How to word this

[Guest]

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[JoanW]

I am giving some gift certificates this year - and am making my own holiday cards to go with them. I am stuck on what wording I want to use in the card to introduce the gift certificate - and tie it in to "Peace on Earth" (front of card).

I believe that through Kiva I am contributing to peace on earth - I just am having a hard time putting it into "greeting card" English. I know many of you have already given gift certificates - so I am hoping you will share what words you have used.

Thanks.

[cpbailey]

Joan,

I like your position that Peace on Earth is spread by helping the least fortunate have a better life.  There is some truth that the most destitute have little to lose by war.  A financial stake in life is the best deterrent to war!  Here are some little starting points to massage around, combine, edit or add more sentences.

"Give someone hope and help a dream of prosperity"
"Hope for the future is the best way to spread peace"
"You can spread hope by helping fund someone's dreams"
"A financial stake in life is the best deterrent to war!" (Although I like more upbeat, this IS catchy)

It would be fun to see what you decided would work for you.  Could you post?

Colette

[Eli]

I am giving some gift certificates this year - and am making my own holiday cards to go with them. I am stuck on what wording I want to use in the card to introduce the gift certificate - and tie it in to "Peace on Earth" (front of card).

I believe that through Kiva I am contributing to peace on earth - I just am having a hard time putting it into "greeting card" English. I know many of you have already given gift certificates - so I am hoping you will share what words you have used.

Thanks.

Dear Joan,

Thanks for the prompt of this.  I wrote something in an email to a Kiva friend, and she was so taken by it she asked if it would be okay if she quoted me in her cards that will include Kiva gift certificates this holiday.  She also shared it with those she knew at Kiva, and asked me if I would post it on KF.  It has been a few weeks, and it totally slipped my mind.

Don't know if it will help or not, but maybe it will trigger a thought for you.  By the way, welcome to Kiva Friends. 

This is what I wrote to her on why I love Kiva:

"Kiva is wonderful.  For years I was wishing there was a way for us here in rural PA to extend ourselves to others in need, without half of what we donate going to administration costs, or forcing an unfamiliar religion on someone for accepting assistance.  Kiva allows them to maintain dignity, build self esteem along with building their professional and personal pride.  They benefit, their families benefit, their community benefits.  And those of us on the other side of the computer screen are allowed a glimpse into another world, feeling like we are touching it because we can see a face and a situation.  We can share our wealth solely because of a fluke that we were born in a country that prospers, and be given a sense of appreciation of our luck for drawing 'the longer straw'.  It certainly has given me an increased and newfound perspective and appreciation, it was always there, but it now persists each and every day with each and every action, and does not fade.  I have names and faces, and yes, even a few cows that I can picture when I go about my day.  It is a good thing.

Knowing how it has touched me and touched my family, I certainly hope that some of the same is felt on the other side of the loan.  If they feel just half of what I feel, I'm certain we are making this world a better place.  We've seen what Kiva has done in such a short time, what will be the impact after 10 or 15 years of Kiva?  It chokes me up just thinking about it, and how lucky I am for being involved."

Yep, that is pretty much how I feel.

[JoanW]

Colette - Yes I will be happy to share whatever I end up using. The actual cards are in Word, and I would be happy to post them also, if that is permitted here.

Eli - I love it - That is exactly what I want to get across, but need to do it in half that many words due to space constraints.

Thanks for the help...this is my project for the day - I have to give one of the certificates tomorrow! 

[Henry]

Those were each so nice...but Colette you left one out.

"We want you in Oli's harem"

cough....

