International Day of Charity – 5 September

Today marks the International Day of Charity which was established on 17 December 2012 with the objective of sensitizing and mobilizing people, NGOs, and stakeholders all around the world to help others through volunteer and philanthropic activities.

The date of 5 September was chosen in order to commemorate the anniversary of the passing away of Mother Teresa.

In 1979 she received the Nobel Peace Prize “for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitute a threat to peace.”

Charity, like the notions of volunteerism and philanthropy, provides real social bonding and contributes to the creation of inclusive and more resilient societies. Charity can alleviate the worst effects of humanitarian crises, supplement public services in health care, education, housing and child protection.

It assists the advancement of culture, science, sports, and the protection of cultural and natural heritage. It also promotes the rights of the marginalized and underprivileged and spreads the message of humanity in conflict situations.

This day presents you and I with a great opportunity to get involved in charity events and activities that are going on within your community, or maybe learn about the myriad of different charities that help others all around the world.

Possibly you could even spend some time going through your wardrobes, cupboards and drawers assessing what you could live without and donate to organisations such as;

The Salvation Army, Red Cross, St. Vinnies or other such stores so that they can raise much needed funds to help others in need within their local communities.

You see, days such as International Day of Charity can help bring our attention back to and raise awareness for all the little ways that we can help.

There are lots of charities around the world, with various causes. This includes charities for mental health, animal shelters, charities for seniors, organizations for those with specific health problems, charities for the homeless, and so on and so forth. You are bound to find a charity that touches your heart and appeals to you.

Spend some time doing research online to learn about the different charities and organizations, as not all of the charities out there today have big budgets to spend on advertising campaigns and such like, and so you may not be aware of the hard work that is being done.

You can make a donation to them, or you can get in touch and find out what sort of help they need. It could be that they would really value your time. Don’t forget to raise awareness on social media and such like.

Why not  check out Days of the Year, the ultimate guide to the world’s weird, funny, wonderful, unknown and bizarre days for other days that you can celebrate throughout the remainder of the year.

Blessings ’til next time 🙂

ILD Day – Another worthwhile webinar

Early last week, I shared a post about an upcoming webinar that coincides with Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) Day [ILD Day – September 16].

This webinar entitled ‘Personalizing ILD Medicine: The right treatment for the right patient’ is being presented by Dr. John S. Kim in association with the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF).

Another worthwhile webinar to be a part of in association with the Scleroderma Research Foundation (SRF) is scheduled for September 15 entitled ‘Staying Ahead of Scleroderma-ILD’. It is presented by Dr. Toby Maher and features a Q&A session moderated by Dr. Gregory Gordon (Chief Medical Officer at the Scleroderma Research Foundation).

Toby Maher, MD, is Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and CONQUEST Co-Principal Investigator. He will cover how SSc-ILD progression is recognized, the signs patients and clinicians watch for, and how that recognition shapes treatment decisions.

This webinar is designed for anyone on their SSc-ILD journey – whether you are newly diagnosed or have been managing it for a while – who wants a deeper understanding of how it develops over time.

You see, ILD is one of the most serious complications of scleroderma, but it can also affect people living with a range of other conditions as well.

13 organizations across the disease community are coming together to recognize ILD Day, spreading awareness of how this condition affects people’s lives and connecting the community with trusted resources.

ILD Day is literally around the corner!

As it approaches, be sure to mark these two dates in your calendar and register for these upcoming information-packed webinars.

So, if you are able, why not join with others from around the world on Tuesday 15 September at 9am (Pacific Daylight Time) / 12 noon (Eastern Daylight Time) to learn how scleroderma related interstitial lung disease is recognised and develops over time.

For me that’ll mean an early start on Wednesday 16th of September @ 4am – Joy! I guess them’s the breaks – Hopefully I’ll be able to get up in time for it 🙂

The thing is, understanding scleroderma can feel completely overwhelming. That’s why SRF have brought together expert researchers and clinicians to offer videos on the latest updates in scleroderma research, treatments, and management. So if you get the chance before ILD Day why not check out their other webinars / videos too.

Register Here

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SRF Webinar Videos

Blessings ’til next time 🙂

Transformation Complete

Last month, I posted about the Transformation being almost complete.

