A Heartwarming Story.....

Quite a few of these stories are being posted at the Wishadoo blog, but I wanted to post this story here. I may post it as many places as I can, as it has such a great message and spirit to it.

Plus, I'm a big football fan, so this is a beautiful message conveyed through a simple high school football game.

Enjoy. Like the movie Rudy, I have no doubt I will will cry every time I read this.



If 2009 can be filled with more and more of these simple acts of kindness and empathy, it may not be nearly as dismal a year as many anticipate.

Happy New Year!

An Interlude

I still want to share my observations on one magnificent effect of Obama's win, but in the meantime I wanted to share something I found over the weekend.

I'm clearing out boxes and stumbled upon journals (I never succeeded in keeping one for more than two months, as evidenced by the lack of commitment to this blog...lol). I found a short story I had written about 14 years ago, to assure my then 2-year-old daughter that it was okay for adults to cry when they're sad. Her older brother, Joshua, was stillborn, so I was going through the intense grieving process while she was still a very small child. I didn't want to hide it, yet I didn't want it to frighten her, so I wrote Mommy, Why Are you Crying?.

I also found a poem I wrote at least 20 years ago; sadly, it still applies today, perhaps more so...and in the words of this poem lie the seeds of Wishadoo, the vision for which is to connect...person to person...and reawaken the best of humanity.

We're suspended in a culture of isolation, while drowning in a sea of souls;
like millions of pieces of an unseen puzzle, seeking to become part of a whole.

Our hearts reach out in love and compassion when we learn of the suffering of others;
yet somehow our actions and words are stifled, our feelings unknown to our sisters and brothers.

We are assaulted with a barrage of daily news, from local news to global weather;
but how many of us can say we know the names of our own next-door neighbors?

It's easy to despair and feel overwhelmed in this time of such uncertainty and chaotic growth,
but I believe we can find ourselves...by discovering others...always remembering the power of hope.

Do you know your neighbors?

This Rainy Saturday Morning...

I have a hundred things on my to-do list, but I want to actually write something about my thoughts and feeling here for the first time in months. I've encouraged my friends to start blogs recently, telling them how it's a wonderful venue to share of yourself, yet I only pop in here from time to time to "announce" something, rather than share my thoughts as I said I would. I was never successful at journaling; this is no different. Too much commitment. ;)

In the last few months I have been consumed with the elections here in the U.S. I was neutral about Barack Obama earlier this year, and in spite of his weird Stepford kind of transformation over the last few years, I tried to have an open mind that John McCain would reappear...the John McCain of 2000. When he chose Sarah Palin, well, that was it. I was pissed. And when Sarah Palin signs (no mention of McCain, mind you) started popping up all around me, I got more pissed, and I got solidly behind Barack Obama.

You see, Obama himself never bothered me; it was that "rock star" image that OTHERS were following that concerned me. I had never seen people be so enamored of a politician, so I was skeptical...it felt too crazy.

I had paid very close attention throughout the primaries, and felt confident that, especially on the Democratic side, if there is dirt to be exposed, it all came out during the primaries. Democrats eat their own. LOL. But that's good -- there wouldn't be any surprises during the general election.

As I observed the campaigns, I saw Obama staying steady - the "no drama Obama" thing was certainly lived up to; on the other hand, I think I witnessed the most chaotic, discombulated campaign ever with the McCain-Palin ticket. It was pathetic, really.

I was really becoming a "fan" of Obama (for lack of a better word). Yes, he is a magnificent speaker, but it was much more than that. In spite of the absolute assault by the right-wingers nonstop with blatant lies (oooooh, the black man is gonna ruin this country! Be afraid! ughhhhh), he stayed steady. Didn't bring race into this. Stayed focused on the people, on the country. (read www.profanepundit.blogspot.com, who shares my views on the racism and religous aspects of this election)

THAT is the difference with Barack Obama. It isn't about him. He engaged the people. I was only three months old when JFK was killed, so I had never witnessed this phenomenon before. In fact, ever since that time politics has been a nasty word, with everyone jaded and critical, assuming the words "government" and "politics" are evil, and thus becoming completely apathetic about the process, and thus handing over their power as citizens.

But Obama reignited something that has long lain dormant in America: hope, and integrity. Every time that man spoke in those last few weeks, I was brought to tears. I got involved in the campaign. This was an historical event. We all knew it. This was our chance to shift the horrible tide of corruption and destruction that built to a tidal wave in the last eight years.

I voted early and was surprised at how emotional it was for me. I expected to be relieved, and certainly proud to cast my vote, but when I walked out of there, I had a smile that I could not suppress!!! I wanted to hug everyone!!! Then I started crying about an hour later...and basically didn't stop until November 5th.

Dear God, if you heard Obama's speech in Grant Park ~ especially knowing he had just lost his beloved Grandmother ~ and if you saw the colorful sea of people joined together and you WEREN'T affected, you must be one of those who will follow Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity over a bridge and believed all the hate-filled lies.

Again, it wasn't/isn't about Obama -- it's about US! He got young people involved. He ignited passion! And, he is smart; he knows everyone is watching and will hold him accountable, not give him a free pass. In fact, he is not only going into one of the worst situations ever as president, but he will be scrutinized probably more than any other president in history. But if he runs his administration as he did the campaign...he's good, people. Really good. We CAN have hope. Finally.....

There is another element about this that I want to write about, but I must remember to keep these as short as possible. LOL. So, I will come back with that, as it is very emotional as well.

Wishing you all you wish for yourselves!