FAIRY TALES

I am expressly forbidden to snivel or call this sad news.

It’s terribly hard to believe that the explosion of life, love and laughter that was Martha 0’Brien has passed away. She left us on Friday 24th Feb.

A lady I affectionately referred to as The ‘Gristle’ of Gerstle Park.

Martha was one of the very first seniors we supported at Good Fairy Marin And I'll be honest..one of the most challenging,. We had lovefest moments and we had firey exchanges in the early days lol, but because of that -because of her honest feedback - she rapidly became one of the most inspiring and instructive and rewarding people to support. And she made me a better fairy to others because she taught me to listen to how individuals wanted to be helped.

I’d like to share this photo I took of her on Sunday last week, just five days before she passed away. It’s the moment I saw her at her very very best. Doing one of the bravest things I’ve ever seen anyone do. And doing it with aplomb.

Knowing she was approaching the end of her life, Martha requested a final fairy wish. She wanted us to help her find a new forever home for her 12 yr old ball of white fluff, Scruffy. She didn’t want this to happen after she died, she wanted to be absolutely sure he would be treasured, cuddled and thoroughly cared for…even if it meant facing her own last few days or months without him in her arms day and night. She even pulled savings together to provide him with a ‘dowry’ to help on vet bills.

I took this last photo of her with him ( possibly the last photo of her ever) about half an hour before she surrendered him. She was entertaining the new owner in her home with friends and neighbors. Here she is keeping the jokes and stories coming, putting everyone at their ease, focused on gratitude, a great solution, and Scruffy’s wellbeing.

I excused myself, headed to Walgreens to get this photo printed for her, I thought perhaps I’d pop back with it and a hug after everyone had gone.

There was a delay with my prints, and in wandering around the store I noticed a stuffed toy that bore a resemblance to Scruffy. I hesitated .. as you do .. not sure if Martha would love it or hate it. And for sure she’d let me know either way lol.!! I told the store assistant the story and my idea the stuffie might be something for Martha to hug. The assistant burst into tears and insisted the stuffy was a gift from her.

When I returned to Martha, she was alone. V sad but not crying. She was really delighted with the picture, I’d had it printed big enough for her to really see it and though violently predisposed to dislike images of herself .. she liked it. It does very much encapsulate their relationship.

Then I pulled out the stuffy .. and gently said I wondered if it would be good to have something to cuddle.. and I explained ( I swore actually .. she literally made me swear) that I had not paid for it .. it was a gift from the lady at Walgreens.

And then she started to cry. “ Scruffy the second” she said. Now I don’t have to sleep alone”. And she batted at me with it ..saying something along the lines of ‘ is there no end to the fairies ‘.

That little extra whoosh of community love was perfect.

I am sniveling, sorry Martha.

But I know you’d like me to blow my nose ( properly lol) and what you’d like me to say here is thank you to all the fairies that made such a difference to the last few years of your life. I count at least 15 people who played a role. Thank you endlessly for the practical help, friendly visits and phone calls, painted stones, bunches of daffodils, home made and store bought meals, for walking Scruffy, watering plants, grabbing plants and donating them before your landlady seized them, cleaning and decluttering, fixing the TV, attempting to train you on how to use technology, allowing you to give up on that, helping you donate said technology to a deserving person so you never had to see it again .. etc

And I know what we’d all like to say back to you is ..gosh what a privilege to meet and support such an exceptional person. You deserved that support. And thank you for appreciating it.

We know you were a fairy yourself to many others when you were younger. Martha worked exhaustively to provide for the homeless community in particular.

I should imagine you’re feeling right at home now with a new set of wings.

I attach a link to a fairytale about Guatemalan artifacts which some of you may remember inwhich Martha played a staring role

18th November, 2022

This is Penny, founder of Good Fairy.  This is the story of something that happened to me recently. I put it on social media and was astounded at the quantity and quality of the response, in 4 days 1,125 people had liked it ..and only one person had said something negative about the Dad in the story-  ' a village' moment for sure. 

................................................................................................................................................................................

Today my son Felix and I were cutting it fine driving to a long awaited medical appointment in San Francisco.

We debated stopping for gas. I wanted him to drive me to the appointment then get gas before returning. He was uneasy and insisted on stopping. 

An hour and a half later we were still at that gas station. The one at the Red Hill shopping center in San Anselmo. 

As we drove in I did notice a cute kid scooting around on a pedal-less bike. I vaguely cast an eye around for an adult with him.

As I completed pumping gas a small voice behind me said: " Where did my Dad go?" 

It was this tiny person, all alone. His Dad had driven off, he said.

I thought it was probably a kid joke but might not be and played along gently. 

"Aren't you the kid I saw scooting on a cool bike when we arrived?"

Yes he was. 

Where is your bike now? 

Dad put it in the car and drove off. 

And there IS no bike.  I never saw a Dad or a car  - and no-one else at the gas station had seen the child with a man etc. But both Felix and I definitely saw a bike. And that had vanished. 

So we called the police. And we started to help him recall key facts about himself. He knew his first name and his middle name but not his last name. He knew how the beginning of the last name sounded but not the end of it and he couldn't spell any of it.  He knew he lived in California but not which town. None of the town names we listed sounded familiar to him. He didn't know any phone numbers. He knew what his parents did for a living but no company names.  He had been to kindergarten today and remembered some bits of the school name.  Yes he had been driving for a very long time since Dad got him from school. ( or had he ...how do kids assess time?) 

He knew he was 5 yrs old. 

At that age all of my kids carried a ' hello this is me' card in a plastic bag with them, in a pocket or sock. And I taught them all to learn my cell phone number by heart ( by making up a very rude rhyme which ended ' Mummy's bottom smells'). If you have a kid this age, esp if it is your first kid you might consider it. It's amazing what they don't know about themselves. 

