Gratitude

There is a movement that is the antithesis of Black Friday consumer madness. It is Giving Tuesday, which promotes charitable giving, instead of buying material goods. While I am all for presents under the tree, I am also all for giving to organizations that touch my heart.

My grandmother and I were incredibly close. She was my best friend and my birthday buddy. She also suffered from high blood pressure for years, and as time marched on, developed congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation. She had a pacemaker and her aortic valve replaced. Eventually, it was complications from a stroke that took her from us in 1999.


Thanks to the Heart Association, more women are aware of their risk factors and what they can do to prevent heart disease (#1 killer of women).



My dad took on the daunting challenge of raising me when he married my mom. He dealt with my teenage years, and made it out alive
. My father in law served as a great role model to his three children and later, our own families. Both are linked by colon cancer.
Even though they both lost their battles
However, their legacies live on. They are both memorialized at the hospitals in NJ where they were treated, as well as here in Sioux Falls.

I have a few difficult to shop for folks on my list. I found the solution several years ago by donating to both Heifer International and Nets for Life, both of which make a difference in the lives of families across the globe.

Another cause close to my heart is autism . My son has high functioning autism, and quite frankly I'm more interested in developing treatment protocols that ensure every child who has it can receive a quality education and have safe, well trained staff.

If you don't want to give money, you can always bake goodies or serve a meal at the Ronald McDonald House as well as give items on their wish list. Every year, my son and I bake and decorate cookies and bring them for the families staying there while their children are in the hospital. They have a wish list that can be filled by a trip to the grocery store.

Please share what you are doing for Gratitude Tuesday-write a comment, post on our Facebook page or tweet using the hash tag #gratitudetuesday. Lets make this a movement! gratitude-the Beastie Boys

Intergalactic

I had an entirely different post planned for this morning, but tragedy struck on Friday. I'm a mom in my early 40's, and my life has played out through the music I listen to, first on my Walkman now on my iPhone.
There are a few bands that have been a constant over the last nearly 30 years- the Clash, Nirvana/Foo Fighters, the Replacements, Alison Moyet/Yaz/Erasure/Depeche Mode, the Smiths/Morrissey, U2 and the Beastie Boys.
MCA, part of the Beastie Boys, lost his battle with salivary gland cancer. It is an extremely rare cancer, according to CNN:
Two adults in 100,000 are diagnosed with salivary gland cancer per year, according to the American Cancer Society.

“Parotid cancers are fairly unusual in general but it can appear in individuals of all ages,” said Dr. Amy Chen, a head and neck cancer surgeon at Emory University in Atlanta. “It’s just in general, parotid cancer is very rare.”

As it is with less common cancers, there are fewer treatment options. He apparently had surgery and radiation, and incorporated holistic treatments to battle his disease.
Unfortunately, with cancer, sometimes you lose. :(

Prior to MCA bringing attention to it in the mid 90's, I had no idea about the political situation in Tibet. I went to the concert at Randall's Island in NYC in 1997 primarily for the music: Beasties, Sonic Youth, U2, Bjork, Foo Fighters and Chili Peppers all over two days. Interspersed were speakers, discussing the situation in Tibet. It was a consciousness awakening.
Who says music can't change the world?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgJpgp5s6o0&feature=youtube_gdata_player