My little brother - Rod. It's November 17th, the day that he would have turned a year older.
I'm not good with remembering dates - birthdays and such. And, I don't celebrate the traditional holidays - Christmas, Thanksgiving...
But, anyway, November 17th is my brother's day. He would be a year older today. He always found a way to include me in his birthday. I would get a phone call and he'd say "We turned another year older Sis." I never asked him why he would always say "we" when my birthday is in May. But I would always respond with, "Yep, we turned another year older Rod." It was an annual ritual.
This being the second year without that phone call makes me miss it even more. But, I feel him around me at times and especially today I got that message from him loud and clear. "We turned another year older Sis."
Even as I look at his picture that is on my desk, he's smiling and I see a radiance in his face. Other people look at the picture and they see the face of a drawn, scant human being. Though his 6" 2", 240 lb powerful body had been ravaged by AIDS, all I can see is a wonderful smile and a radiance and glow that is unmeasured.
So, little brother, yes indeed, we turned another year older! I love you Rod. Happy Birthday!
Your Big Sister,
Dee Dee
Monday, November 17, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
"All the things that we seek to have in ourselves we can find by bringing light to others."
Whenever I see the Salvation Army person out there in the cold ringing that bell, I stop and I shake their hand and say thank you. I try to bring them a cup of hot coffee, tea, or in today's case, a candy bar. I told the woman that it wouldn't keep her warm, but it was something sweet to snack on.
Her face was worn and weathered, as if life aged her far beyond her years. It's the look I've seen many times before. The body of a person who has abused drugs for years and years - thin, frail, drawn skin, no teeth or missing teeth. You neglect your body and everything else for the sake of that drug. People like that, who have turned the corner and are fighting everyday to stay clean, earn my utmost respect. Because I know for a fact that it's not easy. I bow to them, I honor them. They are you, they are me. There is no separating us all from each other.
So in honor and respect of my brothers and sisters who are out there ringing that bell for the Salvation Army, I say thank you, thank you, thank you. They are doing far more for the rest of us than we will ever know.
Whenever I see the Salvation Army person out there in the cold ringing that bell, I stop and I shake their hand and say thank you. I try to bring them a cup of hot coffee, tea, or in today's case, a candy bar. I told the woman that it wouldn't keep her warm, but it was something sweet to snack on.
Her face was worn and weathered, as if life aged her far beyond her years. It's the look I've seen many times before. The body of a person who has abused drugs for years and years - thin, frail, drawn skin, no teeth or missing teeth. You neglect your body and everything else for the sake of that drug. People like that, who have turned the corner and are fighting everyday to stay clean, earn my utmost respect. Because I know for a fact that it's not easy. I bow to them, I honor them. They are you, they are me. There is no separating us all from each other.
So in honor and respect of my brothers and sisters who are out there ringing that bell for the Salvation Army, I say thank you, thank you, thank you. They are doing far more for the rest of us than we will ever know.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
WE DID IT!!!
I think Michael Moore said everything so very well. Here's his message:
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
Friends,
Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair.
In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea. The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime.
There was another important "first" last night. Never before in our history has an avowed anti-war candidate been elected president during a time of war. I hope President-elect Obama remembers that as he considers expanding the war in Afghanistan. The faith we now have will be lost if he forgets the main issue on which he beat his fellow Dems in the primaries and then a great war hero in the general election: The people of America are tired of war. Sick and tired. And their voice was loud and clear yesterday.
It's been an inexcusable 44 years since a Democrat running for president has received even just 51% of the vote. That's because most Americans haven't really liked the Democrats. They see them as rarely having the guts to get the job done or stand up for the working people they say they support. Well, here's their chance. It has been handed to them, via the voting public, in the form of a man who is not a party hack, not a set-for-life Beltway bureaucrat. Will he now become one of them, or will he force them to be more like him? We pray for the latter.
But today we celebrate this triumph of decency over personal attack, of peace over war, of intelligence over a belief that Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs just 6,000 years ago. What will it be like to have a smart president? Science, banished for eight years, will return. Imagine supporting our country's greatest minds as they seek to cure illness, discover new forms of energy, and work to save the planet. I know, pinch me.
