Six Tales of Christmas | Poor Mistletoe
Partner with work of CareImpact and Journey With Care!
Description
How can a scrappy sprig of mistletoe change a community's perspective on poverty? Join Johan Heinrichs as he shares the heartwarming tale of the "Poor Mistletoe," a magical piece of greenery that appears in the most unexpected places, prompting people to notice and care for those often overlooked. As the mistletoe sways above neighborhoods in need, it inspires acts of kindness and ignites a community-wide transformation. Discover how a simple kiss blown in its direction can help kiss poverty goodbye and bring people closer together this Christmas season.
Other Links
Reach out to us! https://journeywithcare.ca/podcast
Email: podcast@careimpact.ca
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Editing and production by Johan Heinrichs: arkpodcasts.ca
Transcript
This is Journey with Care, the official podcast of Care
Speaker:Impact. Johan here, and today, I will be your
Speaker:guide. Welcome to the special series of Care Impact
Speaker:Christmas, where we celebrate the joy of the Christmas season.
Speaker:As the snow falls outside and the warmth of the holiday spirit fills
Speaker:our hearts, we invite you to gather your closest loved ones,
Speaker:your kids, grandkids, friends, or family. Get cozy
Speaker:by the fire or snuggle up with a blanket and a cup of hot cocoa
Speaker:and get ready for something truly special. Today, we invite
Speaker:you to journey with us through a series of short stories that capture the
Speaker:essence of Christmas. These tales are filled with
Speaker:warmth, care, and loving generosity.
Speaker:So take a sip of that rich hot cocoa, nestle into your
Speaker:favorite spot, and let the glow of the firelight or simply of your
Speaker:Bluetooth speaker bring our stories to life.
Speaker:Welcome back to 6 Tales of Christmas. Pucker up
Speaker:because today we're gonna get up close and personal with a mistletoe.
Speaker:This isn't just any ordinary sappy mistletoe you'd find in a Hallmark
Speaker:Christmas special, the kind that makes people blush or lean in for
Speaker:romance. Oh, no. This mistletoe has a different
Speaker:calling. It loves to hang out above people and places that are
Speaker:experiencing poverty. It's the story of the poor mistletoe,
Speaker:a scrappy little sprig that made people squirm, but ultimately
Speaker:helps community kiss poverty goodbye. So hang up your
Speaker:stockings, grab some cocoa, and let's dive into this
Speaker:unexpected Christmas tale.
Speaker:There it was, the mistletoe. It wasn't like
Speaker:the glossy curated decorations you'd find in a shop window
Speaker:or festive Instagram photos. Its rough edges and
Speaker:berries caught the attention of bypassers in places no one
Speaker:expected it, like in neighborhoods that people loved to avoid
Speaker:or in ordinary looking homes people would never have noticed
Speaker:and lineups where people were losing hope for better outcomes.
Speaker:The poor mistletoe was even spotted in the doorways of
Speaker:churches, making people scratch their heads.
Speaker:Oh, hey there. Yep. I see you. Come
Speaker:on. Step right under here. Blow a
Speaker:kiss. Just one and watch what happens. It's
Speaker:not so scary. I promise. People avoided
Speaker:poor mistletoe like the plague. Who wants to stand under a
Speaker:sprig of mistletoe that talks to you, especially when it's dangling over
Speaker:places so uncomfortable, like poverty? Make
Speaker:poverty go away, they demanded of the mayor. You should do a
Speaker:better job at alleviating family crisis. They snided to social
Speaker:services. Crack down on crime, they insisted to
Speaker:the police. But every now and then, someone would pause,
Speaker:someone brave enough or curious enough to stop and listen.
Speaker:That's where our story begins.
Speaker:Mistletoe wasn't one for prime locations. No
Speaker:cozy fireplaces. No grand entryways.
Speaker:No idyllic scenes fit for a Christmas card.
Speaker:Instead, it showed up where no one wanted to be,
Speaker:places people crossed the street to avoid. Take, for example,
Speaker:the neighborhood by the tracks. You know the one, the
Speaker:street that people locked their car doors when driving through to a more affluent part
Speaker:of the city, boarded up windows, graffiti on the walls,
Speaker:and a reputation in the media for crime. There,
Speaker:above a myriad of power lines by a pair of dangling shoes,
Speaker:in the heart of this neighborhood hung the mistletoe, swaying in the
Speaker:cold December wind. Hey there. Shouting out to
Speaker:the family in the SUV who is anxiously waiting the red light.
