Emergency Pet Food

BABES has set up an emergency pet food corner at our office where you
can pick up dog food, cat litter and soon cat food. You can receive
referrals for low cost veterinary care,spaying and neutering and free
pet food through Pet Project and Pet Support.
Call Deb V. at BABES
(206-720-4377) for more information

...Not a Sinking Ship

Because I was mesmerized by the grandeur of the movie Titanic, the idea that I could write about this love story and connect it with HIV suddenly presented itself. Now, creatively speaking, a person could probably take ANY subject and somehow make an analogy with HIV; however, I felt compelled to write this. All aboard...

The idealized love that Jack and Rose have for each other could make the most cynical “Babe” believe again. When the lifeboat is being lowered, Rose accusingly looks at Jack. Somehow, she knows that “this is it.” Sadly, wistfully, Jack looks down at Rose, knowing that there is no boat waiting for him on the other side. Frantically, she leaps off the boat, and they both run into each other’s arms. This scene chokes me up every time.

Because I am a romantic freak? Because I want so much to believe that true love can really exist? Yes, yes, but Rose and Jack represent something else. As long as there is still time, even if it is only an hour, and the boat seems to be sinking fast, they won’t “jump” until the very last second. Life still goes on, if only for that one last hour.

So it is with HIV, and even life in general. We just don’t know when the last hour, the last minute will occur. It might not be the Titanic crashing down and foundering around us, but there are days when it feels like we have the weight of the Titanic, and we feel like we’re barely riding the wave.

Jack and Rose give me hope. I thought that maybe I had become too cynical to trust, to believe in love, but there I was, crying at the wonderfully sad, yet hopeful, ending.

The heart does go on, and even if we struggle with HIV, love goes on, and so does hope.

“Healing Moves’’ Workshop

Seattle Friends for Life Society presents Part III of their Healing Workshop Series. This free class will focus on movement therapies that can relieve pain, increase flexibility, and improve strength, balance and vitality.

Instruction includes Tai Chi/Qi Gong with Kim Ivy of Embrace the Moon Ta’a Chi Chu’an and Ch’l Kung. Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement with Janelle Keane, Yoga with Laura Yon-Brooks, MA and Aston-Patterning with John Heutmaker, L.M.P. All practitioners are certified and place an emphasis on individuals with life-challenging illnesses.

This free workshop will be held at the Garfield Community center, 2323 East Cherry Street, May 18th, 10:00 AM---3:00 PM.

The Seattle Friends for Life Society enhances the lives of people with life-challenging illnesses and to their families, friends, and caregivers b empowering them to make educated choices about their well-being through education, and emotional, spiritual, and physical services. All Society services are free of charge.

Chicken Soup Brigade Rides Again!

Thanks to Laura Anderson, the nutritionist at the Chicken Soup Brigade, we will have one of their yummy recipes in the newsletter each month. Enjoy!