A Win For the Blue Team

I don't care what anyone says, cooperative games are for sissies. Give me a drag 'em out competitive game any day.

For the past year, I have been the model sport mom, sitting on the sidelines cheering one of my kids along in their pursuit of playing on a team. It started with indoor soccer last spring, which I must say I enjoy much more than the outdoor game. The pace is faster. The bounces off the walls were much more interesting to watch than a flock of little boys swarming together up and down a soccer pitch. It was our first foray into the game and despite a great coach and enthusiastic kids, the team sucked. I can't recall a win. Still, every week, they showed up with zip in their gym shoes hungry for victory. Parent and sibling support never wavered while we shored up our anklebiter representatives on the way home with bouncy pitched cheery comments about a particular play and HOW great that was........blah, blah, blah.

Then came the combination of girl's softball two nights a week interspersed with outdoor soccer two other nights a week throughout the whole. Once again, great coaches, supportive families, enthusiastic children, great weather....................and not one friggin' win. Brutal. Still, lots of loud cheering on from the cheap seats on the sidelines or behind home plate and a little more coaching on my part when it came to the softball games since it falls into my territory of knowledge and skill. Gee, I even shagged flies one night wearing a sundress just to help out. But, family enthusiasm didn't override skill. The losses tallied up and trips to get slusies after the games for moral boosting increased. My cheering continued, but I made sure that I always had my journal for writing in and the latest New Yorker to read. There was lots of time to multi-task and still shout out words of encouragement........

"OOOOOOO Wow! Great play! Go Blue! Go Sharks! Go Creekers! Go.........what's the name of this team???"

And it continued...................right through the fall as I supported the Middle School soccer team during their dismal display of fumbling footwork. Not one win. Nada. Nothing. No way.

It amazed me that the kids on the teams, mine included, still wanted to pull on their jerseys, to strap on their shin pads, and to tie up their running shoes as enthusiastically as they did on the first day. But, they did. Game after losing game after losing game.

We are now two months into the basketball season. Each week has included a practise night and a game night. Each week, I have dutifully accompanied my son and the rest of our family. AND each week, his team has been on the losing side. It's heartbreaking. But, I have never resorted to using any of the losing team cliches, like "It's how you play it, or Don't worry, it's just a game." I hated that hollow condescension when I was a kid playing.

But, last night the tide may have turned. The Blue team SMOKED their opponent on the basketball court. And guess what? I missed most of it! How ironic is that? By the time I ran an errand and returned to the gym, we were up by 24 points. I was told this by my son who came flying off the court and over to the door as I walked in...........right in the middle of a play. I shoved aside the "am I bringing them bad luck" superstitious thought right way, and then sat down to watch a new Blue team with more zip and more confidence and more team cohesiveness than I had seen all season. Because they tasted what it was like to win. They were playing their little butts off. Together. High fiving, smiling, running back to their defense after a basket. Gee, I didn't even know they knew how to do that.....

And while the time was running down, the families on the sidelines, many of whom have endured the same sorry games as I have, began wondering if this may be a sign of things to come. Could the next round of spring sports be a little less defeating? I'm not ready to leave my writing materials at home just yet. Diversions and capturing the moment in words is always a good thing.

Everyone needs to taste victory. It's more motivating than anything I know.

Here's to teamwork, determination, hope and win by the little guys. Bring on indoor soccer!

Bono in Washington..........

This wonderfully powerful speech was given by Bono yesterday at a prayer breakfast in Washington D.C. It is inspirational, eloquent and direct. It comes from the heart.

"If you're wondering what I'm doing here, at a prayer breakfast, well, so am I. I'm certainly not here as a man of the cloth, unless that cloth is leather. It's certainly not because I'm a rock star. Whichleaves one possible explanation: I'm here because I've got a messianic complex. Yes, it's true. And for anyone who knows me, it's hardly a revelation.

Well, I'm the first to admit that there's something unnatural...something unseemly...about rock stars mounting the pulpit and preaching at presidents, and then disappearing to their villas in the south of France. Talk about a fish out of water. It was weird enough when Jesse Helms showed up at a U2 concert...but this is really weird, isn't it?You know, one of the things I love about this country is its separation of church and state. Although I have to say: in inviting me here, both church and state have been separated from something else completely: their mind.

Mr. President, are you sure about this? It's very humbling and I will try to keep my homily brief. But be warned - I'm Irish.

I'd like to talk about the laws of man, here in this city where those laws are written. And I'd like to talk about higher laws. It would be great to assume that the one serves the other; that the laws of man serve these higher laws...but of course, they don't always. And I presume that, in a sense, is why you're here. I presume the reason for this gathering is that all of us here - Muslims, Jews, Christians - all are searching our souls for how to better serve our family, our community, our nation, our God. I knowI am. Searching, I mean. And that, I suppose, is what led me here, too.

Yes, it's odd, having a rock star here - but maybe it's odder for me than for you. You see, I
avoided religious people most of my life. Maybe it had something to do with having a father
who was Protestant and a mother who was Catholic in a country where the line between the two was, quite literally, a battle line. Where the line between church and state was...well, a little blurry, and hard to see. I remember how my mother would bring us to chapel on Sundays...
and my father used to wait outside. One of the things that I picked up from my father and my mother was the sense that religion often gets in the way of God.

For me, at least, it got in the way. Seeing what religious people, in the name of God, did to my native land...and in this country, seeing God's second-hand car salesmen on the cable TV channels, offering indulgences for cash...in fact, all over the world, seeing the self-righteousness roll down like a mighty stream from certain corners of the religious establishment... I must
confess, I changed the channel. I wanted my MTV.

Even though I was a believer.

Perhaps because I was a believer.

