Let's get to work...

Okay...I was thrilled with the events of yesterday. The inauguration was motivating and inspiring. I was moved by the people of this great country who came together in a spirit of unity to welcome and embrace our new President. I truly have hope for the future. But, in all honesty, I did not vote for Barack Obama and I doubt that he possesses the "magic" that others seem to think he has. I do not wish for him to fail...exactly the opposite. I do like him alot but I am not going to be blinded by his charisma or how mainstream media portrays him. Anybody can look like a saint if the film is edited in a flattering way. Now I want to see what he and our other leaders do. The next four years will surely be interesting to watch!

A Dream Fulfilled

Every year on this day, I read Martin Luther King, Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech and every year I am touched and moved to tears by his words describing the world that once was and his vision and hope for the future. Today his words are especially moving as our country welcomes and celebrates the inauguration of our country's first black president, Barack Obama. Thank God for Dr. King and people like him who have fought for their dreams and for the freedom of the people of our country. If not for them, this day might not have ever come.

Desiderata, by Max Ehrmann

I came across this poem on a friend's blog and fell in love with it. Written by Max Ehrmann, the poem was inspired by an urge that the author wrote about in his diary, "I should like, if I could, to leave a humble gift -- a bit of chaste prose that had caught up some noble moods." So, I pass his gift on...

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals,and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

Thought of the Day

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these." --George Washington Carver

Words of Love and Wisdom

There are several phrases I seem to repeat to my children. Here are some of them:

1) I love you in whatever way you say plus one. (In response to our "I love you" competitions)
2) Treat others the way you wish to be treated....not the way you WERE treated.

3) It's the journey, not the destination that is important.

4) Respect my boundaries and expect others to do the same for you.

5) Two wrongs don't make a right!

6) Be careful! (Does that phrase really work???)

7) Stay together!

8) If you are always wishing for something different you will never be happy with what you have.

9) Have I told you I think you are the best kids in the world?

10) (This one helps me understand God) No matter what you do, wrong or right, no matter what mistakes you make, or who you hurt, I will always, always love you!!!!