December 1st.

Happy 1st December 2010 to everyone in blogworld. Today is special for several different reasons.
 For me, it marks the countdown to my birthday, yey me. I love having a birthday at Xmas, even if everyone else thinks it's awful. My family have had over 50 years of practise, not on me but on my cousin firstly who
is exactly 10 years older than me. So they are pretty good at organising 2 fab days for me so I don't feel left out.

Secondly it is World Aids day. For many people, this day may not mean alot, but for someone who lived and worked as a nurse during the first couple of years after HIV and AIDS became huge health concerns, it is an important issue no-one should forget or think they are safe from. Meeting clients who have HIV or sero-converted and have AIDS in those early days of people being terrified and unsure about they would be facing, was truly a difficult experience. These days people think it wont happen to them, but I can assure you it can affect you whether you are straight or gay and no-one should ever think they are immune. Today is a day to remember these things but to celebrate the amazing breakthroughs that have happened since the 1980s when HIV and AIDS seen as a death sentence.

Thirdly, today sees the beginning of Hannukah. I first learned about this Jewish celebration as a student nurse in the East End where a large proportion of our patients came from multi-cultural backgrounds. We had to learn so much about birth, celebrations, and death to ensure we did not offend anybody when these events happened. I was working on a medical ward and there was a fairly young Jewish lady and in the evenings during Hannukah she was able to celebrate with her Menorah. This is a special candelabra usually with 8 candle holes or oil burners. The celebration of Hannukah lasts for 8 nights and it begins after sunset tonight across the world. The festival is celebrating a miracle thousands of years ago when oil which should have lasted one night lasted for 8 nights in the Temple in Jerusalem. Each night one candle is lit, then 2, then and so on until all 8 are lit. Special prayers and blessing are said. So I would like to wish all our Jewish friends across the world a very happy Hannukah.

Fourthly, for us Shimelle lovers it is the first day of JYC 2010. Today we received a lovely manifesto jpeg for Xmas 2010 which I will put into my journal but also up here. The words and ideas are so perfect for this time of the year. I love the run up to Xmas, but have to admit that Xmas also brings on m,y Bipolar. However this year, so far I feel positive, maybe because other things have gotten in the way instead. There are lots of fun events to enjoy and I want to enjoy them and the traditions in our family and my own personal and individual ones too. New ones I hope I will make this year and old ones I adhere to because of faith and love. So a happy start to December 2010 and lets count down in our journals to Xmas and beyond.

Oooh forget to mention the Advent calendar, had a snowman and robin today, cute.