REPOSTING

I couldn’t think of anything more important for this Friday’s Take a Break then yesterday’s post. This Saturday, December 1, is the 25th World AIDS Day, many areas are holding events to fight this good fight.

World Aids day pictures

Include one in your take a break plans.  The easiest way, particularly for those somewhat unsure about homosexuality is to educate yourself about the common human needs of all.  I for one believe our sexual desires are variously determined in ways that for many cannot be changed or controlled.

A picture of two newly married gay men then poem by a friend who knew many cut down by this disease.

MEN OF A CERTAIN PERSUASION

 Yes, I read the obits

public remembrances of private lives

memorialized

I read to know who remain:

the adored

the esteemed

the beloved

and the loved

 

I read to know although posthumously that:

some were generous benefactors

committed supporters of the arts

dedicated philanthropists

accomplished composers

inspirational teachers

world travelers

talented illustrators

experts at arbitrage

competitive sportsmen and drag queens

 

I started reading obituaries twenty-five years ago

to humanize those above beloved

who were also the men of a certain persuasion

those who were dying of aids

 

As I read over the years these men

were also fathers brothers

uncles husbands life partners

and best friends

 

there was the only child and the eldest of seven

accountants and construction workers

several authors poets and movie stars

there were lovers – of solitude and of god

lovers of the sun the ocean  fine food and fine wine

there was a man’s man and a monsignor

I doubt they were the same

but I do wonder if they had ever met

perhaps in a club or in the confessional

 

All cherished lionized ever so sweet human beings

admired for their love of life

their sense of humor or fair play

each would be dearly missed

always remembered and never forgotten

Joan Diblasi

http://www.topnews.in/people/princess-diana

Excerpt from a speech given by Diana, Princess of Wales on “Women and Children with Aids”Edinburgh 8th September 1993

Some sections of the media would have us believe that the dark shadow of AIDS is fading away. The predicted explosion has failed to happen and retreated back to those who’ve so often been condemned or ignored.

 

Yet common sense and the testimonies of healthcare workers, worldwide, tell us a very different story. The truth is, that most people infected by HIV are heterosexual and the disease is spreading, throughout the world, at a staggering rate.

You can read the rest of the speech by clicking here.

STAY STRONG

So take a break this weekend, but not from caring, sharing, or kindness.

Be kind and like,  comment, or share. When you pursue kindness, you usually find happiness.

More ways to be kind:  Click here to feed the hungry or  here to  Play the Rice Game and donate rice to the hungry. the hunger site

My E-books are on sale at Katherine Gordy Levine on Amazon,