I live in a small town in semi-rural New Jersey.  Well at least it was semi-rural when I moved here 17 years ago.  Brookside is a historic town dating back to 1749 before there was a United States of America. It’s a quiet little town with less people living here now than there were during the American Revolution.  This area was pro American and General Washington had his headquarters just 5 miles away in Morristown.

Every year, the big event in town is the Fourth of July Parade.  I have seen every one since moving here in 1994 – except last year when Erin and I were in Nepal.  It’s a quaint little parade with boys scouts and girl scouts, fire trucks and tractors, family floats and even a mini parade within the parade – “the pooch parade”.  Folks sit along the sides of East Main Street or watch from their porches as their friends and neighbors pass by in celebration of our nation’s independence.

It’s the kind of community affair that is slowly disappearing from America.  It’s one day where we all slow down and re-connect with one another.  Each year we honor a Community Service recipient.  This year the award went to Maggie Doyne.  Brookside is in Mendham Township, so technically, Maggie isn’t a resident because she lives in the next town over, Mendham Borough. Mendham Township actually circles around the borough like a donut and the two towns share the same high school. That’s how Maggie and Erin know each other, they were in the same graduating class. But Maggie has become our local hero and we all claim her as our own.

In 2005, Erin went off to college  like most kids did in her graduating class.  Maggie took a gap year that turned into a different life’s path for her. And what a path she has taken. It’s amazing what Maggie has done  at such a young age.  She is twenty four years old and has built a home for 35 orphaned children whom she lives with in Nepal, as well as built a school for over 250 children.  She has not only been an inspiration for our film project, but has motivated countless others who have heard her story.

Watch Video of Maggie in July 4th Parade
Maggie July 4th USA For Web

I put together a few clips of Maggie at the last Monday’s parade.  I’d like her children to see Maggie riding in the convertible, throwing candy to children in the little town that she grew up in – on the Fourth of July in the USA.

May 25, 2011. It has been exactly one year since we left the country on our three-month journey. I remember exactly how I was feeling that morning when we left at 6am. Incredibly excited, a little nervous, ready for adventure, and prepared to take on the world. Also nauseous – I got sick in the car within 10 minutes of leaving the house, a wonderful start to my relationship with malaria pills (that was before I learned not to take them first thing in the morning).

Then came the first airport, the first plane ride (which actually turned out to be our longest flight on the whole trip), the first airplane food…many firsts and each one as exciting as the next. I remember thinking on that first day, this is going to be an incredible adventure. And it was.

It’s crazy to me that a whole year has already passed from that departure date. On the one hand, it does seem like a lot of time has gone by and many things have happened since then; almost like it was another lifetime. But I can also still remember how hot it was in Nepal, how many bug bites I acquired over the trip, and many of the hundreds of special moments and conversations that I had with my mom. No matter how many years go by, there are certainly things that I will never forget.

The timing of the rough draft coming out this week seems strangely perfect and almost divinely planned. Not only will I be home to see it, but it will be a perfect ending to the first year of the project’s production. I’m excited to re-live those three months and I can’t wait to see the finished product.

Happy 1-year Anniversary, Opening Our Eyes!

I’m anxiously waiting to see a rough cut from my editor Erik Freeland of Springhouse Films. Maybe “anxious” isn’t the right word because it kind of implies that I’m nervous when I’ve not at all. Erik and I have had conversations that confirm in my mind I picked the best editor for this film. It’s the little things he’s said – the comments he’s made about sound bites etc. that affirm in my mind that he understands the story to be told.

I’ve also been kicking around different titles – other than Opening Our Eyes. I’ve contemplated changing the title to the Power of One but I’ve decided against it.

Getting a "little help from our friends".

The reason is, even though each and every one of my subjects is an extraordinary individual, they would all tell you that they aren’t alone in their efforts. Every one has support in some form or another. They could be financial supporters, staff people on their foundations, volunteers, or family and friends that are always there for them.

I know I could never have done this without the support and encouragement of others. When I first thought of this undertaking, I thought I would do it solo. It never would have occurred to me to involve my daughter because she had left the nest, taken up roots in another city and started her own life. Now looking back, I know that I could not have done this without her. And of course, I could have never pulled this off without all the back support from my husband.

I have been blessed to be in a position to work with a great editor. I have been blessed to have incredible friends who have helped me with their feedback on the trailer, the music I chose, the still images I’ve selected and how I phrase things in my written correspondence. A true collaboration of spirits. This past week, I’ve been particularly blessed by the help of two very good friends. I won’t give you the details just yet – because I don’t want to jinx what we’ve been working on. I have grown so much with the help of these special people because I’ve opened my mind up to their suggestions. They may critique my approach at times, but they know they can do that without offending – because I’m eager to learn.

Most of all, I’m grateful to all of you and all my “backers”. Just knowing that there were people out there following our journey and cheering us on – gave us the strength to carry on. You all are the best and I thank you for sticking with us. If we’ve been quiet on the blogging site – it’s because we’ve been really busy taking this to the next step and that is getting this film “out there”. That’s when the magic will really happen and I want all of you to know – it could have never happened without you.

In the words of Marian Kramer “We’ve got to shine each other up.”

Last Wednesday I spent the day with Maggie Doyne, a family friend, neighbor and subject of our film Opening Our Eyes. We spent the afternoon looking at hours of footage that we shot when we visited Maggie and her children in Nepal last summer.

It was a wonderful afternoon,

Gail and Maggie in Mendham,NJ

we talked, we looked at the footage that I hadn’t seen in awhile and we had a nice simple lunch. Being with Maggie is like getting a shot of goodness and it brought back a lot of nice memories of the journey that Erin and I took last summer.

It’s hard to believe that next month it will be a year since we left on our global journey. There are days that the trip is so fresh in my mind and others when it seems like a distant memory. I am still so hands on with the project – editing but for Erin it must seem like it happened in another lifetime.

Maggie said something that really rang true. As she watched the interview and other footage that we shot of her at the Kopila Valley Children’s Home and School she remarked how far she and all the people at Kopila Children’s Home had come since then. When we were there shooting, the school was still under construction even though classes had already begun. And the new kitchen hadn’t been finished yet either. Now both are completed and used on a daily basis.

I thought about how I had been feeling this past winter as I spent 14 hours a day, every day in the editing room for two months solid and I couldn’t see an end in sight to this film becoming a reality. But now it’s in the hands of a great editor with a due date to be completed late next month. When we started our journey almost a year ago, I never imagined that I would still be so entrenched with this project a year later. But then I look back from where I came and I can see how far I’ve come. I needed to be reminded to look back every now and then and observe from that perspective.

Thanks Maggie once again for your inspiration.