The police and gas station staff were stellar.  Looking carefully at the situation from all angles, not making assumptions, everyone working together to keep the child calm, entertained etc while steadily pumping him for information. 

Mummy normally picks him up from school but today it was Dad. 

Such a great kid. And a beautiful, clearly well cared for child. Someone had taken some trouble to comb his hair nicely this morning. 

He didn't want anything from the gas station. No chocolate bar. He accepted a bottle of water and put it on the ground firmly. He would save that till he was driving home with Dad. 

Eventually dots were connected. The Dad is now calling in to the police. He had driven a VERY long way before realizing the kid wasn't in the car.  They both got out of the car at the gas station and - as it is a long ride home-  the kid scooted his bike while Dad had a go on his new skateboard. He took it up a couple of days ago to have fun with his kid. 

Then Dad puts the board and bike back in the car.  He hears his kid open and close the door and he drives off. Now and then he talks to the kid. But the kid is often quiet or falls asleep in the car and he just manages to drive a very long way before the horror of discovering his car is empty.  

And we'll all park the judgement here. No parent is perfect. Not every day. 

I'm so glad we listened to that kid and prioritized the fact that he might be telling the truth over everything else. 

I'm so glad it was us that found him, me he turned to to ask for help.

And when Dad arrived, he seemed to suddenly be there as if he had fallen from the sky, he was on his knees and his arms were full of kid. And when he could bear it, he pulled himself up and asked if my son and I were the people who had helped.  And then I got a bear hug. And I knew to expect it. The child was VERY clear that Dad was a big strong man.

And I had two more gifts to give this family. 

First of all the gift of telling Dad about the time I drove my then 5 yr old to the middle school to pick up his brother and a friend after school. We got out of the car, found them, hopped in, drove to the the friend's house to drop him off ....and I had my first awful glimpse of an empty booster seat in the back of my car. 

It took me 10 mins to get back to the school and run around screaming until we found him running around happy as can be carrying a soccer ball on the school field with a kind teacher and a whole class of students keeping an eye on him and wondering where his Mom was.  I didn't stop shaking for days. I've still not forgiven myself or understood how it was possible. This Dad's nightmare lasted a great deal longer. 

And the second gift?

 Well we thought the kid might like a super fun light up, quacking rubber ducky keychain from the gas station. Just like the one I have on my keys. A memento of a day when he and his Dad needed a village, and he was smart and brave and we were there.

Ps.  In my view, the most important part of ‘it takes a village’ is to realize you yourself have been the village idiot many times.

Pps. I have to add a funny detail. We asked the kid what his Dad’s car was like. 

A really big white truck with some letters on it. 

We asked people around if they’d seen one and the police were off to look for it on the security camera. Until we thought to ask. And is that what he’s driving today ?  

“Oh no he’s driving Mummy’s car today. It’s a silver xxxxx.” 

Feb 8th 2023

Last night’s Street Chaplaincy surprise pizza party for c. 60 folks currently homeless. Made possible with less than 24 hr notice thanks to donations from 9 Good Fairies and a big discount from Mountain Mikes.  When the regular chef fell ill with COVID 19, we worked together to ensure those gathering still had a hot meal instead of ‘emergency’ cold sandwiches ‘.This was no ordinary week  - those gathering had all just endured a week of mentally and physically overwhelming weather with bitter cold and devastating rain.

And we all felt pizza would raise a few smiles.

It certainly did. Eye rubbing, smiles, laughs, hugs ..and even some dancing!

Thank you everyone.

July , 2022. 

June 22nd, 2022. 

'I never thought I'd be seriously ill or in debt or without any of my precious life-long friends in my life ... and gosh ( laughs softly) ...everything kinda collapsed at the same time.' 

In 2005 Legal Analyst Arlene was already battling loss of earnings with chronic fatigue syndrome  when she became the victim of a freak accident. A gardener exposed her face to the now notorious pesticide, Roundup. She developed Graves Eyes Disease, a debilitating condition which left her with eye muscles damage, chronic inflammation and at times double vision. And of course this limited her ability to work even more AND left her under financial stress. The only relief she could find was to take over-the-counter dry eye medication every three hours - not covered by insurance.

More recently, now aged 75, she experienced severe eye strain and headaches after taking her first Johnson and Johnson COVID 19 vaccine. A month later, she was startled to be diagnosed with exfoliation glaucoma in both eyes at the UCSF Ophthalmology Center in Berkley. No one can be sure, perhaps a coincidence or perhaps a side effect of the drug, but with no family history of this condition, she was advised against taking any further boosters.

As a result she has again been impacted physically, emotionally and financially.  As a senior with no family who lives alone  its  hard to keep up beat and not feel isolated as she avoids exposure to  COVID 19 .  Sadly, she also lost her two best friends in 2020 .

Financially,  it is particularly tough as due to her Graves Eye Disease medications and supplements needed to try to lower her eye pressure need to be preservative free and are not covered by insurance. Options for surgery are also complicated. Her best bet would be an ultrasound procedure but this is not currently available in America.

She's still loving life and laughing and super keen to get back to some form of work to support herself - perhaps even cover a trip to France for that ultrasound procedure. 

In the meantime, with no family, she is politely asking for our help to tackle credit card debt ( not something she has faced before) enable her to keep taking the meds that are necessary, keep making rent and get herself into a position where she has a foundation of safety and stability from which to more forward and support herself.

'I never thought I'd be seriously ill or in debt or without any of my precious life-long friends in my life ... and gosh ( laughs softly) ...everything kinda collapsed at the same time.' 

We set up a Gofundme and publicized it with the fairies and on Facebook groups concerned with COVID 19 and things- ophthalmic in Marin. 

https://gofund.me/9b53c3b6

13 June, 2020

Good Fairy Julz called Fairyland one day to say she had some vintage clothing that could be sold and howsabout we take a stand at the Fairfax Festival Fleamarket to raise money for Good Fairy Marin.  We called for volunteers to help price and label things, we asked if others might have vintage clothing or jewelry to donate too, and we bought in a LOT of fairy wings and packed up a box of ladybug stones as we thought they seemed like Fairfaxy things. 