The project that Annette & I embarked upon just over a year ago at the front of our house is now complete.

After the trusses were secured with brackets and strapping I painted the barge boards and secured them in place.

On the day that the roof went on we experienced the occasional gust that made things a tad difficult from time to time. But using a bit of Kiwi ingenuity we were able to ensure that the roof liner stayed in place, and the netting was stapled down securely and no sheets of Colorsteel® sheets got damaged.

Approximately a week later we attached the ridging and the flashing along with securing the gable ends that I had stained to match the existing garage. By the time that the battens were put in place things were certainly starting to come together and we were on the home straight 🙂

A few weeks later, after Officer’s Fellowship, we got onto sorting out the guttering and downpipes. This included working out how to connect the water storage tank and lean-to hot-house in the vegetable garden.

If I do say so myself it has worked out quite well and will ensure that we have plenty of water, if water restrictions are put in place for us; as El Niño conditions this year are likely to increase the chances of strong winds and dry conditions in the eastern parts of the country.

Anyhow, the last part of the project was the pack down of the scaffolding and tidying up.

You see, the vegetable garden had been used for storing materials and a few of the planters had to be shifted and shelving had to be dismantled to make way for accessibility etc. All I have to finish off now is to put the fence pailings back on the corner by the water tank once I’ve worked out all of the angles and holes of course 🙂

Although the transformation is now complete the hard work of preparing the garden beds and planting seeds and seedlings begins in preparation for Spring – This year I am going to do things a tad different from last year as we had some things that didn’t take too well.

But I guess that is what happens in the life of a gardener – you learn from what didn’t work well last year to maximise your yield in the coming months and years.

Anyhow, here’s a picture of the front of the carport – What do you think of the finished article? It hasn’t come out too shabby has it? I even factored in storage space for the Kayak’s in the rafters 🙂

Don’t worry the scaffolding that remains is for another project that we’ll be working on in the next week or so – weather dependant. As we have some Pittosporum that needs cutting back from around the Spa and Gazebo area out back and a repair to the roof on the house.

Blessings ’til next time 🙂

Chasing Joy

Have you checked out ‘Chasing Joy‘ yet?

Camille created the site because she wants to help others learn about and connect with people who are living well with Scleroderma and other Chronic illnesses.

Her hope is that the site can serve as a resource and blueprint for your own Chasing Joy journey.

The thing is, regardless of if you’re living with a chronic illness or not, life and health are fleeting. We aren’t promised tomorrow and Camille firmly believes that we should be making the most of each day as best we can.

She writes that “the cool thing about joy is that it can persist and thrive even through life’s challenges, hardships and sorrow. Even more cool, we all have the ability to tap into joy!“

Their are a whole heap of resources and tools to help you and I navigate our own health journeys, including:

• Caregiver’s Corner, a community of guest bloggers who share their personal stories, practical tips, and hard-earned wisdom for caring for a loved one living with a chronic illness.
• Wednesday Wisdoms, a weekly reflection of hope, resilience, and joy.
• Chasing Joy Interviews, conversations with chronic illness warriors about how they’ve reclaimed their lives and actively cultivate gratitude, hope and joy.

So why not explore the site and enjoy!

Blessings ’til next time 🙂

Creation Sunday – 6 Sept

“In the beginning was the Word… 
All things were made through him.”
Gospel of John

This coming Sunday (6 September) we celebrate Creation Sunday (also known as the Feast of Creation, or the Feast of Creation in Christ). It is a Christ-centered celebration of the creation of heaven and earth.

Since the 5th Century, the Byzantine Church has celebrated the ‘Day of Creation’ on the 1st day of September.

This has been done as both the day of creation, the beginning of God’s creation of the cosmos, and the beginning of Christ’s public ministry. 

In 2008, the World Council of Churches adopted 1 September as the ‘World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation’.  In 2015, the Catholic Church adopted 1 September as World Day of Prayer for Creation, part of their ‘season of creation’.

In 2024, with the upcoming celebration of the 1700^th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, there was a growing desire to include this in the liturgical lectionary for the whole of the Church, also as a sign of unity. This would give the opportunity to join with churches from all over the world in celebration of: the initial act of creation;  the creation itself; and the ongoing creation.