I was cynical...not about God, but about God's politics. Then, in 1997, a couple of eccentric, septuagenarian British Christians went and ruined my shtick - my reproachfulness. They did it by describing the millennium, the year 2000, as a Jubilee year, as an opportunity to cancel the chronic debts of the world's poorest people. They had the audacity to renew the Lord's call - and were joined by Pope John Paul II, who, from an Irish half-Catholic's point of view, may have had a more direct line to the Almighty.

'Jubilee' - why
'
Jubilee'?
What was this year of Jubilee, this year of our Lord's favor? I'd always read the scriptures, even the obscure stuff. There it was in Leviticus(25:35)...'If your brother becomes poor,' the scriptures say, 'and cannot maintain himself...you shall maintain him.... You shall not lend him your money at interest, not give him your food for profit.'

It is such an important idea, Jubilee, that Jesus begins his ministrywith this. Jesus is a young man, he's met with the rabbis, impressed everyone, people are talking. The elders say, he's a clever guy, this Jesus, but he hasn't done much...yet. He hasn't spoken in public before...
When he does, is first words are from Isaiah:
'The Spirit of theLord is upon me,' he says, 'because He has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.'

And Jesus proclaims the year of the Lord's favour, the year of Jubilee (Luke 4:18).

What he was really talking about was an era of grace - and we're still in it.

So fast-forward 2,000 years. That same thought, grace, was made incarnate - in a movement of all kinds of people. It wasn't a bless-me club... it wasn't a holy huddle. These religious guys were
willing to get out in the streets, get their boots dirty, wave the placards, follow their convictions with actions...making it really hard for people like me to keep their distance. It was amazing. I almost started to like these church people.

But then my cynicism got another helping hand. It was what Colin Powell, a five-star general, called the greatest W.M.D. of them all: a tiny little virus called AIDS. And the religious community, in large part, missed it. The ones that didn't miss it could only see it as divine retribution for bad behaviour. Even on children...even [though the] fastest growing group of HIV infections were married, faithful women.

Aha, there they go again! I thought to myself judgmentalism is back! But in truth, I was wrong again. The church was slow but the church got busy on this the leprosy of our age.

Love was on the move.

Mercy was on the move.

God was on the move.

Moving people of all kinds to work with others they had never met, never would have cared to meet...conservative church groups hanging out with spokesmen for the gay community, all singing off the same hymn sheet on AIDS...soccer moms and quarterbacks...hip-hop stars and country stars. This is what happens when God gets on the move: crazy stuff happens! Popes
were seen wearing sunglasses! Jesse Helms was seen with a ghetto blaster! Crazy stuff. Evidence of the spirit. It was breathtaking. Literally. It stopped the world in its tracks.

When churches started demonstrating on debt, governments listened - and acted. When churches starting organising, petitioning, and even - that most unholy of acts today, God forbid, lobbying...on AIDS and global health, governments listened - and acted. I'm here today in all humility to say: you changed minds; you changed policy; you changed the world.

Look,whatever thoughts you have about God, who He is or if He exists, most will agree that if there is a God, He has a special place for the poor. In fact, the poor are where God lives. Check
Judaism. Check Islam. Check pretty much anyone.

I mean, God may well be with us in our mansions on the hill. I hope so. He may well be with us as in all manner of controversial stuff. Maybe, maybe not. But the one thing we can all agree, all faiths and ideologies, is that God is with the vulnerable and poor. God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected
her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them.
"If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom with become like midday and the Lord will continually
guide you and satisfy your desire in scorched places."

It's not a coincidence that in the scriptures, poverty is mentioned more than 2,100 times. It's not an accident. That's a lot of air time, 2,100 mentions. (You know, the only time Christ is judgmental is on the subject of thepoor.)
'As you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto
me' (Matthew 25:40). As I say, good news to the poor.

Here's some good news for the president. After 9/11 we were told America would have no time for the world's poor. America would be taken up with its own problems of safety. And it's true these are dangerous times, but America has not drawn the blinds and double-locked the doors.
In fact, you have doubled aid to Africa. You have tripled funding for global health. Mr. President, your emergency plan for AIDS relief and support for the Global Fund - you and Congress - have put 700,000 people onto life-saving anti-retroviral drugs and provided 8 million bed nets to protect children from malaria. Outstanding human achievements. Counterintuitive. Historic. Be very, very proud. But here's the bad news. From charity to justice, the good news is yet to come. There is much more to do. There's a gigantic chasm between the scale of the emergency and the scale of the response. And finally, it's not about charity after all, is it? It's about justice.

Let me repeat that: It's not about charity, it's about justice. And that's too bad. Because you're good at charity. Americans, like the Irish, are good at it. We like to give, and we give a lot, even those who can't afford it. But justice is a higher standard. Africa makes a fool of our idea of justice; it makes a farce of our idea of equality. It mocks our pieties, it doubts our concern, it questions our commitment.

Sixty-five hundred Africans are still dying every day of a preventable, treatable disease, for lack of drugs we can buy at any drug store. This is not about charity, this is about justice and quality.
Because there's no way we can look at what's happening in Africa and, if we're honest, conclude that deep down, we really accept that Africans are equal to us. Anywhere else in the world, we
wouldn't accept it. Look at what happened in South East Asia with the tsunami. 150,000 lives lost to that misnomer of all misnomers, "mother nature." In Africa, 150,000 lives are lost every month. A tsunami every month. And it's a completely avoidable catastrophe. It's annoying but justice and equality are mates. Aren't they? Justice always wants to hang out with equality. And equality is a real pain.

You know, think of those Jewish sheep-herders going to meet the Pharaoh, mud on their shoes, and the Pharaoh says, "Equal?" A preposterous idea: rich and poor are equal? And they say,
"Yeah, 'equal,' that's what it says here in this book. We're all made in the image of God."