What a hoot!  Hard work but we made a whopping $1500 for fairy deeds, created huge awareness for Good Fairy, and made a LOT of people very happy indeed with their purchases. 

It is of particular pleasure to me that this contained all the ingredients of a Good Fairy deed. People of all sorts of ages, physical wellbeing, culture, affluence and locations in Marin working together. Seniors and people battling grave illness made an especially  massive contribution gifting items  - we always say we don't like just being nice to old ladies and do their shopping. We tell them to dust off their sewing machine or craft table, make a companionship call, give us expert advice etc. Everyone in Good Fairy is a fairy. We all help each other and we all benefit. 

Thank you to ....

Donors, esp Julz, Kimi, Lisa, Dorcas, Lynn, Kathy, Kathleen,  Janet and stores Stella and Bloom. 

Organizers and Festival fairies, Julz, Lisa, Kimi, Carrie, Jeff, Deborah, Parris and hubby, Mariah, Heather, Monica, Tiger, Gia, Wilder, Felix. 

Our love and congrats to Festival organizer Claudia and Mayor of Fairfax ,our v own Good Fairy Steph Hellman who beat the dreaded lurgy just in time to be there. 

#fairfaxfestival

And our undying adoration to stand mascots Nellie and Pumpkin. 

By the unanimous decision of the key organizers, a  portion of the money raised was presented to one of our volunteers as a surprise. Enough to fund a fun treat for herself and hubby as life has been showering them with lemons lately and they deserve some lemonade ...or something a tad stronger.  

June 5th, 2022. 

Our lovely Good Fairy Joan had to close her 25yr business recently. It was a gym for women, beloved by so many but …a casualty of COVID. 

In the heartbreak and turmoil of selling equipment etc, she found time to make a connection with The Hanna Boys Home in Sonoma and agreed to gift them her lockers. But neither she nor the home could afford to transport them. 

Hanna is a group home for boys who have aged out of the foster care system. Their aim is to lead the cause to heal wounds and improve lives. With support these young people are so very at risk of passing from a rocky childhood to an adulthood of prison, addiction, homelessness etc rather than fulfilling their potential.  And having a secure, private locker for their things is exactly the kind of support they need. 

As time was tight, we went ahead and scheduled a pick up from our friends at Lugg.com for the next day,  started Gofundme Locker Love for $350 to cover the move and the cost of placing comfort packages in each locker as a surprise. And we crossed our fingers. 

Here is that Gofundme. We did it. In less than 24 hrs six people had contributed the money we needed. 

I believe in fairies 

With heavy heart.

I’m afraid we lost our precious 113yr old Good Fairy, Pauline this afternoon. Her fairy partner Paul and I were utterly utterly smitten with her, honored to have played an important role in the last year of her life and deeply touched to have been so embraced by the family as ‘ on the list’ of those kept informed and allowed to visit towards the end.

She was fascinating, hilarious, competitive, curious, sharp of mind, frank in expressing opinions, interested in people and lazer focused on a bargain. We (mainly Paul who was incredibly generous with his time) took her on Dr visits, shopping trips and other errands. He and his wife often popped in with dinner and ate with her and I liked to come by with surprises. We learned new things from her, I found out you should keep a toothpick by your stove to test vegetables were done… she experimented with enthusiasm at new things presented to her…especially edible ones..cheese puffs, ice cream nuggets.

We disagreed with her freely, we were loud and jovial in scolding her for being opinionated or crotchety ( when telling the hearing aid lady her product was as useless as a bit of cardboard, sparing with Rite Aid staff about the application of an invalid voucher or glaring with unveiled horror at scantily clad teenagers, for example). We refused to treat her as an adorable old lady or someone too old to be expected to behave. She informed all who met us while with her that we were a hindrance and awfully cheeky. And …and she took the time to leave long detailed voicemails noting all we had done the next day and giving us a masterclass in how to say thank you ..and how to experience life the happiest way, sincerely filled with gratitude.

When I asked Paul to be her fairy my brief was for him to be as rude to her as possible and not let her get away with anything. I had been warned she could eat volunteers for breakfast and we may find her demanding. It was as Paul said tonight ‘the ride of our lives on a thoroughbred stallion’. As part of our arguing policy Paul laboriously  fact checked her memories ( always spot on. The Yankees did stay at the hotel she was working in in 1937).

My fav story about her was of Paul starting to mime and speak intermittently at her when they were leaving her Dr’s office with her new hearing aids …and her attacking him with her walking stick.

A few weeks ago I called her up speculatively one evening from a bar in Santa Monica as I was on vacation and would miss her birthday, she was in great form so I told her the bar tender wanted to wish her a happy birthday too, he was promptly summoned to the phone and what I expected to be a 3 second greeting developed into quite a chat, I can see him now, talking,  listening, nodding, laughing, ignoring several customers. At the end he told me it was one of the best things that had ever happened to him and my wine glass magically refilled itself.  Another magic sauce ingredient of a happy life, Pauline, such a capacity to enjoy new people as well as savoring long held acquaintances.

My last, fond memory of her just last  week was her holding my hand and introducing me to two neighbors “ this …is my fairy”. Paul’s last fond memory also last week was her expertly concealing half a bacon sandwich ( which he had smuggled in) under a napkin while talking to the nurse.

Paul is a talented photographer and managed to get her to gussy up for some photos a few months ago. This is the one she chose to have on her wall. She was bribed with a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken and gave him 8 mins for the entire shoot before demolishing it with huge enjoyment. I told her she looked like she was about to say something cheeky in it. ‘ oh course I was”, she replied” I was looking at that Paul …. And he would have deserved it”.

