Big step forward

Probably most people would say that they want to go forward and increase their income, their knowledge, their circle of friends, and so on. Heading forward is looked at as something positive. Standing still can become boring, no matter how comfortable it might be, and going backward is like giving up. How fast should we move through and should we work with others along the way, or do it all by ourselves?

I'm sure you can already guess what I am going to say. Together is always better.  There is strength in numbers and teamwork gets things done quicker.  Also, imagine how much help you can offer to those with less experience, and think of the help too, that can be offered to you.

 

So fast, or slow?  Baby steps or big ones?  Well sometimes you just have to take a risk.  A big step forward can have wonderful results, but it might be a little scary too.  Think about how much you believe in what you are doing and what is at stake.  Don't be afraid to ask friends and loved ones for their take on it too.  Asking for advice does not make you weak - it makes you smart. 

 

As 2021 winds down and we head to a brand-new year, let's all head forward, at a pace that is comfortable for us, and let's plan on winning.  Along the way, let's reach out to others and help them in their steps forward as well.  All the best to you in 2022!

A very pleasant journey

The music of Journey brings me great joy. Their songs are legendary:  After All These Years, Don't Stop Believin', Separate Ways (Worlds Apart), Open Arms, Faithfully, and of course Lights.  I must admit to usually getting a few tears when I hear lights.  Music has a superpower.  It makes us feel good.  Jonathan Cain's keyboards are always perfect and Arnel Pineda's voice is like a foretaste of heaven.

If for some reason you don't know about Journey, do yourself a favor and go to youtube or your favorite platform, and listen.  I know you will be pleased.

It's not just the music though.  There is a whole lot more.  Sometimes when someone is famous, they become puffed up and conceited, but these guys seem to be so very kind and down-to-earth.  I was looking recently at comments from lead singer Arnel Pineda talking about spreading the love.  Oh my!  We do indeed need more of that.  I've actually written about Arnel here in the past, and I have a feeling I will write more in the future.  He's one-of-a-kind.

Enjoy your last day of 2021 and take a very pleasant journey with the music of Journey. 

End of Year Donations

This year has been challenging, VERY challenging. The pandemic shut down many economic sectors, which lead to increased homelessness, higher unemployment and surging food insecurity. When people don't have money, they don't give money, and so many nonprofits are struggling under increased demand for services and decreased support. 

I'm aware of how hard it is for so many, but at the same time, some have remained financially stable, and in some cases even done better. Some businesses have reworked their plan and now do different or additional things (such as producing masks or sanitizer products) and have increased revenue. 

My point here is that we are all in different financial situations, but charities can always use a hand. Many of them will be asking for end of year donations, and if charitable giving is important to you, perhaps there is a way you can help out. Take care of your own needs of course, but if 2021 has been good to your pocketbook, consider an extra donation to some of your favorite nonprofits.

Your own person of the year

We are getting closer and closer to the end of 2021 and I was thinking this morning about who I might choose as Person of the Year. (I do have someone in mind).  Time Magazine of course does this annually and most of the time I have agreed with their choices (although not always).   How about if instead of this big overall person Time chooses, we all came up with our own person of the year?

Is there someone who really made an impact on you in 2021? Think about it. Perhaps a famous person did something that you felt personally or perhaps someone you work with or a friend or a relative did something that was so significant that it really made your life better.  

Some organizations choose an annual person of the year and some do it in various categories. Each one of us could do the same thing. The persons we choose wouldn't get an article about them or a magazine cover, but perhaps if someone really made a difference in your life this year, you could simply tell them!

We do still have a few days left of course and Time already made their choices but think about it for a moment. Who would YOU choose?

Habari Gani?

The second day of Christmas each year also happens to be the first day of Kwanzaa, so there is plenty of reason to keep on celebrating. (New Year's is next week, too). The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is "Habari Gani?" which, in Swahili, simply means "How are you?" or "What's the News?"

So, just what is the news on this unity day, the first day of Kwanzaa? Are we united? Can we strive for and maintain unity in the family, the community, and in our nation? Kwanzaa was established in part, as a means to help African Americans reconnect with their culture and heritage. The bumpy race-relations in this country, which seem to have gotten worse in recent years, cannot be a part of any kind of celebrating, but the coming together of people for the better good, should always be embraced. 

