What to tell your kid about dying, when you don't believe in heaven.

(cross-posted at Kalilily Time)

Your eight-year old can't go to sleep because he's crying so hard. He's crying so hard because, he says, he doesn't want to ever die and he doesn't want anyone he knows to ever die because he doesn't want to be alone.

You don't really believe in "God," and don't believe in heaven. You're not religious, and the Golden Rule is about the closest you come to embracing any doctrine, although you try to pass along a moral and ethical code that you hope he understands and continues to live by.

But what about "after?" What about after this life? What do you tell your eight-year old that will calm his fears without outright lying?

What you do is write a book that explains who and what we are in a way that will address his fears yet still be in the realm of what might actually and scientifically happen. ( After all, Carl Sagan thought so.)

And you call this book Spark.



Go over online and read through Spark -- and see if it's the answer you're looking for.

Puzzle Pieces of Social Media: Twitter, FB, Blogging

When I started blogging back in 2002, there were still many people who would say, "You do WHAT?!" when I said the the word "blog." I remember driving to work one day and hearing someone in 2003 say the word "blog" on the radio and knowing it was the first time I'd heard someone in the mainstream media talk about it. Of course, back then most of the people in "MSM" were making fun of blogging and bloggers, or saying derisive things. The 2004 elections pushed blogging out there to the forefront, but still, even then there were so few bloggers compared to now.

The History of the Universe as Told by Wonderwoman

The production of an independent film, titled above, depends on the filmmakers raising $10,000 by the end of the month. As a Wonder Woman fan since 1957, I'm looking forward to seeing this film, and I even donated. You can too.

This is how the filmmakers describe their project:

The goal of the film is to explore how female heroes have fared in popular culture. We're using Wonder Woman as the central figure in this story, as she's the rare example of a female hero who doesn't require rescue and determines her own actions and adventures. The film not only serves as an inquiry into our evolving values about women as agents of strength, authority and leadership, but also reminds us of our common need -- no matter our gender, race, class or sexual orientation -- for stories that tell us we can all be heroes.

You can donate as little as a dollar or as much as you want. $35 or more gets you a free signed DVD of the completed movie. Watch the trailer. You'll be hooked.