And eventually the Pharaoh says, "OK, I can accept that. I can accept the Jews - but
not the blacks." "Not the women. Not the gays. Not the Irish. No way, man."

So on we go with our journey of equality.

On we go in the pursuit of justice.

We hear that call in the ONE Campaign, a growing movement of more than 2 million Americans...Left and Right together... united in the belief that where you live should no longer determine whether you live. We hear that call even more powerfully today, as we mourn the loss of Coretta Scott King - mother of a movement for equality, one that changed the world but is only just getting started. These issues are as alive as they ever were; they just change shape and cross the seas.

Preventing the poorest of the poor from selling their products while we sing the virtues of the free market...that's a justice issue. Holding children to ransom for he debts of their grandparents...that's a justice issue. Withholding life-saving medicines out of deference to the Office of Patents...that's a justice issue. And while the law is what we say it is, God is not silent on the subject.

That's why I say there's the law of the land. And then there is a higher standard. There's the
law of the land, and we can hire experts to write them so they benefit us, so the laws say it's OK to protect our agriculture but it's not OK for African farmers to do the same, to earn a living?
As the laws of man are written, that's what they say.

God will not accept that. Mine won't, at least. Will yours?

I close this morning on...very...thin...ice. This is a dangerous idea I've put on the table: my God vs. your God, their God vs. our God...vs. no God. It is very easy, in these times, to see religion
as a force for division rather than unity. And this is a town - Washington - that knows something of division. But the reason I am here, and the reason I keep coming back to Washington, is because this is a town that is proving it can come together on behalf of what the scriptures call the least of these. This is not a Republican idea. It is not a Democratic idea. It is not even, with
all due respect, an American idea. Nor it is unique to any one faith.

'Do to others as you would have them do to you' (Luke 6:30). Jesus says that.

'Righteousness is this: that one should...give away wealth out of love for him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for the emancipation of the captives.' The Koran says that (2.177).

Thus sayeth the Lord: 'Bring the homeless poor into the house, when you see the naked, cover him, then your light will break out like the dawn and your recovery will speedily spring fourth,
then your Lord will be your rear guard.' The Jewish scripture says that. Isaiah 58 again.

That is a powerful incentive: 'The Lord will watch your back.' Sounds like a good deal to
me, right now.

A number of years ago, I met a wise man who changed my life. In countless ways, large and
small, I was always seeking the Lord's blessing. I was saying, you know, I have a new song, look
after it. I have a family, please look after them. I have this crazy idea... Andthis wise man said: stop.

He said, stop asking God to bless what you're doing. Get involved in what God is doing - because it's already blessed.

Well, God, as I said, is with the poor. That, I believe, is what God is doing.And that is what he's calling us to do. I was amazed when I first got to this country and I learned how much some
churchgoers tithe. Up to 10% of the family budget. Well, how does that compare with the federal budget, the budget for the entire American family? How much of that goes to the poorest people in the world? Less than 1%. Mr. President, Congress, people of faith, people of America: I want
to suggest to you today that you see the flow of effective foreign assistance as tithing.... Which,
to be truly meaningful, will mean an additional 1% of the federal budget tithed to the poor.
What is 1%?
1% is not merely a number on a balance sheet.
1% is the girl in Africa who gets to go to school, thanks to you.

1% is the AIDS patient who gets her medicine, thanks to you.

1% is the African entrepreneur who can start a small family business thanks to you.
1% is not redecorating presidential palaces or money flowing down a rat hole.

This 1% is digging waterholes to provide clean water.
1% is a new partnership with Africa, not paternalism toward Africa, where increased assistance flows toward improved governance and initiatives with proven track records and away from
boondoggles and white elephants of every description.

America gives less than 1% now. We're asking for an extra 1% to change the world. to transform millions of lives - but not just that and I say this to the military men now to transform the way that they see us.
1% is national security, enlightened economic self-interest,and a better, safer world rolled into one. Sounds to me that in his town of deals and compromises, 1% is the best bargain
around. These goals - clean water for all; school for every child; medicine for the afflicted, an end to extreme and senseless poverty - these are not just any goals; they are the Millennium
Development goals, which this country supports. And they are more than that. They are the Beatitudes for a globalised world.

Now, I'm very lucky. I don't have to sit on any budget committees. And I certainly don't have to sit where you do, Mr. President. I don't have to make the tough choices. But I can tell you this:
To give 1% more is right. It's smart. And it's blessed. There is a continent - Africa - being consumed by flames. I truly believe that when the history books are written, our age
will be remembered for three things: the war on terror, the digital revolution, and what we did - or did not to - to put the fire out in Africa.

History, like God, is watching what we do. Thank you. Thank you, America, and God bless
you all.

Hope Will Return

Under the surface
Void of sunlight
In silent hibernation
Hope grows.

Under the covers
Alone in the dark
In cocooned stillness
Hope grows.

Invisible, untouchable
A tiny yellow crocus of hope
Seemingly dormant
Never fully still
Reaching for nourishment
For faith to take hold.

Searching for
Seasonal seeds of optimism
Rays of strength
Breezes of newfound energy
Flowing, growing, showing
Pushing through despair.

Be patient.
Be still.
Have faith.
Hope will return.

Predictable? Hah!

Normally I steer clear of this blogsite if I am feeling really out of sorts. I have been trying to use this writing time prductively to comtemplate various thoughts, both old and new. I have used it to some extent as a sanctuary for figuring out my beliefs again. There have been times when I have ranted, but I have tried to be diplomatic and thoughtful or at least humourous when I have stated my opinion or described my perception of a situation or issue. Quite honestly, that is how I am for the most part. Not today. Not this week. And, it turns out, I hit my limit tonight right in the middle of the grocery store. All of a sudden, I had this urge to yell out to the Manager (if I could've found one!)..............don't fuck with me.

