ABOUT
THE FIRES:
In
October 2007, over a dozen wildfires across
Southern California forced the evacuation of
thousands of residents. This evacuation comes
almost four years to the day after the Cedar
Fire of 2003 which hit San Diego County.
Several people have been killed and others are
reported missing.
Fires
burned in Malibu, Lake Arrowhead, Irvine, San
Diego, and 
several
other areas in Southern California. Over 2,000
dwellings were lost and thousands of residents
were evacuated. Smoke and ash filled the air
making it difficult to breathe and see.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
declared a state of emergency in the counties
of Los Angeles, Orange, Poway, Riverside, San
Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and
Ventura. This is the worst case of wildfires
in the history of Southern California.
Fires
have continued burning through the month of
November and are still threatening Southern
California in December.
Pray
for all the people that have lost their homes.
Pray
for the firefighters and their safety.
Pray
for the people who suffer from natural
disasters everywhere in the world.
A
MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDER:
"What
brings you back for an appointment?"
asked my chiropractor as I sat on the
examining table earlier this week. "My
back, of course. I hurt it again lifting all
the boxes to ship to Southern California for
our OPERATION FIRE RELIEF program. And you
know what, David," I responded, "it’s
so difficult for me to ask for
help."
Are
you challenged by attempting to "do it
all yourself"? Asking for what I want and
need has always been difficult for me. I grew
up believing if I was a good little girl and
did what I was told, asking would not be
necessary. It worked fine as a child growing
up on the farm, however, here in the real
world, if you don’t ask, you don’t
receive. Sometimes I think that God directed
me to found Be the Star You Are! charity so
that I’d have copious lessons in asking. It
hasn't gotten any easier, yet I practice every
day!
As
Doctor David worked to re-align my back, he
offered sage advice. "Cynthia, you are
the Executive Director of a charity. A charity
doesn’t operate without donations and
volunteers. People EXPECT you to ask. Just do
it!"
‘Tis
the season for giving, so I am ASKING all of
you to please open your wallets, be generous,
and make a donation to our very worthy cause
of giving a brand new book to every child that
suffered a loss due to the Southern California
fires. You’ll get a tax write off while
giving a gift that lasts a lifetime-the love
of reading. And it feels good to donate. A
donation of only $99 will supply approximately
35 new books worth $550.00. What a deal!
One
thing that I’ve learned is that the more we
give, the more we get. The more we are
thankful for, the more we have to be grateful
for. Everyone experiences pain, grief,
sadness, depression, and loss at some point.
It’s not what happens to us that matters, it
is how we react to any situation. Sometimes
when we look at all the disasters and
tragedies in the world, it’s easy to feel
insignificant, however, each of us has the
ability and the responsibility to make an
impact. Every day I give thanks for the
blessings in my life and feel so appreciative
of the beauty and light that surrounds all of
us.
I
also want to ask all of you for one more
gift-prayers for our dedicated and heroic
firefighters. My son is a firefighter, heavy
equipment operator, and many of my family
members and friends all serve in the fire
service protecting people and property. Please
keep a prayer of protection in your heart for
all of them.
Thanks,
Doctor David, for helping mend my aching back
as well as the smart advice. And thank you for
your donation as well. Yes, I did ASK and I
did RECEIVE!
Thank
you one and all for support. As a small
grassroots volunteer charity, we truly
appreciate your continued contributions,
volunteerism, and attention.
HAVE
A BEAUTIFUL HOLIDAY SEASON
and keep being the STARS YOU ARE!
Many
blessings,
Cynthia
Brian
Founder/Executive
Director
Be
the Star You Are!
