The Birthday Reminder Service is gaining popularity! Are you in yet? Do so after you read this edition on empowering women, wishing happiness and getting a pet for yourself. Read on…

Just like the power of communication enables us to connect with each other, it also provides us with the opportunity to use it as a weapon. Donna has taken up a wonderful initiative to usher in International Women’s Day this year. She has got some of her friends together to help out women who are victims of domestic violence. Donna’s aim is simple, yet effective. She has tapped virtually everyone on her ecard dashboard to support her project. Because this is one unique chance to do something different, the response she got is phenomenal.

So what is Donna’s plan this Women’s Day? She is collecting old cell phones from her pals and anyone who wants to contribute. These cell phones will be given to victims of domestic violence so that they are able to call 911 in times of emergency. They are also pooling money to pay for the bills that the cell phones will bring on. My friends unconditionally support Donna in her work. She has managed to gather a considerable number of phones and also some dough. What Donna got as bonus is praise from everyone for her innovative thinking.

Readers of my newsletters know that the relationship of Kate and Henry broke up months before they were engaged to be married. This is the second time for Kate when her love story crumbled beneath the pressure of marriage. Last time around it was the two families that couldn’t see eye to eye. This time the couple in love fell out all of a sudden. To think of, when Henry was holed up in Iowa, the distance brought them so close to each other. The dynamics of a relationship are really strange and unpredictable.

True to Kate’s nature, she doesn’t hold any grudge over the fact that Henry doesn’t love her the way he used to. It could be that they were not compatible from the start but never knew so because they stayed miles away. Now that Henry is in New York, they realized that they cannot make it work. With the relationship in tatters, Henry is contemplating moving back to Iowa. Kate doesn’t want to hold him back either. “I just want you to be happy. Thank you for everything!” Kate told Henry.

The departing couple will host a small gathering for close friends. They did send online invitations to me and Adrian. I’m helping them track RSVPs and organize the event despite a heavy heart.

When you are in your teens, your best friend is not just another person in your life. Your friend becomes your life! You find yourself thinking and acting like this person. Your friend’s ideas seem to be more interesting to you than everyone’s put together. That’s the phase that Rachael is going through! My niece Rachael was always pally with Donna’s children Ethan and Emily. They have a comfortable synergy between themselves. Recently, while working on the polar bear project, they discovered they have more in common than they thought.
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The bonding was so profound that their parents find them connected to each other all round the clock! The normally reclusive Rachael has taken to the phone and internet in a big way. The friends are having a great time sharing their music and movie collections. On hearsay it seems that Rachael’s tastes match more with Ethan than Emily. Ethan is as much a fan of hard rock as Rachael is, while Emily likes country more. I had concluded long back that the trio will make the next generation of friends in these parts! I couldn’t have been closer to the mark.

Pets can do what friends sometimes cannot: calm you down. You may feel that I’m quoting from some white paper on how pets affect our behavior. Let me tell you that I write this from my personal experience. I have been with my pet, Kong, for a couple of years now. And I have carefully noted how Kong reads my mood like none else. He knows when I don’t have the patience to play frisbee with him. He also knows when I’m in the mood to indulge him with treats.

On days that go rough, I have had the most fantastic time with Kong. In him I have a friend, an active listener and a walking stress buster all rolled into one. It’s a very relaxing feeling to have Kong nudge you with his nose when you feel down and out. He gives me the urge to come back to reality and pick up the reins again. I would recommend that everyone get a pet and feel the difference for themselves. It will make you a far better human being, I can assure you that.

Here’s something from Marian Wright Edelman to inspire Donna: “We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily difference we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.”