Speaker:I know I'm not what you were looking for, but how about you
Speaker:pause for just a second? Blow a kiss.
Speaker:You'll be surprised at what can happen. The family nervously
Speaker:looked at each other, took a deep breath, and at the count of
Speaker:3, they blew a kiss to the mistletoe, just as
Speaker:they were invited to do, and something strange began to happen.
Speaker:No, the graffiti didn't vanish, nor did the dangling shoes,
Speaker:nor the signs of poverty all around them. But, suddenly, their
Speaker:eyes could see things that they would have never before noticed. They noticed
Speaker:the resilience of the elder lady warming in the bus shelter with her
Speaker:grandkids and the creativity of youth who had painted to
Speaker:express themselves and the compassionate expressions of
Speaker:pedestrians as they seemed to really know each other.
Speaker:Then the oddest thing happened as this family in the SUV pulled to the side
Speaker:of the road. Their cell phones were getting notifications
Speaker:saying that youth over there is aging out of the foster care system
Speaker:and is needing a couch and people he can count
Speaker:on. That grandma you see in the bus shelter unexpectedly took in her
Speaker:grandkids and needs beds and a caring community to wrap around
Speaker:them. Those pedestrians,
Speaker:they each have stories. Each have incredible gifts and
Speaker:abilities. Some of them have been trying to get a job.
Speaker:Others are recovering from illness. Others are exhausted because they
Speaker:are taking care of so many of their neighbors. Would you like to
Speaker:help? It was a big orange button on the
Speaker:bottom of the notification, the one that invited a
Speaker:response that seems to linger the loudest in that
Speaker:quiet SUV. The button read, yes,
Speaker:I can help.
Speaker:How had they not noticed these opportunities to care for people in their own
Speaker:city? These requests for compassion each seemed
Speaker:very unique, as unique as the people they saw around them,
Speaker:like they came from the individuals themselves. What was
Speaker:happening? The dangling mistletoe gave a little twinkle
Speaker:as the family dashed off to the mall to respond to some of the requests.
Speaker:We'll be back. They waved. But this time, they'd come back
Speaker:as good neighbors.
Speaker:A small group was out caroling in a quaint and beautiful old neighborhood.
Speaker:The snow sat so perfectly on the trees. Many homes were
Speaker:warmly decorated with lights and wreaths and trees in their front
Speaker:window. It felt like walking through a Christmas card.
Speaker:The joyful carolers were about to cheer up the next beautifully decorated
Speaker:home when the poor mistletoe caught the attention from a
Speaker:dimly lit home right beside them. Hey there.
Speaker:Shouting out to the carolers. Yoo hoo. Over
Speaker:here. Jostling its little leaves and berries.
Speaker:The jovial singer squinted through the darkness, took a few
Speaker:steps closer, and were shocked to see the mistletoe is talking
Speaker:to them. I know. I'm not hanging out where
Speaker:you expect to see Christmas cheer. But how about you come closer,
Speaker:blow a kiss? You'll be surprised at what can happen.
Speaker:To be honest, they hadn't even noticed the plain house that they were
Speaker:just passing. They weren't trying to ignore it, but it was just one
Speaker:of those homes that was, well, ignorable. They
Speaker:glanced at each other nervously, blew a kiss at the mistletoe,
Speaker:and something strange began to happen. No, the house
Speaker:didn't suddenly sparkle with twinkling lights or decorations,
Speaker:but suddenly their eyes could see things they would have never noticed
Speaker:before. They noticed many footprints leading to this
Speaker:door, small and large, and aromatic,
Speaker:mouth watering, foreign smells of spices. They can
Speaker:hear laughter and weeping, conversations in a
Speaker:language the Kaelers could not decipher. Then the honest
Speaker:thing happened as these Kaelers came closer.
Speaker:Their cell phones were getting notifications saying, this
Speaker:family has come through war and famine, and they're starting life
Speaker:again in your neighborhood. They have things to teach you and
Speaker:stories that will change you and a deep need for community.
Speaker:They are sleeping on the floor. Do you have beds? The
Speaker:kids are struggling to keep up with school. Will you tutor them?
Speaker:Dad unexpectedly was laid off and has no means to pay for a
Speaker:bus pass to find another job. Will you support his efforts?
Speaker:It was the big orange button on the bottom of their notifications,
Speaker:the one that invited a response. It seems
Speaker:to linger the loudest in a hushed group of carolers.
Speaker:The button read, yes, I can help.
