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“Sometimes people are b…

“Sometimes people are beautiful.
Not in looks.
Not in what they say.
Just in what they are.”
― Markus Zusak, I am the Messenger

 I went to a funeral Monday.  To the very young, it’s news. To the very old, it seems to be more than an every-now-and-then occurrence.  To a middle-aged woman, who majored in journalism and minored in sociology it was sweet.

The Eulogies were…. Strike that.  Eulogies   The tributes, as the family preferred to refer to the speeches were very touching.  First the husband spoke about being in love with his gracious and classy wife. He spoke of the first day he saw her, at a dance at the 92nd Street Y, in New York City, when he was a World War II GI.  He spoke about assuming she’d be a very smart lady, as she was from the Bronx.(He lived in Brooklyn at that time, and bombed German cities and Nazi armories and military strong points) He spoke about her beautiful smile and the respect he has, and always will have, for her.  She could have gone to  school at the New York Fashion Institute, but instead she earned a “PhT” from the polytechnic institute that he graduated from.  No, not a PhD—a PhT, “Putting Him Through” degree.  He hung her certificate next to his diploma wherever he set up office. He never forgot to be grateful of the work she did, sacrifices she made so he could afford to go to school.  Back then, as today, the GI Bill didn’t cover all the costs.   He ended his tribute by promising to always love her. His friends and family knew that he meant it.  He showed his love to her, despite how her brain and looks might have been affected after she suffered a series of strokes, and what seemed to be, the onset of dementia. His annual holiday letter often included photos of his wife, captioned by how beautiful her smile was, and how beautiful she looked.  He promised to continue to love her…….

……..They would have been married for 65 years at the end of this month.

Then the grandson-in-law and granddaughter came to the podium and, as you could well imagine, after hearing their grandfather speak,  they could barely contain their tears.  The husband of the granddaughter also spoke words of respect and praised the dignity in which the woman lived her life, as well as her famous “Harvey Wallbanger Cake.”   Yes, the dearly departed could cook. But, it wasn’t just the kitchen that was the warm spot in the household. It was the whole experience of being part of the family one in which the husband lavished praise, love and respect on his wife. You could see it in how he embraced the granddaughter, that the grandson-in-law learned from the old man.

Next it was the son-in-law’s turn to speak.  First came praise for how this gracious and dignified woman raised his wife(her daughter) and treated him, as if he were her own son.  The respect and dignity and love shown to the women by the men in her family seemed to have trickled down through the generations.

It might not seem an appropriate thing to say.  But, this past Monday I truly enjoyed going to a funeral.

 

 

 

Vish Singh

Vish Singh

A new friend and a client. He does presentations in schools about his drawings, and about his waist long hair that’s hidden under his Turban. So tell me…where do you think this guy was born? Comment below.

Patriot-Made Audiocasts!

Patriot-Made Audiocasts!

For sale!

Please take a listen to an audio sample….my horn tooting about Patriot-Made Audiocasts.  My business partner and I are producing these reports about people, places, and things that are being built, invented, improved, and have inspired creativity in others.  

Tooting Your Own Horn

I have a friend who told me that she’s not used to selling herself.  You know, telling the world about her accomplishments, dreams, cool things that she’s done and is doing.  Some people are born to sell themselves, while others just have to get the hang of it.  I have gotten the hang of it.  My friends would respond by saying in true Bart Simpson-style, “Duh!”   Well, being confident about expressing an opinion is one thing. Talking up your talents and your accomplishments is another. 

Perhaps my bashful and shy friend, and I, were brought up to admire those who are modest about themselves.  You know, the girls who got the most handsome football player to take them to the prom; praise from the English teacher; made it on the Dean’s List.  They’re the ones that are happy-go-lucky.  Have the lovely house with the picket fence, the kids that are as talented as they are.  Perhaps they even get the promotions at work that we wish we had gotten.    Of course, this is all fantasy.  

A smile can hide so much.  There’s a reason why the shy demure person looks so happy with his or her lot in life.  They don’t let you see that “painting in the attic.”  I’m referring to the central plot of Oscar Wilde’s “The Portrait of Dorian Gray.”  A handsome man makes a deal with the devil in return for youth and vigor,  He stays forever virile and beautiful looking despite his sins, which are many. But, the portrait of himself, which is cursed to show his true self, is getting ugly and ghastly looking upstairs the old Victorian home, in the attic where nobody is allowed to go.  Perhaps a person gets conditioned to believe that humility can keep that portrait in the attic-one’s true self,  young and beautiful.   Whatever the reason, some people don’t like to boast, or toot their own horns. 

Well, it’s no secret that I don’t mind tooting my horn from time to time.  If I don’t, well, how else are you going to learn more about me and what I’m up to?  I’ve been working as a reporter again.  I hired myself to do the work that I like and now I’m peddling my stories. 

I’ve been talking to some of the coolest people in North America, that is, Americans and Canadians.  They are people who believe in their mission, values, and talent.  They believe in what they are doing, and how they’re doing it.  Some of it is for, “the greater good,” for others it’s for the promise of “fame,” and the hopes of making a living doing the stuff that they love to do.  Others want to preserve a way of life and make a contribution to the places where they live. 

