It’s been ages, I know.  I haven’t been keeping up, and I have very few excuses.  I’ve had plenty of good things to talk about for my three smiles a week, but I’ve lacked the motivation to write.  Which is especially unfortunate given that it means I’ve been breaking my New Year’s resolution every day since the last time I wrote in my journal (about two weeks ago).  

This post will be part book promotion and part charity promotion.  This month, my excuse for missing the charity post dates is that one of them was my birthday and the other was too full of cats and dancing to have much space for writing.  Hopefully in March there won’t be an excuse and I’ll just post on the days I promised I would!

Anyway, another reason I didn’t post earlier in the week was because I didn’t really have an idea which charity I wanted to promote.  The world is full of good people, but who to talk about first?  But not today.  Today I went to the bookstore for the first time in ages and was finally able to purchase This Star Won’t Go Out, the memoir/biography/autobiography/journals/art of Esther Grace Earl, a quirky nerdfighter and queen of compassion whom cancer stole from this earth at far too young an age… I’ve been reading all day, in a state of almost-tears, and am already halfway done.

I would highly recommend this book to everyone, whether or not your life has been affected by cancer, because it is just full of light and depth and clarity and wisdom beyond Esther’s sixteen years.  And while your at it, check out This Star Won’t Go Out, the foundation that Esther’s family started in her name, to give much needed financial aid to the families of children with cancer.  Here’s a similar Canadian foundation too, just for good measure.

Esther’s book makes me want to write more, do more, think more, feel more, and be more.  I hope you decide to pick it up and find it as inspiring as I have.  

“Just be happy, and if you can’t be happy, do things that make you happy.  Or do nothing with the people that make you happy.”

– Esther Earl