I normally wouldn't give Vanity Fair Magazine the time of day....

however, even I was drawn into the Africa July Issue.
I bought the Oprah & Gates Issue after perusing all of the magazine covers trying to find the Maya Angelou one...


I have to admit I have thing for Maya Angelou - her writing, her poetry, how she lives her life - so honestly. She has come from such humble beginnings and has remained such a genuinely human being - with a very gently nature.

Either way I gave in buying what I would normally not consider a particularly intellectual magazine, only to find some excellent stories. I especially liked the interview of Archbishop Desmond Tutu by of all people brad Pitt. Both were thoughtful, honest, and humorous. I also really like the story on Jeffrey Sach's - who seems to be not only incredibly bright, but solution oriented - he reminds me of fellow Canadian and AIDS fighting machine Stephen Lewis - a man with conviction and a dream to change the world for those living with HIV/AIDS.

When reading magazine's like this one, I feel a part of my soul being drawn out - I want so badly to hop on a plane and leave the creature comforts of my life and serve people who so desperately need help. I made a promise to myself that when Olyvia and Taylor have both gotten settled in University to take a sabbatical from wherever I am employed at that time and go to India or Africa and serve some of the women and children living in deplorable conditions. I always come back to the fact that my life is no more valuable that that of any other human on this planet and so when I read these stories, I question the truthfulness of my life. It pushes me to look harder at myself, how and what I spend, how honestly I live and why I am here doing what I am doing.

I wonder how many other people do this type of questioning and how many others feel a genuine sense of guilt for being born here, in this time and place and not in a country where women are treated like posessions to be sold, traded, abused, raped, killed, maimed, starved, abandoned, ignored, like shit. The unequity is astounding and I just want to do my part to contribute to righting the wrongs....however long that takes.