Every so often, words traverse an invisible plane and strike you.

Mere words they may be, but when spoken with love and directed with veracity and truth, those words leave an imprint on your soul like a tattoo. They will not rub off. You cannot remove them. Like a song you hear after the music stops, these words have left a mark on you for, I believe, good reason: they wish for you to continue to manifest their message in your own way, with your own love and veracity and truth.

My friend Christina Rasmussen, author of the forthcoming book Second Firstshas spoken in such a way that left this indelible mark upon me.

It happened the first time that we spoke — on the phone, in a Live Author Interview that I host every month with an author on behalf of my writing community, The Literati Writers, listening in on the line.

This day happens to be the first birthday The Literati Writers: a collective of nearly fifty writers, artists and creatives from seven countries who embody the essence of this “tattoo effect.” Words have struck them. They have left an indelible mark upon their souls. And now these amazing souls take up their pens, pencils, brushes, songs and more to continue to manifest those messages in their own ways, with love, veracity and truth.

One year later, I wanted to celebrate the mini milestone by sharing with you an hour-long interview with those very words that Christina shared with us from back in April of 2013.

 

You may ask why it’s Christina’s interview, in particular, that I’ve chosen to share today.

Today is an important day far beyond the simplistic scope of The Literati Writers — it’s also the second and final day of the annual Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon, a true cultural institution of the Boston area community that raises millions of dollars for cancer research and patient treatment at the single greatest Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Co-sponsored on radio and television by area sports networks 93.7 WEEI and The New England Sports Network (NESN), the event is an annual tradition full of stories of perseverance and struggle. And, hope.

The story of perseverance, struggle and hope is embodied in my friend Christina Rasmussen who lost her husband to colon cancer in 2007.

In this interview, Christina shares her own story of perseverance and struggle. Christina’s husband was himself treated for his colon cancer at Dana Farber in Boston.

And so, I invite you today to download, listen, read or share this interview below in the first time that it’s ever been publicly shared outside of the Literati Writers community. I hope you that find strength and love in Christina’s words — the very words that I mention above, that traversed an invisible plane and struck me. They haven’t left me since I first heard Christina speak them. And I hope that they might arouse the same “tattoo effect” in you.

 

“Bringing People Back to Life is Not an Easy Thing” with Christina Rasmussen

christina-circle[audio:https://s3.amazonaws.com/literati/interviews/LiteratiLiveQA-ChristinaRasmussen.mp3]

Christina Rasmussen is on a crusade to change the way we live after loss. As the founder of Second Firsts, Christina spends her time speaking, coaching and helping thousands of people to rebuild, reclaim and re-launch their whole lives — using the most powerful tool for personal reinvention: the human mind.

Before creating Second Firsts, Christina worked as a therapist + crisis intervention specialist. But after losing her husband to colon cancer, Christina experienced the agony of sudden loss, firsthand. With two daughters in tow, she began the tender process of transforming her tragedy into a new career, a renewed sense of purpose, and a life of joy + laughter. Second Firsts was born.

 

Please Join Me in Supporting Cancer Research Today

Finally, the real reason I’m sharing this interview is because I hope you’ll join me in thanking Christina by commemorating the loss of her husband (or honoring the memory of someone you love who is or was affected by cancer) by considering a donation to this year’s Annual Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon to help us collectively advance towards a tomorrow without cancer. Your dollars contribute to research, treatment and much more.

You can also listen live to the Radio-Telethon through WEEI.com to get a sense for the scope of the mission, and the beautiful determination of the entire community that comes together for this event.

Thank you for listening. Thank you for sharing your message. And thank you for joining me in support of this amazing cause.

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