Changing more than just a year

Tomorrow we begin writing 2016 on all of our documents, but at midnight tonight, we can be changing a whole lot more than just a year. Has 2015 been less than you had hoped for? All the more reason then to make 2016 even better. No, we don't control the world, and we certainly don't even control much of what goes on around us, but we do control how we will react and what we will contribute. We can moan and groan about everything going to hell in a handbasket, or we can get involved and see some real change happen.

Again, I'm not going to say there is some kind of magic answer. There have been a lot of negative things in the news this year, but there has been a lot of good too. We can celebrate that good and let it inspire us to work for more.

Time magazine always comes out with a Person of the Year. Some television programs do that too. How about if each of us does likewise? Was there someone who got you motivated in 2015? Did somebody really inspire you this year? Think about it. Choose your own Person of the Year, in your mind, and then, following their example, see what change you can bring about that might make you someone else's Person of the Year in 2016. If we all live our lives in a way that inspires others and encourages people to contribute and to make a difference in this world, imagine all the good that can come from that.

Yes, in just a few hours we will be changing the year, but let's change a whole lot more. Let's change the world .    .    . for the better!

Hats off to Lacuna Giving Circle

The year is almost over. People trying to take advantage of tax deductions, are making last minute donations to worthy organizations. One that I can suggest is Lacuna Giving Circle, because they really are more than just an organization and the circle is a key. It's been almost two years since I said anything here about Lacuna, so I think now is a good time.

Lacuna Giving Circle is a collective action fund, so when you give to them, you are really giving to more than just them. How much do you want to do in this world? Are you doing all you want to do? What if a like-minded friend joined you? Could you then do more? How about if two friends joined you, or three, or four? That's the basic idea here. When something is missing, let's fill that gap - let the circle be unbroken. More can be accomplished this way. This particular circle is for the Asian American/Pacific Islander communities.

You can click HERE to go to their website and find out more. You can see the organizations that have benefitted from them and you can even donate yourself.   This is a model I would love to see others follow.  Hats off to Lacuna Giving Circle.  What a great concept.

No groaning allowed

A couple were walking in Saint Petersburg Square, Russia last night, and as they walked, they felt a slight precipitation. 

The husband said, "I think it's raining."

"No, it's snowing," replied his wife.

"How about we ask this communist officer here?  He's always correct!" exclaimed the man.  "Officer Rudolph, is it raining or snowing?

"Of this most certainly is rain." Officer Rudolph replied before walking away.

The husband then turned to his wife with a smile.  "See?  Rudolph the Red, knows rain, dear."

Hey I said not to groan!  By the way, this wasn't my pun.  It's been floating around a long time, but I thought I would trot it out to wish you all a very merry Christmas!

Brighten a little girl's Christmas

Yesterday, the incredible dancer/entertainer Harry Shum Jr tweeted the story of a little girl in Upstate New York who suffered severe burns two years ago, and lost her family at the same time, during a horrific arson. Harry's tweet said that he and his wife Shelby Rabara were sending a Christmas card to this girl, Sa'fyre Terry - now eight years old, and suggested that others do so too.

Well, this morning I searched for some more information Sa'fyre, and found dozens of stories from numerous news outlets. How did I miss this before? There seems to already be an outpouring, and that warms my heart! This little girl has gone through so much, and apparently still needs additional surgeries. Despite all the damage done to her young body though, she still manages a smile, and from all of the reports, doesn't seem bitter at all. When asked what she wanted for Christmas, she had one simple wish: to "fill her card tree with cards from all across the world."

One simple wish.  Cards.  How about that!  I'm heading out right now to pick out something unique. I hope you'll take a minute or two to send her a card too! Such a simple gesture can mean so much. Brighten a little girl's Christmas, The address is Sa'fyre Terry, P.O. Box 6126, Schenectady NY, 12306. Share this with your friends too. (Remember, that's how I found out about it - because someone shared).

Thanks to Harry and Shelby for making this known. Thanks Harry for so often making a difference. The world needs more people like you!

Getting to Zero

Waking up on this World AIDS Day, I'm remembering those days when I went to a funeral five or six times a week, or made trips to Ward 86 at San Francisco General Hospital, or stood in the cold night air with hundreds of others, holding a candle. I'm remembering the rallies, the marches, the speeches, the quilt panels, and the meetings. I'm also remembering the work of Vito, Kelly, Cleve, Jason, Bill, Brownie Mary, and so many that don't come to mind immediately. Energized by how far we have come. Determined to make it to zero!

Reading a lot of online posts leading up to today, I noticed that a lot of people were asking questions. A very good thing. Information and education is so important. I have seen a number of people ask about PrEP (which means Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis), and what it is briefly is the use of anti-HIV medication that keeps HIV negative people from becoming infected. Testing? Yes indeed. It's still very important. Know your status!

Today is also #GivingTuesday when donations to non-profits are encouraged, and because it is also World AIDS Day, I would suggest that AIDS-related organizations would be a good place to begin.

Reporter and writer Randy Shilts is also on my mind on this World AIDS Day. Randy was one of the very first people I met when I moved to San Francisco. At the time he was working in television and later moved on to the morning newspaper where he covered GRID, later called AIDS. Randy gave us the book and movie, AND THE BAND PLAYED ON.

Toward the end of that film, Matthew Modine's character says "This didn't have to happen. We could have stopped it." Ian McKellen's character then asks "Can you still?" The answer is of course a resounding YES! And, we must keep at it. We can't waste our time on what should have already happened, but we must move forward and make sure it does happen.

I'm recalling one more thing this morning - the words of another activist who battled this disease and then lost his life to it. Vito Russo was one of those wonderful people I like to talk about, because he truly made a difference. His words should urge us onward:

"Someday, the AIDS crisis will be over. Remember that. And when that day comes, when that day has come and gone, there'll be people alive on this Earth, gay people and straight people, men and women, black and white, who will hear the story that once there was a terrible disease in this country and all over the world, and that a brave group of people stood up and fought and, in some cases, gave their lives, so that other people might live and be free. So I'm proud to be with my friends today and the people I love, because I think you're all heroes, and I'm glad to be part of this fight. But, to borrow a phrase from Michael Callen's song, "all we have is love right now. What we don't have is time."”