We are closing in on the end of 2008, and though there is still time for us to gather our thoughts and set up our personal goals for the coming new year, it would serve us well to remember some of the promises we, as a global civilization, have made in the past -- specifically the promise to end poverty. As women, it is particularly important for us to be aware of the fact that women comprise nearly 70% of the world's 1.3 billion poor people. We must address this tragic inequity, because as we've repeatedly learned, a woman's economic security and independence is the best way to ensure the health and welfare of her children, as well as the family and community within which she lives.

The Millennium Promise is one that benefits us all, no matter our current personal circumstances, because it helps equalize the playing field. The Millennium Promise aims to achieve the following eight globally endorsed objectives that address the many aspects of poverty:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.

2. Achieve universal primary education.

3. Promote gender equality and empower women.

4. Reduce child mortality.

5. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

7. Ensure environmental sustainability.

8. Develop a global partnership for development.

Many notable individuals have used their fame and influence to raise public awareness of the extent of global poverty, including singer John Legend. Organizations such as Unicef, and Women Without Borders are making important strides in this area. But all of us can make this issue a priority, and make a personal determination to be part of the solution. With very simple interventions, we can wipe out global poverty in 20 years.  Make The Millennium Promise a done deal. 

My 82-year-old mom just went through one of the most difficult experiences of her life; surgery for lung cancer. I will say at the outset that she is amazingly resilient for all her apparent frailties, and has bounced back. In just a little over two weeks, she is chipper, happy, pain and cancer free, and has regained her twinkling smile.

While I noted that this was a most difficult experience for my mom -- she stated earth-moving, mind-altering experience for me. I over and over again that "I didn't think I was going to make it," it was also an had to see my mother in great pain. I had to watch her cry, and see her put through really tough treatments. I felt helpless, horrified, and angry at the unfairness of it all. Why the pain? Why did she need to suffer so much of it?

Obviously, fairness has nothing to do with cancer. Sobering statistics suggest that one in three of us will be affected by cancer at some point in our lives. My mom got lung cancer -- ironically she has never touched a cigarette in her life. She doesn't drink alcohol or coffee either. Go figure.

Though the first few days were admittedly torturous for her, she is one of the lucky ones. The surgery was successful. This time, cancer didn't win. But like most of you, I have family members and dear friends who fought the battle of cancer, and lost. It's not a disease we can take lightly. Finding a cure is something we should all be very committed to - and I will do my part.

But today, I am counting my blessings, living in this moment, and enjoying my mom's smile.

Are your children learning life skills at school? If not, time to wise up and integrate those lessons into your home life, because many kids are graduating from high school without a clue about how to function out there in the real world. And without going way out on a political limb, life skills include recognizing our sexuality. Our kids need to understand the consequences of engaging in unprotected sex, and have a sense of the responsibilities that come with an unwanted, unanticipated, and untimely pregnancy. Is abstinence a life skill? if it is, it isn't being taught very well, or perhaps not learned very well, or perhaps simply not a universally viable option. 

I personally think our kids need to see the full picture - they need to be taught all the angles, every option. And then perhaps they'll grasp why personal responsibility is so important.

When you were growing up, you probably had chores to do, and perhaps this was a way to earn an allowance. My allowance was pitiful compared to what many kids today are given, including my own kids -- but the idea of an allowance is a good one, especially if it's being given as a reward for accomplished duties. 

Children need to learn about finances at an early age. We're about to hand them the biggest debt ever passed along to our future, so it's high time they were given a heads up.

Since my folks didn't have extra cash to throw around, my allowance was what I used to buy special items that didn't fall under the need-to-have category. As soon as I was old enough, I started babysitting. I couldn't wait to start my own savings and checking account. In fact, I learned how to go to the bank, to deposit cash, and to open and balance a checking account before my own mom did. Amazing.

I was of the generation that had obligatory home economics and shop classes. I took typing and shorthand classes as well. We were taught that work skills and life skills were not only important, they were crucial to our ability to "make a living." It was assumed we'd need to know how to cook for ourselves, and to sew a seam to repair a piece of clothing. Kids don't learn these skills now, unless you teach them at home. Too many kids go off to college without a clue about how to buy enough food to prepare a meal for two people.

Teach your kids these basics. As soon as they're old enough to understand, show them how to make a deposit in a savings account, and give them access to their savings account booklet so they can see how it grows. When your kids are old enough to have their first job, teach them how to open a checking account - show them how to write a check, how to keep track of their account balance. You'd be amazed how many kids leave high school without this knowledge. 

