Six Tales of Christmas | The Case of the Mic Drop

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This is Journey with Care, official podcast of Care

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Impact. Johan here, and today, I will be your

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guide. Welcome to the special series of Care Impact

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Christmas, where we celebrate the joy of the Christmas season.

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As the snow falls outside and the warmth of the holiday spirit fills

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our hearts, we invite you to gather your closest loved ones,

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your kids, grandkids, friends, or family. Get

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cozy by the fire or snuggle up with a blanket and a cup of hot

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cocoa and get ready for something truly special.

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Today, we invite you to journey with us through a series of short stories that

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capture the essence of Christmas. These tales are filled with

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warmth, care, and loving generosity.

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So take a sip of that rich hot cocoa, nestle into your

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favorite spot, and let the glow of the firelight or simply of your

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Bluetooth speaker bring our stories to life.

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Welcome back to our 6 tales of Christmas. This

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is no ordinary holiday story. It's a mic drop moment that

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echoes far beyond the season. Join us

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as we meet listening mic, a microphone tuned to amplify

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untold stories, turning brave whispers into transformation.

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From silent struggles to courageous life journeys. These moments

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show the power of one voice to inspire change. So

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open up your hearts, turn up the volume, and get ready

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for the case of the mic drop.

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Amid the twinkling lights and bustling festivities, there

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stood a mysterious installation like no other, a

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cozy, warmly lit booth, blanketed in

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snowflakes and adorned in holly. Let's step

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closer, shall we, and have a look. There it is, a shiny microphone sitting poised

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and ready with anticipation.

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Microphone with a gift for hearing people's stories and helping others

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listen up with empathy and greater understanding.

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One thing you need to know about Listening Mike is that he was notorious for

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doing something peculiar. Every time a person spoke a

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poignant truth or heart softening story into his foamy

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head, he simply couldn't stand there. Listening Mike would

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suddenly drop. And when

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listeners heard the mic drop, it echoed throughout the land, and

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something peculiar would happen with them too. Yes. With

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every mic drop, they felt waves of empathy they'd never felt

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before, shocks of truth they've never experienced, and their

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vision somehow became clearer and clearer with every mic drop moment.

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Word had spread about listening mic. The more people spoke into

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it, the more they felt heard by others. And the more people

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listened, the more hearts and minds were increasingly becoming

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compassionate and wise.

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On Christmas Eve, as the town bustled with festive cheer,

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listening Mike stood patiently in his booth, its golden

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diaphragm thrumming with anticipation. It

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listened to the distant sounds of laughter, carols, and

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chatter, yearning to capture those untold stories.

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Suddenly, a hush fell over the booth as a small figure emerged from the

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crowd, glancing and listening Mike's direction. A

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tired single mother named Sarah stepped into the booth, her

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eyes filled with weariness and worry.

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She hesitated before listening to Mike, intimidated by its silent

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presence. Who would wanna listen to my

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story? She wondered, her heart heavy with the weight of

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her responsibilities. Listening, Mike softly

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whispered, your story matters.

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So Sarah took a deep breath and began to speak.

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Her voice trembling at first, then gaining strength as she shared her

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experiences. Listening Mike listened intently,

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its golden diaphragm sending the story out into the streets.

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Sara's story flowed through listening mic, out into the community,

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reaching the ears of those who had never considered the struggles of a single

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mother. And then it happened.

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The mic dropped to the ground and the people's hearts softened.

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Eyes opened and a wave of empathy swept through the town.

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People began to see the single parents in their lives in a new light,

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recognizing the immense challenges they faced and the incredible resilience

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they demonstrated. A community wide initiative was

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launched to provide support for single parent families, offering

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child care services, financial aid, and emotional support

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groups.

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The next person to approach Listening Mike was a young man named

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Alex, a child who had aged out of the foster care system.

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He had felt invisible for so long, his story of trauma and racism lost in

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the echoes of a broken system and a busy town. Racism lost in

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the echoes of a broken system and a busy town. Who would care about the

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story of a kid like me? He thought, feeling a familiar pang of loneliness. But

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as he stood before listening Mike, a sense of

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empowerment washed over him. He spoke of his experiences,

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over him. He spoke of his experiences,

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his voice filled with both pain and resilience.

