December 19, 2007

Wishing You a Happy, Healthy Holiday Season!
For many LGBT people, the holidays can be an especially stressful time. We may be spending more time with families of origin who are less than fully accepting of our identities, in addition to the challenges of traveling, hosting, and trying to stick to a reasonable gift budget. Needless to say, all of this can quickly become overwhelming!

You deserve to make the holidays a time to celebrate love and wellbeing. Most importantly, remember that the season is about sharing with those you care about, whether that includes your birth family, your friends, your partner, or your pets.

Here are some ideas for a healthy holiday season:

• Physical activity can be refreshing, rather than a chore. You can bundle up and go for a walk or toss a football with a friend. Or, take some time to center yourself with yoga.
• Although stress can make it all the more tempting to overeat, try to indulge within reason. Enjoy healthy traditional holiday foods, like sweet potatoes or turkey instead of red meat.
• Consider giving healthy treats for holiday gifts. Make oatmeal raisin cookies with whole wheat flour, or give that special someone a gift certificate for a massage.
• Finally, if you make New Year's resolutions, use them to honor yourself rather than pressure yourself to accomplish goals that aren't realistic. Your body is worth taking good care of and enjoying, and eating well and exercising can actually help you to feel better and have more energy.

And remember, we at the Mautner Project are wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a New Year filled with joy and wellbeing!

Calling All Volunteers!
We are working hard to get our volunteer program into ship-shape for 2008, and we hope you'll be joining us! We want to make sure that our trainings and other events like Community Health Workshops fit into your schedule. If you've got thirty seconds, click here to take a brief survey and let us know when would be most convenient for you!

In Memory
The Mautner Project is sad to announce the death of Barbara Ann Kraus, life partner of Jean Taczak, on December 4, 2007. She had cutaneous t-cell lymphoma and triple negative metastatic breast cancer. Barbara was 61.

Barbara also left behind her mother, three siblings, her two children, and five grandchildren. She was a friend to many who loved her.

During the course of her life Barbara was a teacher of at-risk children, a realtor, and a massage therapist. For the last 20 years Barbara worked for the Department of the Army, which awarded her the Meritorious Civilian Service Award posthumously. She was also presented posthumously with a flag that has flown over the Pentagon where she lost colleagues on 9/11.

Barbara's joys of life included reading, writing, journaling, hiking, walking, and traveling. She has also volunteered for the Friends of the Reston Regional Library, the Mautner Project, and off our backs. Barbara was a member of the Metropolitan Community Church of Northern VA where she met Jean 14 ½ years ago.

Barbara and Jean loved to travel, visit friends, and hang out together.

Services for Barbara were held Saturday, December 8, 2007, at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax. In lieu of flowers the family generously asks that donations be sent to the Mautner Project, 1707 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036.

Bereavement Support
The Mautner Project is offering a Bereavement Support Group beginning January 9, 2008. The meetings will be held every Wednesday for 8 weeks from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Mautner Project office. It is open to any lesbian/woman who partners with women who has lost a partner, friend, or family member from any cause. Topics include the myths and realities of mourning, the physical effects of grief, coping skills, and personal transformation. Please call or e-mail Lorraine Biros to sign up: 202-332-5536; lbiros@mautnerproject.org. The group is limited to 8 women.

The Mautner Project improves the health of lesbians, bisexual, and transgender women who partner with women, and their families, through advocacy, education, research, and direct service. We envision a healthcare system that is guided by social justice and responsive to the needs of all people.

Health Education Team
Mautner Project: The National Lesbian Health Organization
202.332.5536