January Hope.

I love January, and not just because it’s the month that includes my birthday. The days grow longer and brighter, little by little, and in those lingering rays of sunlight, I can see some flashes of hope.

My neighbors in Northern California, and friends & family in New York and on the East Coast, are beginning to get their first doses of the COVID vaccine. We’re in the “I B” group (over 65) and have to wait just a bit longer. But help is on the way.

For my birthday, I love to give gifts to the people, or causes, I love. This year, thanks to the first round of our Federal Stimulus Checks being directly deposited into our bank account around my birthday, I was able to do both.

During my birthday weekend, which was our own COVID “bubble’s” Pizza, Pasta and Carvel Ice Cream cake weekend, I asked each of my granddaughters — ages 11, 9 and 5 — to pick their favorite charities, to which I would make a donation in each of their names.

The two older girls picked the Trevor Project, one of the finest non-profit organizations in the country, aimed at helping LGBTQ teens feel comfortable and secure with their own identities. They learned of the Trevor Project from a young pop star from Oakland, CA, named “Maia”, or as she is known to her fans, “MxmToon.” Maia has identified as bisexual, or queer, has an incredibly beautiful voice, has already cut three…