This day seemed to start off on a positive note, with warm colleague encounters, a couple of counselling sessions that went really well. I managed to cross off a bunch of things on my to do list that had been on the list way too long. I was feeling very good about my teaching and how positive my class went last night. I even had a couple of surprise e-mails from old friends whom I have just recently reconnected with for the first time in 20 years. Sounds great doesn't it? Sounds like a wonderfully positive day. If I had written in my blog then, I would have easily been able to write a warm fuzzy reflective piece that depicted a warm heart.

But the "dfwm" feelings have been simmering below the surface for a couple of days, so it didn't take much to swing me over to the dark side. Oh, no. In fact, it was after I read a piece of propaganda research, jam packed with interesting statistics and no indication of a multitude of variables that would have altered the study, on the negative impact childcare centres have on the emotional well-being of the child and the family, that I felt my first urge to utter "dfwm" out loud.

That got me thinking about all the things that have pissed me off this week........

The waste of time spent on planning a restructure of the Department I work for and the fact that Management, who honestly sit around in meetings revisiting the same org chart over and over again, tweaking and pissing away time while the minions keep the fires going and the business going. Why they think it matters is beyond me. If this government wants to save some money, get rid of middle management.

The attitudes of some of the staff I work with. Honestly, you'd think the money was coming out of their pockets. There are some staff who nickel and dime people, who think they have the right to talk condescendingly to clients...........why? They're not helping. But of course, since they often "terminate" the client............YES that's the word used when a case is closed...........because they believe that the client is lying about their living situation etc, management applauds their despicable behaviour. What happened to showing respect and developing a rapport with people? They should be fired.

Oh...........there has been lots of kindling to feed my boiling point...........stuff in the news, rude people, inconsideration, not being listened to, trying to get things done and it taking more time than I want to give it............the regular everyday crap. And, normally I have balance. Normally, I have the ability to slough it off and move on with a positive frame of mind.

However, it's now February and that sucks. I have the mind to chase down that gnarling groundhog tomorrow and shove his little furry head into the earth just to make sure he does not see the light of day.

February is when my energy level always slides down a slippery slope which sometimes leaves me feeling depressed and worn out. On top of that, I've hit the Perimenopausal PMS time of the month...............which is WAY more turbulent than any PMS a 25 year old feels...............I'm ripe for a confrontation. DFWM!

Then, I was told that I'm predictable, and my simmer went into a boil. What the hell does that mean? Predictability poisons creativity. Predictability is vanilla. Predictable is safe and being asleep at the wheel. Excuse me? The last thing I feel is predictable. And the last way I want to be describe as is blandly predictable.

So, don't you know what with me this week................you will not get a vanilla smile. Oh no, it will be a rainbow of obsenities emanating from a colourful and unpredictable broad who feels the urge to tell it like it is!

(Gee..............that was fun to write. IN fact, it has put a smile of my face)

Coretta Scott King

Today, we lost a true visionary in her own rite - a strong compassionate woman who lived her beliefs. Coretta Scott King carried the message of nonviolence to almost every corner of the globe. She died peacefully in her sleep.

Up until her recent stroke, Scott King remained an active ambassador of peace. She led goodwill missions to many countries in Africa, Latin America, Europe and Asia. She has spoken at many of history's most massive peace and justice rallies. She served as a Women's Strike for Peace delegate to the seventeen-nation Disarmament Conference in Geneva, Switzerland in 1962. She is the first woman to deliver the class day address at Harvard, and the first woman to preach at a statutory service at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

A life-long advocate of interracial coalitions, in 1974 Mrs. King formed a broad coalition of over 100 religious, labor, business, civil and women's rights organizations dedicated to a national policy of full employment and equal economic opportunity, as Co-Chair of the Full Employment Action Council. In 1983, she brought together more than 800 human rights organizations to form the Coalition of Conscience, sponsors of the 20th Anniversary March on Washington, until then the largest demonstration in Washington, DC. In 1987, she helped lead a national Mobilization Against Fear and Intimidation in Forsyth County, Georgia. In 1988, she re-convened the Coalition of Conscience for the 25th anniversary of the March on Washington. In preparation for the Reagan-Gorbachev talks, in 1988 she served as head of the U.S. delegation of Women for a Meaningful Summit in Athens, Greece; and in 1990, as the USSR was redefining itself, Mrs. King was co-convener of the Soviet-American Women's Summit in Washington, DC.

In 1985 Mrs. King and three of her children were arrested at the South African embassy in Washington, DC, for protesting against apartheid.

One of the most influential African-American leaders of our time, Mrs. King has received honorary doctorates from over 60 colleges and universities; has authored three books and a nationally-syndicated column; and has served on, and helped found, dozens of organizations, including the Black Leadership Forum, the National Black Coalition for Voter Participation, and the Black Leadership Roundtable.

She has dialogued with heads of state, including prime ministers and presidents; and she has put in time on picket lines with welfare rights mothers. She has met with great spiritual leaders, including Pope John Paul, the Dalai Lama, Dorothy Day, and Bishop Desmond Tutu. She has witnessed the historic handshake between Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Chairman Yassir Arafat at the signing of the Middle East Peace Accords. She has stood with Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg when he became South Africa's first democratically-elected president.

A woman of wisdom, compassion and vision, Coretta Scott King tried to make ours a better world. Let us all try to continue her work in our own way and in our own corner of the world, as on ongoing tribute to her goodness.

"Women, if the soul of the nation is to be saved, I believe that you must become its soul."

Coretta Scott King, 1927-2006

Hamas: Time to Read Up................

