with grateful hearts

While most of you are gobbling up turkey today, I know that great sadness is present for many too.  If you lost a loved one around this time of year or if it's the first big holiday without a certain relative or friend, it can be difficult.  Remembering the Jonestown Massacre, the JFK Assassination, or the Moscone - Milk murders, all of which occurred in late November, or thinking of the passing of a favorite celebrity like David Cassidy, can put a cloud on the festivities.

There has been a lot of bad news in general these days, and especially the many instances of sexual inappropriateness, and that can also put a damper on the cheerfulness that usually accompanies a holiday like this.  None of this means we shouldn't be thankful and none of this means we shouldn't celebrate.

Thanksgiving Day is one of the most basic kinds of holidays.  It's centered around family, friends, food, and tradition.  At the heart of it all is our grateful attitude.  We all have something to be thankful for - it might not seem like it at times, but there is something. 

I recently asked some of my friends what they are thankful for.  One person was grateful to have recovered enough from a stroke that he can return to work.  Another person said they were grateful their spouse beat her cancer.  My sister told me this week she is grateful for me!  I'm personally grateful for many things, including my health, my friends and family, and for being connected to so many people. 

With a truly grateful heart, I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving!

Cherish is the word

David Cassidy passed away yesterday.  It wasn't a huge surprise - he had been hospitalized for several days in critical condition.  It is still sad news though.  He was only 67.  It might be a surprise though to see me writing about him.  This is where I tell of heroes, but as I have often said, not all heroes wear capes.

David Cassidy didn't have the smoothest of lives.  There were multiple marriages, health issues, problems with alcohol, and even some legal matters, but for most of his life, David did something that made him happy and made him famous:  he entertained.  When people sang along with his song he smiled.  When he say he was making someone happy, he was happy too.  That would seem to be the best reason to be a performer, but se certainly cannot say this about all in the business.

David did things for charity, and this became especially true after his mother died from Alzheimer’s, having spent her last years in a nursing home.  David bravely shared with the world that he too had dementia, and retired from performing.  He had brought attention though to a health matter that really doesn't get much attention.  This month also happens to be National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month.  We can use David Cassidy's death as another reason to get involved and learn more about dementia and what can be done.

Danny Bonaduce‏, who co-starred as David Cassidy's younger brother on The Partridge Family, last night tweeted "I have known, loved, and admired David Cassidy for 48 out of my 58 years. He has been as kind to me as any real brother could ever be. We’ve been through a lot together and he was always there for me. This loss is huge."

Last night the internet lit up with news about David's death and words of love were in abundance.  "Come On Get Happy" wasn't just a song he sang, it was really his mission and there is ample proof of this as the world mourns his loss.  I'll always have a special place for this special guy.  I suppose cherish is the word.

Thanks Whoopi

She's a comedian, actress, author, activist, tv host, and from everything I have every heard, a darn nice person.  I've never met Whoopi Goldberg, but I have been entertained by her for as long as I can remember, and I don't think there is another person I respect and admire more than her.

The whole purpose of this blog has always been to suggest ways of getting involved and making a difference in our world, and to spotlight those everyday heroes who are courageously helping to make this a better place.  Ms Goldberg could easily be the poster-person for this blog.  She is always her true self and says (and does) what it needed when it is needed.  She is certainly not one of those celebrities who sits on her throne, expecting the whole world to bow down to her.

Her support for lgbtq rights is unwavering.  It's not just talk either.  You will see Whoopi Goldberg out on the front lines, not just here in the US, but she called a couple of years ago for global solidarity with lgbtq sisters and brothers in Uganda and Nigeria.  She also helped launch the Give A Damn campaign (with Cyndi Lauper).

I could spend the entire morning writing about how this incredible woman is always giving.  I could talk at length about her wonderful movie roles (I actually watched some of the filming of Sister Act ), her comedy, and her daily gig on The View.  Instead, I just want to say happy birthday to this amazing and inspiring woman, and say thanks for making a difference!

Make it stop

Yesterday, as you no doubt already know, there was another church shooting with more than two dozen people killed including the Pastor's daughter and a pregnant women.  Mass shootings have become so common, and sadly so many of them have been happening in churches. 

Remember when churches were considered a safe place to be?  Remember when churches were sanctuaries?  Remember when our country was a safe place?  For some of us it seems like a long time ago.