Speaker:How had they not noticed this home before? These requests for
Speaker:compassion each seemed very unique, as unique as the people
Speaker:who were in the home. What was happening? The
Speaker:dangling mistletoe gave a little twinkle as the
Speaker:Kailers excitedly chose which request they were meant to respond
Speaker:to. We'll be back. They waved, but this time they'd
Speaker:come back as good neighbors.
Speaker:In the heart of the city stood a sturdy, tall, old building
Speaker:with floor upon floor of offices and waiting rooms, filled
Speaker:with disgruntled and sad clients who were hanging on by a
Speaker:thread. The first floor was a medical office filled with
Speaker:people in pain waiting desperately for more help than the
Speaker:medical system could manage. The second floor was an employment
Speaker:office filled with people who had lost their jobs and were struggling
Speaker:with practical barriers to gainful employment. The third
Speaker:floor was a child and family social services office, and
Speaker:oh, the heart wrenching stories that filled those cubicles
Speaker:as families were struggling to find their way back home. So many of
Speaker:these crises was due to poverty. If
Speaker:only, then maybe their stories could have a more
Speaker:hopeful outcome. The clients in the building weren't the only ones
Speaker:feeling the disparity. The staff worked tirelessly to
Speaker:do what they could, some burning out, others growing
Speaker:more jaded, and others preparing their resignation letters
Speaker:because of the weight of it all seemed just too much for them to
Speaker:handle on their own. But this Christmas was different.
Speaker:This Christmas, the poor mistletoe perched itself up in the
Speaker:elevator of this tall, old building. It would go up and
Speaker:down, up and down these floors like a faithful companion to
Speaker:weary workers and discouraged clients. Hey
Speaker:there. Shouting out to each elevator crowd.
Speaker:Yoo hoo. Over here. Jostling its little leaves and
Speaker:berries. The medical assistant gave a startling glance.
Speaker:A mom who had just said goodbye to her kids on the 3rd floor wiped
Speaker:her tears to notice the green cluster too. And the
Speaker:newcomer man who had just lost his job at the factory and wasn't
Speaker:able to pay for his family's rent unfurrowed his brow
Speaker:to notice this phenomenon too. Everyone who worked in this
Speaker:building and those who had the misfortune of needing their services
Speaker:were shocked to see the mistletoe was talking to them.
Speaker:I know I'm not hanging out where you'd expect all the Christmas
Speaker:cheer, and this is hardly a place to feel festive. But
Speaker:blow a kiss in my direction and give me a chance. You'll
Speaker:be surprised at what can happen.
Speaker:1 after another, people would quietly and discreetly lift an open
Speaker:palm to their quivering chin and give whatever breath they had to
Speaker:exhale with, and something strange began to happen.
Speaker:No. None of their challenging workspaces or personal crisis suddenly
Speaker:changed. But the workers suddenly noticed a new app on their
Speaker:phone, and clients noticed community wrapping around them
Speaker:with just the right support they needed. All
Speaker:the floors began to buzz with excitement. And as they all began
Speaker:to get curious about this new technology, someone showed the workers
Speaker:how they could safely advocate for their clients in ways above and
Speaker:beyond what they can currently provide. With this
Speaker:new app, the workers would enter needs in with their clients.
Speaker:And suddenly, people all across the town, many from churches,
Speaker:others from businesses, began to come out of the woodwork.
Speaker:People did wanna help. They just didn't know how.
Speaker:These office staff were not alone. They were people willing to
Speaker:learn to be good neighbors. How would local social
Speaker:services and churches and businesses not work together like this
Speaker:before? It was obvious that everybody gained from working better
Speaker:together. People had been using apps to order
Speaker:food and get rides, but now they had a way of
Speaker:advocating and caring for each other. The dangling mistletoe gave
Speaker:a little twinkle as the last of the workers and clients
Speaker:left the building late that Christmas Eve. We'll be back,
Speaker:they waved. But this time, they'd have the support of
Speaker:good neighbors.
