Making A Difference ~ Writers' Post #29

Life has a way of flowing by sometimes without anything really happening out of the ordinary so that one day just leads to the next.  Status quo, some people say, is a good thing.  No surprises and no drama.  For Adriana that was a good run of time.  No surprises and no drama made her happy and her job satisfied her need to excel while her hobbies satisfied her need to create.  Her home had proven to be a wonderful retreat and as a bonus in the evenings, if the bedroom window was cracked against the chill of the night air, she could hear the river bubbling while it made it's way into the town below.  She would never tire of that sound and longed for spring when she would be able to throw that window open and nothing would be between her ears and the bubbling and babbling of the river running it's coarse.


Winter had set in very quickly after her move and she was very snuggly in her little house with the fireplace blazing every night.  The neighbor had brought her a large pile of wood as a house warming gift and she would soon have to find where to purchase more.  She loved the smell and the feel of the fire burning and didn't want even one evening without both.  She was no fan of the cold, but that snow falling outside her window was so soothing and with the warmth of the fire, she felt so content.


Marian had ultimately joined a group from her church that helps families in need by furnishing groceries on a monthly basis.  They raise money with many different projects.  One of which was a talent show where area students were encouraged to try out and could win $1000 for first place.  Second place got $300 and third got $200.  With a prize package of $1500 they hoped to raise $3000 total.  Tickets would be sold for $10 each therefore 300 tickets had to be sold for the show to be a success.


Adriana had listened to Marian talk about the plans and how talented some of these students were and how ticket sales weren't nearly good enough and the show was only 2 weeks away.  She offered to sell at the hospital and Angel said she would also.  Each thought they could sell 25 or so and maybe more if word got around.  Angel made sure the word got around.  Adriana told everyone who came near her office and mentioned it to everyone around the lunch table.  She even went into the doctors lounge and posted a rather large sign explaining the show, it's purpose and that she and Angel had tickets available.  By the end of the first week, she had called Marian for more tickets 4 times.  Together, she and Angel, had sold over 200 tickets to the hospital employees and even a few to patients family members.  It was amazing.  They just kept selling.


Marian was so thrilled with this help and to know that such kind people worked at her local hospital and she was sure this show would become an annual event of great importance to her group.  The venue they were using for the show could hold 500 people legally. So she had originally printed up 300 and since the hospital sales were so good, ordered the other 200, just in case.  She was so hopeful.


Two days before the show the 500th ticket was sold.  Adriana bought ticket #500 and Angel bought ticket #499.  Marian would be behind the scenes so she didn't need a ticket and had repeatedly told her friends they would not need to buy a ticket.  They would be honored guests of the group and would be seated right down center front.  
Buying the tickets for themselves was just their way of super supporting their friend and her cause; the cause that was fast becoming their mutual cause.  Helping people feed their children, who are hungry, and have no power in this world seemed like something they should and most certainly wanted to do.  


The show went without too many hitches.  A costume here and there didn't fit or was missing a piece and one ripped right up the side minutes before the owner was to dance, but nothing insurmountable and nothing the audience knew of, so in showbiz terms, it was a smash.  The talent was all over the place.  Dancers, singers, comedians and one magician.  A pianist, an amazing guitarist and one young man who recited poetry which he had written and did so with such emotion that the entire building was silenced.  The on-deck performers just stood mouths agape and some with tears as they listened to his voice, his cadence and his words.  It was awe inspiring.  


The audience was to be the judge.  At the end of the show everyone filled out a card which contained every performers name, just a check mark by the one they liked best and a count back stage by 5 of Marian's co-members.  Very low tech and a bit time consuming and a lot of talk about how if this is an annual show, maybe they could get someone to donate electronics for voting and counting purposes.  The ideas were flowing like cheap wine and the excitement was palpable.  The entire night had been wonderfully completed and with extra donations from some of the ticket holders, the total after prizes were paid was over $4000 to the grocery fund.  It was a rousing success by anyone's standards for a first big production by 10 women who had no experience in fund raising.  They all saw big things for this group in the future and because of that big things for the hungry children of the under-employed and unemployed families all around them.  


The winner was the poet and though no one said so, the margin was high.  Second and third place were much closer but no recount was needed.  The prize money was handed out and the applause was deafening for the performers, the winners and the ladies who made it all happen.  Then there was one last introduction, the two ladies from the hospital were asked to stand and Marian gave each of them a dozen roses and the entire audience stood to applaud their hard work and dedication to the hungry babies and their families.  Angel full out cried and smiled and had never felt such warmth and love.  Adriana felt strangely uncomfortable.  How could people who knew her past celebrate her tonight for doing what?  Selling some tickets and turning in a pile of cash?  Really?  She was so happy for the group, she was very pleased with the show, but she had done nothing extraordinary.  She had not even begun to make a difference in anyone's life.  Not in a good way, not ever.  She was suddenly and completely overcome with a need, a passion to do just that.  She would now  MAKE   A  DIFFERENCE  for someone in a positive way.  Someone's life was about to get better and with no plan or even a thought as to how to do this, she was beyond determined to find a way and a target.


The whole experience surrounding this show for every single person involved in any way, shape or form, was so positive and so exciting and now it was over and everyone just wanted to continue the celebration.  Nearly every person who had done anything to help put this night together traipsed down to the local watering hole for a little more back patting and atta boys.   Adriana was flying so high mentally that she didn't even order a drink.  She was high enough on this feeling of helping.  Who would it be?  What would they need?  What could she do?  It was almost too much for her to contain.  She spilled a bit of her enthusiasm with Angel and Marian as they sat together and talked about how much food this money would buy and how many people would be eating good nutritious food for the first time in a long time because all those kids put on such a magnificent show and the audience was more than satisfied with the entertainment value for their buck.  Both of her friends understood exactly what she needed and why she needed to do this.  Both would help her or support her in any way she needed once she had a plan.  


Adriana had never in her life felt such a feeling as this one.  Excitement, love, support and a goal.  A future is one of the things Adriana had never considered even having, let alone enjoying.  She had a future and the people she wanted to be part of it were right beside her.   


She would make a difference for someone because a gigantic difference had been made in her life and paying it forward was what had been missing, until tonight.


Who?  What?  How?  The search would begin in the morning.


Jo