And so this is Christmas and what have we done? One of my favorite holiday tunes is John Lennon's "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)". I hear a message within a message each time it plays. There is the more blatant social commentary about peace, but also within the obvious a more subtle plea for taking care of one another. The old and the young, the rich and the poor. This has been a wonderful year of service for Out of the Gray. We are so grateful for the support and encouragement  and donations. 

A new year is just around the corner and we have our work cut out for us in 2015. There are remarkable organizations in King and Pierce counties. We have Ronald McDonald House, Ashley House, Fisher House, Children's Therapy Unit at Good Samaritan, and Children's Hospital in Seattle to name a few. All of them do such an admirable job of serving those with special needs and are worthy foundations in and of themselves. But who is serving the needs of those behind the scenes? The Ronald McDonald house in Seattle houses 80 families a night. Fisher House, on the campus of the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, has 20 family suites. Someone in each of those rooms is sacrificing a bit, or likely most of their life to make sure someone they love is getting the care they need. Out of the Gray could spend 2015 helping in those two houses alone. Yet there are so many more. You can help ensure those unpaid caregivers are given the attention they so deserve. We don't just offer clothes. We offer hope. Just a few of your dollars can make the new year seem a little brighter, a little more manageable for many. 

A very Merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

Blessings,
Liz

The Banks family will forever reside at 17 Cherry Tree Lane, London, UK. In case that doesn't ring a bell, that was the imaginary address of the Disney family that Mary Poppins visited, ergo, rescued in the movie "Mary Poppins". The mistress of Practically Perfect in Every Way and her temporary residence will also forever reside in my heart. For one, I've been compared to her more than once. Mostly because I do tend toward a cheerful optimism and also because I've been known to burst in to song spontaneously. I've yet to master popping in and out of chalk drawings but I have hope that I'll get there some day. Mostly however, I love the symbolism that the cherry tree represents. It was no accident, the address. 

The significance of the cherry blossom goes back hundreds of years. In Japan the cherry blossom represents the fragility and the beauty of life. It's a reminder that life is almost overwhelmingly beautiful but that it is also tragically short. When the cherry blossom trees bloom for a short time each year in brilliant force, they serve as a visual reminder of how precious and how precarious life is. A fallen cherry blossom symbolizes a fallen samurai who sacrificed his life for the emperor. In China, the cherry blossom symbolizes feminine beauty, love and new beginnings. Our logo is a representation of exactly those things from the fragility and beauty to the sacrifice. Our greatest hope is to capture that rosy glow; the blush of bursting life that resides in every woman and catch it before she falls. Our strongest belief is that every client is Practically Perfect in Every Way.

Fresh-cut, flocked, fir, pine. It takes all kinds to make the season bright. This time of year many of us dress them up, watch them glow. We see trees year-round. We need them. At Christmas, we *see* trees. They become the guest of honor in our home for a few weeks.  Individual masterpieces in the living room loaded with nostalgia and hope. Whether you decorate your tree with white lights or colored, bling or Battenburg, when stripped bare the tree is still a tree. A strong trunk, branches, their own spectrum of colors and a need for roots and food to stay alive. They age, they bend, they sometimes snap and they are magnificent. And once a year we pull them close and express our gratitude. Without trees we would be finished as a planet. Without caregivers we would be finished as a community. Let's pull them close and show our gratitude year round, shall we?

Sometimes opening our donation boxes and bags feels like Christmas. Thank you, thank you to our generous donors. It is because of you that we put a spring in a woman's step and a smile on her face all year.