Protestant mainline churches have formally adopted ‘the Feast of Creation’ in the ‘Revised Common Lectionary’ which determines liturgical calendars – this is the first time a new feast has been adopted since the Common Lectionary’s 1983 release.

The Salvation Army joins with other Christian traditions

In May 2025, a high-level ecumenical conference was held in Assisi, where The Salvation Army was represented. The proposal was made to widen this Feast of Creation also to ‘non-liturgical’ traditions.

Protestant churches who don’t follow a set liturgical calendar, known as “Free Church traditions” as of this year can now celebrate Creation Sunday in their worship services.

As ‘part of the universal Christian Church’, The Salvation Army therefore joins with other Christian traditions in promoting a feast day (just as we celebrate Pentecost, Easter, and Christmas in the Church worldwide.

Creation Sunday, The feast of Creation [in Christ] contains 4 interrelated themes:

1. Creation as God’s creative act
2. Creation as Christological mystery
3. Creation as Trinitarian mystery
4. Creation as sacramental and covenantal

The General of The Salvation Army has made a video message and invites all Salvationists to promote and participate in ‘Creation Sunday’, on the first Sunday of September.

The focus for this years celebration is on God as Creator, Preserver and Governor of all things.

A number of resources including a brief paper introducing the theological and missiological motivations for congregations to celebrate Creation Sunday have been made available. These have been created to assist us gain more of an understanding of Creation Sunday along with Bible Studies, Worship ideas and Devotional Aids. You can check them out here.

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Creation Sunday also kicks off ‘The Season of Creation‘ which ends on October 4. The Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator God and all of creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment together as brothers and sisters from around the world to prayer and action for our common home.

Complementing the liturgical celebration of the Feast of Creation you and I are encouraged to also enrich the celebration of this holy day through ecumenical prayer together with Christians from other traditions as well as with personal prayer.

Shall we pray:

Creator God,
We thank you for the abundance of creation,
For the air we breathe,
The water we drink,
And the food we eat.
We pray that we, your children,
Will steward this gift
So that all of your children may share in its abundance
Here and around the world,
Now and in generations to come.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.

Blessings ’til next time 🙂

Mogil’s Mobcast Episode #127

Have you checked out the latest episode (#127) of Mogil’s Mobcast – A Scleroderma Chat?

Today’s guests are Dr. Lee Shapiro and Avni Sanghvi who is a 3rd year student at Albany Medical School.

Dr. Shapiro is a returning guest who has now retired from clinical practice in rheumatology and was mentored by three pioneers of scleroderma research, Drs. Rodnan, Medsger and Steen.

He is now mentoring students on research projects at Albany Medical School where he is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology in Albany, NY. He is also founder and chief medical officer of the Steffens Scleroderma Foundation (steffens-scleroderma.org).

His 40 year career has been devoted to building a model of multidisciplinary care for individuals with scleroderma, fostering multidisciplinary research collaborations, and promoting awareness and understanding of scleroderma by health care professionals. He has been on the medical advisory board of the Scleroderma Foundation Tri-State for more than 30 years.

Avni earned her bachelor’s degree in Global Public Health and Biology from New York University.

While an NYU student, she interned with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to increase youth outreach and expand sports program access. She also conducted research investigating early detection and intervention of osteoarthritis at NYU Langone.

In medical school, her research focuses on Raynaud’s phenomenon and its association with other conditions and quality improvement in pediatric rheumatology.

Patient engagement and advocacy remain at the center of her work. She also conducts bioethics research and serves on the Albany Medical College Advocacy committee, which organizes medical student meetings with state lawmakers.

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Click here to listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple Podcasts

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Mogil’s Mobcast – A Scleroderma Chat was created in 2021 by Ann Mogilevsky who has lived with Scleroderma for over 20 years.

The goal of her podcast is to have a central place for people afflicted with Scleroderma and a place for their families and friends to be informed by specialists in either Scleroderma or autoimmune topics.

She covers a wide range of topics like nutrition, medications, vitamins, and lifestyles.

She also showcases stories from other people affected by Scleroderma and how they have dealt with the challenges the disease brings.

May this podcast not only be informative, but also an encouragement to you all. As work continues towards a cure and better health outcomes due to expanded treatment options becoming more available and accessible for us.

Blessings ’til next time 🙂