Last year 3.1 million people – adults and children - died from AIDS.

AIDS kills 1 child ever minute.

Every 15 seconds a young person contracts HIV.

50% of all new infections occur in young people between the ages of 15-24. Most of them don't know they carry the virus.

15 million children have been orphaned by AIDS – that’s the equivalent to every American child under the age of 5.

This disease doesn’t care about age or race or economical status. Here’s
a site with more stats and more ways you can educate yourself and/or get involved.

Free HIV testing
Friday, December 1
Columbus AIDS Task Force
1751 E. Long St.
Noon - 3:00 p.m.

AIDS Vigil
Friday, December 1
Columbus Health Department
240 Parsons Ave.
5-7 p.m.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt will be displayed in the Columbus Health Department auditorium located at 240 Parsons Ave. This display will be part of a week-long commemoration of World AIDS Day which is this Friday. There's no charge to see the Memorial Quilt and its available for viewing at these times:

1 – 7:30 p.m. today
9 a.m. – noon and 2- 5:00 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday
10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Friday

And here's the my first post of stats and info for the week.


There have been 7,860 Ohioans killed by AIDS and 1,486 of those were in Franklin County alone. There are currently 14,823 people in Ohio living with the disease.

There have been 529, 113 Americans killed by AIDS.
There are currently 1.2 million Americans living with the disease.

The numbers are over 25 million people who have died of AIDS-related illnesses around the globe. There are over 39 million people living with HIV or AIDS globally today.





These stats are since 1981 and are from the Ohio Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

Last night it was a few friends sitting on a church pew at the Canal Street Tavern for an Over The Rhine show. Their music enters my ears, intoxicates my auditory nerves, and proceeds to set up residence somewhere deep in my chest. No, not a bad way to spend a Saturday evening.


(These are someone else's thoughts, but I really couldn't put it any better than this myself.)

My brother I miss you, oh know that I miss you...

I think about you almost every day. There are so many things that remind me of you. There are even more things that remind me that you’re not here.

Last night I got to hang out with our good friend Ben – a friend that you had a hand in introducing me to. Our time together was fun and meaningful and good as usual, but this time so much was different. You weren’t there tapping your foot or singing along and for that reason and a host of others, the night was painful. Though in the company of friends and in the arms of the one I love I found comfort and beauty in the sorrow that hung over the place.

You’re now living where soul meets body, where the sun wrap it’s arms around you and you know what it's like to be new.

Walt Whitman once said "I have learned that to be with those I like is enough." and I couldn't agree more.

I've known for a long time that the friends I have are stellar - that's just all there is to it. For whatever reason, I have been extremely blessed with quality people in my life who offer me their love, attention and encouragement. They challenge me, listen to me, share my burdens and they rejoice when I rejoice. In many ways, it has been through my friends that I have most consistently seen the most tangible examples of who Christ is.

Last night I was reminded about what good friendship is. For the first time in a long time I got to hang out with some of my girls from college - just the girls and we shared a meal, laughed til we cried, shared old stories, shared new stories, and just connected in ways that I don't often get to connect with people. If for no other reason, I am thankful for MVNU for the incredible relationships it provided. It was good to be with you Mandy, Heather, Garber, Summer, and Holly Pre. To my other JALMBAKS (and then some) girls - you are missed.

The grace of God means something like: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you. There's only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you'll reach out and take it. Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too.

--Frederick Buechner

His kindness falls like rain, it washes me away...

And I'm beginning to change my mind.

These seconds when I'm shaking leave me shuddering for days it seems and I tend to think I'm not ready for this sort of thing.

But I'm beginning to change my mind.