I can't believe it's mid January and 2012! I'm looking forward to a good year after one of good and bad in 2011. Kool 98.3 and Longport Media, def part of the good....and continuing. Every day is a gift. I'll try to be more healthy and am trying (!) to get to bed earlier.....one of my bad habits. It's all about enjoying the "moments" and to be healthy enough for them to keep coming my way for as long as possible. Every day on the radio is fun, how could it not? My kids are grown now and healthy in mind, body and soul. My big house is feeling a bit empty, but sunday dinners are the tradition that keeps us all connected and together. Many blessings to you and yours. Enjoy the moments - every day.

Baking all weekend, counting my blessings and getting in the Holiday spirit! Another great organization that can be a great giving gift is Habitat For Humanity. There are local chapters in most counties and locally in Atlantic County in Pleasantville, Cape May County in Cape May Courthouse, and in Cumberland County in Millville. All donations can be made in someone's name and you can even earmark your gift for something specific. Go to their websites for all the info. The national website is habitat.org and has all the reports and info about Habitat For Humanity. They do so much more than building houses for families in need, though that is what the organization focuses on. What's great about Habitat For Humanity is that they truly work in the community and help those in need in their backyard. I encourage you to give your monetary gift and/or your gift of time.

www.habitatcapemay.com      609.463.0244

www.achabitat.org    609 487 9472

www.habitat-cumberlandnj.org   856 563 0292

I welcome any suggestions for organizations that you are involved with and Holiday giving.

Give with your heart.

Somehow I couldn’t write about today until it was over. This past week I, like everyone else saw the tributes, shows, documentaries, press, stories and articles about the tenth anniversary of that horrible day we all remember, that changed our lives and our country.  We’ve all lived thru the changes since then, both personally and as a country. We’ve stood in the line as the airport that are now commonplace. We’ve endured the fear that seemed to envelop our lives and still comes when we hear of threats, and attacks, and even the natural catastrophes that seem to be happening with more frequency.  One of the more interesting interviews I’ve seen was with Phillip Selikow, executive direct of the 9/11 Commission Report.  He states in a new afterword in the book, that we’ve shown the world that the USA has become more resilient in the last 10 years, and that we must continue to do so. That we will learn (and have) from this and any crises. That we will absorb the shock, mitigate and manage it, so that a handful of zealots doesn’t make us dance to their tune. And that we will carry on. We must learn how to do it with honor and dignity and not stoop to their level. It think these characteristics apply to us as a country, and also as individuals.  We’re all going to go through trials, tribulations and horrors. It’s how you carry yourself and what you learn from each instance.  Will I stoop to their level? Use violence or hate? Or will I dig deep and go with the sometimes harder option, of moral character, dignity and respect?  It’s hard to demonstrate respect when it’s not given.  But ultimately, we each have to look at our own face in the mirror and lay our own head down at night. Did I do the right thing? Or did I stoop to their level and take the easy, angry, way out?

Everyday is a gift, and sometimes a struggle.  Some days are diamonds and some days are dust. It’s what we do with each day that counts.  Give. Love. Forgive. Cry. Laugh. Count your blessings. Hug our kids, mother, father, sister, brother, dog, cat, pet.  Be thankful for our health and for the family and friends in our lives. For the roof over our heads. For the food on our table. Learn from the mistakes. Be kind and positive and do the best we can.  Wake up each day thankful to be alive and living in the best country on the planet. We all count and we can all make a difference. Every day. Random acts of kindness always work both ways.  Always, always, when I’m feeling down, blue, angry or just out of sorts, doing something for someone else always makes me feel better. I don’t know it that’s selfish or not. But it always works for me...so I can move on and out of that place of feeling bad.  We will never forget the horror of that day, but hopefully we have and will continue to learn how to be resilient. With dignity, honor and grace. Respect.

Sitting here watching Dan Skeldon, the MAN during this whole hurricane affair. He thrives on this stuff and we all are lucky to have someone so dedicated to his job, his passion. I don't realize how long he's been our local meteorologist, until I actually feel comforted when I see his face on the tv screen, giving us all the weather info we need...every time, every weather emergency. I don't know if that means the years have slipped by and he and I have been here in this part of the world longer than I realize or that I pay more attention to the weather now (as I get older??) OR, if the extreme weather is coming our way more often as it seems....something I will ponder as I ride this storm out. Life becomes so much more precious as I age, watching my children grow and become adults themselves. Right now, battling with my oldest who is a surfer....and now an adult, (who of course knows everything since becoming a member of the NJ and PA Bar...)...but still my precious son...and I'm still his Mom (!) Anyway, friends, be safe. Living in S. Florida when I was younger and braver, we saw some bad, bad, storms. You never know how it will play out, no matter what the predictions and graphs and charts. No one feels like a hero when you're sitting on top of the roof surrounded by water. Use your common sense and be kind to your neighbor, next person in line, car in front of you. And to my surfing friends....as my Hawaiian family says, respect the water, respect God's will. Love, Peace, Faith & Joy. Jen