This Auction has been the most amazing experience for me. It has been a lot of work, but the rewards have been so great that I am thinking I may have to make this an annual event. Next year I think I will have readers nominate a family in need and then we will choose a family from those nominated and do an auction for them.
Really, the spirit of Christmas is so infused into this auction that it just makes me feel all warm inside. I mean I have really seen the goodness of the human spirit come out over the past 12 days. I have seen generous donations and bids. I have seen friends and strangers trying to help out a sister in need. I have seen cancer patients and bereaved mothers donating their handmade goods to help raise money. More than one of the items donated were handmade by women currently undergoing chemo. I mean come on! If that isn't the spirit of Christmas ...
It is the spirit of sacrifice. And it is one of the most beautiful and touching things to behold. It is the greatest gift we can give at this Christmas season. For it is in like manner that the Father sacrificed his Only Begotten and let Him come to Earth for a season to show us the way Home.
So thank you to all of you for showing me your gifts of sacrifice and helping me magnify the spirit of Christmas this year.
Now for the RESULTS!!!
I will share with you here the tally of all the winning bids. That information I do have. It is not however the final amount raised by the auction that I will be putting in the Memorial Fund. You see, the sacrificing spirit has carried over beyond the bidding and many of our winners (and even some who didn't win) are paying more than they bid. They are rounding up or, in some cases, doubling or more their bids. And I have even had a few donations from people who didn't take part in the auction online.
So it is impossible for me to tally the total we will together have raised to help out Emily through this Auction until I receive all the payments. I WILL share that information as soon as I have it. In fact I will take a photo of my computer screen after I deposit the money in Emily's Memorial Fund so you can all see that the money got there.
But for now the tally of JUST the winning bids (not including donations I have received) is:
$5,820.50
