Freeze Frame: Remembrance

Photo by Nic Jackson
(Little Visuals / Hand on Heart)

During the holiday break, I was looking for New Years Eve images for social media posts. A search for copyright free images led me to the work of a young twentysomething named Nic Jackson, who released a loosely topical mix of interesting images each week. His work was clean, spare, striking...and as I wondered for the 100th time if my love of minimalism is embedded in my Nordic DNA, I wondered if some of his landscapes had been taken in Norway or Denmark, and so I followed a link to his full site and found this shocker:

_________________________________

Announcement

Those of you who look at Little Visuals and any new visitors will be aware there have been no further uploads for over a year now. Sadly the young man who created this site died suddenly in Nov 2013. His name is Nic he is 26 and we are his family. Nic is one of far too many young adults who’s death comes under the heading of S.A.D.S ( Sudden Adult Death Syndrome ). We are now fundraising in the hope to provide a number of schools or sports areas with portable defibrillators in Nic’s memory. With this in mind we would like to ask if any of you that view his site and download the images would consider a small donation towards the Hand on Heart Charity. We hope to update this site in the near future with previously unpublished photos. 

With thanks, Nic’s family

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Nic was bright, passionate and generous with his talent for photography....how could such a visionary young person be gone? I stared at the screen and the term S.A.D.S.  Sad memories flooded over me and tears welled as I remembered Jamie Hall, my beautiful friend who had also died of S.A.D.S in his sleep during his junior year of high school. Jamie seemed a man among boys back then...handsome, extraordinarily kind and very talented in sports. I've thought about him often over the years, and it is his example that I think of when teaching my son that it's so much cooler to be kind.  I lost touch with his family after moving away, but I was glad to see that his memory is still honored annually at our high school: 

The Jamie Hall Memorial Awards are presented to a junior boy and girl athlete at the (Governor Mifflin Senior High School) All-Sports Banquet. The awards are presented by Jamie’s parents in memory of their son. The awards are given to a junior boy and girl who have earned the highest number of varsity letters in their sophomore and junior years.

S.A.D.S is well named. Both of these young men were beloved by their families and had a zest for life. We are still bewildered by the mysterious killer S.A.D.S...as teens, it really wasn't a diagnosis that helped us to understand why our friend had been taken from us, and as the parent of a teen now, it is terrifying that it remains a possibility today. 

In answer to their loss, Nic's family has established a U.K.-based charity called Hand on Heart, which supplies portable defibrillators to schools and sports establishments in the event that they are needed to save another young person from S.A.D.S (donations welcome).  

Here in the U.S., there is a slightly different acronym for S.A.D.S, which can be found at https://www.sads.org/, a supportive site for families and friends who have lost loved ones, and for the many who have survived thanks to growing awareness and advocacy. 

As we ring in a new year, I'm realizing that while time moves on for all of us, it freezeframes the memories of our beautiful young friends and family who left us too soon. Thank you Nic and Jamie, for making a difference in our lives....and know that I am #grateful for your time among us, and for your gifts, which continue to give. 

I will be showing more of Nic's photography (and his story) in my Twitter, Instagram and Facebook throughout 2019. Whenever you recognize his work, I hope you will leave a 💗 & ✋ in tribute.

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The Black Friday Challenge

 Top 12 Ways to Give Back This Season

  

Have you thought about where you will spend your money this weekend, with all the options available for Black Friday Sales and Small Business Saturday?

"How can I possibly help?" That's the disheartening thought we have when we see the vast gap of wealth and opportunities between rich and poor. Your local houses of worship or local organizations and schools that gather donations to support their programs, will be happy to remind you that every penny counts!
I don't know about you, but I know in my heart when I've crossed the line between conscious spending and fiscal gluttony, especially if I've recently passed up a chance to support my community.

It's the kickoff to the Holidays, and we want to enjoy the Season, right? Tempting bargains abound! It makes good sense/cents to think about your spending plan so that you come away feeling empowered by your money, and uplifted by your good fortune. So I offer you this formula for consideration: from every dollar that you save, put 10 cents or more toward "paying it forward" in some way.

So, not to be a total buzzkill, I suggest having fun on Black Friday if you are so blessed, and then tally up your savings to support Small Business Saturday! Here are 12 easy ideas, either for yourself or for gifting:

1) attend a gig, or buy a CD, Vinyl or merchandise from an indie musician

2) shop Etsy.com to find sole proprietors of jewelry, crafts, beauty

3) visit your local coffee shop (skip the big chains for a day!)

