Mountain of Compassion

"Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace.” -Albert Schweitzer.

So many of you have helped my dear friend TrekJen and the gratitude ripples throughout the Twitterverse! For those who may not know, Jen's house burned down on February 7th. If you do know Jen, you're aware that she's funny, a little quirky, very insightful, loyal and willing to do anything to make you laugh. She's one of those people that can make your day with just a few words or a funny picture. In an era full of cynics and bad news on every newspaper, Jen is a unique reminder that good people still exist in the world.

After the fire, Jen is now in the process of rebuilding her life. Not just building or adding on, but rebuilding. That's harder than many (including myself) can imagine. Jen's a trooper and has met the challenge head on but she needs help, as we all do at some point in our lives. Take a moment and think of what you would do with $5 or $10 dollars; a cup of coffee or a movie rental? Then think about if you had no DVD player or place to drink the coffee. That same $5 or $10 could help Jen buy a shirt, soap, toothpaste. Basic necessities that we often take for granted, until they're unavailable.

I know we've all made cutbacks in a tough economy and I wouldn't ask for more than you can give but if you are in a position to donate, there's a link below to help with TrekJen's Fire Relief Fund. (A a huge thank you to StarFleetMom for starting this!) If you can't donate, I totally understand but would greatly appreciate your forwarding the information to this and any other TrekJen Fire Relief blog. Post it to your twitter accounts, Facebook, MySpace, personal blogs or wherever you communicate.

One of my "Grimisms" is you don't have to move a mountain to save one. Jen is a mountain very much worth saving.

Thank you for taking the time to read.

We All Fall Down

We all fall down.

A bad circumstance can happen to anyone.  It doesn't matter who you are or where you are; sometimes bad things will find you.  Such was the case of my dear friend Jen. (@TrekJen for the Twitterers)  Jen lives in a rather cool climate and last night was no exception; when the temperature dipped down she also lost power (and heat).  After attempting to find the solution, she did the responsible thing and shut down the main breaker (Admittedly something this writer may not have thought to do) and went to work to sleep.  It was warm there. While at work, tragedy struck and her house burned down.

"And my house burned down" She Tweeted.  (Jen is, as you may have surmised, not much of a complainer) The sad truth is that she lost everything in the fire and escaped only with the clothes she was wearing, a laptop computer, her phone and her dog.  Those of you who are familiar with Jen, know that she's had some hard knocks before and yet remains one of the most outgoing and vivacious of people.  She is kind, she is selfless and if you had the ability to build a friend, Jen would be the prototype.  That's no small thing in this world.  These are in fact precious qualities that must be preserved.

Despite the brave front, Jen's facing a tough road ahead.  While I'm profoundly and will be eternally grateful she escaped unharmed, the time is now for her friends to rally.  No one can mobilize like Trekkies and @Starfleetmom is no exception.  "The Mom" has provided a link to donate to help Jen through this difficult time and has been tireless source of updates.  (The link is at the bottom of the page, it's a safe PayPal contribution) It's not about rebuilding her home, she did have insurance for the structure but this will not replace the contents.  I'm speaking of necessities; clothing, a toothbrush, underwear, soap, the things that we all take for granted are in our closets and medicine cabinets. Have you ever gone without clean underwear? I have.  It's no picnic.  At least not one I would attend.

I know this is a difficult time for many people, but please donate what you can.  Large, small, everything and anything can be a help.  If you can't donate, I urge you to please retweet this and any other "TrekJen Fire Relief" blogs; post them to your own blogs, your Facebook pages or MySpace, wherever you may roam.

We all fall down.... but we can also help each other up.

Thank you for taking the time to read and for whatever help you may offer.