Thread by @aunties_the

End of year gratitude thread, incoming.
It's very long, and it's impt.
Thank you.
BEAR WITH.

1/17 Today, on eve of the anniversary of my husband's death, and the eve of the start of a new decade, there is much to be grateful for.

After Ian died, Phil stepped in for a month and met the needs of the women of the Aunties whānau.

2/17 She has now stepped up even more, and coordinates the donations, and does the online food shopping for our whanau, as well as other stuff behind the scenes.

3/17 We are currently paying her to do this job part time, and I am grateful she has decided that, for the moment, we are able to provide an outlet for her organisational skills!

I am grateful for Karolynne who took over the running of the storage unit, and kept it clean + tidy

4/17 Who took what women needed to them, who met women there so they could get what they needed. She is a whirlwind of organisation and planning. I am also grateful to her for her input into the running of this organisation.

5/17 I am grateful to Dianne who in the face of her own tragedy and loss took over from K and now keeps the storage unit as a functioning and happy place when people are in need.

6/17 She meets people there, picks people up, delivers stuff to people who need it, and just generally is a quiet force to be reckoned with.

I am grateful to Kiri who provides advice and succour to me personally, and to so many of the women in the Aunties whānau.

7/17 She meets new women with me in a professional capacity as a social worker and also looks after Iggy when I am unable to take him somewhere.

8/17 I am grateful to Kylie for her energy and love, for stepping up into a more involved role with new women, and for keeping my home organised so I can do my do. I am also grateful for her advice in matters in which I have no life experience.

9/17 I am grateful to Mac who provides us with a drop off place, and a storage space for stuff that won't fit into our own.

I am grateful to the women of the Aunties whanau, without which this work wouldn't exist, without which my life would not exist in such a happy state.

10/17 They have, in the last 7 years, given me everything. Knowledge, experience, and a lot of love. I do this work for a number of reasons: because I can, because I should, because I'm good at it.

11/17 But mostly because it is my sincere belief that pākeha women like me live on the backs of Māori women. That all the things that have been so easy for me to access in my life have been deliberately withheld from people like my girls.

12/17 I am thankful that they recognise that, and that when they need resources they are starting to understand that it is their right to ask, and to recieve. I am mostly grateful to know and love so many shiny fuckers.

13/17 I am grateful to the Aunties Board who are supportive of the work I do, and (mostly) just let me get on and do it, whilst ensuring that all the t's are crossed and all the i's are dotted.

14/17 Who get my kaupapa, and wholeheartedly embrace it. Who understand that the eventual goal, for me, is that the women in this whānau are running the show. That those who are the Aunties In Charge are those whose lived experiences inform our kaupapa, our work, our very being.

15/17 And finally, I am grateful to all of you. To our regular subscribers, and donors - we could not do this work without you. Meeting the women's needs every year is hellish expensive, and whatever comes in goes straight out again, so know that you are integral to this work

16/ 17 We don't recieve grants or funding, you are our everything, and we really like it like that. We like that the people who financially keep us afloat get this work, get what we're doing, as unusual as it is, and support us wholeheartedly.

17/17 To those of you who follow us and cheer us on, thank you so much. I cannot count the number of times I've been out and about and someone has come up and hugged me, and told me they follow our page. Thank you. Your support, and your love, are incredibly important to us.