRATEFUL for the relationships I have made and the lessons I have learned from my Nigerian friends and would not trade any of them!

DAVID, just receives special consideration because our friendship has touched me on a deeper, soul level and we've already shared ups and downs, joys and sorrows and time together that has helped us grow closer! NOW, I can't imagine life without him in it and I WANT him and his family IN it!!!






One Chance

I'm beginning to wonder and think that maybe we have ONE chance in life to do something great. Something that matters. Something that can change the course of a whole LIFE or FAMILY.
Does it really matter? I think it does.
Do you have to understand every aspect of the choice? I don't think you do.
I think it is enough to have the intention of HELPING, of LOVING, of SHARING something wonderful.
I think that it matters that your intention is to GIVE.
I think that this is my chance.
Even if nothing happens and it doesn't work I am pretty sure that I will come up with another idea and continue working towards the end goal because I can think of NOTHING better or more deserving of my time and attention at this point in my life.

One Voice

Can one voice make a difference?
I don't know the answer for sure. I am going to try to be ONE VOICE that DOES!
I want to believe that ONE voice can change the world.
I want to believe that I can make a statement and help one family have their dream come true.
I want to believe that my one voice can touch other people and inspire them to exercise their one voice and together we will become many voices working toward the same goal.
I HAVE to try.
There isn't much else I can do because I am limited myself but I CAN use my voice to tell a story, to explain a need and to ask for help for my friend and his family and so I WILL.
If it does make a difference then just imagine the JOY I will have created and shared!

I BELIEVE.
I BELIEVE in ONE VOICE.
I BELIEVE in my voice and I HOPE that the end result shows that it has its own POWER...to help others, to inspire, to share, to hope, to fight, to DREAM, to work hard and to make dreams come true.



Moments

I think we all know that the MOMENTS are what we live for.
Every moment of life is NOT the best moment because we all have daily tasks to endure that we don't necessarily love but the monotony is broken up with small, breathtaking moments that make life worth every endurance.
WE are fighting for those moments.
At the moment we share moments with each other from far away, through an internet connection, through words printed on a screen and while they are still SHARED and BEAUTIFUL there is still something missing.
Even while I know I have "made a funny" and made David laugh...I don't HEAR it because he is not here with me and I don't SEE it or the twinkle in his eye because he isn't HERE sitting next to me.
If I threaten to pinch him for being too sleepy and not paying attention, I can't ACTUALLY do it because he is FAR, FAR away on another continent.
Even though I can see his children in pictures, and how beautiful they are I can't watch them play with my son or listen to them all laughing together because they are NOT here with me.
If I want to HUG them, which is a MOMENT I truly wish for, I CAN'T because none of them are HERE!
There are so many things that could make our friendships stronger and better if they were here to share life with me and my family and those are the moments I wish for, hope for, fight for, WRITE for.
Help me make our dreams come true!

Friday, July 13, 2012

The Idea

The idea for this blog came from a recent video that was posted on the internet of a bus driver and some kids who tormented her. They decided to raise money for her to have a vacation of a lifetime and raised so much money it was phenomenal!!
I decided that maybe I could use my blogging and writing abilities to start a blog for my friend and his family in hopes of raising enough money to help them come to Canada.
I don't know if it will work or not but I DO know that NOT even trying is NOT an option!