Is this a sign of a fashion statement, or a reflection of delusional behaviour? Either way, it sends alarm bells my way. Mr. Abu Teir, once a member of the secular Fatah movement, spent 25 years in Israeli jails, where he converted to Islam and emerged as a leader respected by his fellow prisoners. With his henna-dyed, flaming orange beard, he is one of the Islamist movement's best-known faces and is widely expected to be named to a senior cabinet post when Hamas reveals the shape of the next government. He looks like a cross between "Father Who" from the Grinch who carves the roast beast and Eugene Levy in a fake beard with a sprinkle of zaniness thrown in for good measure. Take a look at those eyes?

Democracy ruled the day. Palestinians elected a majority government, run by Hamas. Why did they? Lured by having their basic needs met while struggling in a life of poverty under a corruptive government, they voted to turf out the old and bring in the new. Gee, sounds familiar! However, I think that's as far as that comparison can go. Hamas is a recognized terrorist party. Hamas is dangerously fanatical. Hamas' intentions should be taken seriously and monitored by all. It ran their campaign focused on attacking corruption within the Palestinian Authority and on the failed peace process, and has yet to set out a definitive social agenda beyond its mantra "Islam is the solution."

According to Abu Teir, incoming Hamas government will move quickly to make Islamic sharia “a source” of law in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and will overhaul the Palestinian education system to separate boys and girls and introduce a more Islamic curriculum, a senior official in the movement said yesterday. How far will this be taken?

Mr. Abu Teir, who was No. 2 on the Hamas list of candidates for Wednesday's election, said introducing sharia — a controversial moral and legal code based on the Koran — would be the first act of the new Hamas-controlled Palestinian Legislative Council. " Sharia has a soul in it and is good for all occasions,” Mr. Abu Teir said in an interview with The Globe and Mail.

Under the Sharia law, woman must conform to many customs that promote inferiority. How they dress, who them marry, what they can study, what types of jobs they may have, whom they can communicate with.........the list is endless. The rights of women are greatly diminished under Sharia. It's not known how far Abu Teir and his fervent friends will take the customs. But, it's evident already that there is a fear permeating the middle east that life is going to change violently.

Sharia is just one example of the change. The underlying hatred and strong beliefs in fighting for what they believe is theirs? That has no end.

Robert Fulghum, the author of "All I really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" is quoted as saying: "An examined life is no picnic." It's true. Sometimes when you take the time to examine your own edges, you find things about yourself and your life that are painful to assess.

I think you can also say............An examine issue is no picnic too. For years, I have paid half attention to the middle east furor; the complicated history of religious fevency and conflict. I read about the terrorist bombings, about the fanatical religious groups, the kidnappings, the torture. I am cognizant of the atrocities in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, the West Bank and on and on and on.......... Maybe it was just too big to get my head around it. Maybe it just seems so unresolvable. It is and it does..........still.

However, something twigged in me last week when I watched the Palestinan election news. I knew it was more than time for me to learn more about the Middle East and start asking questions. So, I've been reading and I will continue to read, despite the enormity of the problem, and despite the fact that I can't do anything about it. It's time that we all pay more attention to these Islamic terrorist groups.

My head is out of the sand. Is yours?

Hamas...Sharia.......terrorists......Taliban.......extremist.......

suicide bombings..............will peace ever be an option?

Happy Chinese New Year

Today is Chinese New Year, which celebrates the beginning of the Year of the Dog. If you were born in 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, this is your year!

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. It is celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors.

Here are some interesting and telling characteristics of people born under the sign of the Dog.

• Dog individuals are the most humanitarian. Fiercely loyal to those they love, Dogs are ever ready to jump to the defense of any member of their family or friends who is being attacked by either word or deed.
• Born with an innate sense of decency and a need for equalibrium in a chaotic world, Dogs strongly denounce injustice and wrongdoing, generously giving useful and effective advice to those around them.
• The Dog makes a faithful, honest and courageous friend, and has a deep sense of justice. These people tend to be both magnanimous and prosperous, yet they can also be dogged, guarded, and defensive. Because they genuinely feel they know best, they can sometimes appear bossy.
• Frequently cynical, he is feared for his sharp tongue and his acid and disagreeable remarks. He gives the impression of looking systematically for faults in everything he touches. This is because he is the world's biggest pessimist and expects nothing out of life. He prefers to live an impeccable life, a life filled with principles and dignity, always willing to be a crusader for a noble ideology.
• Of all the animals in the Chinese Zodiac, Dogs are the least materialistic for they are unselfish individuals who care more about people than they do about money or success. It doesn't worry them to be without the material comforts. Even if they are in the money, their tastes are simple enough.
• The loyal Dog makes a splendid captain of industry, a priest, or an educator. Whatever his career, it will have in him a spokesman whose ideas will be profound and often original.
  
• Though Dogs have a reputation for not easily entrusting their affections, when they do, those friendships are for life.
• Romantically, Dogs gives the impression of being cold fish but this appearance is misleading; it's just that they're anxious and doubt their own feelings as they do those of others
• In love, the most salient characteristic of Dogs is their loyalty.

So what are some of the traditions and customs?

• Shooting off firecrackers on New Year's Eve is the Chinese way of sending out the old year and welcoming in the New Year. On the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, every door in the house, and even windows, have to be open to allow the old year to go out.
• The entire house should be cleaned before New Year's Day.On New Year's Eve, all brooms, brushes, dusters, dust pans and other cleaning equipment are put away. Sweeping or dusting should not be done on New Year's Day for fear that good fortune will be swept away.
• All debts had to paid by this time. Nothing should be lent on this day, as anyone who does so will be lending all the year. Back when tinder and flint were used, no one would lend them on this day or give a light to others.
• Everyone should refrain from using foul language and bad or unlucky words. Negative terms and the word "four" (Ssu), which sounds like the word for death, are not to be uttered. Death and dying are never mentioned and ghost stories are totally taboo. References to the past year are also avoided as everything should be turned toward the New Year and a new beginning.
• If you cry on New Year's day, you will cry all through the year. Therefore, children are tolerated and are not spanked, even though they are mischievous.

