Somehow, by some miracle, the small amounts of money I could gather and put against my goal, was joined, and joined and joined, added to by friends and completely anonymous strangers over the last few days and now I am within striking distance of enough money to buy a backup computer.
Still a little more to raise, but we’ve managed to raise almost all of it. So if you want to pitch in, we’re still trying to make it.
On Thursday, when I found out about the newly ordered video card for my iMac, and it’s back-order status, for about two hours I felt panic begin to overwhelm me.
My appeal at Business Helping Business went without a response (but I still think the site is a great resource), but I wondered if there was anyone I knew that could trade me the cost of the computer for some work. I started combing through my address book, and the one person I could think of and called told me, “I can give you $200 towards the cost, see if you can get a few other people to do the same.”
I was hesitant, because I wasn’t sure about feeling like a charity case. I want to work. Yet, within 24 hours, four other people suggested it, especially Brynmore Williams, the person whose urging tipped me over into action. He wrote this:
Well it’s a long shot trying to get a new computer from apple. you should just set up a tipjoy account and let your friends help you raise the money. you’d be surprised how well it works. http://tipjoy.com/
So I clicked the link to discover there was no more tipjoy. Moments later he commented again:
Just noticed, no more tipjoy. try using http://www.fundable.com/
a friend of mine was able to replace a stolen camera, laptop and randoms using a micropayment site.
So I took his suggestion, registered for and set up a page on fundable.com. Except–while very pretty and on the surface looked like a neat little service–it didn’t work.
So after a discussion with my brother from another mother, we (mostly he) whipped up a little site to do pretty much what fundable does, but one that actually worked. And guess what? It is working.
To my humility and unending gratitude, I’ve managed to raise just a few hundred US short of a backup machine.
This… this is hard to describe from an emotional standpoint. If getting Apple to replace my computer, or to somehow speed up the repair of it, was a long shot, this was/is an even longer shot, but because the world is not always the harsh, bitter, cruel place people would have you believe, but the sum total of all of us here, somehow my story got heard by enough people and they responded to my need and are helping me to find a solution.
Wow. I am deeply moved. These are these rare moments in life, where the grace of the Higher Power leaves you breathless, and completely trembling in its presence. It’s happened to me a handful of times, and I am always effected the same way. God’s work humbles me.
I believed there was a way for me to do this, and I am just thankful to those of you who have lent soooo many words of support and encouragement, who have retweeted, shared my blog posts on facebook, who have forwarded my inadequate words to anyone you thought might be able to make a difference, and I cannot begin to tell you what it has all meant to me. To those of you who pitched in with amounts large and small, because I don’t know who you are unless you contact me, I can only thank you this way and hope you know how much even $10US towards this meant to me and my boy. Thank you.
To those of you who offered not support but instead left unkind, indifferent or plain offensive comments in response to my telling of this small part in my life’s story, I want to thank you too. I am not telling you this with even a shred of bitterness or arrogance. I realise how important even your words were in teaching me, yet again, and over and over, that faith can move mountains.
Not just faith in God and kind Spirit to provide for me and my yout’, but also faith in myself that even a longshot like getting Apple to replace my poor, dead iMac or setting up an online fundraiser to get enough money to replace it, could actually produce a real solution.
Both kinds of faith are what has kept me going, and though I know I’ve not really even begun to walk the road fully yet–even if I get the backup, it will take nothing short of a Herculean effort and hard, hard work to get my life to settle into some kind of normal rhythm again–I am grateful by all that draws me on with love and kindness. It makes the few words of negativity I have endured, merely an echo back of something that cannot really do any harm, but provides just enough wind in the sails for me to sail right on out of the largely landlocked bay I’ve been in.
To those people who have been part of the outpouring of kindness I’ve been on the receiving end of the last few weeks, with all my heart, I wish to thank you yet again.
THE UPDATE ON THE iMAC: I have not heard a word back from Apple regarding my request, and no word from Trinidad on the state of the repairs to my iMac. But despite my ongoing concern about this, this morning I am having my hope and faith and love come back to me stronger than when I sent it out.
Mafererun Ori! Mafererun Egun! Mafererun Gbogbo Orisha! Mafererun Olorun! Modupe! Adupe!
Asé O!
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