Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!
And so another year ended, and as I try to get used to changing the year each time I write down the date, I look back to re-visit what went on in my life during 2011, and say goodbye. It was a busy year, filled with ups and downs. With many firsts and some lasts, few laughs, and cries but for sure a year of accomplishments and change.
A change of lifestyle, as I was forced to let go of things I once thought important. A change of attitude, as I focused my life on my own happiness. A change of vision as new points of view made their appearance. I say goodbye to 2011 leaving the old me behind, embracing whoever I will discover within. All this change came to be to preparing me for what 2012 has to offer, for anticipating a new era, a new me.
Many new things starting this year for my I Have Something to Say brand. I look forward to uncovering one by one and see them grow. I look back to 2011 with gratitude and thank all of you who visited me throughout. Whose comments and emails motivated me to continue forward, whose willingness and courage to share their lives and lessons humbled me, because thanks to all of them I evolved and stand ready for a new year, a new adventure. Thank You ALL!!!
To listen to I Have Something To Say Live 2011 best moments and 2012 preview click Here
An Austin tragedy...a world's inspiration and loss
"Mom watch this," she said with watery eyes,"This is Ben Breedlove, the boy I told you about."
I watched, and as the first few seconds of footage went by my tears were flowing uncontrollably. I felt shame...here I was 48 years of an amazing life and feeling sorry for myself because my arthritis was acting up. How dare I complain...
Thank you Ben for sharing your life with us through this you tube post...thanks go to your family for having such an Angel, my thoughts and prayers go out to you...thank you God for once again sending us Angels to show our way...
A Home That Builds Lives - Saint Louis House
As I found out when I learned about Saint Louis Homes on a Holiday party hosted by PR By The Book, per statistics from ECHO (Austin/Travis County Ending Community Homelessness Coalition), there are 520 homeless families at any given night in Austin alone. What I found alarming is that 90 % of these are headed by single women. I needed to get involved.
The biggest gift I received from learning about my parents' childhood during WWII in Italy is discovering the incredible courage and strength both of my grandmothers had to find within, as they struggle to keep their children safe, and fed. But also the hope they must have had to keep trying to raise their children honest, good hearted, and capable to be resourceful as well as ambitious so that they would be able to rebuild their lives.
As I learned about the work they do at Saint Louis House, I quickly realized that building lives was their true mission. Giving relief helps to support someone during a time of need, but providing a homeless mother and her children with a home, tools, and guidance to build their lives is a solution to homelessness because it breaks a vicious cycle.
Some of these children before SLH have never been able to feel safe. At SLH they can once again be children while their mother gets back on her feet. With guidance on finding a job, managing finance and a safe home to re-group, these once homeless families are becoming success stories.
Saint Louis House is building lives out of rubble just as my parents did on their own...I encourage everyone to visit their website www.saintlouisehouse.org and learn how to help as well as read some of their incredible success stories.
To listen to Live interview visit I Have Something To Say Live!
Adopt a Charity for Holidays
But, if you are like me, not doing something for someone is not an option. Well, most of us can't dedicate our lives to service, nor set time for service on our regular schedule. But being busy doesn't mean that we can't make a difference at least once a year! We don't have to save the world, and we don't have to be apathetic to all of the social issues surrounding us. All we have to do is what we can.
So, if you are one of the people dedicating your life to others, take a break during the Holidays! You've earned it. Rest and take care of you for a change. And if you never have time to help anyone else, why not do something for someone during the Holidays, and enjoy the incredible feeling of giving back! Just remember that to make a difference we do not have to commit to stop living to give...we just have to commit to give, no matter how, no matter to who.
So if you did not find time throughout the year to help someone in need, give a break to those who spent the year helping out and adopt a charity for this Holiday Season. Then next year adopt a different one, make it fun, make it a tradition, create memories with your loved ones by giving together time, goods, or both. You can have memorable holidays by making a difference on someone's life even if once a year!
Fighting Government Corruption through Knowledge
I mean other than voting blindly (since we really don’t understand what the candidates are talking about), and happy go lucky protesting (since protests have no direction and never result in change), I could not find anything that we are truly doing, as the people, to safeguard our rights. I am actually ashamed of myself as I did obtain a BA in Political Sciences…
So I decided to pay more attention to the news and to research what I don’t understand. Then I came across to Dave Kluge’ book The People’s Guide to the United States Constitution. Now, during college in Venezuela, I had to study our Constitution (which by the way is a copy of the US constitution, or at least was before Chavez). But, as much as I hate to admit it, I have never read the US Constitution yet have been part of the body of voters! Yes I became citizen years ago, and no, I was not required to read the constitution…
I went to Dave Kluge’s blog and decided to interview him on I Have Something to Say Live! It was a very insightful conversation which has changed my attitude forever. How can we defend our rights, if we don’t even understand what our rights are! Watch out D.C… I am educating myself and will be paying attention!
To listen to Live interview visit I Have Something To Sat Live!
Eliminating Hunger One Can at a Time
Every as we serve all the goodies I cooked up, I always pause and think about all the people that are struggling to put anything on the table and as we give thanks we also say a little prayer for them. Well, Tony Marren's Operation Just One Can's could be the answer to so many prayers because its ripple effect could easily turn into a movement to successfully fight Hunger. He somehow came up with the idea to motivate people to help by showing them just how simple and easy it can be. There is no need to try to tackle hunger by ourselves as the humongous problem it is.
What we can do though, is use the social organizations in place, like Churches, Stadiums, Schools, even our own dinner parties, and have everyone bring just one can of food, to be sent to the community’s food bank.