So, they’re tooting their horns.  I am very fortunate that I’m the lady recording them. So glad I hired myself.

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Veteran’s Day

vets day centerpieceI’m not a Veteran. My husband was disabled way before he could be considered for the draft, and when the draft board did ask him to report, he dutifully did. And he was given the status that recognized, “Hey, this guy’s in a wheelchair! Don’t think we should draft him to fight.” But, I’ve known guys and yes, women, around my husband’s age, and those my age, and young enough to be our children, who have been in uniform, have served years overseas on a military post, or in battle.  My father spent a few months in Korea, and it was just a few years ago that he shared with his kids what he did and some of the people he met along the way.  He’s still involved in Veteran’s organizations.

My husband and I visit my mother-in-law in an assistive living place and she dines with a man who loves to regale us with stories of the Nazis that he killed.  We know another man who was a bombardier who destroyed cities and towns in Germany.  I recently talked to a man whose service consisted of being in an officers training program, and his service consisted of marching in drills, every weekend, when he wasn’t studying for his university exams in Canada.  He knows he was lucky.  He didn’t get shipped out to a land that wasn’t his own. Yet, that was  part of his duty, that and entertaining troops who came home on leave.

Not all veterans tell their stories. Some embellish them, others forget some details, or adopt the details of a buddy’s adventure.

Remembering stories is all well and good.  We must remember not to be too stingy with our tax dollar. Push the politicians to spend a little less on foreign aid to countries that don’t really like us, and on missiles that will most likely be decommissioned and destroyed before they even get fired into enemy turf.  Let’s help our country  keep promises that were made to recruits and volunteers that if they served they, and their families would be taken care of.

And, yes, http://iava.org/ has a very special message that we should remember.  Those who had few other options in life other than to be patriotic and volunteer for service in Iraq and Afghanistan need a lot more than our pity these days.   Those who bravely believed what government leaders were telling the world, and joined up, well–they were deceived. They were hurt, emotionally, physically, as well as slaughtered just for being American. Some have  sharply told me, “And, we were there to help them!”  Yes. Thank you for doing what I, in my heart, knew, was fighting a war in a nation that didn’t send hijackers to our nation, and for going after the guys who did, in an awful land where you were never respected.  Thank you for staying awake at night, and plugged in and monitoring the communications from, I hope, nefarious people who wish to wipe my country off the face of the earth. Thank you for ignoring silly comments made by citizens, who are frustrated with covert operations on each other.  Thank you for not taking those three-day holidays off.

Introducing My Newest Project! CanadianMade

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I’m flexing my vocal chords and can be heard, on Air Canada as the narrator of CanadianMade Audio reports.  This is a co-production with my L-A based business partner, Debra Grobman.  Debra’s a seasoned broadcast veteran in sales and marketing.  She’s also an award winning producer of audio reports and festival medalist for her “imaging” production-the stuff that stations use to help listeners (and viewers) identify their productions on the air, or during a broadcast or podcast.  She handles the business side of CanadianMade.

CanadianMade is all about Canadians who are leaving their marks around the world and North America.  Some are well-known in the U-S, and some Americans may be surprised that they’re Canadians, like TV’s Monty Hall, of “Let’s Make a Deal.”  Others are creating products that have been noticed by celebrities world-wide, like fashion designer Lisa Drader-Murphy.  There’s Terry Bigsby a high school woodlings/shop teacher turned inventor, entrepreneur.  He and his Dad and the created AspenWare: totally compostable/disposable spoons, forks and knives.   We’ve talked with independent recording artists such as Jazz singers Diana Panton, who is known for her recordings of songs made famous by the likes of Sinatra; Daniella Nardi, who sings songs of Italy and Paolo Conti; Bluegrass and Roots Group John Reischman and the Jaybirds.  We’ve recorded portraits of songwriter and performer Dan Hill and the wildly popular in Canada Blue Rodeo.   Plus there are endless other business   leaders who have become the inspiration of thousands upon thousands of entrepreneurs and their corporate peers around the world.  We’ve touched on corporate social responsibility and programs created by Canadian business leaders that aim to create a better Canada.

We are looking for more and more stories about Canadians who are leaving their marks on the world in a wide variety of ways–such as the scientists who created the process, that created the nano-science for medical dressings that heal burn patients faster and with less pain. Also, the man who invented a better way to track blood products from donors, to patients.

I could not have added this project to my repertoire of communications work that I do without the help and encouragement of Debra, and my husband Chuck Rich.

For those who have worked with me throughout the years you may know me as a publicist, pitching you news sources.  Others know about my love for broadcasting, particularly radio. I have always been a fan of news, talk and other “spoken word” formats.   Being the “voice,” if you will, of CanadianMade is extraordinary for me, but perhaps, not entirely unexpected.  Blame it on “The Niagara Frontier.” I attended college in Buffalo, New York.  I often crossed the Peace and Rainbow Bridges to Canada.  I listened to Canadian radio, and of course, there’s Tim Horton’s.

You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CanadianMadeproductions

We look forward to hearing from you.