I know this post may be a little heavy-hitting for my blog, but bear with me and weigh-in.

I’ve mentioned a few times that I’m a huge NPR fan. I don’t understand half of what they talkabout, but I find it calming and I might even be learning a little something in the process.

Today, I listened to This I Believe, which is a short segment where people from all over the country share one of their core beliefs. Sometimes they are touching and sometimes they are funny, but today’s segment was about Finding Freedom in Forgiveness and was absolutely shocking.

Jennifer Thompson-Cannino picked Ronald Cotton out of a line-up as the man who raped her in 1984. After 11 years in jail, DNA evidence proved that Ronald was not the rapist and he was released. Jennifer felt tremendous guilt and met with Ronald to ask for his forgiveness. He told her that he forgave her long ago because they were both a victim of the same crime. Because of their ordeal, the two are now good friends.

To me, it’s a tremendous story from both accounts, because I don’t know if I’d have the guts to face up to my mistake and apologize like Jennifer did and I don’t know if I’d have the complete lack of bitterness that Ronald has.

The two have written a book together called Picking Cotton and will be featured on 60 Minutes in a segment about mistakes in eyewitness testimonies this weekend. You can also download This I Believe free on iTunes and watch a video clip on Amazon.

So, would you be able to do what either one of them did? Stand up and confront your mistake or forgive someone who essentially took years of your life away from you?

I don’t know all the pros and cons of breastfeeding. Everyone in my family has been bottle fed and we’re all happy and healthy. If we ever have kids, bottle feeding would be my preferred method, because frankly, someone sucking on my boob kind of grosses me out, but even I don’t see how anything negative can be said about Salma Hayek breastfeeding a stranger’s baby.

In Sierra Leone, breastfeeding is stigmatized because men are not to have sex with breastfeeding women, so babies are weaned as early as possible, making malnutrition the leading cause of death in a country with the highest infant mortality rate in the world. Babies are breastfed for mere months when medical professionals are recommending two years to combat malnutrition.

The baby was hungry. Salma had milk. She fed the baby. It wouldn’t have been a big deal if she would have pulled a bottle out of her bag, so why is it a big deal that she breastfed a malnourished baby?

I had enough paid time off to take 13 days off work this holiday season. Despite all the rest and relaxation, I’m already thinking about how I’m going to use next year’s vacation time. Planning is especially difficult because of my busy work schedule and my husband’s unpredictable work schedule.

Vacations To Go has plenty of ideas for for last minute cruise vacations, all up to 75% off! That’s perfect for us, because even though we’re watching our budget, we still require vacations for our sanity!

Planning a cruise through Vacations To Go is a steal with these two little buttons:

Gives a complete listing of cruises 90 days out or less. Most cruises set sail within a week and the deals go quick, so keep your eye on the ticker!

Lets you book your cruise further in advance, but gives you the same great opportunity to take advantage discounted rates though great early bird promotions and specials.

We’re a two vacations a year couple, and booking through Vacations To Go will let us take advantage of all of our vacation days and book two fantastic getaways that give us the most for our money. My vote is for the Greek Isles, while Mike wants to go to Alaska, but both are no problem when cruises are up to 75% off!

Our flights to Orlando are booked and our reservations at Disney made, but I think that Mike and I might want to explore more of Florida when we visit in October, which is why I’m scoping out car rental deals through Advantage. Neither one of us have ever been outside of Orlando on our trips to the sunshine state, and 50% off luxury cars and convertible rentals is hard to resist. Taking advantage of that offer during the beautiful fall weather in Florida is a perfect way explore the coasts and really look like tourists! Plus, it’s easier to dump Mike out by himself in the Everglades when I have a getaway car.

Mike has one little bald sport starting on the top of his head and a hard time about losing his hair, which I know isn’t nice. As a woman, I am hard pressed to think of worse things than losing my hair, and would be really embarassed if someone thought it was a joke, so I’m glad that natural hair pieces for women are available. Hairpieces, wigs, and toupees made from real human hair are available at Hairpiece Toupee. Natural hair pieces provide the best non-surgical solution for hair-loss and help men and women deal with the self-esteem issues related to balding.