My sincere thank you to  Paul and his wife for bringing so much comfort, fun and love to Pauline in her last year. And for giving her the gift of knowing for sure she was giving all the same things back in equal measure.

I was delivering a cherry tomato plant from Good Fairy one evening when I had the fun of telling her she was now officially the 4th oldest person in America. She was shamelessly exuberant that someone had died -   we had a long standing joke that she wanted to submit a request to Good Fairy asking us to bump off the rest of them. But she always made a firm point that if any of them were in a nursing home or in a wheelchair it didn't count. To her longevity only continued to be a true lark if coupled with independence. She was literally still living by herself in the same home she had been in for many decades until just a month ago when she fell and broke her hip. She had some meals delivered but still prepared much of her own food, pots were always boiling or sizzling on the stove and timers going off in her kitchen. I believe she did the vast amount of her own cleaning and laundry, was in charge of her own medications, certainly went into battle with the likes of the phone company on her own behalf, had an eagle eyed command of her own finances, wrote her own checks.  

Even after her hip break - and this astounded me - she was back at home almost immediately.  She got to be there for her 113th birthday and, I believe, would be absolutely pumped to know she successfully passed away there. She was concerned she may no longer really be independent as she now had 24 hr nursing staff but I assured her it still counted as it was temporary. Joy, the nurse on duty needed no prompting to chime in her agreement that Pauline was still boss in this house.

And of course this wasn't just any house. This was the home she had shared with her beloved husband Louis until he passed away. When I asked her if she missed him one day,  she surprised me with the very tender confession that she really just felt he was still there, a presence in the house, sitting in his armchair.

Now you are off now to the great supermarket in the sky, where vouchers never expire and Folgers coffee is always on special.

You will be missed.  And you will be lastingly, lovingly and laughingly remembered as long as I live....by your standards that could be quite some time.

ttps://paulstonehouse.exposure.co/pauline-angleman

Pic credits PaulStonehousePhotography.com

Here are some of the comments as our community reacted to this: 

n’t let that… See more

4 days ago

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Penny Macphail • Sleepy Hollow

well said!

4 days ago

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Cathy Cook MacRae • Sycamore Park

Beautiful tribute, Penny… thank you for all you do for others and all you, Paul and his wife did for Pauline. You all clearly made a difference made in her life, keeping her… See more

4 days ago

Lynnea Brinkerhoff • Greenbrae

I’m humbled and deeply touched by your tender and revealing and generous post… and your loving service to this Fairy Goddess Mother. Rip Pauline…. We feel your Grace

Jane Hurford • Lucas Valley/Marinwood

Such a beautiful write-up. You gift us all with these words.

4 days ago

Monda Oewel • Hawthorne Terrace

A big thank you from many perspectives.

4 days ago

Lisa Lima • Terra Linda

What an amazing tribute to a lovely person.

Lauren Anthony Cargill • Greenbrae-Kentfield

Thank you for sharing! A lovely important story that gave me goose bumps in the end.

Therese Grant • West Novato

I loved every word you’ve written and shared about Pauline.   The world lost a little light but heaven seems have gained further light.

Thank you - thank you. ❤️

Anna Boucher • Santa Venetia

What a beautiful photo and lovely memoir - Thank you for sharing with us❤️

Anna Boucher • Santa Venetia

She was a very pretty woman and didn’t look near her age

Kathleen S. • Napa Square

Lovely, lovely remarks.  Thank you for sharing...what a testament to a well-lived  life!

2 days ago

Kevan. 

On Sunday 3rd Oct, we lost a beautiful person,  our Kevan. Aged 66.

Kevan Fugate was quietly self proclaimed to be a fairy in every possible way. He’d answer the phone saying ‘ Hellooooo….Good Fairy in the flesh! “ 

And during his last, brutally vicious though mercifully brief tussle with cancer when I dropped of a few things personal items of comfort and silly things to surprise him at Marin Health .. especially a pink flamingo sippy cup, He sent me a classic text saying  “thank you from one queen to another”. 

An exuberant, snazzy though also modest and private man. Witty, interesting, informative. Boy had he perfected the art of telling a hilarious or dramatic tale. His southern accent and deliberately hammed up campness squeezing the last drop of joy or gasp of shock from it. He was also of course THE most appreciative audience. Even when coping with terrible pain. 

One day I hope to meet him again ..up there …and be introduced to that mother of his! Clearly one hell of a lady who encouraged him to be himself, enriched him with a multitude of sage and fun sayings and inspired him to specialize in end of life caregiving .. doing for others what he so lovingly first did for her. 

He warmed to those suffering from dementia. Perhaps  the clients others would not pick. And he sucked up their eccentricities with a blend of some frustration but mainly humor. I once called him to find him wheeling a client to the checkout  at Good Earth, Fairfax. His client had laboriously squeezed every tomato and avocado in the place then decided not to buy any, then visited the asparagus where with sinking heart Kevan spectated him yet again drawing just two spears out of a bundle for which  Kevan was invited to haggle a price. . 

Few of his clients stayed at home once he had his paws on them. If physically possible, he’d take them out to lunch or off to have ice cream by the seaside or to tootle over the Golden Gate Bridge playing their favorite songs for a lark. And all of this was done not just for the sheer pleasure of brightening their day and his own but also the pleasure of making a difference to their families. 

I believe the greatest honor of his life was to be mentioned by name by a grateful family in an obituary.  And it happened several times 

I brought you some beautiful flowers and a ladybug stone from your friends and the fairies today and kissed you goodbye. I made sure to put a little bit of paper under the vase so it didn’t stain the sideboard. I could just hear you saying ‘ ohh mind the walnut … “, and then : “ thank you darl’n …love you too”. 

Safe home. Finest of fairies.

One of Kevan's MANY Good Fairy deeds is captured in our fairytale The Accidental Fireball Fairy  which you can see below. 

