World AIDS Day 2012

I love music. This you know. What you might not know is that I am a total Scrooge. I despise the Christmas holiday. However, this year I find myself inexplicably happy about it; nay - excited even. So, to capitalize on my uncharacteristically upbeat feelings toward the last month of the year, I am sharing with my faithful readers the first annual FPN Extended Play Advent Calendar!

Today is December 1, and while I am not certain if it is the official first day of Advent, I am certain that it is World AIDS Day. The first World AIDS Day was observed on December 1, 1988. Since then, the campaign has worked tirelessly to educate the world about the epidemic and to help bring about it's end.

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"In its first two years, the theme of World AIDS Day focused on children and young people. These themes were strongly criticized at the time for ignoring the fact that people of all ages may become infected with HIV and suffer from AIDS. But the themes drew attention to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, helped alleviate some of the stigma surrounding the disease, and helped boost recognition of the problem as a family disease."

-Wikipedia: World AIDS Day

I don't feel like there's a lot more that I can say about World AIDS Day. If you have never loved anyone with HIV/AIDS, you are blessed. If you have, then you know how horrible AIDS truly is and how painful it is physically, emotionally, and psychologically for the person with the disease, as well as everyone who loves them. Our world has lost so many beautiful and talented people to this horror - some well known, some not so much. Every life deserves to be lived and every life lost is a story we never got to hear. My prime operative with this blog is not only to share my own story, but to provide a place for stories that might not normally be told. The idea that someone's story ended too soon breaks my heart.  

In observation of World AIDS Day, and the first day of FPN Advent, I am sharing two videos. The first is Elton John's performance of "The Show Must Go On" at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. Elton John was moved by the death of Mercury, and by the death of Ryan White to found the Elton John AIDS Foundation which has raised over $200 million to support prevention, education, and direct care services for those living with HIV/AIDS. 

The second video is of Elvis Presley singing "Blue Christmas". Why? It's a Christmas song that I like, and it's appropriate for today's theme. Somewhere out there, there are people having a Blue Christmas because of HIV/AIDS.