Spread Love

love is all you need

Horrible things are happening in Aleppo, and in many many other places in our world. As we’re doing last minute Christmas shopping and pulling on an extra sweater because we’re a little chilly in our warm safe homes, children are dying on the streets.

We learn about the Holocaust so that history does not need to repeat itself. We take comfort believing that we would never let this happen again. Yet, it is happening again and we are doing nothing. We are all sitting around knowing that human rights are being violated on a massive scale, and we are doing nothing to help. I feel helpless and guilty, and embarrassed about the life I live compared to the lives being lost. How is it possible that I slept in a warm bed, in a heated apartment, with a full stomach last night, while children died in the streets of Aleppo. I can’t comprehend.

I donated $10 to the White Helmets today. It’s a tiny drop in the giant ocean of need for them, but it’s better than nothing. $10 is what I would have spent on lunch if I hadn’t remembered to grab mine from the fridge. White Helmets Donation

Spread love today and every day. Smile, be positive, treat people well, spread happiness and compassion. Lately, everything I’ve made has had a trend of love, and most of the time it’s completely unintentional. My heart is craving reassurance that there is still good in the world, I’ve been turning to books and words for comfort.

love is all you need

They Tried to Bury Us quote with pen

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There's a Storm Coming Harry

After: Day 35

Lots of wonderful things have happened since I posted last, but today’s news hit me like a wall, and I’m still struggling to comprehend it all. To be fair, almost none of this is “new” news, but it’s difficult to stay on top of the rest of the world with the daily onslaught of news about the massively volatile political state of our country. It’s easy to shelter yourself from the daily political updates, and carry on with life as if everything is normal, but we can’t afford to be comfortably naïve to what’s going on.

While I’m definitely not saying some news is more important than other news, I am only capable of reading so many articles in one day, and these are the ones that have really stuck with me.

Broken Men in Paradise – An article about refugees who are trapped on Australian islands with no hope of escape. I’m embarrassed that I immediately faulted Australians who live happy carefree lives while torture and abuse are happening within eyesight. I failed to realize that I am no better, and there are people in my country, my city, and my neighborhood who are living lives of fear and abuse. A different situation, no doubt, but enough to guilt me for placing blame. The next article is a perfect reminder of this.

Concordia, LA – One of the sickest counties in the U.S. – How is it the 21st century, and there are Americans living in absolute filth with no help from their government. Why on earth are we replacing water lines in wealthy neighborhoods when these people don’t even have functioning sewers? 

Goodbye Messages from Aleppo – This is heartbreaking to watch.

The White Helmets – A reminder that there are still so so so many good people in the world, fighting every single day for what’s right. This just shot to the top of my watch list on Netflix

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Happier words to come, promise.

 

After: Day 9

Amidst the never-ending flood of bad news, there are always good people doing good things, and voicing the words that need to be heard.

Today, the words come from Ben Joravsky, a journalist for the Chicago Reader who shares my sentiments on a lot of topics including Rahm, TIFs, and Chicago’s education situation. Seriously I love this guy and he’s one of the few people in the media who I trust to write the truth. He does a “thing” at The Hideout called First Tuesdays which I am dying to go to but haven’t been able to make it yet. (Dana, pencil it in for January)

Today I am extremely grateful for his latest article about Chicago’s Trump Resistance which awkwardly touches on one of my least favorite politicians (Rahm) doing the right thing (Sanctuary City). Weird, right?

In related news, I’m going to start reading One Man Against The World tonight, since I’m a firm believer that we will learn from our mistakes and that history does not need to repeat itself.

xo, happy day

Chicago Sanctuary City 2016