People have taken to the streets in many parts of the country and cried out "enough!" There needs to be true equality, which we get from unity. Perhaps we will truly have it one day.  Of course, that only happens when people care.  I would love to see Kwanzaa more widely celebrated and I'd like to learn more about it too.  

Let's all learn about each other, and care about each other.  What a wonderful way to celebrate!

Mother's Letter to Her Gay Son

I came across this Christmas letter and I wanted to share it with you here once again. Of course, it wasn't written for this Christmas, but that really doesn't matter. I think I first shared it here four or five years ago. I don't know who the author is and I don’t even know if this is true or if it is fiction, but I was quite touched by it, and I hope you are too!

My dear Jacob,

As I was going through a box of keepsakes, I came across a Christmas list you had written when you were a young boy. On the list were things we could easily find in stores, and I always enjoyed finding them for you, wrapping them up and putting them under our tree. You were always so appreciative and opened them with great joy. The joy Papa and I felt was even greater.

There is only one gift I want to give you this year. I have wanted to give it to you for many years. I have tried in every way possible to find a way to give it to you. It would bring me the greatest joy of all.

How do I give you equality? How do I give you back the years you have missed "not being equal" in this world?

Your high school and college years should have been ones where you dated and went to proms and dances with someone you were attracted to and wanted to spend time with as a couple. You should not have had to spend those years working for your equality. You should not have had to defend your dignity. You should not have had to miss out on the simple pleasures of a young teen and a young adult.

There is no way I can give you back those years, those times when you should have been having fun, enjoying life, and growing from those experiences. You had a passion for justice even as a child.

I remember when you were 4 and refused to eat supper until I had actually written the check for Save the Children. You were the watchdog in your kindergarten classroom after you felt your teacher was wrong to rip up a child's painting in front of the class in her effort to teach them to write their names on their papers. On that day you spoke truth to power so eloquently as you confronted your teacher after school.

As soon as you came out to us, you wanted to start a gay/straight alliance at your high school. We worried for your safety, but even more for the isolation it might have brought as you worked to make it happen. You reached out to students, teachers, and the administration and created your school's first gay/straight alliance.

When you were in college and heard that there were students being kicked out of colleges simply because they were gay, you founded another organization to confront that terrible wrong. Each of those times you taught me to take action and not be silent in the face of injustice. You have led me, and you have taught me throughout your life. Maybe that is why it is so hard for me to face Christmas each year and not be able to wrap up the one gift I most want to give you.

As a mother, it is such a part of my being to want to nurture and love my children. It is the mother in me that wants to protect and provide for you. It is the mother in me that is hurting so much when I am helpless in being able to give you the one gift, I have wanted to give you since the day you told us you were gay.

I want to give you equality. I want to wrap it up in a beautiful box, and I want to put it under our tree right now. I want to see you open it on Christmas Eve and with great joy live with it all your days.

I love you,
           Mama

Oh Night Divine

This is the night the angels sing about. This is the wonderful night that every kid anxiously awaits. It's my favorite night of the year - always has been. I know many who celebrate Christmas, put the emphasis on tomorrow, but my family is one of the Christmas Eve families. It's only morning right now, but I still feel as if I could burst into song!

Fall on your knees
O hear the Angels voices.
O night divine
O night when Christ as born

Whether you celebrate tonight, tomorrow, for the full twelve days of Christmas, or not at all, my wish for you is happiness and joy - not just on this night, but always!

Happy Holidays!

Some folks think I'm a Scrooge.  I'm not.  I love Christmas.  It is one of the happiest things I can think of.  It has always been that way.  When I was a little kid, the President of the United States was shot and killed.  It was far from where we lived, but that day in Dallas made me afraid.  I couldn't get to sleep.  Mom said to think of something happy.  I did.  I thought of Christmas.  (It worked too, by the way).

The way I celebrate Christmas is very traditional and it seems fewer and fewer people celebrate that way, but that's okay.  I suppose that's one reason I like hearing "Happy Holidays!"  There are a number of holidays at this time of year, and folks celebrate in different ways.  