[Dottie b]

Oops, I think Jill and I were in the wrong thread!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quote from: Jill on Today at 03:34:55 PM
                 Because I'm close to positive that Greg Mortenson, in 3 Cups of Tea, had all kinds of pithy essences about peace and poverty, at least one of which, probably, would have been perfect for Joan's needs, just for the sport of it, I decided I would try googling, "peace quotes" +"Greg Mortenson"
        I didn't find perfect quotes, immediately, which was the only time frame I have, at the moment, to work in, but I did find the following, which (disclaimer, disclaimer), I know absolutely nothing about, but which looked purty inner-resting to me,
and to which I will return when this infernal machine and I hook up again, later:
http://www.livingcompassion.org/peaceproject/pacepeople.html
     

Jill, the first thing that came to my mind is a paraphrase of Greg Mortenson:

     "Creating Peace on Earth. . . one loan at a time"

Dottie B

[Kay]

That's perfect!

[Wood Fairy Glenda]

This is not for the same purpose (it's to explain gift certificates being given to kids, along with a calendar), and it's the work of a friend - not me.  The only connection is that I introduced him to Kiva.     Here's what he's sending, ahead of time I presume:

The content of the package is somewhat unusual.  In fact it is a riddle:

        You can’t keep it.
                You have to give it away.
                                 You will expect to get it back!
                                         Even then, you can’t keep it!
                                                 You’ll want to give it away again!

What is it?

(If you find out first, don't tell your brother, he has to figure this out for himself!)
It will take some work on your part but you should be able to do it by yourself
It should  be fun, and probably it will make both you and someone else happy!
This was already fun for me,

[Henry]

That's cute, kinda along the line of "the gift that keeps on giving" or a whole new meaning to 'If you have it set it free, if it comes back to you it was a good loan' .   

[JoanW]

Thanks Dottie for bringing that over here and sharing.  Since Jill was able to restrain herself - I have a present for her (and everyone else here too)  The best page of peace quotes I have seen today (and yeah I've seen a lot of them!)

[Jill]

     Having just now, again, (did you say, "AGAIN", Jill?) engaged in but another of my walk-bys, my stop-bys (?),
            imagine my delight when I punched in and found that there was actually a present waiting here for me.  Pretty fun!
      I only just glanced at it, knowing that some other day when I want to, when I'm able to, that is, "reward myself" for not spending quite so much time at the Forum (or at Kiva, itself), I will return to Joan's gift of a website to partake, more slowly and savoringly, of the quotes (many of which I could tell) I will love.
     So, as I'm about to "punch out," this is to say, Thank You, Joan.
I can't remember, exactly, how the line in Bogart's Casablanca went (and I suspect that the one KF who would know, or who would feel compelled to find out, is now zzzz-zzzing away "Over There,") but it's something like (Joan),
I have a feeling that ours is going to be a long and happy relationship.....

      Peace to All.
      Good Night.

[KivanSteven]

Thanks for the link Joan...Im always for a peace quote, so why not a whole list of them    I bookmarked it, oh, and a gigantic

[wind5001]

Glenda,

I love the riddle! That's a great idea...

[JoanW]

Thank you all for the wonderful words you shared - while they all meant a lot to me, they did not exactly fit what I was trying to say.  I finally decided that I did not have the words to express what I wanted to - so I would borrow from my favorite holiday movie of all time:

"Tonight I want to tell you the story of an empty stocking. Once upon a midnight clear, there was a child’s cry. A blazing star hung over a stable and wise men came with birthday gifts.

We haven’t forgotten that night down the centuries; we celebrate it with stars on Christmas trees,
the sound of bells and with gifts. But especially with gifts. You give me a book; I give you a tie. Aunt
Martha has always wanted an orange squeezer and Uncle Henry could do with a new pipe.

We forget nobody, adult or child. All the stockings are filled all that is, except one. And we have even
forgotten to hang it up. The stocking for the child born in a manger. It’s his birthday we are celebrating.
 Don’t ever let us forget that.

Let us ask ourselves what he would wish for most and then let each put in his share. Loving kindness, warm hearts and the stretched out hand of tolerance. All the shining gifts that make peace on earth."
        -The Bishop's Wife (1947)


Please enjoy this gift of one small step towards Peace on Earth

[Wood Fairy Glenda]

That's beautiful, Joan!