Happening Friday: Local YMCAs to celebrate LIVESTRONG day with bone marrow drive

Tracy Simmons

The YMCA of the Inland Northwest and LIVESTRONG at the YMCA will be hosting a Bone Marrow Donor Registration Drive in honor and celebration of LIVESTRONG Day on Friday from 8 a.m to 8 p.m at all three YMCA locations. “As committed partners in the effort to support survivors of cancer, it is important that we give members of the Spokane community an opportunity to take a meaningful action in the fight against cancer,” the organization stated in press release.
More | Comments (0)

Left behind: Families struggle to navigate life after suicide

Lisa Schencker | The Salt Lake Tribune | May 10, 2013

Kris died at age 8 in 1986, when a car hit him on the way to school. Kourt died about 10 years later, at age 17, killing himself amid depression and the still-stinging absence of his older brother.
More | Comments (0)

Without her, the world is different — acknowledging grief

Tracy Simmons | May 2, 2013

Six months ago I wrote about the death of my father — a man I hardly knew, yet whose passing I grieved. Today I pen about the loss of a second parent — the one who stepped in when dad walked out.
More | Comments (7)

News of suicide a reminder to speak out

Joe Niemiec | Apr 18, 2013

It was with a heavy heart that I recently read about a young lady who chose suicide because of the behavior of others — including those that did not believe her and, therefore, did not prosecute those that violated her. More and more it seems we don’t recognize and honor the boundaries of others, be they male or female, and sometimes even go to the extent of causing verbal or bodily harm, adding further insult by later bragging about our actions.
More | Comments (0)

BRIEF: Sravasti Abbey in need of food

Tracy Simmons | Feb 26, 2013

The monastics at Sravasti Abbey follow the Buddha's sangha tradition and only eat the food that is offered to them, and that food is running low. According to the Buddha, this practice establishes a mutual dependence between monastics and the lay community.
More | Comments (0)

Local Christian radio listeners raise money for wells in Guatemala

Tracy Simmons | Feb 20, 2013

On Jan. 31, KEEH-FM’s Don Godman hosted a 4-hour on-air fundraiser that raised more $21,000 to dig two new wells in a remote village in Guatemala. With partner, Water for Life, and support from listeners, about 700 people in the village of La Compuerta at the top of a dry hill in Guatemala, will have a clean source of fresh water for their homes, according to a press release
More | Comments (0)

The comfort of kaddish and the saints: grieving for a friend

Amanda Green | WilmingtonFAVS | Feb 6, 2013

It was a mist-shrouded North Carolina mountain day in early fall. I remember thinking how appropriate the gray weather and the heavy fog rolling off the Blue Ridge Parkway were for the loss we felt. It was the start of eighth grade. Many of us had wished Scott a great summer at the end of seventh grade. It never crossed our minds that we wouldn’t see him again or that the pacemaker he’d had since birth would fail.
More | Comments (0)

Doctors warn against ‘reproductive coercion’

Kim Painter | USA Today | Jan 29, 2013

While researchers don’t know exactly how common it is, the nation’s leading group of obstetricians and gynecologists says women should be screened for ‘reproductive coercion.’
More | Comments (4)

Group wrestles with ethics of assisted suicide

Tracy Simmons | Jan 17, 2013

Physician assisted suicide has been legal in Washington, Oregon and Montana for some years now, but the ethical dilemmas surrounding the law continue to be a struggle for many Americans. At its monthly meeting Wednesday night, members of the Friends of Compassion discussed those dilemmas, including the ways faith plays a role in euthanasia.
More | Comments (3)

A lesson from a painful memory

Tracy Simmons | Jan 14, 2013

Today I’m 15 years old again. I’m wearing a plaid shirt. My hair is in a ponytail. I just said happy birthday to my friend and left school. I’m outside now, walking home. But now I’m frozen, my legs anchored to the sand beneath me.
More | Comments (13)

Help the little drummer boys among us

Kyle Franklin | Dec 21, 2012

As I was driving home this evening from a massive amount of errands, the song “Little Drummer Boy” by Jars of Clay came on the radio. This is far from my favorite Christmas song, but the words came to a deeper meaning this particular holiday.
More | Comments (0)