And most important - explain to them what a "credit card" is. Teach them about "debt." College-bound kids are easy prey to credit card companies. Make sure your kids understand that when they spend someone else's money, they need to pay it back - with interest. It's an important concept.

Teach your kids how to do their own laundry; how much soap to put in the washer, how to separate the colors and jeans from the whites. Teach them how to buy groceries, how to prepare a meal for one or two people, and how to preserve their left-over's. Teach them how to clean up after themselves - to have pride in their surroundings, and respect for the things they've been given. Encourage your kids to learn marketable skills. They may need to work to put themselves through college, and even if they don't need to, they should. 

They should certainly earn money for the extra things they desire. Because when they do these things for themselves, they become empowered as individuals. They earn self-respect, which is one of the most important benefits they can gain.

And finally, give your kids the benefit of your experience. Teach them the valuable life skills you worked hard to attain. As is painfully obvious from the current state of affairs, more than ever before, they'll need them.

It's Mother's Day -- a day that stands out from the 364 others because in this twenty-four hour period, we're supposed to intentionally think about our moms and honor them. In the United States, this day brings a significant economic infusion for some businesses; we go out to restaurants in droves, and buy flowers, candy and cards in bulk.

But why do we need to have a day to honor our mothers? Shouldn't we do it every day? Well, yeah, that would be nice. But guess what. We lose track of time, we get caught up in other things, we get too busy, we lose sight of the trees in the forest, and bottom line, we simply take what our mothers do, and who they are, for granted.

But not today. Mom, today I want you to know how much I love you, and how much I finally appreciate all the sacrifices you made for me. As a mother myself, I can totally relate to the emotional rollercoaster ride you must have been on, and the thankless job mothering me must have seemed.

I remember when I was 18 years old, for example and thought I knew it all. There was no way I could have been convinced during that year that you had wisdom to impart to me about boys, love, health, education...my future. And though I watched you lose your cool several times - luckily for me, your tears and disappointments weren't flung at me in spiteful tirades, and you never, ever, got really rip-roaring mad. Usually you bore your emotional burden in silence.

At the end of the day, you always loved me; except that one time after I'd gotten married (too young, you'd said), and then ended up pregnant four months later, (too soon, you'd said). You didn't speak to me for weeks - the longest silent treatment you ever dished out. But you came to terms with my apparent destiny, and gathered me back in your arms despite your frustration.

I understand now that you just wanted me to have more chances in life - to pursue other interests before motherhood took all of my heart, mind, soul, and time. Ahh, well -- I have no regrets in motherhood, not the timing of it, and not the challenges of it, and thank God, neither do you. The river of time has carried me into plenty of opportunities and onto numerous rocky shores. Along the way I've had exhilarating experiences, made some great choices and also made some less-great choices.

Yet as a whole, my life is fulfilling and happy, and at any rate, I'm living the life I created. My children are beautiful, talented, loving, creative, and smart. I've done my best to mother them - without a doubt, love has always prevailed. My kids have all made a few mistakes, and they've all had some notable successes. I've sometimes been mad, sometimes sad. Such is life. I get it. As a mother, I get it even more.

I realized some years ago that you never felt confident about your abilities. I think this may be a chronic problem women, especially mothers face; the worry that we don't have the impact we wish we had on our young, and on our environment at large.

I understand now that mothers give so much of themselves that goes unnoticed, un-applauded, and often, unappreciated until much later in their lives. So, on this day, we need to make amends. We can admit and pronounce that mothers are the glue - the foundation - the ever-constant, the homing device, the compass in our children's lives.(I'm not dissing you, Dad - father's day is in June, and you'll get yours, I promise).

My mom is 82 years old, and the rigors of time, numerous joint replacements, back surgery, osteoporosis, arthritis and type 2 diabetes have robbed her of some of her independence, but none of her vitality, charm, and ability to love. My mom never needs to impose the silent treatment on me again - at 57, I've learned to listen to her - to appreciate her wisdom, and to honor her very being.

Mom, thank you for giving me life. Let me go on record to state unequivocally that you are a woman of worth and valor. You are precious to me, in every way. I wish you Happy Mother's Day today, and every day of your life.