• The first person one meets and the first words heard are significant as to what the fortunes would be for the entire year.
• It is considered unlucky to greet anyone in their bedroom so that is why everyone, even the sick, should get dressed and sit in the living room.
• Do not use knives or scissors on New Year's Day as this may cut off fortune.
• While many Chinese people today may not believe in these do's and don'ts, these traditions and customs are still practiced. These traditions and customs are kept because most families realize that it is these very traditions, whether believed or not, that provide continuity with the past and provide the family with an identity.
  

May this year bring you prosperity and happiness. Happy New Year

The Dandelion Has My Smile

Thich Nhat Hanh, founder of Plum Village, a Buddhist retreat village in SW France, has written over 75 spiritual books of prose, poetry and prayer. Born in Vietnam, he has lived in exile in France since the mid-60's, but travels widely as a spiritual guide and leader. I have been reading bits and pieces of his writing. I'm drawn to his accessible messages of peace, awareness and goodwill. Gotta find the time to read more of his insights.

This excerpt is taken from his book entitled, Peace is Every Step.

Enjoy and Smile.

"If a child smiles, if an adult smiles, that is very important. If in our daily lives we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. If we really know how to live, what better way to start the day than with a smile? Our smile affirms our awareness and determination to live in peace and joy. The source of a true smile is an awakened mind.

How can you remember to smile when you wake up? You might hang a reminder--such as a branch, a leaf, a painting, or some inspiring words--in your window or from the ceiling above your bed, so that you notice it when you wake up. Once you develop the practice of smiling, you may not need a reminder. You will smile as soon as you hear a bird singing or see the sunlight streaming through the window. Smiling helps you approach the day with gentleness and understanding.

When I see someone smile, I know immediately that he or she is dwelling in awareness. This half-smile, how many artists have labored to bring it to the lips of countless statues and paintings? I am sure the same smile must have been on the faces of the sculptors and painters as they worked. Can you imagine an angry painter giving birth to such a smile? Mona Lisa's smile is light, just a hint of a smile. Yet even a smile like that is enough to relax all the muscles in our face, to banish all worries and fatigue. A tiny bud of a smile on our lips nourishes awareness and calms us miraculously. It returns to us the peace we thought we had lost.

Our smile will bring happiness to us and to those around us. Even if we spend a lot of money on gifts for everyone in our family, nothing we buy could give them as much happiness as the gift of our awareness, our smile. And this precious gift costs nothing. At the end of a retreat in California, a friend wrote this poem:

I have lost my smile,
but don't worry.
The dandelion has it.

If you have lost your smile and yet are still capable of seeing that a dandelion is keeping it for you, the situation is not too bad. You still have enough mindfulness to see that the smile is there.

You only need to breathe consciously one or two times and you will recover your smile. The dandelion is one member of your community of friends. It is there, quite faithful, keeping your smile for you.

In fact, everything around you is keeping your smile for you. You don't need to feel isolated. You only have to open yourself to the support that is all around you, and in you. Like the friend who saw that her smile was being kept by the dandelion, you can breathe in awareness, and your smile will return."

Winter Sirens

I wrote this poem last weekend after the weather went from an unusual balmy afternoon to a wind storm that brought the January cold back to the forefront. My goal was to try to "humanize" the changes.

Winter Sirens

Hypnotic Sirens of sunny complacency
Luminaries of lullabies
Basking in soft jazzy tinges of afternoon light
Luring, alluring desirous tease

Sounds of robin's sweet delight
Down-turned gazing of bashful flirtations
Singing of spring, welcoming hope
Offering surety of thought.

Open arms, providing solace
Siren's demure invitation
Saxophone melodies, whispering sweet refuge
From shivering wintry blight.

Light dims, darkness invades
Fickle façade of allure fades
Reflecting light of doubt
Shoring winds of self-distrust shout.

Shifting gusts of harking wails
Luminary high-pitched Siren's true tales
Enveloping recesses, force of gales
Tucking into unprotected creviced secrets

Cold, biting wind of change
Slapping wall shadows, marking territory
Outstretched, distorted, forcing attention
Dark night howls of apprehension.

McKenna, Leaving on a Jet Plane

Whoa! A mere few hours have passed since the Canadian election and Paul Martin's resignation. Harper's transition team met publicly for the first time today. And already the soup pot is being stirred. Frank McKenna beat Harper to the punch and handed in his resignation as Canadian Ambassador to the United States. Rightly so. Given their differences in political leanings and beliefs, it would be impossible to develop an effective partnership between the Prime Minister and the Ambassador that would be believed by the public. Here is a copy of his letter:

"Dear Mr. Harper,

I want to extend sincere congratulations on your success in today's election.

It was a hard-fought campaign and you have received a very significant vote of confidence from the Canadian public. I know the feeling of exhilaration when the people express confidence in your leadership and vision.

It has been a great privilege for me to serve as Canada's ambassador to the United States throughout the past year. I was most grateful for your personal support and that of your party during my committee hearing on the appointment. It has also been a tremendous personal satisfaction to have been able to serve with the outstanding men and women of this embassy and consulates across the United States of America. Canadians may not fully appreciate the strength and commitment of these dedicated public servants who serve our country so proudly.

I've always placed great value on the importance of the Canada-U.S. relationship, and, in a short period of time, have learned much about how this critical link can be improved and expanded. In that regard, I would be pleased to offer my full co-operation in sharing insights on management of the many significant and crucial issues that we deal with on a daily basis.

However, I believe you would agree that the enormous value of a political appointment to this position is based on the ability to work intimately with the Canadian government. It is this perception of closeness that provides a strong platform for the Canadian ambassador to advance Canada's interest.

