I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year,
but didn’t have anything to post that I thought said it all.
This video does.

Take a few minutes to watch the whole thing.
I think you’ll feel energized into making 2012 the best year yet!

I was going to change the greeting for the holiday season this year, but I couldn’t think of any sentiments that would be more meaningful than those above.

I’m taking time off from the blog this week, and probably next unless someone asks a question, or I get truly inspired.

Thanks for a Great Year

We’ve worked with a mix of clients this year.  Some were first-time clients, others we’ve known for years.  To all our clients, thank you for keeping us busy this year.  We’re looking forward to assisting more of you next year!

Don’t Forget Our Troops This Year

Some of my traditional sites to direct you to seem to have disappeared this year.  So, I’ll encourage you to visit the website called SoldiersAngels.org.   I’m always a bit skeptical about sites I don’t know well, but I felt pretty good after seeing that they are sponsored by companies like Microsoft, Girl Scouts and BoyScouts of America and Dunkin’ Donuts, among a long list of other sponsors.

You can adopt a soldier, write letters to troops who may not get any mail otherwise, ship birthday cakes to deployed troops, and the list goes on.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL!

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The Thanksgiving holiday is unique to the United States.  And, I’ve always found it an excellent time to think about all the things I’m grateful for.

• Clients who provide the challenges that keep me interested in real estate marketing
• Build Real Estate Results with Getting It Write Inc – a company that has flourished over the past seven years
• Friends, family, my cat Joe and Jazz the Tennessee Walking Horse
• Sunny days
• Good health
• Living in the mountains
• The chance to pay it forward from time to time
• The list could go on and on

Whether you’re in the U.S. or somewhere else, I wish you a long list of your own!

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VETERAN’S DAY 2011

What is a veteran?

A veteran is just an ordinary person who decided to do something wonderful by serving their country.

I know some veterans.  One thing that truly amazes them is how they felt when they first entered a war zone.  They went from being just regular folks to living in a world that other people would never fully understand.

People who had never raised a hand in anger now had to carry a gun.  24/7.  And, they had to use that gun upon occasion, too.

And, regular folks keep doing that same thing over and over.  I just wanted to say thanks to all of you.  Whether your service included being on the front line or supporting those troops, it means a lot to the rest of us.

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Today is Blog Action Day.  I’ve participated in writing a post for Blog Action Day for several years, and I encourage you to do the same.

This year, Blog Action Day happens to fall on World Food Day, so the topic this year is food.  This post is actually about the lack of food.

We all know about the people starving all over the world.  To me, the issue that gets a lot less press is the people going hungry right here in the United States. Granted, we don’t have thousands of people dying from starvation.   But, I still find it horrendous that so many people here do go hungry.

Here are statistics you may not have seen recently – and you get different information from different studies, so some of these “facts” are inconsistent.  But, it will give you an idea of the scope of the problem:

• According to the USDA, 49 percent of all babies born in the U.S. join families receiving food supplements from the WIC program.  So, half of newborns are in families that cannot afford the food for their children.
• Feeding America says that as many as 17 million children in the U. S. experience  “food insecurity”.  Food insecurity means that the children don’t have consistent access to the food that is needed for healthy growth.
• According to Bread for the World, 36.3 million people–including 13 million children–live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger; that represents more than 1 out of every 10 households.

If you want more information, you can visit the Hunger at Home page at ABC News.  You’ll find stories, videos and a Twitter feed all about hunger in America.

And, you can take the quiz below.  This quiz is provided by Save the Children.  There are some questions that you think you have nailed, but the answer shows your awareness is really low.!

Whats the purpose of all these blogs?  For me, I hope that the next time Justin Bieber wants to donate the profits from his perfume, he’ll donate to the organizations that are fighting hunger here in the U. S.

And, since Justin doesn’t really follow my blog, my hope is that the next time you want to make a donation, you think of the food problem and funnel some dollars in that direction.  Awareness can influence action.