In July we started offering a leafy friend or two to individuals and groups who may benefit from the joy, wonder and tasty outcome of gardening but for whom plants are either not accessible or affordable. In addition to various veg, herb and fruit friends we were delighted to offer unusual varieties of many plants thanks to our partner Paradise on Picnic and their wizardry with seed diversity.  We also got our paws on some rather groovy special bags for growing potatoes in this year ( with a handy side flap to reach the potatoes) and have launched a potato challenge. 

  Thank you to these shiny stars..

• Az and Sean from Paradise on Picnic , San Rafael. They donated hundreds of plants, their passion for seed diversity provided us with rare/unusual varieties. Sean also build several grow boxes, including some idea for people who are using a wheelchair.

• Sleepy Hollow Home Owners Association and Good Fairy Tim donated  and raising seedings and Good fairy Sheri also donated several gorgeous plants.

• Nancy and team at West Marin Compost donated a cubic yard of compost, and  Chipper Tom delivered it.  Michelle and  team at Marin Ace  ( Merrydale Rd) donated 25 additional bags of compost.

• Good Fairies Matt, Davis, Tiger and Michelle  have potted and delivered many plants .

Recipients include...

• Here are some organizations we are donating too, many of whom have accepted our potato challenge.  As you can see, these are not all seniors, we also support single parents, people with disabilities, folks currently homeless and other low income or mobility compromised neighbors, and folks in need of a wee boost. Young Moms of Marin, Marin Center for Independent Living, The Good Fairy Community, Tay Space, Side by Side, Gilead House, Section 8 Housing community garden, Kentfield, Marin Community Fridges, The Cedars, Victory Village, Fairfax, The Avenues, San Francisco, Smith Ranch Transitional Care, San Rafael, People with Disabilities Succeeding

Celebrating a special Mom and The Good Fairy baby! Caitlin unwraps an adorable blanket handmade by Good Fairy Granny Sotille!!! to celebrate Baby Jax's first birthday and her birth of fire introduction to motherhood!

A year ago, Caitlin and her husband were starting a magical but incredibly difficult time. The early arrival of their first child and a nearly two-month stay in hospital during which - due to COVID-19  - neither of them could leave. The choice was stay at his side or quarantine for 2 weeks before returning...even if he fell gravely ill.

The pandemic had already taken a toll on them financially; not only could she not return to work as speedily as intended but now her self-employed husband could not work.

We helped them as best we could, you may remember a kind fairy gifted them a light vacuum cleaner. It was one of the first fairy wishes and enabled Caitlin to get her nesting done.

What you don't know is how wonderful this little family has been giving back to Good Fairy over the last year.  Caitlin has taken photographs for Project Lovebug and has been a comforting and fun companionship caller to another single Mom. And her husband has been most generous with his time as a pest control expert for a few low income seniors. 

 ... Just bask in this glorious story of neighborly love. MULTIPLE organizations collaborating with Good Fairy Marin  to whoosh seasonal love and fun to some of our most vulnerable, isolated, hurting neighbors.

THIS happened - Monday 6th April

• 200 people currently homeless or battling to prevent becoming so received a cupcake decorated with a fluffy chick and candy through Ritter House and The Street Chaplaincy. Safeway, San Anselmo donated ALL those cupcakes.

• 70 people currently homeless and many also experiencing mental health challenges were surprised with little pots of Choc eggs and rabbit gummies by Community Action Marin’s CARE team.

• Over 30 Fairies, Children For Change volunteers and Marin Rocks painters worked together to gather and package up the contents for 53 Spring Surprise packs, and deliver them to every corner of Marin, Bolinas, Sausalito, Novato and everywhere in between. These contained THE most beautiful spring themed painted stones, a sweet glass vase of daffodils, a selection of fruit, a colorful handmade cloth mask, a ridiculous fluffy chicken pen, a delightful greetings card made by a child and ...where permitted..chocolate eggs and candy. The fruit and daffodils were in part gifted by Trader Joe’s, Novato.

• 21 clients selected by The Marin Center For Independent Living and 32 folks in the Fairy community received the above mentioned packages. Most were seniors, living alone and without family..some were younger people isolated by mental or physical challenges ...three were ladies in their 30’s , 60’s and 80’s all facing their first spring without a beloved spouse. One we always have to mention and cherish ..is our beloved 112yr old fairy who detained her delivery lady for a solid hour of quite the most magical conversation she has every had.

• In an exciting surprise twist, The Las Gallinas Lions offered Good Fairy a huge quantity of candy left over from their drive through Easter egg event. ( I stress the event was also a great success, attracting about 300 cars!!! They just had a LOT of candy). So .......30 low income single Moms and their kids received a Spring Fun Pack containing oodles of candy, ladybug and spring themed painted stones and vouchers for Silberman’s ice cream. These were distributed through The Marin Center For Domestic Peace, Gilead House and Marin Single Moms. And were presented in cake boxes gifted to us on 5 minute notice by Good Earth, Fairfax. The head of the bakery told us he didn’t have the authority to ok anything like that…what time would we like to pick them up? Just when I thought I couldn’t love Earthlings more!!

• We tried and failed to connect to single Dads - a question for the future. Email: team@goodfairy.org if you have ideas

And here are a few reactions  from recipients !!!