4) pre-order or give local experiences: classes, bowling, tours, tastings (esp. good for gifting to Millenials!)

5) subscribe to a local magazine, or buy a local author's book

6) give a visit to a local hair or nail salons, or blow-dry bar (date night!)

7) seek out local/artisanal beer, wine, tea, cheese, or honey

8) join a club: hiking, painting, knitting, reading

9) take that music lesson or singing lesson (or two, or three!)

10) purchase beautiful cards or stationery, and write to a friend

11) use a ridesharing service to get around town (no parking hassles!)

l2) give time, money, supplies...the YMCA, Senior Centers, Churches, Synagogues, Mosques, Homeless Shelters, Food Banks and Animal Shelters all welcome visits and donations more than you know!

I just know that if you give my Black Friday Challenge (share w #BFC) a try, you'll get off the beaten track and meet new people, while also feeling great about sharing your prosperity and making your community a little brighter.

BONUS: Squeeze in ALL 12 suggestions between Small Business Saturday and New Year's Day. Reply in comments with your list of "12 Gives" and automatically be entered to win a "New Year - New You" gift package, shipped to your home!

Lisa Donahey's new album CHRISTMAS IN OUR SOUL is a top-notch indie release!
Visit www.LisaDonahey.com for listening and purchasing!

ACTION MOVES PEOPLE: A Spoken Word & Music Album to Support Global Nonprofit MOVE THIS WORLD

Earlier this month, a group of Grammy Award-Winning producers and performers joined together to release an inspirational charity album ACTION MOVES PEOPLE to benefit the non-profit organization MOVE THIS WORLD, a global nonprofit that uses creative movement to address and transform conflict and violence in communities. All proceeds from the sales of this CD benefit the MOVE THIS WORLD charity.

ACTION MOVES PEOPLE is a collection of poems and songs for people of all ages. Some are gentle songs, others are edgier, a purposeful range in style in pursuit of conveying that we are all one people, regardless of race, religion, age and lifestyle; that we can all endure the challenges of life, uplift ourselves and one another, and help each other through life's easy and difficult moments. 

It's always interesting and inspiring to see who turns up to support on another on cause albums such as this one.  Here, the range is eclectic, and includes international artists John Wetton (Asia, King Crimson, UK), Japanese Progressive group Electric Asturias, renowned children's musician Bobby Susser and others coming together with luminaries like world-renowned author/researcher Colin Andrews. 

Recently, Heather Caton MSW, President of the World Genesis Foundation, said, “ACTION MOVES PEOPLE is a wonderful collaboration and has brought amazing hearts and minds together. May it continue to have such a positive and uplifting effect, bringing peace and connecting people. It is such an uplifting feeling to be connecting with more and more people who share the same vision of our world in harmony; of a peaceful co-existence with people from all walks of life, race, culture, religion, and lifestyle. Our connection with each other makes us stronger, we can make a world of difference working together." 

In partnership with schools, community-based organizations, families and corporations, MTW is building and connecting more peaceful communities with over 10,000 individuals across 22 cities and 4 continents.

The album, its content and mission, has been applauded by music luminaries such as Paul Simon, Billy Vera and Ben E. King. The producers on the project included Kevin Mackie, Krista Wallhagen, Whitney Peyton, Rave Tesar, Kevin Frank, and Bobby Susser. The album debuted on August 27th, 2013 through Kevin Mackie Productions and will be distributed via CD Baby, with proceeds going to MOVE THIS WORLD.

Regarding the album collaboration, Bobby Susser (an award-winning children's musician and lecturer who contributed to two pieces plus the liner notes) commented “I've worked for forty two years writing and recording children's songs. While I've tried to entertain them, I've always made a very conscious effort to teach them something. So, when Kevin Mackie asked me to write some lyrics and recite them for a Spoken Word album, "Action Moves People", I jumped at the chance. The fact that the album will benefit children has always been a philosophy of mine. In addition, the fact that this is a non-profit, charity project made it more appealing. I'm especially proud to have joined Kevin and his team in their production efforts on their very worthy album for a very worthy cause.”

Bobby Susser, producer, musician and lecturer, with his inspirational sidekick.

Susser’s reading of the spoken word piece he wrote for the album can be heard on his YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/BobbySusser  Just click to listen and explore more about MOVE THIS WORLD or ACTION MOVES PEOPLE.