Thanks once more to the Army Of Good for funding my request for support for giving each of the Mansion’s 13 staff aides a $50 gift card for the holidays.

I asked for the $650 it would take to purchase the cards, and I’ve received $725 as of this morning. It is always touching to see these $5 and $10 bills folded neatly envelopes all over the country. And I appreciate the $100 and $200 checks as well.

I will put the extra $125 in the Mansion Fund and tell you what it is eventually used for. I’ve also ordered another 50 pens – these ones yellow – for the Mansion staff, these say “To Our Better Angels, The Mansion Staff.”

I can’t say how impressed and inspired I am for the hard and good and loving work these people – mostly women – do. They are not paid much, and they work long and hard hours.

This holiday, I am working to give them recognition as well helping the residents if they need it. I hope you all will support the Christmas party this year, as you have in the past.

They Mansion aides could not be more gentle, attentive, responsive or compassionate.They do the work the rest of society has turned away from.

If everyone on the earth was like them, we would be living in paradise.

I’ll order the gift cards today and give them to Kasse, the interim Mansion Director. She’ll distribute them. I’ll take some photos and show  you the boxes they will be coming in.

There are no strings attached – they can use them  any way they wish. I hope they use the money for themselves, they spend enough of their own money on the residents.

I am grateful once again to you good people for making this work. Our Mansion Fund will be back down to around $600 when the cards are purchased. Thanks so much for helping to recognize the amazing work of these wonderful people.

Their love and compassion lights up the Mansion, even on the darkest days.