 “ I’m so happy…I feel …um ..um ..someone is looking after me’, Voicemail from Senior, San Anselmo

 ‘ All these goodies and especially meeting Deborah, she was wonderful to talk to. Oh my heart is warm. I’m very touched. You ARE my good fairy.’ Text from Senior, Bolinas

‘Such a beautiful …..flowers, candy..everything..fruit and  ( laughs ) it was just gorgeous and still is and I do enjoy it so much. It was so nice of you to .. you  must have gone to a lot of trouble to get together so many nice things..thank you.  It certainly made an Easter holiday  for sure it helped so much.  And the young lady who brought it was really a nice person, it was nice to have her visit me. I want to thank you again for remembering and thinking of me on the Easter Day. So thank you again a thousand times. ‘ Voicemail from Good Fairy Pauline from Corte Madera  - aged 112 ½ yrs young!! ( yes really)

 “ Dear wee wonderful fairies - Today I received your lovely box with banana, orange, apple, a beautiful sheep rock, and an adorable drawing made by Mia, age 8. Such a delightful surprise and I thank you very much.’ Email from Senior, San Rafael

'Their eyes just lit up when they saw the daffodils’  Fairy volunteer

'I've just finished taking photos of everything, I was very amazed and I was crying.....This is like Christmas.'  Text from Senior,  Point Reyes

‘I can’t tell you how delightful it was to receive a spring basket from Cassidy and Sierra ( these are Children For Change Volunteers who delivered to her)  a few weeks ago. If there is any way to let them know how much it meant to me, please do.’ Email from Senior, San Anselmo

The families have been through so much.  I like to find fun in a lot of the things we do at Gilead House.  The kids were very concerned that the Easter Bunny didn’t have a mask and would not show up.  I let them know, the Good Fairies sewed the Easter Bunny  a special mask and gave him GPS and a map.  Those Good Fairies ROCK!  Email from Sheltered housing & support center, Gilead House, Novato

 ' ...we are deeply grateful for these heartfelt gifts' through which our families ' are afforded the warmth of knowing how much their community truly cares about them' The Center For Domestic Peace, San Rafael

‘….yesterday I received this wonderful box and daffodils. And I wanted to call and say how much I appreciated it and how much of a fairy I am. I've always been. My Mom was a full-blooded Irish woman, so I was raised on fairies and I'm ninety nine years old now, and I still love them’. Voicemail from Senior, Fairfax

‘…I had the honor, the HONOR of a visit from the fairies …’ Voicemail from Senior, Fairfax

Many people told us what they had done with their flowers and painted stones.  One senior in Terra Linda  had placed daffodils beside a picture of her mother. Very sadly the Mom had only just passed away, just weeks before both of them had received their COVID-19 shots and would have been able to see each other again..

Did you notice that the two people who took the most time and trouble to leave detailed thank you voicemails were our two oldest fairies. Maybe there is a lesson for us all to learn in being so appreciative and interested in others as a recipe for a long and happy life. 

Thank you everyone!!! SAME TIME NEXT YEAR?

#childrenforchange #ritterhouse #thestreetchaplaincy #Communityactionmarin #marincenterforindependentliving #lasgallinaslions #safewayssananselmo #traderjoenovato #goodearthfairfax #gileadhouse #marinsinglemoms #youngmomsmarin  #thecenterfordomesticpeace #goodfairymarin #ibelieveinfairies

 In August 2020, Good Fairy Marin started receiving calls from a number of grocery store workers seeking help with depression and anxiety.  We wondered if there was something we could do to whoosh some community love, understanding and support to them to boost their morale - and to encourage the public to be proactive in their kindness towards to these workers -  see them as essential front line heroes. 

We contacted every grocery outlet in Marin from Costco to farm stands and offered them a basket of appreciation stones, hand painted by The Good Fairy community.  Each was a ladybug and known as 'love bug'. We offered enough to give one to every employee if they would like that. The response was wonderful. The first delivery was on Labor Day 2020, 150 stones for Good Earth in Fairfax, and finished at the New Year. The final deliveries honored the staff and volunteers of Whistlestop / Vivalon and the San Francisco/ Marin food bank. The latter received a cool 1,000 stones....and one giant bug which is now greeting staff at the San Francisco headquarters. 

Here are the details  --lots of fun pictures of the bugs. This was a real community story. The story of who painted them as well as who received them. 

'My words alone cannot fully express how much this means to ALL of us employed at Mollies.  I'm teary eyed typing this message as I think of all the fantastic and caring people who created these beautiful works of art for us. 

The time, and energy included, plus the warm messages on the bottoms of many is truly the best of human kindness' .Ellen Segale, Wellness Dept. Manager at Mollie Stone's Market 

Logistics

We choose the design as it was simple, fun and open to creativity but also because ladybugs know the strength of a community working together. Each gives of a slight odor, but when they gather together at times of danger the scent is strong enough to ward off predators. 

We  knew we needed to help people participate by giving them materials so worked with community partners, Marin Color , and A&S Landscapes who donated gallons of paint and thousands of stones and with Marin Landscape Materials who discounted more stones. We also used donation money to purchase bulk paint pots and brushes and created bug making kits. A  network of 13 bug pick and drop off locations we set up around Marin, and we delivered kits to hundreds of individuals and organizations who were SIP. The first kits were given to Marin's most isolated and vulnerable, especially retirement communities and groups of folks with mental/physical disabilities. Marin's Education authority created bug kits and sent them to all the special needs students, at the time the only kids receiving in class teaching. Soon the general public joined in with school children, guides and scouts, families etc taking part.  High school students from Terra Linda organized pop up socially distanced outdoor painting parties .

The bugs ranged enormously in size, style and levels of artistic perfection. Many were works of art  - especially those from the Marin Rocks Facebook group. Others were clearly done by seniors with dementia, folks with disabilities and small children. You looked into each basket  - and it just said 'community'. This message accompanied the stones ( in Spanish and English): 

"These were painted for you by your entire community ....seniors in retirement homes,  people with disabilities,  folks who are homeless,  school children,  families,  seniors self isolating and everyone else...even some 90 yr old nuns!!! They did this to say "You are appreciated and respected. Thank you for being an essential front-line worker during this pandemic. Marin is so grateful as you cope with a greatly altered workplace and serve  customers who are also facing stresses and challenges."

We are still making bugs and gift them to community helpers as mark of love and respect. Some of these now continue to be giant ones! 

Story by Good Fairy Julz and her mother, Diana 

My hero Fairy Angel Penny. I was at a moment of desperation. My oven had just exploded in a fireball in my face.

