Blurbs From Eunee's Mind (and Life)

The end of a year, and the beginning of another - the end of opportunities past and the beginning of new ones. What do you do at the end of every year and as the new year starts? Reflect on what kind of year it's been and then make resolutions for the new one? As for me, yes I reflect on what kind of year it's been and what I've learned. I also pick an area that I want to try and improve in the coming one - but yeah, just like resolutions, it's hard to improve dedicatedly throughout the year. But I've learned that while some years are tough and others are just jam-packed with events, the most important part for me is whether or not I have grown. And as I look forward to the new year, rather than drawing up a list of resolutions, I look forward to new things with hope. So as I look back on 2006, I see where I've grown and where I've faltered. While personally there are many things on which I could reflect, I also think about what's going on in the world a...

This past weekend I went to see the movie "Blood Diamond". I recommend that everyone see it. Beyond the entertainment factor is the awareness factor that this movie contains. Whilst I already knew some of the atrocities associated with diamonds, particularly those diamonds from Africa, this movie raised that awareness from somewhere in the subconscious to the conscious level. The First World's desire for these precious stones has fueled the Third World's wars and conflicts over the mining of these stones. Countries have gone through conflict and suffered terrible losses - their villages, cities, families, children - all affected by conflict arising over the opportunity to mine these stones and sell them to others. Though measures have been taken to decrease these situations, it is still something we ought to be aware of. In actuality this large scale conflict brings a conflict of sorts close to home for me. Personally, being single and watching people around me get ma...

Thanksgiving season came and went. What did you find yourself thankful for? The little things? The big things? Many things? Few things? Material things? Priceless things? So much to be thankful for, and so much we take for granted throughout the year. But at the center of it, I realize as the year draws to an end, that underneath it all - the primary thing I am thankful for - is hope. And thus, for me, Thanksgiving marked the renewal of hope. I am thankful that I can hope - hope for the continued health of my family and friends, hope for a different career, hope for peace in more places tomorrow than there are today, hope that an empowered individual can in turn empower others, hope that happily ever after indeed exists. And as Christmas approaches, my hope continues to be renewed. Hope that amidst darkness there is light - light in the form of Christ who is the true reason for the Christmas season.

I just saw "March of the Penguins". In a utterly desolate and freezing landscape, the emperor penguins survive and live. Amazing! I mean, you would think that there was no way any life form could survive in such a cold climate, particularly when the winters of Antarctica come. Can you imagine winter in such a cold place???? The winds, the air, the blizzards - they're all so ferocious and harsh. Eggs freeze in an instant and crack open when exposed; people have to bundle up in 6 layers of clothing and still manage to get frostbite when out there too long. Yet it is an incredible testimony to see the emperor penguins' life in such a place - feeding, mating, watching over their eggs, watching over their young ones, until the young finally return to the sea to begin their own such rituals at a later time. Amazing. Just utterly amazing.

Do you remember how to skip? And when was the last time you went skipping down the street? Skipping down our driveway this morning, I just realized that as an adult it might be a silly thing to do, but it instantly returned me to feeling like a 4 year old little girl who had just discovered how to skip. It was an immediate return to childhood and immediately brought a smile to my face. I must admit that there have been days when I've been out in public and had to fight the urge to skip across the street. What is it about adults that place the actual task of skipping into the dark recesses of our mind, never to be brought out into the open again? Perhaps it doesn't serve a function for us anymore. Walking, running, tiptoeing, jumping all are skills we still continue to use; what is it about skipping that gets excluded from the motorical activities of an adult? I don't know about you but I want to skip more often than once or twice a year; and when I have kids, you can be sur...

Today is a Day for Darfur. Around the world, thousands have been gathering to call for international action to stop the violence in Darfur. Gatherings include vigils, prayer meetings, and rallies - such as one in New York City today. The international community's response was slow, if not practically non-existent, to the genocide in Rwanda. It cannot happen again. I sincerely hope today that the response, slow as it is, will not be the same as it was in 1994. We are faced with the same situation, but I hope that the outcome will be a different one. Join in the vigil, raise your awareness, and the awareness of those around you. Be a voice for Darfur today.

In the arena of human rights, Africa should be center stage. Not to minimize any of the other human rights situations going on at the moment, but do we as a collective society here in America really know what's going on in Africa? Our news is filled with politics, with Iraq, with Iran, with Afghanistan, and granted that those are important to us, what of the continent of Africa? Darfur.... I never knew where Darfur was until less than a year ago. And the conflict and genocide? It has been going on since February of 2003. I ask my friends, my colleagues, my peers, and most of them have no idea where Darfur is or that there is a conflict there, let alone an escalating genocide. I don't blame them. It's not like I was that aware of it, even though I have close ties to Africa - being born there and raised there for 11 years before moving. To learn more about Darfur, click here . Apparently there are thousands of people who are aware of these events and have put together a coali...