Get into habit of forming healthy habits; you'll live longer and be happier about it if you do.  Author Dan Buettner spent seven years researching communities with a high percentage of centenarians, and found that several habits were common among these older people, and if we follow their lead, we may get a few more happy years on the planet. Try the following: 1.  Happy Hour!  A glass of wine, some nuts or nibbles and a relaxing gathering with friends is good for your heart. 2.  Be nice!  When you're nice to people, when you're likable and kind, other people will be inspired to be nice to you.  These friends will then be happier and more likely to provide you with companionship and care as you age. 3.  Maintain close family connections, both emotional AND physical.  Such connections are key to longevity. 4.  Hara Hachi Bu - which is Japanese for "Stop before you're stuffed," is one of the habits these centenarians adobted.  Essentially, cut your calorie intake by 20 percent, and you may add 6 years to your life. 5.  Choose to be around health-conscious friends.  Your friends' habits can influence you as much as your exercise and diet programs can.  Laugh, smile, and write happy journal entries as well.  You DO have a hand in the quality of your life. 

Slavery is a subject none of us wants to think about - it is an abhorrent part of world history.  But unfortunately, slavery has not been eradicated - human trafficking persists.  An especially horrific form of slavery, sexual slavery is going on right in your own backyard.  Underground networks of international thugs make millions of dollars exploiting human cargo; the sex trade involves kidnapping, rape, and physical abuse.   Thousands of men, women, and children from around the world are brought into the country, often illegally, and forced into indentured slavery, sexual slavery, and abuse.

The statistics are staggering; various reports approximate that more than 18,000 foreign nationals are brought into the United States and forced into the sex trade every year.  Our State Department states that 80% of the sex slavery trade is made up of women and children.

The world of trafficked people is filled with horror; sadists, drug addicts and violence.  And it's not just happening 'over there.'  It's here.  We need to break the slave trade, by exposing it for what it is, and offer help and safety to its victims, and one student group at a high school in Los Angeles is trying to do just that.  Several students in my daughter's senior class have banded together to advocate against sexual slavery by forming an alliance, " Crossroads School against Trafficking Activism Club."  To raise awareness about this terrible crime and the plight of sexual slaves, the students have arranged to show a special screening of the film TRADE; a thrilling story of courage that exposes one of the world's most hideous crimes.

Raising awareness about sexual slavery is the first step.  Then we need to raise our voices and do something about it.       

Beyond Cindy Sheehan's decision to resume her private life, there are lessons to be learned about the nature of women in public service. Many women have challenged the system at great personal sacrifice. Just ponder these past couple of years for Ms. Sheehan -- whether you agree with her or not, it's not difficult to imagine the hell she's been through in her efforts to get our country to alter its obviously ineffective course. She has been vilified for her beliefs, verbally attacked, physically threatened, and in many ways, discounted. Women bring more than our stated opinions and pure activism to the so-called party, and we need to be aware of this. There are plenty of social mores, cultural dictates and gender-specific expectations that color our perceptions and inform our opinions. In some ways, women are held hostage to these persistent schema conflicts and stereotypes. Before we open our mouths, whatever message we wish to deliver will be distilled though some preconceived filters. As we follow the political debate in the US, witnessing history as it is written, stereotypical descriptions of our female candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton, continue to find their way into the dialog. As Anna Quindlen aptly noted in her May 28^th piece in Newsweek, "Even when we said it was unfair to hold women to a higher standard than their male counterparts, in our hearts we did." For example, we still expect women who make it to the top in major corporations to run companies in a family-friendly way, with humane workplace conditions, and feel-good policies. We want their journalism to lean toward human-interest and the emotional angle, and we expect a woman's viewpoint on healthcare to include more patient contact, and a holistic, mind-body, and family-centric perspective. Women are always more than meets the eye. Senator Hillary Clinton has to do much more than be knowledgeable and astute about politics; she must also be prepared to be questioned about her husband's fidelity, her hairstyle, her choice of clothing, and the way she communicates. She will be grilled about everything from her choice to be a working mother, to her right to change her mind about the war in Iraq. The fact that Mrs. Clinton is a strong woman should be playing to her benefit, but this valuable characteristic has more often been used against her. Strong woman? For many people, this description is a contradiction in terms - a dichotomy, an oxymoron. We're lucky to have a pantheon of female "greats" to look up to -- from Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a leader in the U.S. Woman's Right's Movement, to Golda Meir, the original "Iron Lady" of Israeli politics - but the conflicts and complications that are part of women's lives have followed us all the way. Women seem always to be juggling between two worlds; home and children, and career and ambition. Marie Curie, a pioneer in the research of radioactivity once said, "I have frequently been questioned, especially by women, of how I could reconcile family life with a scientific career. "Well, it has not been easy." This sentiment endures. Despite the fact that it's not easy, women are steadily making advances. All over the world, women have been elected to top political positions. It's rather humbling to yours truly, a woman raised with the mantra that the US is the leader of the pack, that other nations have trumped the United States in placing women in the highest office of the land; Golda Meir, (in office from 1969 to 1974), Margaret Thatcher, (in office from 1979 to 1990), and Mary Robinson, (in office from 1990 to 1997) are a few examples. Currently, Angela Merkel is the Chancellor of Germany, (elected in 2005), Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is the President of Liberia, (elected in 2005), Michelle Bachelet is the President of Chili, (elected in 2006), Micheline Calmy-Rey is the President of Switzerland, (elected in 2006), and Dalia Itzik is the Acting President of Israel, (2007) just to name a few. Though behind in this domain, women in the United States are finally jockeying up to position. In January 2007, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi became the 60^th Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States; the first female ever to hold the office. And there may be more changes on the horizon too, as we ramp up for a presidential election with Senator Hillary Clinton as a frontrunner candidate for the Democratic nominee.

