We're here, we're everywhere, get used to it! Okay, that's not really the message that the travelers who attended the travelbloggers meetup at BlogHer 08 sent, but it's not far off. "We matter!" is closer to the heart of things.

When I was 34 weeks pregnant with my fourth child, I was put on hospital bedrest.  At first, I was thrilled--it had been my hardest pregnancy, and I was exhausted and need of a rest.  But after about 12 hours, the overwhelming reality set in:  this was going to be hard.  I missed my family, and the unfriendly confines of a hospital quickly began messing with my already-hormonal brain.

At first I wasn't gong to do this. I was tired and internally moaning about my work is crap and other people do it better and I need a nap and it is just too much. This is a clear indication that there are other areas in my life that are bothering me. Shooting and editing video are good things that I need to do more of, not less. One of the good things about National Blog/Vlog Posting Month is the constant re-statement, it doesn't have to be good, perfect or life transformative. You just gotta do it.

Ok so about a week ago this gentile gal was crying her eyes out at a Bris. It was my first Bris, which is the ritual circumcision of a baby Jewish boy at age 8 days. It is also the occasion of his naming.

My godson moved into his freshman dorm at Virginia Tech this weekend. He goes with the very same love, support and pride that accompanies thousands of young people who are off to college this month. It just so happens, though, that he arrived in Blacksburg, Virginia, on the same weekend that the University dedicated a memorial, including 32 "Hokie Stones" for each student killed in last April's mass shooting that took 32 young lives, plus the self-inflicted death of the shooter.

A couple weeks ago my mom told me that they'd heard some disturbing news. Land near their home in the Santa Fe, New Mexico area had been acquired for petroleum drilling exploration. The environmental impact, especially to the aquifer, could be devastating. Luckily, a group of local activists started a blog, Drilling Santa Fe, as an organizing and communication tool, and have put together an organizing event and petition, but it got me to thinking, why don't we all know how to organize our communities? Why isn't that one of the skills we learn in school, and how can we learn to do it today?

Last week Seth Godin wrote a post suggesting that the #1 job for the future is being an online community organizer. He's probably right. With all the hoopla around MySpace, Facebook and social networking these days, it seems like everybody wants to start their own "community." Next week, Katya Andresen is hosting the weekly Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants created by Kivi Leroux Miller. The theme is "your top five anything" with extra points if you use one of the following words: “bikini,” “martini” or “Fellini.” So here it goes, the Top Five Things to Ask When Your Nonprofit Wants to Start a Community: