National Dog Day Apparently dog's really are man's best friend. In developed countries that is. :) Women's Equality Day White women work 59 days for free. Black women, 94 days. Hispanic women 117 days. Put another way, it's as if after July 21 (Hispanic women) August 21 (Black women) or October 16 (white women) don't receive a paycheck. Annually. Uh. Really?  It is the year 2015 people. Seriously.  2014’s Best and Worst States for Women’s Equality History of Women and Equality What Are the Roots of Gender Inequality? Women's Rights, Race and Reproduction About a year ago John Oliver weighed in on the Gender Gap... Hug Your Boss Day If it's appropriate give a real human touch hug, if it's not appropriate then give him/her some Hershey hugs!

Hug Holiday Hugs for Health, physical and emotional/mental.  Yes really! The healing power of touch  Camera Day The History of the Camera The Top 50 Most Popular Digital Cameras The Best Camera Brands - Film and Digital Waffle Iron Day Not just for waffles anymore! 23 Recipes for the Waffle Iron 20 Delicious Reasons Why You Need a Waffle Maker Almond Buttercrunch Day Homemade Recipe Please Take My Children to Work Day Or please just take my children? haha!

National Hugging Day 10 Reasons Why We Need at Least 8 Hugs a Day 7 Reasons Why We Should Be Giving More Hugs I have a couple of friends who don't like hugs.  In fact, this little cartoon perfectly describes them: But even those friends will search me, and others, out for a hug every now and then.  Hugs are part of a relational life.  Even my friends who don't like them need the benefits that hugs provide from time to time. I am okay with hugs. Mostly women and children, a few men outside of the ones I am married to or related to.  The men I do hug that I'm not related to by marriage or blood are men that I feel safe with and/or that I know my hug wouldn't be misinterpreted by anyone, including them.  That man-woman thing gets tricky.  :) Once I learned this fact about hugs, I started trying to hang on to my recipients a little longer. Do you know how long 20 seconds is?!  A long time and in our culture it causes a bit of dis...

(For Friday May 30) This morning I cracked open my eyes just in time to see my nephew turn around to see if Auntie Beth was awake.  I waved at him and he squealed and ran to me and jumped on me to hug me in bed.  Seriously. There is not a better way to start my day when that happens! He then proceeded to show me everything which I was happy to see. We played and giggled and hugged and to say I was grateful for this early morning fun is an understatement.  I felt grateful and blessed and at peace.

I'm grateful today for hugs.  Hugs from a friend that I haven't seen in way too long, hugs from a friend because she saw I needed comfort.  Hugs that I give to someone who needs comfort, hugs that I give to friends who I have a heart connection with and it is felt in our hug.  Hugs in greeting and hugs in departing.  A hug is something given and received that communicates the person is valuable in some way, they are worth entering into their space (sometimes their very messy - emotionally or physically - space) and they are worth the touch of another.  I send a lot of virtual hugs since a lot of my heart-connection friends aren't even in the same state as me.  I hope they know when I say: {{{hugs}}} I am doing my best to embrace them across the miles.  I know when they say it to me that they are communicating that they are reaching out to bridge the gap between us with some love.  I'm grateful for hugs and all they can communicate when words don't...