Speaker:And, finally, the mistletoe found himself in many churches,
Speaker:not above the altar or the nativity scene, but over the doorways
Speaker:and sanctuaries and coffee bars and, well,
Speaker:pretty much everywhere where people found themselves hidden in plain
Speaker:sight to each other. A pastor who caught up with the news of the
Speaker:poor mistletoe phenomenon around town was startled to see the
Speaker:green festive cluster dangling all around his church
Speaker:on Christmas morning. Good morning, pastor. Welcome the
Speaker:mistletoe, relaxing its little leaves and berries, trying to
Speaker:adjust his expression to mirror the sobering look on the man's
Speaker:face. You look sudden, but not that surprised to see
Speaker:me. The foyer was crowded with people dressed in their holiday
Speaker:best. There were treats for the children and the coffee bar
Speaker:was buzzing with friendly chatter. Greeters welcomed new
Speaker:people and the place was just so well decorated for the many
Speaker:holiday programs the church ran every year. Yet amidst all the hustle and
Speaker:bustle, the poor mistletoe's words to the pastor seemed to
Speaker:muffle all the commotion around them. I know, pastor. I'm not exactly
Speaker:what you wanted to see hanging around your congregation, but I do have some good
Speaker:news. The pastor had been feeling it for a while. Every
Speaker:Sunday morning, people would fill the place up with friendly smiles and shouts
Speaker:of hallelujah. But outside those hours, it felt
Speaker:hollow. What could they do? The relationships were
Speaker:surface level and no one really knew how to address the deeper needs of
Speaker:each other or those in the community. Go ahead, pastor,
Speaker:encouraged the mistletoe. Kiss poverty goodbye. You'll be
Speaker:surprised at what can happen. He glanced up nervously to the poor
Speaker:mistletoe, overthinking this weird phenomenon on this crowded
Speaker:Christmas morning, and with a sincere whisper,
Speaker:Iblua, Jesus, help.
Speaker:Something strange began to happen. No, the church didn't
Speaker:suddenly become a safe place for deep relationships or compassion
Speaker:for others, But the oddest thing happened. People
Speaker:began getting notifications of specific ways they can support each
Speaker:other and those in the community they would have never known of before.
Speaker:It wasn't just the pastor or usual leaders who got these notifications.
Speaker:The whole church was getting invited to find meaningful ways to respond.
Speaker:And as they began to click the big orange button on the bottom of their
Speaker:notifications, the one that said, yes, I can help,
Speaker:More and more of the church members were rescued from their own relational
Speaker:poverty, learning how to love their neighbors in meaningful
Speaker:ways. It's true. The church needed
Speaker:support in understanding poverty better and how to support others through
Speaker:their traumas. They did squirm as they were faced with their own
Speaker:prejudices and blind spots. Church became
Speaker:messier. But what really stands out is how vibrant and
Speaker:vulnerable people became. People were learning to get
Speaker:comfortable with discomfort, helping their community as they learned to
Speaker:work with God and others. The mistletoe gave a little
Speaker:twinkle as the congregation left the building. We'll be
Speaker:back, they waved. But next time they'd come back
Speaker:as good neighbors, knowing their greatest opportunities
Speaker:were in caring for others in the community.
Speaker:So this Christmas, when you see mistletoe, take a moment
Speaker:to rethink how you can help kiss poverty goodbye.
Speaker:This Christmas, you can help kiss poverty goodbye with the gift of
Speaker:mistletoe. Check out our fun gift giving catalog at careimpactchristmas.com
Speaker:to help more communities care better together through our care portal
Speaker:care sharing technology. The care portal is already connecting
Speaker:churches, agencies, non profits, and businesses to
Speaker:coordinate meaningful wraparound care for those who need it most.
Speaker:Imagine more people getting notifications of opportunities right in their
Speaker:neighborhoods to support those who otherwise would go unnoticed.
Speaker:People wanna care and people are craving for community. And now with
Speaker:care portal technology, we're helping take the guesswork out of that
Speaker:compassion. Did you know that over 3,000 people have
Speaker:already been served so far? A church member commented,
Speaker:not only was my church able to support this young mom and newborn in a
Speaker:critical time, I've also gained a new neighbor. I
Speaker:literally can see her apartment from my kitchen window. I could have
Speaker:missed this. I listened to the response of a social worker who
Speaker:entered a need into the care portal and had a local church quickly
Speaker:respond. She said this, everyone was so generous
Speaker:and supportive, providing what this family needed the most after
Speaker:the fire. They went above and beyond. Thank you.
Speaker:The care portal makes it so efficient to advocate for the right
Speaker:kinds of help. So this is your mistletoe moment.
Speaker:This technology is working, and we need your help to
Speaker:expand our services to more cities across Canada and to
Speaker:under resourced nonprofits and churches who have the most
Speaker:amazing connections already with those in need and who would benefit from
Speaker:tapping into a network of churches and businesses and people who wanna
Speaker:care. But they just need that notification on their phone with
Speaker:the big orange button that says, yes, I can help.
Speaker:Help kiss poverty goodbye by gifting your loved ones with
Speaker:mistletoe. Go to caring packed christmasdot com for fun
Speaker:ways to make a serious difference.