I don't start listening to Christmas music at the beginning of December, even though some people do and I don't put up a Christmas tree before Thanksgiving, but I do put one up. Many people will be taking down there tree tomorrow or the next day, but not me.   I'll be decorating tomorrow night, and those decorations will stay up until the sixth of January.  Different customs.  Different ways of celebrating.  I'm no Scrooge though.  I love Christmas.

There are those of course who don't celebrate Christmas at all.  Perhaps another occasion will be on their list.  Perhaps.  We are all different and that is okay.  Maybe you won't celebrate anything at all until we say goodbye to 2021 and ring in the new year.  Whatever your custom is, may you be happy with it.

 

food for everyone

Seeing folks drop canned goods in the many collection barrels at this time of year, always warms my heart.  There are actually places that have year-round collections and how wonderful is that? The need certainly doesn't only exist at the end of the year.  We hear about canned food drives around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but the need seems to always be there.

 

It would be wonderful if nobody ever had to go a day hungry.  There are obvious health issues if you don't eat regularly, and your over-all personal feeling is certainly affected by the food you consume.  Think about how that delicious Thanksgiving dinner made you feel last week, or that nice crisp bacon you enjoyed before leaving the house this morning.  

 

While those collection barrels at your local stores and churches and organizations are certainly helpful, they are not enough.  This rich country of ours needs to do more to address the issue.  There needs to be food for everyone and there needs to be ways for this to happen.  Government assistance is part of it and there are a number of wonderful organizations out there stepping up.  One such organization is called No Kid Hungry, and I urge you to take a look at their website at http://www.nokidhungry.org/ and check out Feeding America at http://www.feedingamerica.org too.

 

There is a lot more we can talk about and there is something each of us can do.  That can in the barrel is certainly a good beginning.  We are not going to solve the hunger problem in the United States today, but at least we can make a start.

can you spare some food?

Food drives are popular this time of year. There is often a big push for food around Thanksgiving and again around Christmas. In many communities there are numerous programs. In many larger communities, there are year-round programs, which is a good thing - the need is certainly there!  This year during the pandemic, the need is even greater.

 

I don't know whether you think much about these things, but that extra can of tuna that cost you just a buck or the boxes of mac and cheese for about the same price can really help someone who has absolutely nothing. If your income is low and you don't have much, don't think you have to donate fifty or a hundred dollars worth of groceries to make a difference. Your can of tuna and your neighbor's box of mac and cheese and the chicken noodle soup that the retired school teacher put in, all add up. Yes, every single contribution helps!

 

I'm not saying just give one thing - give as much as you feel you are able to. The important thing, as always, is involvement. We all have the capacity to help!  Maybe time is something you can more easily spare.  Consider volunteering for a food bank.  Being hungry is not pleasant and we all can help put and end to hunger.  This is something I hope more folks will think about next month too and throughout the year, not just during the holidays.

 

what can we do about AIDS?

Today, as you probably know, is World AIDS Day. How many of you remember life before there was AIDS?  Let's get to a day where once again, it doesn't exist.  Yes, things are much better than they once were, but better isn't good enough.  I want to keep working at this, until there's a cure.

So just what can we do about AIDS? Well to start out, we can be part of the fight - not just on World AIDS Day or when I ask for a donation for AIDS Walk - not just right now as you read this, but until there's a cure. Also we should all know our own status. It is so easy to get tested too. If you have a doctor of your own, you might want to do it there, but there are also so many other places to get tested, especially if you live in a major city. Oh and if you live in a small town and are afraid, take a short vacation to the big city and while you are checking out the sites, have an AIDS test too.

Check out the AIDS Healthcare Foundation at http://www.aidshealth.org/ too. There are a number of great resources there. In your own community there are probably a number of organizations that deal with AIDS too. Consider donation money and volunteering. Perhaps you could even hold a fundraiser or some kind or start a program that benefits people with AIDS. When we all work together, we can do so much good.

Want some more things you can do? Say a prayer. Write a check. Attend a vigil. Help a person with AIDS shop or clean house. Care. Write letters. Wear a red ribbon. Stay educated. Help dispel the myths. Help provide meals. The list really can go on and on. This is not just a December 1st thing, it's an everyday thing. Care.