A week and one day ago, on a beautiful June Sunday, we all woke to the horror and heartbreak of Orlando. Our hearts have never left that city, those who were taken from us, the wounded, and all their loved ones. We spent that Sunday and the following Monday glued to computers and televisions — praying, crying, scared, angry, shattered.
That Monday evening, a week ago tonight, gchaucer2 posted a diary, a diary that frightened many of us badly. It was a cry of despair, of being unable to go on any longer, all hope vanished. Our ex-nun, attorney, intelligent, caring, boots on the ground community activist, author, and witty friend of many years was in serious trouble.
It was then that this site showed its immense capacity for caring and compassion. This already heart broken, wondrous community immediately responded to gchaucer with love, concern, and offers of help. We were not going to lose another one of our own. Not on any day.
It was clear that gchaucer’s world had come crashing down, so we immediately set about rebuilding hope and making it real.
Kossacks responded with hundreds of comments saying “We are here for you, We love you. We can’t do without you. Please, Let us help.”
When we learned that gchaucer had written an amazing mystery novel, Stilled Lives: The T-Town Murders, enough kossacks purchased the book on Amazon to push it into Amazon’s top 100 books list.
The reviews are superb. If you’d like to spend a few hours with a page turning, well written, can’t put it down book with characters that will captivate, here is the link to her novel on Amazon.
But we had only begun to do all that we could. When our own floridageorge wrote —
floridageorgeIf you need financial help, this community will be there for you.
Just set up a Paypal link (I can help you get one set up) and whatever funds you need to tie you over will be given. You are a friend, and we help friends in need.
- dozens immediately signed on to help.
This community is many things. We are men and women, LGBT and straight. Spiritual, agnostic, atheists. Young and old. But above all we are all the colors of the rainbow and the heart. No matter how overwhelmed we may feel, we step up for one another. We reach out and lift one another up.
And that is just what we have and are doing.
Fundraiser GoalOur tentative goal for gchaucer2 is $10,000, which will include the services of an agent to help her increase book sales, possibly help with co-pays for counseling, help her find a new home, and give her a little break to work on the sequel to Stilled Lives.
How to donate to gchaucer2Via PayPal: To send money to friends or family, log in to your PayPal account, click Send Money & Request at the top of the page, choose to Send money to friends or family and fill out the information, sending to StilledLives2@gmail.com.
Via snail-mail: To send gchaucer2 a check, please send Ekaterin a kosmail. Please be a little patient, we are still working out the final details, but we should know where to send snail-mail by Monday evening.
This post is but one of a fundraiser for gchaucer. The community response to 2thanks’ first fundraising diary on Saturday was amazing. Thanks to all of you, we have already raised four thousand dollars.
Because of all of you, because of your caring hearts, hope has become real again.
gchaucer2Honestly, and probably unbelievable to many here, I cannot find the correct words to thank everyone enough for the outpouring of thoughtfulness and generosity. I have to let two others do my speaking for me:
Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all, And sweetest in the gale is heard; And sore must be the storm That could abash the little bird That kept so many warm. I’ve heard it in the chillest land, And on the strangest sea; Yet, never, in extremity, It asked a crumb of me. Emily DickensonFrom my youth — and never forgotten:
x YouTube VideoHow many names? Hundreds of online friends and adversaries. One week to learn to quit judging because I don’t know a shiteton about many here with whom I’ve been critical or cruel. The best lesson of the week besides knowing I’m not alone in a desert of hopelessness.
Blessings and thanks to everyone who have helped me through . Thanks to all who have bought my book (hope you aren’t horrified).
“Not alone in a desert of hopelessness.” I’ve been in that place. Many of us have. We don’t leave people there. Never have. Never will.
We’re bringing gchaucer to where the green growing things are, where hope can bloom again. That’s what this community of caring is doing.
x YouTube VideoPretty damn wonderful, isn’t it? So please, treat yourself and buy her book or make a donation, or both, if you can. If you do not have a pay pal account, just go to their web page and click on “send” at the top of the page.
If you love gchaucer2’s book, write a review, share her book on social media, and with family and friends. As I wrote that I was suddenly seeing her book show up on best seller lists. Now, wouldn’t that be something. :)
I’ll update as the day progresses on how we’re doing. Wouldn’t it be lovely to reach the fundraising goal today, a week to the day after gchaucer thought all hope was gone?
I will have to step away occasionally as the nine year old grand boy is here for the day. But I will reply to any questions and thank each of you as quickly as possible.
Thank you so much for being all that you are. Together, we DO make magic happen. In making hope real for gchaucer, we also make hope real for us all. We are reminded that together, anything is possible. even in the darkest of times. And that is no small gift. Happy Monday, wonderful ones.
x YouTube VideoUPDATE:
As of approximately 6 o’clock this evening, Eastern time, this community has made pay pal donations of $4,589. $55 in checks have been received and more are on the way.
Madam GChaucer2 has this to say about the sales of her book.
….As for the book -- big benchmark -- the paperback sold 100 copies from my bonkers breakdown until today. Ok, it can be called something else. Kindle has sold 132 in the same time perios. Holy moley!!! Then there's something I think tracks those who have prime and can get it for free -- 1309 pages read -- I think I get a penny a page but hey -- maybe more than Dickens got if you forget about inflation. That's sort of like 6 books that folks have read…..
….Forgot to say -- the book sales (both paper and kindle) add up to be approx. $700 so far. I'll get those royalties at the end of August but that is perfectly fine. It is really lovely to know that people who can't read that kind of book ordered or recommended to others and will donate to a library or a friend. I'd really be upset if anyone in the community had nightmares because of it…..
There are times the heart is too full. From gchaucer’s comment in this diary.
…I get so profoundly overwhelmed with the thoughtfulness and generosity from this community, it is difficult for me to express myself fully and well.
Again, I do want to say that I have learned a lesson regarding the art of argument with those with whom I disagree here and elsewhere. We don’t know another’s life journey. Cleverness is often cruelty when one re-reads comments later. Ok, trolls are fair targets — real trolls I mean.
Thanks to all for offering your kind and loving words of support. Thanks for the generosity from so many who may be scraping by themselves. Thanks for the prayers and positive energy. Twice I felt that downward spiral this week — I have someone to call, my secret boyfriend. He always knows how to make me laugh because he’s the master of the ridiculous…..
….So, to the entire community, much love — when I feel I’m dipping again, I come here, skip the pie fights and find something great to read. Honestly, there’s a ton of good writing.
Ok, I think I’ve finished the prologue of a novel by now. Thank you, my friends….