Monday, December 29, 2008

For Rowie

Much to my surprise and after ten years on my own, I find myself in love. The funny thing is, it's happened in just the way people say it's supposed to: unexpectedly, suddenly and just as I stopped looking. No speed dating, online dating sites or fix-ups involved. I simply turned a corner one night last July and there he was.

So, indulge me. This one's for him.

You are the most beautiful man I have ever known. Beautiful on the outside and even more beautiful on the inside. You are genuine and kind with a smile that never seems to leave your face. When I spend time with you, I feel like I'm seeing the world in a way I'd forgotten. There are possibilities again. There's a calm that I haven't felt in a long time. There's silliness and laughter and ice cream. There are comfortable long stretches of time where we do nothing but lie there and talk. There's trust and there's hope and there are plans for the future.

I'm not the only one who thinks you're special. One of your friends refers to you as the bravest man he knows. Your other friends have told me how much they love you, rely on you and enjoy being around you. My own family has given their stamp of approval to the point that they will most likely take your side in any arguments we might have. My nephew already thinks of you as his buddy. And you're just one gingerbread man costume away from winning my brother over, which is no small feat.

You've reminded me of how love is meant to feel. Easy. Uncomplicated. Simple. Certain. If I seem unfazed by periods of time apart, it's simply because I have absolutely no doubt that all those periods are temporary. I believe you're always with me and I promise I'm always with you.

It took 10 years to fall in love again. But you were absolutely worth every minute of the wait.

I love you.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Fuzzy Wuzzy Was A Bear


For the past week or two, the carols have been playing on the radio, holiday decorations are hanging up everywhere you look and life in general has mostly become about shopping. With December 25th fast approaching, most of us are darting in and out of malls during our free time and surfing the internet looking for bargains during our work time.

Every year, while going through the “I have 3 more people I have to buy for” madness, I’m reminded that holiday shopping is not for the faint of heart. We all put a lot of pressure on ourselves to come up with that idea for the perfect gift. The one amazing thing that will make our loved ones scream out "It's the best gift EVER!" while tears of joy stream down their blissful faces. But let's think for a moment. Tell me, how many gifts that you either gave or received over the years can you actually remember? Other than the big stuff like maybe an engagement ring or a puppy, I'm guessing most of us draw a blank when it comes to remembering the majority of our gifts.

Except, of course, for the bad ones.

For example, my sister still talks about the year when, as children, we snuck into our parents' bedroom and opened the hidden gifts pre-Christmas. While rifling through the boxes and bags in our parents’ closet, she came across a pocketbook. A red and blue pocketbook with fringe on the bottom and a strap made of plastic links. It was hideous. Without hesitation, she said "I hope this is going to Dottie" (Our other sister.) It wasn’t. Then there was the year I gave my sister a "surprise package" I had ordered from a catalogue. Even I hadn't seen the contents of the box before she unwrapped it. Waiting inside, there were little brown candles which looked exactly like someone had pooped. Poop candles for Christmas. Now that’s hard to forget.

And then, as my family is all-too-familiar with, there's my earliest holiday disappointment: Fuzzy Wuzzy bath soap.

It was Christmas, 1965. I had just turned 4 years old and all I remember wanting Santa to bring me was Fuzzy Wuzzy bath soap. Fuzzy Wuzzy was like the holiest of holy grails. It was animal shaped soap that claimed to “grow fur”. What 4 year old wouldn’t want furry soap? But Fuzzy Wuzzy was so much more. The soap came in a circus cage shaped box, complete with wheels. And, much like crackerjack, there was a toy surprise hidden inside. To my 4-year old self, this was soap nirvana.

I remember sitting on Santa’s lap that year and asking for that soap. I don’t remember asking for anything else. Who had time for a slinky or play dough when the Big Guy might not see me as Fuzzy Wuzzy soap worthy? Since elves mostly made toys and not soap, I was worried there might be a Fuzzy Wuzzy shortage and I wouldn’t be on the list to get one. With what had to be hundreds of thousands of kids all asking for the soap, how could I make sure that my name was on one of those boxes? I’m sure on Christmas Eve when I went to bed, I prayed and prayed hard. “Dear God, if you love me, you’ll make sure I get that soap.”

Cut to Christmas Day. The only gift I remember getting? Yup, bear shaped Fuzzy Wuzzy soap. I ripped that box open and went running to the bathroom sink. Who had time for stockings or toys when there was soap fur and a prize in my not too distant future? Over the next few days I spent more time in the water than a born-again Christian with a baptism addiction. I washed and re-washed so many times with the soap that I’m sure I looked to the world like a preschooler with serious OCD issues.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. Soap wears down far too slowly and I needed to see the prize that awaited me inside my blue bear. So I grasped that bear in my two small hands and snapped it in two. My “prize” was a tiny plastic red telephone, about the size of the fingernail on my pinkie. I don’t know what I expected would be in there, but I felt robbed.

It’s been 43 years since my Fuzzy Wuzzy soap Christmas and though I might have been disappointed, I’ve had 43 years of telling this story. So remember, this year if you end up giving someone a gift that’s not exactly what they hoped for, it’s OK. For all you know, you’re giving them a story that could last a lifetime.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Today is World AIDS Day


The World Health Organization established World AIDS Day in 1988 and is observed every year on December 1st.. World AIDS Day provides governments, national AIDS programs, faith organizations, community organizations, and individuals an opportunity to raise awareness and focus attention on the global AIDS epidemic.

There are many ways you can participate:

  • get tested for HIV
  • play safely
  • don't engage in high risk behaviors
  • talk about HIV prevention with family, friends, and colleagues
  • provide support to people living with HIV/AIDS
  • get involved with or host an event for World AIDS Day in your community
With today's medications, it's easy to forget that millions of people still struggle and die from AIDS. In 2007, the estimated number of persons living with HIV worldwide was 33.2 million and there were 2.7 million people newly infected.

Let's not forget those we've lost and those we love.