Category: Inspirational

I’m proud to say that I was able to be part of history last Saturday. VietAct hosted the first ever human trafficking relay in Orange County at Little Siagon in Garden Grove, CA. The sight of hundreds of students rallying together early (and I mean early) on a Saturday morning to tell the world and their community they will not tolerate human trafficking brings tears to my eyes. The walk was broken up into stations with different activites. I think my favorite was making a sign and commiting to do what I can to abolish human trafficking and getting my picture taken for a visual protest statement. We even walked through the little mall and held a mini rally on the center stage. I took over 200 pictures and can’t wait to post them. I’ve been on this fight for almost 2 years now and although things aren’t even near perfect I’m so excited about the progress being made. I’m proud of the friendships/networks I’ve made in this fight and thank the stars that their are like minded people.

Human trafficking- a modern-day form of slavery has come along ways in regards to awareness. I’m so happy to be part of an event like that…. I know that one day human trafficking will not be the most profitable illegal business and that one day almost every single person will know what it is. Everyday people like you and I need to know what human trafficking is and what to do if we come accross it. Almost all cases are brought to light when an ordinary citizen notices that something just isn’t right in a particular situation. So keep you eyes open and your hearts pumping.

I’m also thankful that I get to be part of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force- the task force needs people from all walks of life. It’s the differences in agencies and people that make the unity strong. It’s working together with nonprofits, government, and faith-based orgs thats going to help combat this problem. Raising awareness in the community about what human trafficking is the first step in ending this modern-day slavery. There are over 29 million people enslaved in the world today- and not just “overthere overseas” but here in My Orange County.

~~RO~~

Wow! I got seriously tagged with an act of anonymous kindness last week. Actually,”seriously pummeled” with kindness is more like it. I spent 26 days at a meditation retreat, mainly to begin the process of self purification through self discovery…I guess you could call it a renovation of the interior walls of my mind. As I walked back into my studio home on Sunday, WOW, a few folks had decided that they would self-purify my home and renovate its interior walls as well. The place has been tiled, every corner has been painted, fridge has been stocked, light switches have been replaced, new furniture has been added, and an infinite amount of love has been poured into every inch of that space. On the table in the middle of my room was a flower pot with one smile card attached to the stem. I also found one forgotten pink piece of paper in the cabinet that had the handwritten words: “kitchen: yellow and orange trim”. That piece of paper provides the only evidence of the magnitude of planning that went into this gift (and the fact that this was actually conducted by human beings : ).

The walls reverberate generosity. Every moment I spend in there, I feel is a moment my heart spends in meditation, a moment spent in making myself and the world a better place. The place now feels like a Temple and I return back to feeling speechless again. The process of self purification continues, but now its the walls that do the work.

I’m not exactly sure whose hearts were in this process, but I bow my head to them. If something like this could happen in my life, then I have no choice but to keep on serving, to keep on paying it foward. My neighbor who got to witness this effort on a daily basis was also blown away. Her husband shook his head every night, he couldn’t believe that people like this exist in this world. They invited their daughters, son-in-laws, even relatives from Sacramento to witness the product of this miracle. I can’t imagine how this is affecting them, I can’t even imagine how it is affecting me right now. On the day that I arrived, my neighbor came in and leaned against the wall of the new kitchen, with her eyes closed she just shook her head in disbelief. I asked her, “What if I spent the rest of my life serving others”? She said, “even that won’t be enough for all the love that you have received”. Wise words, even serving for the rest of my life won’t be enough to make up for all the love that I have received. I hope I can stop staring at the walls soon so that I can get to rippling this generosity to others.

… and there’s more: A few days later, after I invited some friends to share in my home, I opened up my blanket and 40 photographs fell out. The pictures, which apparantly were taken by the folks who had renovated the home, documented the entire process of renovation. None of the photographs contained any faces or other unique characteristics that would give the anonymity away. There are photographs of hands holding paint brushes, of furniture piled up, of hands doing tiling work, of legs standing next to paint buckets… but no faces. Not only did time and energy go into beautifying the home, but a lot of thought went into keeping it anonymous (and to dupe me in this way).

Now it becomes apparent that the food I eat, the car I drive, the place where I live, the clothes I wear, all exist only because of the gifts of another. It seems as if my entire life is a donation. I have no choice, but to give myself away to this love that surrounds me. Thank you, isn’t really thank you anymore.

To my friends, there is something that connects us beyond friendship, beyond service, beyond even Love. There is something even deeper than we know that exists here. Now, it exists in the paint on my walls.

>> Click here to see some of the pictures that were left behind
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