While I would have no difficulty working with you or your government, it would be virtually impossible to establish the appearance of total confidence and support in a jurisdiction where political ambassadorial appointees traditionally resign immediately after an election.

Consequently, it is in the best interest of our nation that I submit to you my resignation as Canada's ambassador to the United States. I would be pleased to continue to serve until such time as a replacement is named or, I could depart more expeditiously if it is your wish.

With warmest personal regards and best wishes for a productive mandate.

Sincerely,

Frank McKenna"

Frank McKenna is a competitive political animal, with very good political instincts and timing. I bet he plays a mean game of chess. He may be saying that he hasn't decided to run for the leadership of the Federal Liberal Party. I don't believe it. He saw the writing on the wall. He has aspirations. His bags are packed and he's ready to head north....home to New Brunswick ...home to start planning for the run of his life.

See you at the Fredericton Market, Frank. I'll save you a Samosa.

Maya Angelou's Insightful Lessons

A friend shared these simple insightful life lessons from Maya Angelou with me yesterday. As I read them individually, I was taken by how true each statement is and how for the most part, Angelou had captured a depth of knowledge in a few sentences. What a gift she has.

Which one resonates with you?

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."

"I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights"

"I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life."

"I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as "making a life."

"I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance."

"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back."

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision."

"I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one."

"I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back."

"I've learned that I still have a lot to learn."

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Canadians Voted

We voted yesterday
Results are blue today
More Red, but that's OK
We voted

Harper's hands are tied behind his back
Martin truly got the sack
Light fingered Svend won't be back
We voted

Olivia and Jack can reunite
They'll share their bed everynight
Keep the nation from swinging far right
We voted

Change is in the air
But not enough to scare
The people everywhere
We voted

A minority rules the day

Makes me wonder enough to say

McKenna's on his way

We voted.

Vote Early and Vote Often

With the exception of Aboriginal women, women over the age of 21 who are Canadian citizens were granted the right to vote in federal elections in 1918. It was a hard fought battle, led by a strong willed group of women. Our right to vote should never be taken for granted. Nellie McLung played a key role in orchestrating this change in perception and law.

Born in 1873 in Grey County, Ontario, she was married on August.25, 1896 to Weslie McLung. They moved to Alberta and Nelly became very involved in politics and the movement of suffrage. In 1921 she became a liberal member of the Alberta Legislature. She lead the battle in getting women the right to vote in Manitoba and Alberta.

Nelly once said "We may yet live to see the day when women will be no longer news! And it cannot come too soon. I want to be a peaceful, happy, normal human being, pursuing my unimpeded way through life never having to stop to explain defend, or apologize for my sex." Nelly gave women a challenge to fight with her for women's rights. She was a liberal member of the Alberta legislature from 1921 to 1926 and during this period of time she fought for mother's allowance , public health and nursing services, and free medical and dental services for school children.

Emily Murphy, Nelly Mclung, Louise McKinney, Henrietta Edwards, Irene Parlby, and Judge Murphy were all part of the Persons Case and were nicknamed "The Famous Five." They petitioned the prime minister asking "Does the word ‘person' in Section 24 of the British North America Act include female ‘persons'?" The persons case was in court for a long time.

The Supreme Court of Canada finally decided in April 1928, the women were not "persons" qualified to be appointed to the Senate in Canada. They became discouraged but were not ready to give up. The Privy Council was the highest court of appeal in the British Empire, so they decided to take their case to the Privy Council. After months of consideration, the judges of the Privy Council decided the word ‘persons' does include females. The women had won their fight and women were qualified to sit in the Canadian Senate.

Today is voting day in Canada. More than any federal election in recent years, your vote will count. Exercise this right.......but only once.

The Election Plots Thicken

Ah.........the excitement and anticipation fills the airwaves and permeates households across this vast nation. Who will win? Who will go down to defeat? Who will rise above the ashes to see the dawning of a new day? OOOOOOOOh! The agony and the ecstacy of an election that has all the trappings of a smutty steamy novel. The twist and turns of storylines as we forge ahead to the climatic ending of a winterlude loaded with intrigue................here are a few to watch unfold tomorrow.

Will Judy Sgro return to political prominence or will she be set adrift to the abyss of consultingland where she can pursue her true calling......helping Russian lap dancers settle comfortably somewhere in the Golden Horseshoe?

Will Al Gretzky, in London West, uncle to the Great One, score a big upset while he pursues his second career and personal passion for politics? Cudos to you Al for putting forth an active display of making change to the issues you talked about. More citizens need to take your lead.

Will Peter Kent, brother of "Scud Stud" Arthur, and only (former) CBC employee to ever support the Tories let alone run for them, knock off Cabinet Minister Carolyn Bennett who won by a landslide last election?

Will Anne McLellan, who only won by 721 votes last time return to Ottawa with her joie de vivre and her voice stuck on whine? Makes one pine for the good old days of Sharon Carstairs.

Will that feisty senior, King of the New Democrats, Ed Schreyer, storm ahead and land in the political fray once again?

Uma.............Oprah...............Uma..................Oprah....................
Svend...........Hedy..........Svend...........Hedy.....eh what?
I have only one thing to say. I'm glad I'm not living in this riding.

Michael Ignatieff, Mighty cerebral Prince of the future Liberals.......what will happen to him? Will he be around to celebrate over a plate of cabbage rolls and perogies? Or will he drown his sorrows over a glass of vodka?

And Belinda...............Princess of Auto Parts..........heartbreaker of knitter Peter McKay. What will be her destiny? If she happens to win and end up in the boudoir of opposition, will she change her satin sheets again, or will she just run for cover?

Stock up on the beer and popcorn boys and girls. You won't want to leave your sofa!

