Iris Apfel

I'd never heard of Iris Apfel before running across this video today. I don't think our tastes exactly coincide, but I sure hope I'll be this confident and having this much fun if I also reach the age of 88.

A brave blog

(Trigger warning: rape)

From It Starts With Us:

Today's mission [to "lovebomb," i.e., send messages of support to someone who is going through a very tough time] was suggested to us by Gaby, the founder of GivesMeHope.com (one of my favorite sites on the web). Here's what she had to say:

Hey Nate, I think this girl might be perfect for a lovebomb. She's was a rape victim and is pregnant with a baby from the rape. She's decided to keep the baby, but she's been working extremely hard to finish high school and work at the same time to be able to support her kid. She recently reached out to me and she's desperate for help. I know tumblr doesn't allow comments but she has a formspring and you don't need to register to leave comments.

This is what she wrote to me:
You are the founder of givesmehope and lovegivesmehope, somewhere i have debated sending my story. i was wondering if you could help bring more of these amazing people into my life. the support and love from strangers is overwhelming, and it's the only place I am feeling comfort.

This is her blog post:

This is her formspring:

Hope she's a good candidate! Thanks for considering Nate :)

This one really touched my heart, guys. Chandler is taking an incredibly tough and scary situation and turning it into something beautiful, and she could really use some love from people who care about her enough to help her along this journey. Oh, and I know she says to ask her any questions you want in that Formspring thing, but she's answered so many already, and she just spent the last couple days in the hospital due to complications [preeclampsia], so let's not bother her with questions, okay? I think she needs love and support more than more questions.

You'll have to click on the second link above to leave a comment, and please be aware that there's a character limit on the comment box – you won't be able to write anything very long. Sorry about that, but that's how this one works. My suggestion would be to decide what you really want to say, and just say that. Keep it brief. If you really want to say more, include contact info and invite her to talk.

Let's show some love, people!

I spent some time looking tonight through Chandler's blog [note: ran across a few pictures on it that are NSFW]. She is an impressive young woman, who is refusing to let her situation get her down. Her optimism is truly striking. More FAQs about her situation here. About her boyfriend, she says: "my best friend, now my boyfriend, has voluntarily stepped up to provide for and parent the baby alongside me, asking for nothing but my love in return. Noah, your love gives me hope."

She's exactly Fiona's age. Gah, that's sobering.