This Thanks Giving lets be grateful for the food we are about to share with friends, but let’s take our gratitude further and help out someone in need. To help is simple and effortless if we all are willing to participate...it is as simple as just one can... www.operationjustonecan.org
To listen to Live interview with Tony Marren visit I Have Something To Say Live!Giving Thanks Before Thanks Giving
I was browsing my FB feed before my I Have Something o Say Live broadcast and I came across a post from Cyrus Webb announcing that his next Conversations Live guest later that day was Dionne Warwick.
Well, I grew up listening to Nat King Cole and Dionne Warwick, because they were my Dad's favorites. Every Sunday while my Mom was making homemade pasta, my Dad would play their records. I specifically loved listening to Dionne's music because I loved to sing along pretending I was on the stage. Of course my voice didn't sound anything close to hers, and the lyrics came out with a very noticeable accent as my pronunciation was totally wrong. My Dad would joke around asking me why I was crying while I was singing, I would laugh and keep at it.
Unknowingly, Dionne Warwick turned into not just a childhood Idol, but she also became my own personal English tutor. During those years, I attended an American school. All of the classes were in English, and we actually were expected to speak only English even at the playground. Singing along to Dionne Warwick music improved my English comprehension and pronunciation to the point that my confidence in the language made it possible for me to keep it strong through all of my school years for me to develop a 100% fluency, even though it was my third language as my parents were Italian Immigrants in Venezuela.
Few decades and three countries later what started with Warwick's music, concluded with my first book published in English. Yes my first publication ever, was not on my native language and then translated into English...Innocent War was achieved in English directly, as I was able to write straight from my mind to my third language.
So, it was only natural to share my admiration for Warwick to Cyrus by commenting on his post. Little did I know that I would get to live a childhood dream as I got invited to call in and tell Ms. Warwick my story...yes, sometimes being grateful and thanking someone even if they never knew how they touched your life, can feel just as good as receiving their gift!
I hope you all get to thank personally a special someone in your life this year!
To listen to Dionne Warwick on Conversation Live click here
Today's Financial Corruption...Fact or Fiction?
Government corruption, Wall Street manipulation, financial chaos…it all sounds like a fiction thriller…but I am actually speaking of current events and historical facts.
Was the Real Estate implosion of 2008 caused by inept leaders generating inefficient policies or by corrupt leaders generating policies to pursue their own interests?
As we see the world crumbling economically like Greece and the US, and Politically like Italy, just to name a couple, people take the streets in movements like “Occupy”.
But how did all this start? Why aren’t the systems working? I have a simple answer:
It is all based on lack of morality…
I truly believe that society is breeding leaders that have no morals and citizens that are apathetic. But to better understand where I am coming from I interviewed author Theodore Jerome Cohen. Ted is a Scientist and Engineer with over 40 years of experience. He also has been an Investor since 1960. His last two fiction novels – out of six – have a lot to do with this topic. In fact they are based on what might have been the origins of what we are seeing today.
I asked Ted to explain what he found through his research when working on Death by Wall Street and House Of Cards. If you want some insight on the Economy Downfall, listen to what Ted has to say!
To listen to Ted’s Live interview visit: www.live.susanviolante.com
Raising Your Kids When Working Outside the Home
The staying at home or not issue never goes out of fashion for new parents. For some is a choice for others the luxury of choosing doesn’t exist. In an economy where the second scenario is becoming the rule, small children parents’ concerns are not based whether or not to have one stay at home full time but more how to explain their small children that they need to go to work.
I believe that the parents of today have the upper hand in comparison with the times when my children were younger, in the sense that they do not battle with the stigma and the guilt I had to face as both parents working is and kids on daycare are more a necessary situation. However, I find that the pressure of raising a well-adjusted, independent, and successful kid with a moral values core is on.
My experience of juggling work and family taught me that this is possible only by keeping the communication channels with your children wide open. This is why I loved Jennifer Pereyra’s book: Mommy & Daddy Work to Make Some Dough.
This book for Toddlers through Kindergarten will help them understand the family’s need for work, but what I find great about a book like this one is the opening of communication between parents and children on real life subjects at a young age.
We all tend to baby talk our babies, it is only natural. But we also need to prepare our babies for what they will face ahead in life. So the earlier we start opening the communication channels with them the better. Pereyra does an excellent job opening these channels through a picture book that explains real life issues with age appropriate language.
I decided to interview Jennifer about today’s demands on working parents. An insightful conversation all parents should listen. To hear what she had to say visit I Have Something To Say Live!
Facing Demos by Ashley Sanders a book Review
Blake runs a rehab facility in an undisclosed location on the coast of Australia. Having fought his own Demons, he could not anticipate the horrors his next group had to face. He could not anticipate how their battles would play out, or the consequences. All he knew was that he would be there through out to help them to face their Demons.
Jason, Rebecca, Mathew, and Felicity had only one thing in common, none of them thought they belonged in rehab. They all believed their time at the “resort” would be a waste of time. Blake was just another person on payroll, who didn’t care about them. Their heart-wrenching pasts crushed their lives, their souls. Society had given up on them but not Blake. He would guide them on a one way journey to face their Demons. Will they win or will they lose their lives in the process?
Ashley Sanders takes the reader through these four problem kids’ journey on fighting their inner Demons. The reader will be inside their heads and hearts, and feel their heart-wrenching pain, and fears. Their battle will transcend to the Demons in their lives who they must fight to be free. But the battle will be fierce and there is no predicting if they will succeed or die in the process.
Facing Demons is a heart-wrenching story that will change the reader’s view about judging “problem kids.” I was fascinated by its setting in Australia, heart broken by the reality of all the characters, and drawn to the edge by the dramatic suspense of their battles.
