Around The Table With Deborah's Legacy

I had a dream in my mind of what the making of the Noticed Morse Code Bracelets could be like.

I dreamt that people would come together and create in a way that was meaningful and enjoyable.
I dreamt that it would be win-win-win, a win for the makers, a win for The Noticed Network, and a win for every person who is given the gift of being Noticed with a Noticed Bracelet.
I dreamt that it would be meaningful. There were so many ways to get these bracelets made but in my heart I wanted the making to mean something.

That dream is being beautifully realized, and I recently got to sit down with Sarah, Allison & Toni around the Deborah’s Legacy makers table to learn more about just how it all comes together.

Sarah is one of the AMAZING women at Deborah’s Legacy. I am so grateful that she was open to share her inspiring story and wise perspective with me. Oh! And she is a master at this crimping tool (which looks like it would be much easier to master than it is :)

When I asked Sarah what it is like around the table she shared with me that, “sometimes we sit in here, and it’s all of us girls, and we listen to music and some of us will sit quiet the whole time, or it’s laughter and fun because each person is doing what they have the ability to do while talking.”

Deborah’s Legacy is a community of women battling addiction and homelessness with hope and healing and it is easy to see how they have created an environment that fosters just that .

As you may have read in other blog posts, our partnership with Deborah’s Legacy is born out of my friendship with Co-Founder Allison Huebner. I am grateful for Allison’s pioneer spirit, her openness and honesty, and she is such a bright light in this world.

Sarah and Allison wove together a story for me about what it is like to come to Deborah’s Legacy. To trust in the prayers and Divine appointments. To create and allow for the space to rest, and connect, and create new and purposeful things.

With gravity and poetry Allison said, ‘there’s something so therapeutic about … connecting.”

This reminded me that we can all benefit from the lessons that these strong, brave, loving, beautiful, and thoughtful women are learning and teaching while they sit around this table.

In this time of uncertainty we can benefit greatly from coming together to laugh, to create, to Notice, and be Noticed.

"You can look at it like you look at our boards and it just looks like a bunch of pretty beads, but there is something therapeutic about using your hands and feeling accomplished when it’s done." -Sarah

During our time together I got to listen in on this beautiful exchange with Sarah and Allison and I sat there feeling like I was witnessing love in action.

Allison was talking about how in so many ways figuring out the process of creating the bracelets is like a metaphor for figuring out the process of living.

She said, “Here you come with the strings and the beads and they are all separate and there is a process to get to the finished product, and that’s what you’re doing too, metaphorically with your life.”

And then the conversation took a lighthearted turn when they started talking about -just like in life- the times they’ve messed up, broken a string, crimped too tight, broken a needle, and needed to take a break.

And then Sarah very wisely said, “that’s just part of life too right?”.

The authenticity around this table is undeniable. And one of the things I love the most about it is the value placed on Noticing. There seems to be no pretense. No one is waiting until everything or everyone is perfect to express appreciation for the goodness they see or hear. There is an open dialog about what is good, what is hard, and what they want to create, and all the while they are weaving the concept of Noticing into their time together.

Getting to talk about the gift of Noticing was a particular joy for me. I am always curious about how others experience and perceive the value of Noticing and being Noticed. When Sarah was telling me about what it’s like to come together around the table she said, “We get along; we are a good group together, but even within this group there are women who have not been Noticed by a lot of people in their lives, so it’s an important investment in someone to Notice them.”

During our time together I was delighted when Toni joined us. I first got to meet Toni a few years ago when she was a resident and today she is the organizations Survivor Leader/ House Manager. There is so much goodness to Notice about Toni, and she brought such great perspective to our conversation.

A deeply important part of our conversation centered around connecting, and I couldn't help but see parallels, lessons, and how the gift of Noticing can impact relationships of all kinds.

Allison spoke about how most often when residents arrive at Deborah's Legacy they will say that they don't get along with other women, or "I've never had friendships with other women".

Toni shared that she believed that the reason for that was that it was always about the competition. And then she said something so beautiful:

"At this table there is no competition. We get to feed off of someone else's..." (Toni's voice trails off and she starts again.) "Sarah is tying knots and I don't know how to do that, but I'm not envious that she knows how. And Julie*** does it this way, and there's no competition, that's just how Julie's built. So I think around the table it becomes that spot of acceptance for exactly who you are and where you are at. It's a spot where we all come together."

***Julie was not able to join us because she was at work but man these ladies love and appreciate her and sure enjoyed bragging on her as a bracelet maker and a friend!

I am so grateful to Sarah, Allison, & Toni for inviting me to join them around their table. And I am grateful to everyone at Deborah’s Legacy who has been a part of creating these AMAZING bracelets for our community.

The making of The Noticed Bracelets is being done by people who understand the value of Noticing itself. When I dreamt of this project I dreamt of makers with meaning. I dreamt of this table. And my dream has come true.