Killing is happening somewhere every single day.  Hate is at an all time high.  It doesn't have to be this way though.  We can make it stop.  Just recently someone said to me "there will always be hate, but there will always be love too."  I hope they are wrong about the hate.  I really think we have the power to drive hate out and replace it with only love.  We can at least try.

I don't have a specific solution, but I know that when people come together, we can do great things.  Let's do that.  Let's make a difference.  Let's make the killing stop.

Life is a picnic

Have you ever heard someone say "It's no picnic? It means that something is not particularly easy or pleasant. There may be a lot of things we can say that about, but if we try, we just might be able to make picnics everyday. Seriously.

Over the weekend, I was in the park with friends and neighbors doing all of the traditional things - listening to music, chatting with each other, playing games, and of course eating delicious burgers, hot dogs, salads, and cookies. It was a picnic indeed!

"When things are a bit tense, when life is not going at its best, when the potential for disaster is just around the corner, when your enemies are all around you - and even staring you down! - that's when God lays out the red-checkered picnic cloth and says, "Oooo, this is a nice place. Let's hang out here together for a while. . .just you and me." That's what David Brazzeal says in Pray Like a Gourmet: Creative Ways to Feed Your Soul (a very good read, by the way). Brazzeal is giving us his idea of what Psalm 23 is all about. Yes, God spreads a picnic for us - if we let him.

Not a lot of money in your pocket? Health not what you would like it to be? You don't know a lot of people? So many excuses we allow to turn us in the negative direction, and it is certainly true that every day is not as pleasant as the next, but why give up? When I look back at yesterday, I realize how simple it was. We didn't eat fancy food. We didn't have live entertainment. We didn't spend a lot of money on sports equipment. We could probably have scaled back and had an even more simple get-together, and still have had a lot of fun. Life is a picnic, if we allow it to be.

Cora and Dan

A few months ago I wrote here about this incredible place in Chelsea, Michigan called Barn Sanctuary which the human pictured here, Dan McKernan, founded to  rescue, rehabilitate, and care for farm animal refugees.  I've been following their adventures, and am finally getting back here to say some more.

If you love animals, the stories on their website and their facebook page, will warm your heart.  Dan is a saint and seems to enjoy every single minute he spends with these lovely creatures.  He's not alone - his dad and a few others comprise the staff and then there are volunteers that help as well.  Oh and donations keep the place running.  I'm sure you can imagine that a LOT of money is needed, so if you are able, help them out.

Check out their blog too and https://www.barnsanctuary.org/blog/ and learn all kinds of things, including how to go vegan.  If the picture here of Cora and her beautiful cow eyes doesn't get you, I'm sure other stories from their website will melt your heart. 

I wish they were closer, I'd be there in a second!  Volunteer support is essential to the animals at Barn Sanctuary, and information is available concerning that as well as just about anything you might want to know, on their website.  For frequent updates, follow them on facebook too at https://www.facebook.com/thebarnsanctuary/

In Remembrance

Two years ago on this date, a very dear friend of mine passed away.  During his forty-two years of life, he made friends wherever he went, traveling to 43 countries and 47 US states, he was a man rich in faith, in ideas, and in compassion for others.  I hope the entire world will remember him with love, as I most certainly will remember him.

Great women and men live and die every day, doing marvelous deeds and making a difference in our world.  So many of them are never acknowledged.  That's not why they care - why they give back so much, but it would be nice if they could be remembered.

In Ecclesiasticus (called Sirach in some Bibles) it speaks of our ancestors in chapter 44 and says of them "Some of them have left behind a name, so that others declare their praise.  But of others there is no memory; they have perished as though they had never existed; they have become as though they had never been born, they and their children after them. But these also were godly men, whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten; Their offspring will continue for ever, and their glory will never be blotted out.  Their bodies are buried in peace, but their name lives on generation after generation."

Say the names of those we know.  Say Wilson, Teddy, Bill, Mary, Fay, Richard Jonathan, Eddie, Cindy, and Brian.  Say the names of the others too.  Think about all who have made a difference.  Hold in your mind the good memories of all who worked for good.  Of the ones we don't know and have never heard about, be aware that good women and man are always among us, and their hard work helped make a better world.

Pause for a moment today and help me remember my friend, and I will remember yours.  Please feel free to add names and positive memories in the comments section below.