Whatever the outcome, we need to remember that women are taking enormous risks when they make a stand and try to change the status quo. Courageous women who expose themselves to multidimensional scrutiny are pushing against strong prevailing cultural biases, and a social context that until very recently, didn't bestow much credibility to a woman in the leadership role. A woman's worth - in our own minds, as well as in the group think of society - may well depend upon our coming to terms with an equality of spirit between the genders, even if the other things in life do not seem quite equitable. We should learn to benefit from our differences, not use them for ammunition.

I woke up to the knowledge that this is the day we celebrate Christ's resurrection from the dead.  I have songs of my childhood Sunday school in my mind..."Jesus Christ is risen today - Hallelujah."  I ponder that day - an event that occurred more than two thousand years ago, and wonder.  All things considered - and correcting for the obvious differences based on technological advances, was the political environment similar to what we find today?  The wars and clashes between people of ancient days were violent and bloody - torture was common place and people could be easily persuaded to bend one way or another.  This hasn't changed.   Just read the news.    In ancient days - and for the moment, I'm talking about Jesus' time - the debate about who should rule over whom was a main topic of discourse.  This also hasn't changed.  And where does religion fit into the political dialog?  Though I still retain my childhood Christian religious education, I am currently much more of a spiritualist - a free-thinker who embraces the positive attributes of all religions.   I'm raising my two youngest children in the Jewish faith - in the tradition of their father.  Just last week, we celebrated Passover - and I am also celebrating Easter -- so I've been contemplating religious rituals for several weeks now.  I think about these two particular religious beliefs - Christianity and Judaism, and how different they are.  Yet there are striking similarities too, and somehow, over time, they have learned to exist side by side without trying - at least in the literal sense, to kill each other off.

We're on a roll to making history, and it's about time! Hillary Clinton has finally made her announcement to run for President of the United States, and is, as she stated, "in to win." I want to be among those who speak out loud and clear that I'm "in for her to win" too. This should come as no surprise to anyone who can Google our name -- Haim and I have made no secret of our affection, respect and continued support of the Clintons. And for me to ante up my $4300 toward her Presidential bid is the natural progression of that support. But as we all know, people change, past alliances can change - and it's not generally wise for us to take things for granted. But that said, Senator Clinton can count on me. I don't need a new fact-finding mission -- I don't need to re-check her background, or dissect her voting record. I have come to know this formidable woman, and have an immense respect for her intelligence, insight and political acumen. I also have enormous respect for her as a woman, and a mother. Though I like and admire many of the other candidates who have made the decision to run for the highest office in the land - and in particular, Senator Barack Obama, I've made my choice - and being coy or shy about my views would seem to me to be disingenuous. So, hear-ye, hear-ye, I'll be campaigning, and voting for Senator Hillary Clinton! With Nancy Pelosi in the driver's seat as Speaker, and the balance of power distributed more evenly as a result of the recent elections, Democrats are now poised to do some long-overdue damage control of our seriously wounded foreign policy, our devastating missteps in Iraq and Afghanistan, our homeland security, our environmental awareness, our healthcare system, our fiscal policy, and on and on. Senator Ted Kennedy reportedly said that the two greatest words uttered by President Bush in his State of the Union speech were, "Madam Speaker." I'm looking forward to the day when we will be hearing two even more incredible words for the US -- "Madam President."