Continued from here ...

Rannick was eleven years old, the son of a dear friend of Mark's. On the 23rd of December last year, his mother and father were at a company Christmas party when they got a phone call saying that Rannick had a tooth fall out, then another, and his mouth would not stop bleeding. By the time they arrived home, all of his teeth were loose and he continued to bleed. He was diagnosed on Christmas Day with leukemia. He and his... more

It' s a little after 9 am on the first day of 2007 here in Seychelles, and I've just watched the ball drop in Times Square. Anderson Cooper was doing his usual over-animated, cute-little-news-guy-taking-himself-WAY-too-seriously thing on CNN, and the crowd was going wild. Playing "Imagine" just before the last minute of the year EST primed my pump for an emotional reaction to the whole hullabaloo and had me wondering what our world might be like if John Lennon hadn't been killed. That spun off into a series of 'what ifs' that amounted to nothing... more

In thinking back over the past two days ... Christmas Eve and Christmas Day ... I'm inspired to contemplate the great good fortune that allows me to enjoy the cultural diversity life on this island provides. Yes, Christmas is Christmas with all of its roots and definitions, but in my world the occasion is in no way bound by religious affiliation or geographic origins. Like my family that's come together from all corners of the globe ... if it happened to be square instead of globe-like and came with edges and corners... more

I thought to look today for fitting material for blogging ... something festive, but meaningful; heartfelt, but light.

Christmas Eve is special in my history, and the occasion deserves a special story.

Ask, and receive! (How lucky am I?) I've been side-swiped this morning by a story that has bells ringing a number of different tunes.

First, it comes from my oldest son's second home town, Baker City, Oregon ... a tiny... more

I have so much stuff to write about today, but I'm feeling as though I should be giving some nod of the head to the whole festive season thing. I'll start with some news, though, then move into something more seasonal ....

A story about the U.N. Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa talking about the needs of orphans and vulnerable children in Mozambique is interesting and gives lots of... more

For the rest of this month ... the rest of this year ... on days that don't have me needing to rant, rave, pass on info or otherwise blog from the heart, I'll be posting holiday traditions from around the world and season's greetings in many languages. Taking a look at the way people not only celebrate their festive season, but also the roots of the traditions, can give a peek into the entire culture of a country. Although the methods of celebration can be as different as the comfort food that comes with, there is usually something very... more

Mark's family is not big on Hallmark occasions, there being no Hallmark in their world and occasions usually amounting to nothing much more than some sitting around and a possible trip to the beach ... five or six meters away.

For the most part, holidays are underwhelming on this island. Even the biggies, Christmas and Easter, are less than festive in any classic "Dickens" sort of sense. Lots of folks break out the new duds and show them off at church services, and there's some singing going on on the AM radio station; a few gifts may be exchanged at Yule Tide and scrawny Charlie... more

(This blog is x-posted -- International and Older Parent)

Today is World AIDS Orphans Day. For the past days I've written about everything from an organization that helps families adopt AIDS orphans to ways to commemorate the day. On this... more

Frequent readers of this blog may be wondering just why in the world cynical old Sandra has spent the last couple of days harping on about hope. After all, am I not I the one who's been bouncing off the walls with a heart-felt anti-hope angst, and putting the blog version of the kibosh on all things hopeful?

After that hoopla, I'm now... more

Yesterday's blog mentioned the May 7 Coalition which has put together a list of activities recommended for World AIDS Orphans Day. If no formal events are taking place near you, here are some of their ideas you can use to involve yourself, your family and your community in this global occasion ...

you can spend... more