My first reaction, was to instantly assess my physical condition, and it seemed that although I had singed hair and my arm was a little bit red, I ran it under the faucet and got a wet cloth and put it on my arm.

I am a caregiver for my 92-year-old mother. I am the only person who cares for her. I have no back up plan for when I cannot serve her tea or change her channels or help her go to the bathroom.

Mother was oblivious to any of this, but as the minutes passed the pain got worse. I paced and tried to think what to do.

I moved to Marin about 2 months ago.  it has been my  life dream and accomplishment, after having gone through an ugly divorce. I knew I would feel at home here, a place I’ve never even been to, where I didn’t know a single soul. 

Here I was pacing in increased pain, Not knowing where the hospital was, not knowing who could take care of my mother and really not thinking I could drive at this point.

When I first moved here and needed someone to help me move my mother to this house, I got the name of Penny and the Good Fairies.

I had spoken to her on the phone at length and that meant a lot just having someone to connect to. I never thought I would need her in this big a way. 

I have been trying to put into words what it feels like when thank you is not enough.

What do you say when you are flabbergasted that a virtual stranger would go out of their way for you beyond What do you believe your own family would do?

The moment I saw Penny, I burst out in tears because I was in agony and also because I needed someone to take care of me.

When someone sees you at your worst The first time they meet you in person, and you haven’t even had a chance to make that personal impression, One feels exposed and naked and embarrassed in a way. But she saw me in a true light. 

She spoke to my mother and arranged for another blessed Good Fairy to come and watch my mother. (Thank you Kevan!!) She then drove me to the emergency room, stayed there for hours before going back to help with my mother and then came back to the emergency room to pick me up late at night and drive me to get my pain prescription. And drove me home. 

I don’t know that I will ever be as kind and generous as this Good Fairy was to me. I have been astounded. I could only hope that that kind of human kindness is something I can assimilate from her.

God Bless You Our Penn, and Kevan and Thank you for helping me in my hour of need but especially thank you for teaching me about true kindness.

Comment from Good Fairy - it was such a pleasure to support you and your lovely Mom ( who loves the show Murder She Wrote and one met Angela Landsbury! ).  You were incredibly brave, you were in SO much pain.  I'm so glad we got you care as fast as we could .  Hurray for incredibly strong pain killers.  Seeing you love the surprise of comfort fairy Pumpkin  Macphail waiting for you outside the hospital,  and then spending time playing with the Halloween toys in CVS at 12.45am  while waiting for your prescription with you was among my favorite all time Good Fairy moments.  I'm going to have to get you one of those creepy walking hands for Halloween. Love Penny xx 

#ibelieveinfairies #volunteermarin #volunteermarin 

When 88 yr old Grace contacted Good Fairy to discuss support we could offer,  we just adored her immediately.  She was keen to share details of her fascinating life.  She moved from Liverpool, England when she was 22. She was a big band singer (regrets having to give this up to raise a family with her second husband, Richard) , is still a professional knitter and trampolines every day! But she also spoke openly of a few struggles and of several tragedies that had marked her life.  She mentioned ( like so many folks)  grief over the passing of loved ones was overwhelming her during SIP.  For her, her nephew was especially on her mind,  he had passed from suicide many years ago. 

So we asked all about him,  and were deeply touched to realise this lady was Tommy Evan's Auntie.  If you don't know the story of Tommy and his band UK Badfinger do watch the video.  As The Ivies they were the first band to be signed to the Beatles' label,  the name was changed to Badfinger ( John Lennon wanted them to be called Glass Onion lol ), they sold 14 million albums,  performed on several Beatles songs, and Paul and George wrote several of their songs.  

One of their most famous and in my view most incredibly beautiful songs of all time is  'Without You' ..with it's memorable cry of anguish ' I can't live if living is without you'.  A song that now  carries with it the absolute tragedy that both vocalists passed away from suicide. First Pete Ham, and then, 8 years later,  Grace's beloved nephew, Tommy. 

Grace and her husband have been surrounded with love and thoughtful acts of comfort and kindness by many fairies. I'd like to share a few of  these. It's quite the most moving example of our community pulling together. 

• Grace and her husband were sad someone had borrowed their edition of Ron Matovina's ' Without You. The Tragic story of Badfinger' and not returned it. We tracked down a copy but it was incredibly expensive, $125 was the best we could find. Within 24 hours Good Fairy Graham had found an edition online for $80. And Good Fairy Chris ( who lives in Minnesota) covered the  cost.  We will deliver it to Grace and Richard as a surprise .

• Three fairies with a link to Liverpool and a passion for Tommy's music are set to call Grace for companionship calls.

• As Richard is limited in mobility, two fairies will meet Grace to offer some company for her on a gentle stroll to hear more about her incredible life. 

• Good Fairy Monica will support with shopping and errands alongside our friends at Marin Villages. 

• Good Fairy Liz will be her cooking fairy and will brighten their lives with a weekly home cooked meal.  We like to offer this for meal on wheels, if is one of the most loving and valued services our fairies do, and often leads to interesting recipe discoveries as we like to ask folks what meals they would really like ...perhaps a dish of cultural significance or linked to a fond memory. Grace didn't disappoint.  Liz is at this moment making ' Scouse' - a traditional stew from her Liverpool.  ( Here is is if you'd like to try it https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/155827-lfc-reveals-world-s-best-scouse-recipe)

• High Schooler Good Fairy Alexander who is hoping to study music at college next year has already visited Grace and played his acoustic guitar outside her home. He  will also be supporting Grace in learning to use her laptop.  I have been telling her about all the video clips of Tommy on youtube especially of his wedding day. Grace would love to see it.  She tells me they had two boys, Marianne never remarried. 

• There is the offer of someone to talk to about understanding/ coping with the suicide of a loved one.