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And then it happened.

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The mic dropped to the ground. Alex's story

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resonated throughout the community, shattering stereotypes and

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preconceived notions. People began to see him not as a

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statistic, but as a human being with a story to tell,

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transforming indifference into understanding. The community

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rallied around its youth, establishing mentorship programs,

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offering job training opportunities, and creating safe spaces for young

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people to connect and thrive.

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And then came an exhausted social worker named Emily stepping

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into the booth, her spirit weary from the weight of her

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caseload. She had witnessed so much pain, so

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many struggles that she nearly lost all hope. Who

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would have the time and energy to listen to my tired voice, she

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wondered, her shoulders slumping with the weight of the world.

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But as she stood before listening mic, a spark reignited

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within her. She shared her experiences,

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her voice filled with both compassion and frustration.

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And then it happened.

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The mic dropped to the ground. Emily's story

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echoed through the community, reminding people of the tireless efforts of those who

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work on the front lines of social services. It

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sparked a conversation about the need for greater support, for

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systematic change, for a more compassionate approach to those in

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need. The community responded by organizing volunteer

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programs, donating resources to social service agencies,

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and advocating for policies that would better support those who dedicated their lives to helping

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others.

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Named John who apprehensively eyed the booth and was inching his

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way closer. Would he dare speak out

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loud about his struggles and experiences? He was a

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churchgoing man, and this was not something he was accustomed to comfortably

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sharing within the faith community. He'd been carrying his

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pain for years, and yet God had been at work.

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What would others think, or could this be the invitation he'd been waiting

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for? But as he stood before listening Mike,

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a sense of liberation washed over him. He

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spoke of his struggles and experiences, his voice filled with

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both vulnerability and strength. And then it happened.

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The mic dropped to the ground. John's story touched the

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hearts of the community, breaking down stigmas and fostering

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deeper understanding about god. Others began to reach out to

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offer support, to share their own stories of healing and talk about faith

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matters not often talked about from the pulpit. The microphone had

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become a beacon of hope, illuminating conversations just waiting

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to burst throughout the faith community. Churches were becoming

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safer places to speak up. Programs and services

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were changing, and people were finding healing and recovery.

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A stillness fell over the town square after each mic drop

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moment continued to echo across the land. The echoes

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of Sarah's struggle, Alex's resilience, Emily's weariness, and John's pain hung in the air, mingling

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with the twinkling pain hung in the air, mingling

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with the twinkling Christmas lights. It was as if the entire community held its breath,

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collectively bearing witness to the vulnerability and strength woven into their words.

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Something was shifting. Hearts were opening,

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perspectives broadening, and a newfound sense of unity was

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emerging. Listening Mike now stood as a symbol

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of shared humanity, its presence a testament

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of the power of listening and the courage to speak.

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As Christmas day dawned, the community was being transformed. Listening Mike's presence had sparked waves

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of empathy, transformed. Listening Mike's presence had sparked waves

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of empathy and connection, reminding everyone of the power of

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sharing their stories and listening to the stories of others.

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Community organizations and churches opened their doors wider than ever

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before, offering love and support to those in need.

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The true spirit of Christmas had come alive, not in the

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presents or decorations, but in the empathy and compassion

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that flowed through the community. And so dear

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listeners, as we gather around our Christmas trees and share the

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stories with loved ones, let us remember the voices that often

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go unspoken. Could it be that if given the chance to

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be heard, these voices could cause a mic drop moment for you

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and across your community?

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This Christmas, you can help create mic drop moments by amplifying

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inspiring voices and honest conversations all across

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Canada. Did you know that there have been over 16,000

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downloads already of our Journey with Care podcast? Listers

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are being impacted and new conversations are unfolding and hearts are

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becoming more compassionate because of it. All because

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brave, unheard voices are speaking up. There are many

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more voices waiting to share their stories and many more listeners who

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could forever be impacted by hearing their insights.

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For just $250 you can help sponsor a mic

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drop moment on our weekly journey with Care podcast. Each mic

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drop moment that you give to one of your loved ones sponsors one

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powerful weekly episode to send waves of compassion

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and insight for years to come. Boom. Go

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to careimpactchristmas.com and let's hear the mic

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drop all across Canada. Careimpactchristmas.com.