A read for you - MADD - Seeds of Happiness
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A read for you - MADD

A read for you - MADD

October 10, 2018

Our candlelight vigil for work is this Saturday.  I typically give the “opening remarks.”   Typically I say something about hope, etc.  However, this year I’m giving the closing remarks.  Our “token of honor” or gift to the families that attend are Seeds of Happiness.  I just wanted you to see my closing remarks that I am going to read at our vigil.  As I know you know, I will never forget Dawson and always think of you!!

“I’m sure some of you are wondering about the two, bright red, small, balls you have received from us today.  Some of you might know of them, some might not.  The bright red balls are actually lumps of clay known as “Seeds of Happiness.”  Created by a local sculptor in St. Louis, their main purpose is to help put a smile on the face of anyone who needs it.

In June of this year KSDK ran a local “Feel Good” story.  While watching it, I discovered it was about a friend of mine.  In 2007 Paula and John Ivanowski, lost their young son, Dawson, to a battle with cancer.  These “Seeds of Happiness” were created by a local sculptor to help Paula and John put the smile back on their face after Dawson’s death.  While Paula and John’s son battled with cancer, their friend, the sculptor, didn’t know what to say to them during this difficult time so he did what he knows best…he sculpted clay.  It was that small act of kindness that started “Seeds of Happiness.”  He told them: "I know there is nothing I can say or do to make you feel better so I thought I would bring you some smiles to help you get your smile back.”

While the manner Paula and John lost their son is different than the reason we all gather today, the pain and grief we all share is similar… we grieve for a life that is forever changed or a life that is forever lost.  We wake up every morning wondering how we will continue through this day and the next.  We work hard on creating our new sense of normal in our lives, always wanting or yearning for our old normal back, even if it’s just for brief minutes.

As you can see we gave you two “Seeds of Happiness.”  One of the seeds is a gift we are giving to you, to give you a smile when you may need it.   The other seed we are giving to you is for you to give it to someone that you know who could use a smile.  We many never know the impact that our tiny seed has on someone’s life, but together we can help others along their path of grief.  Please go and spread “Seeds of Happiness” in the world.

After we hear one final song from the Worship Team everyone is invited next door to the church cafe for a small reception.  From myself as well as all of our very dedicated volunteers and staff at the Gateway office, thank you for joining us today as we honor victims and survivors.”

Also in Community Stories

SPARK ⭕ What happen’s to Seeds when they leave the Smile Factory

August 21, 2024

"Hello from Northern Virginia! I wanted to share my story because it is quite amazing how I received this seed of happiness. During COVID, my father lost his job. Thankfully, he is back to work now. I am only 25 years old and felt like I had the world on my shoulders taking care of my family. I was supporting my grandparents and father. Things are getting better slowly but the past few days have been tough on me emotionally. I have found myself in tears daily from both financial and health issues. Today there was a ray of sunshine that came my way! I went in to see a patient and without even knowing I am going through a rough patch, she gave me a seed of happiness. She gave me one for myself and one to give. As soon as she handed them to me, I wanted to burst into tears. It was like God was calling to me saying to be happy! Everything will be ok. It really brought a smile to my face and I will use this seed to remind me to be happy because life is beautiful!"

View full article →

SPARK ⭕ I bet we can make you smile this week

August 19, 2024

"Over 6 years ago I was in Florida on a family vacation, and had a tiny bit of a relationship growing back home. It was growing because of our similar interest in helping others and making a difference. I found your product in a nearby souvenir store and was completely smitten by your "seeds"... I bought a few of them... knowing that I wanted to give one as a gift to her, and I wanted to be able to give the gift of gifting as well... providing the opportunity of giving your message.

She was in tears... she had seen your product before and wanted to buy because it touched her heart, and the fact that I would feel the same became our glue. Now, as of September, we are engaged to be married. And that love of giving to others brought us together and continues on as we continue to "give".... and because it has been such as large part of our relationship and will continue into our future, I'm hoping that we can work this belief into our wedding favors.

What better way to thank our guests for coming to support our love than to give them the gift of giving... your Seeds of Happiness....that they are able to witness our love and use that to initiate the ability to give to others. I have visited your website for your product, as we would like to educate and inspire our guests about planting a "seed of happiness" for others.... for our [wedding] guests to witness the love that we have for each other, they are able to leave with the ability to "gift" that love to others.

They might need to provide encouragement and love to others, as they are going through their tribulations and trials in their present or future lives.

What better gift can we provide to our guests than the gift of giving? The gift of love and empathy. 

Thank you for your time, and no matter what, please know that we admire your product and it's message and use it as a foundation for our relationship and our future in every way."

View full article →

SPARK ⭕ Smiles navigating a path of grief MADD

August 16, 2024

Our candlelight vigil for work is this Saturday.  I typically give the “opening remarks.”   Typically I say something about hope, etc.  However, this year I’m giving the closing remarks.  Our “token of honor” or gift to the families that attend are Seeds of Happiness. I just wanted you to see my closing remarks that I am going to read at our vigil.  As I know you know, I will never forget Dawson and always think of you!!

“I’m sure some of you are wondering about the two, bright red, small, balls you have received from us today.  Some of you might know of them, some might not.  The bright red balls are actually lumps of clay known as “Seeds of Happiness.”  Created by a local sculptor in St. Louis, their main purpose is to help put a smile on the face of anyone who needs it.

In June of this year KSDK ran a local “Feel Good” story.  While watching it, I discovered it was about a friend of mine.  In 2007 Paula and John Ivanowski, lost their young son, Dawson, to a battle with cancer.  These “Seeds of Happiness” were created by a local sculptor to help Paula and John put the smile back on their face after Dawson’s death.  While Paula and John’s son battled with cancer, their friend, the sculptor, didn’t know what to say to them during this difficult time so he did what he knows best…he sculpted clay.  It was that small act of kindness that started “Seeds of Happiness.”  He told them: "I know there is nothing I can say or do to make you feel better so I thought I would bring you some smiles to help you get your smile back.”

While the manner Paula and John lost their son is different than the reason we all gather today, the pain and grief we all share is similar… we grieve for a life that is forever changed or a life that is forever lost.  We wake up every morning wondering how we will continue through this day and the next.  We work hard on creating our new sense of normal in our lives, always wanting or yearning for our old normal back, even if it’s just for brief minutes.

As you can see we gave you two “Seeds of Happiness.”  One of the seeds is a gift we are giving to you, to give you a smile when you may need it.   The other seed we are giving to you is for you to give it to someone that you know who could use a smile. 

We many never know the impact that our tiny seed has on someone’s life, but together we can help others along their path of grief.  Please go and spread “Seeds of Happiness” in the world.

After we hear one final song from the Worship Team everyone is invited next door to the church cafe for a small reception.  From myself as well as all of our very dedicated volunteers and staff at the Gateway office, thank you for joining us today as we honor victims and survivors.”

View full article →

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