• Grace is passionate about home grown tomatoes.  She now has a tomato fairy team with one senior supplying them and another delivering.  They will keep her in tomatoes for the remainder of this season and start up again next year. The first delivery contained a note, so she will know how fondly the grower remembers her nephew. 

• And  - rather exciting. A music fairy is going to take the one precious cassette tape of Grace performing with a Big Band and digitize it.  High School fairy Alexander had never seen a casette tape before lol so Good Fairy Hamish will be handling this. I love how we mix the expertise of generations. I can't wait to hear it. She says the whole family was exceptionally musical.....and reprimanding herself for boasting ....some said she was the best of the lot! 

• We are also looking for a companionship caller for her husband.  A quiet man who enjoys reading but also another fascinating life story to share.  As if being married to Grace wasn't exciting enough ....he was a criminal detective! 

It takes a community to help a community.  

#ibelieveinfairies #volunteermarin #volunteermarin 

 When shutdown restrictions were lifted, and cleaners were able to clean again,  Good Fairy Penny could not have been more excited to encounter Brad Pitt on her doorstep when her clean team returned.

Like many Marin households, her family had continued to pay these guys throughout the shutdown.  As they caught up on news via Penny’s fluent use of Google translate lol ..Penny mentioned her work founding Good Fairy.  

A few days later, team lead Wilfredo texted to ask if they could repay her kindness by offering to clean the home of someone Good Fairy was supporting,  free of charge. We selected Good Fairy Martha who is a low income senior also coping with disabilities. Like many folks in Marin, she has been struggling to find affordable care giver help that would extend to cleaning and organizing. And this isn’t a service even Good Fairy can offer. Her home was mounting problem that was overwhelming and upsetting for her. 

A team of three went to work on Martha’s home for a couple of hours, singing, laughing, astoundingly thorough and fast in their work as always and chatting away to her in Spanish. here are two of the cleaning ladies  Wilfredo’s wife, Vilma, and her sister Miriam. They left Martha to marvel at her neat, organized living room and bedroom, spotless kitchen and her particular joy … squeaky clean windows. At the door she realize Wilfred had even thoroughly raked her yard and driveway.  

As they departed,  perhaps most importantly, they left her glowing with the sense it had all been their pleasure.    

Contact penny@goodfairy.org if you need a recommendation for a pretty special clean team.

In the picture, left is Miriam (sister to Vilma), right is Wilfredo's wife, Vilma  (masks removed for photo) 

For more Good Fairy Tales. see www.goodfairy.org/fairy-community/fairy-tales

#ibelieveinfairies #volunteermarin #volunteermarin 

On 4th July we hosted the first annual International Good Fairy 4th July Pet Parade. A chance for everyone to reach out to those alone at home on the holiday ..with a little furry fun. 

We invited everyone to grab their pet if they had one and also invited British participants.  (Good Fairy being founded by a Northern Irish person). This was a chance for Americans to revel in their freedom and for Brits to see what they'd escaped....especially  corn dogs and funnel cakes which were described in graphic detail.  We met at noon in California at at 8pm in the UK.   

Over the course of an hour we had 15 people. Four from Northern Ireland, two from Yorkshire in England,  four from Fairfax, one from San Geronimo Valley and four from Sleepy Hollow. 

We had 10 dogs and 4 cats  on screen..some were perfectly behaved, some were perfectly behaved while the treats were flowing ( and yes I am looking at you ...Pumpkin and Noodle! )  and several ran away and were chased by people or cameras to be viewed in preferred snoozing spots.  And two cats refused to lower themselves to appear at the event. 

Good Fairy Deb from Sleepy Hollow who has been sheltering alone with a particularly cute fluffbucket called Barney  for the duration,  said it was the next best thing to a real hug. 

Thank you to all who made it  - and many more who loved the idea but had clashes with virtual or real happenings and will join in next time.  Happy 4th! 

And dagnamit  - I was having too much fun and forgot to take a screen shot!

It was our honor to play a small role in supporting Frekkie in her last day. One filled with a trip to visit some goats, a surprising amount of cat treats, and such a lovely long cuddle as she snoozed off over the rainbow.

It was so very tough for the ‘parents’, Susanne and John, Frekkie was their only child, they had cherished her for 18 yrs, loved her all the more during the shutdown as many pet owners have. When it became clear the kindest thing to do would be to have her put to sleep..

They were distraught they couldn’t be there for her at the end. Because of Covid 19, Dr Katie from Fairfax Veterinary Clinic was not allowed to make a house call, and because of their status,  it would not have been wise to go into the surgery.

Good Fairy Penny suggested she represent them. Susanne and John felt a crumb of comfort from the idea and Dr Katie was super encouraging. Penny went to the vets never having met Frekkie before and........................

.... fell in love with her on sight.  Saying she was representing the owners was no longer just words. She was. 

As the vet’s super busy office bustled around them, Dr Katie gave Penny and Frekkie a room to spend time getting to know each other. She then gave Frekkie a relaxing shot and told Penny she could have all the time and cuddling that the world could still offer Frekkie. So when the time came – it was really not noticeable, a gentle drift off from a snoozey cuddle.  

But Susanne and John were in bits. : " Thank you Penny.  You truly are an angel.   My heart is just still empty my tears aren’t stopping.   She was my best friend.   Now it’s just the two of us.  Both sad "  

A few days later it was Susanne and John’s 32nd wedding anniversary. They weren’t doing too well. Even the goats had left their area. 

Good Fairy Katie received a call from Fairyland. She was asked to take pictures Susanne had posted online as her favorites of Frekkie and have them printed for her as she doesn’t have a printer.  Katie got those pictures printed, added a gorgeous picture of the goats !!! and had them framed before dropping them off as an anniversary gift from the Good Fairy Community. 

Susanne: "It’s so beautiful.  And framed too.  We cannot thank u enough.  And love that goat pic" 

Penny: "That was allll Good Fairy Kathy. She did us all proud!!"

Susanne: "Yes she did."