We may, just possibly, also see a time of refreshing openness, enlightenment and creativity. The arts and the artists will not be seen as the enemy. Perhaps art will be explored in order to discover the greater truths. When FDR was ushered in with his landslide in 1932, what followed was Frank Capra and Preston Sturgis, Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange and Orson Welles. All week long I have been inundated with media asking me, "gee, Mike, what will you do now that Bush is gone?" Are they kidding? What will it be like to work and create in an environment that nurtures and supports film and the arts, science and invention, and the freedom to be whatever you want to be? Watch a thousand flowers bloom! We've entered a new era, and if I could sum up our collective first thought of this new era, it is this: Anything Is Possible.
An African American has been elected President of the United States! Anything is possible! We can wrestle our economy out of the hands of the reckless rich and return it to the people. Anything is possible! Every citizen can be guaranteed health care. Anything is possible! We can stop melting the polar ice caps. Anything is possible! Those who have committed war crimes will be brought to justice. Anything is possible.
We really don't have much time. There is big work to do. But this is the week for all of us to revel in this great moment. Be humble about it. Do not treat the Republicans in your life the way they have treated you the past eight years. Show them the grace and goodness that Barack Obama exuded throughout the campaign. Though called every name in the book, he refused to lower himself to the gutter and sling the mud back. Can we follow his example? I know, it will be hard.
I want to thank everyone who gave of their time and resources to make this victory happen. It's been a long road, and huge damage has been done to this great country, not to mention to many of you who have lost your jobs, gone bankrupt from medical bills, or suffered through a loved one being shipped off to Iraq. We will now work to repair this damage, and it won't be easy.
But what a way to start! Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Wow.
Seriously, wow.
Yours,
Michael Moore
PRAISE GOD! - Tomaca
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
Friends,
Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair.
In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea. The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime.
There was another important "first" last night. Never before in our history has an avowed anti-war candidate been elected president during a time of war. I hope President-elect Obama remembers that as he considers expanding the war in Afghanistan. The faith we now have will be lost if he forgets the main issue on which he beat his fellow Dems in the primaries and then a great war hero in the general election: The people of America are tired of war. Sick and tired. And their voice was loud and clear yesterday.
It's been an inexcusable 44 years since a Democrat running for president has received even just 51% of the vote. That's because most Americans haven't really liked the Democrats. They see them as rarely having the guts to get the job done or stand up for the working people they say they support. Well, here's their chance. It has been handed to them, via the voting public, in the form of a man who is not a party hack, not a set-for-life Beltway bureaucrat. Will he now become one of them, or will he force them to be more like him? We pray for the latter.
But today we celebrate this triumph of decency over personal attack, of peace over war, of intelligence over a belief that Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs just 6,000 years ago. What will it be like to have a smart president? Science, banished for eight years, will return. Imagine supporting our country's greatest minds as they seek to cure illness, discover new forms of energy, and work to save the planet. I know, pinch me.
We may, just possibly, also see a time of refreshing openness, enlightenment and creativity. The arts and the artists will not be seen as the enemy. Perhaps art will be explored in order to discover the greater truths. When FDR was ushered in with his landslide in 1932, what followed was Frank Capra and Preston Sturgis, Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange and Orson Welles. All week long I have been inundated with media asking me, "gee, Mike, what will you do now that Bush is gone?" Are they kidding? What will it be like to work and create in an environment that nurtures and supports film and the arts, science and invention, and the freedom to be whatever you want to be? Watch a thousand flowers bloom! We've entered a new era, and if I could sum up our collective first thought of this new era, it is this: Anything Is Possible.
An African American has been elected President of the United States! Anything is possible! We can wrestle our economy out of the hands of the reckless rich and return it to the people. Anything is possible! Every citizen can be guaranteed health care. Anything is possible! We can stop melting the polar ice caps. Anything is possible! Those who have committed war crimes will be brought to justice. Anything is possible.
We really don't have much time. There is big work to do. But this is the week for all of us to revel in this great moment. Be humble about it. Do not treat the Republicans in your life the way they have treated you the past eight years. Show them the grace and goodness that Barack Obama exuded throughout the campaign. Though called every name in the book, he refused to lower himself to the gutter and sling the mud back. Can we follow his example? I know, it will be hard.
I want to thank everyone who gave of their time and resources to make this victory happen. It's been a long road, and huge damage has been done to this great country, not to mention to many of you who have lost your jobs, gone bankrupt from medical bills, or suffered through a loved one being shipped off to Iraq. We will now work to repair this damage, and it won't be easy.
But what a way to start! Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Wow.
Seriously, wow.
Yours,
Michael Moore
PRAISE GOD! - Tomaca
Monday, November 3, 2008
Party With the Ancestors
I pray Barack Hussein Obama is elected as our new president. It is well beyond time for a change!
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