YOU

It’s December 31st–the last day of 2010.  And the last day of our 365 days of awesomeness.

So it’s appropriate to end it with THE most awesome person on the planet…YOU.

Did you know you are fabulous, brilliant, loving, generous, inspiring, courageous, beautiful, whole, perfect and strong? It’s absolutely true.

YOU are totally awesome.  Totally.

Owen

Enjoy your holiday season.  Whether it’s with people who share your genetic material, or those you’ve chosen to be with, enjoy each other.  As for Owen, he will enjoy each of us, and we will enjoy him, without expectations, without fear.  Simply with love for each other.

Just like a good love story, I’m a sucker for a good “rise above” story–you know, where someone comes out of an unpleasant situation and uses it to make something better.

Sofia Aderer did just that. At 12 years old she’s working to help the Audubon Society clean up birds and other animals after the BP oil spill. She’s pretty awesome.

“Sofia’s Story: Twelve-Year-Old Girl Helps Oiled Birds” (TRT: 3:59) from Alison Fast on Vimeo.

On August 29, 2005, Sofia Aderer, age 7, lost her home to Hurricane Katrina in Waveland, MS, a town that was “wiped off the map” when it received the eye of the storm.

In response, she penned a song called “Katrina Blues” that won the attention of local media.

Now, on the eve of the five-year anniversary of the storm, Sofia is at it again, with a venture that she started in early June to address the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on birds and other affected animals.

Her “bird project”, called the Sofia Aderer Audubon Society Fund, is a testament to the resiliency in young people, and their ability to turn a negative into a positive through creativity and self-expression.

This video is part of a series, created by Alison Fast and Chandler Griffin, a husband-wife team, producing stories to give voice to residents of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

More stories of local heroes will be posted shortly to their web site: www.WhatWouldBobDo.org (COMING SOON!)

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/BP-Oil-Spill-on-the-Gulf-Coast-What-would-Walter-Anderson-do/105556202824491?ref=ts

Producer/Director/Camerawoman: Alison Fast

Mary B

Mary B, as she’s known, is a lifeline for many gay teens out there.  She takes questions and posts youtube videos each week, answering whatever questions come her way.  She does it with kindness, humor and honesty.  She even tackles other issues, too.  Hop over and have a look, or send someone who could use her support. 

Here’s what her youtube profile says:

You know how they have Boys & Girls Clubs and Big Brothers, Big Sisters? Well, consider me your friendly, big, gay sister. MaryBside is a virtual Gay-Straight Alliance here for your LGBT discussion desires. If you need some help, post a question in the comments and we’ll chat it out.

Even her awesome smile and laugh are enough to make a kid’s day.

Eric Robert

Eric Robert is amazingly awesome. He’s a spiritual teacher, a healer, an energy worker, and an all around fantastic guy.

Working with people all over the world, Eric is one of those bright lights that continually makes the world a better, more joyful place.

Eric will be sharing his incredible talents to heal people through remotely clearing the energy in their bodies from where ever they are in the world this Sunday evening in partnership with The Joy Team. There is no fee for this special healing — it’s given as a gift.

Learn more at The Joy Team and register by end of day Saturday, December 4th to participate in the Sunday evening Distance Healing.  It most certainly will be awesome.

He’s awesome, too, because he is a reminder of the beauty and pure delight that a child sees in the world.  Whether it’s my nephew Owen, or this laughing guy, I try to see the world through their eyes, even if it’s only for a few minutes every day.

Jill Ginsberg

To help herself get over some deep-seated issues around money, Jill Ginsberg gave away $100 a day during the month of October. To complete strangers. And she made herself give money to at least one person she felt didn’t deserve it.

Wow.

Giving away money every day moved her so much she decided to give away $100 once a week through the end of the year.

Learn more about her Month (and more) of Hundreds project on Jill’s blog.

That’s pretty awesome, but the most awesome part is the reason he developed the arm:  to give freedom and humanity to soldiers who have lost limbs.  Have a look at the video.  The man is pretty awesome.

Sunflower

Nancy Siegler did something awesome.  She took one of life’s challenges and created something beautiful out of it.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer, Nancy began planting sunflowers because they made her happy. Working through this difficult and scary time by bringing more beauty into the world, Nancy soon ended up with a garden filled with 26 species of sunflower.

To help raise money for research, she opened her garden to the public. Over 600 people came.

Read more on GoInspireGo.com.

Cyndi Lauper's Give a Damn project

Cyndi’s True Colors Fund and Give A Damn campaign have served to educate about the importance of equality in our communities.  Engaging people like Whoopi Goldberg, Ricki Martin, and Betty White.  She has used her no-nonsense, over-the-top style to spread the message that equality is something we should all care about.