Black Ribbon...

what cause do you associate with a black ribbon? chances are if you are reading this you might know it has been associated with raising melanoma awareness.  but did you know its been used to mark some major tragedies? i didn't know that until i opened my computer this morning... google has a black ribbon on its search page (which used to be my home page) to commerate 9/11.  that bothered me... it seemed like the deaths were only being remembered as simply deaths... not like the individuals lost... or the commraderie that day brought to our nation...

i am married to a die hard sports fan, especially football... so it's on in the background alot... i never thought i'd say something like this, but i think the nfl has the right idea of commerating the day with a flag ribbon...

 i think it not only captures the spirit and emotions associated with today, but focuses on something positive... just like i think the melanoma ribbon should be black, not for the people who have died because of this vicious disease, but because Melanoma (ⁱ/ˌmɛləˈnoʊmə/) is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the dark pigment, melanin, which is responsible for the color of skin. (thanks wikipedia).

apparently the united states often choose black ribbons in remembrance of death... like the devastation mother nature produced with hurricane katrina... the death of celebs like princess di and heath ledger... i just think it is kind of morbid... in my family we always tried to celebrate life, similar to an irish wake, when we experienced loss.  i mean it is definetly understandable to be sad... but celebrate what you learned or accomplished or enjoyed from these things... not just the deaths.  i guess for heath ledger i kinda get it might have been in honor of his fantastic ability to play a psychopath... but the rest of those examples, it feels so morbid to focus simply on death... learn from everything, then treasure that... create a symbol of remembrance from beauty, strength, and hope... not just death.

i guess it was truly upsetting to me that google has such exposure... now many people will look at a black ribbon only remembering 9/11 deaths... not the way i would prefer to remember the black ribbon, in honor of the warriors battling or affected by this disease... because in thinking of them it goes to show their efforts in bringing awareness to this awful disease were not lost.  i'd rather focus on the inspiration they were for so many... the light of their lives, not the darkness of their deaths.

my mom is also a melanoma survivor... when she was first diagnosed i was in the middle of my "experimental phase"... i knew she was being affected by cancer, but i didn't really understand melanoma.  i, like alot of people, thought "it's just skin cancer."  after all it was happening to my mom and i was too busy trying to party to accept something so serious... in alot of ways i was like an ostrich with my head in the sand... it took me being diagnosed to realize "cancer is cancer."  and i think alot of people are using the black ribbon to try and drive that point home... i just don't want that message lost amongst the rest...

sorry if this offends anyone... it's not meant to... it's just my opinion.  and don't worry, i don't often focus on politics... i find it is usually too touchy a subject... but i hope you understand the spirit of what i was trying to say...