The true end result of this election may not even matter to us minions who spend our time just trying to etch out a balancing act called life. But, it'll be a fun conclusion to the latest reality show. Gee, I wonder if Rupert will show up in his tie dye muscle shirt? I wish he was running. I'd vote for him in a heartbeat.

Ooooops, Your Keen Interest is Showing

Is it my imagination or are more people interested in this election than in recent ones? Maybe Canadians should go to the polls in January more often. Maybe winter is when we have more time to follow the flagellating political fellows amble across this vast and magnificent country. During the post-Christmas period, Canadians.........the ones who have to remain here to keep the fires burning while the others fly off to hot climes.........are political animals. It helps us hibernate. It fills in the gaps in between periods of Hockey Night in Canada. It gives us another topic to discuss in the Tim's line-up other than the blessed weather.

Advance polls are up 31%?
1500 students at the Unversity of New Brunswick took the time to vote on campus. Some waited two hours to cast their ballot. Amazing!

No, there doesn't seem to be the projected inertia-like ennui that everyone kept yakking about when the election was initially called. Everyone has an opinion and everyone wants to espouse it. I have had more interesting discussions about politics and this election with colleagues than I can ever remember.

So, what's the real reason? It's the drama of a scandal. It's the anticipation one feels watching a "to be continued" TV series. It's the gripping interest one has reading a mystery novel, wanting to get to the end to know who's guilty. Yup, this election has the same ingredients.

Up in the polls, down in the polls....up, down, up, down............scandal, misstep, verbal gaffe............up, down, up, down...................

Will Harperite candidates (the ones who are duct taped) gaffe out on this last weekend and flash us with their naked truth? Is Martin, flag cape and all going down in flames? Will Jack be left on the left hand side of the road? What about Olivia? Will she be able to swing her mighty left wing power and knock off a Liberal Cabinet Minister? And that Deborah Coyne, the woman who bore Trudeau's love child? Does she really have a hope in hell of defeating Layton?

What about Svend? Is the NDP shoplifter going to be elected? How about Tony Valeri.......the nice guy who stole Sheila Copps constituency. Is he really going to lose to the NDP candidate that Sheila has decided to support after all her loyal years as a Liberal? Will Duceppe and the Separatistes end up the Official Opposition? How many Tory seats in Quebec at the end of the voting day? Will Peter McKay take up knitting???


Minority, Majority, Minority, Majority,......up in the polls, down in the polls......Momentum swinging back and forth. So many unanswered questions. So many storylines that need to be tied up.

It's going to be a great ending to what would have been a very boring January.

Stay tuned............

Some Thoughts on Integrity

What kind of person are you if you have lost your integrity? What is integrity? For some reason (could it be my continuing ruminations about this upcoming election?) the word jumped out at me today and since then I have been wrestling with the concept. Of course, the more I thought about it, the more questions came to mind. It appears that "integrity" is not as concretely defined as I had expected. Why? Because it really represents several values and characteristics all rolled into one word.

Truth, justice, honesty, sincerity, self-respect, honour, veracity, reliability, respect for others, authenticity, trustworthiness, solid convictions, faith, fairness, lawful.......goodness. It is the foundational core that guides a person to live with dignity and respect. It allows us to make choices in compliance with societal and moral values especially when we are tested and confronted with a personal or professional dilemma that clashes with these values.

It is the truth that lives within us.

It is the truth that we project out to the world. Integrity is a double sided mirror. One may be able to reflect a facade of sincerity and integrity out to the world, but if it isn't anchored in truth, one cannot deny or run away from the lie felt within. Sure, you may be able to deny it for a while, but if you are living a life guided by principles, the only way to regain personal integrity is to admit wrong doing, learn from it, forgive yourself and move on.

Self-knowledge and a clear understanding of the principles of moral behaviour are crucial in developing and maintaining personal integrity. You have to know yourself, understand your own personal conflicts and have the foundational values and belief to guide you when you find yourself in a situation where your integrity is tested. This grounds you, and allows for consistency and balance in your ultimate decision. It also allows you to be able to hold steadfastly true to your commitments, whether it is for something minor like meeting a work related deadline for a project, or more substantial like being a commited friend or partner. To act with integrity is to act in a way that accurately reflects your sense of who you are; to act from motives, interests and commitments that are most deeply your own.

My thoughts thus far........... I have a feeling that this is a concept I'll be tossing around in my head for a long time.

Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.
Theodore Roosevelt.

Missteps, two steps, missed the whole step.

Like the Wicked Witch of the West did when Dorothy threw a pail of water on her, "Captain Canada" and the Liberals are melting away............down, down, down in the polls.......... all that is left is a puddle, a black hat and a charred broom................

It isn't happening over one reason only. The sponsorship scandal and Gomery may have opened the eyes of Canadians and forced them to consider the need for change, but so many other factors played into the demise of the House of Liberals. These factors bore fissures into their very foundation.

Martin began his leadership bid on the defence by starting up before Chretien even stepped down. By using this tactic, he drove a wedge through his own party, publicly splitting alliances, forcing colleagues to choose sides. He also surrounded himself with a crew of individuals that seemed to bow to him, and when that happens tunnel vision occurs. Consequently, when the sponsorship scandal hit the fan, he found himself leader of a Party whose house had cracks in the ceiling and uneven floors. He had no caucus solidarity to shore things up.

He then started turfing loyal Liberals whom he felt weren't loyal to him. All of a sudden, it became apparent that this man who projected himself in a confident, trustworthy manner, who had the ability to lead the country's economic future as Finance Minister, was being seen in a new light. He was hungry for power. He would step over fellow Liberals to grab the brass ring. The party came second to one man's personal vision. Still, at this point, Canadians were willing to give him a step up.

Then came the missteps.........the scandal, the childish public brow beating between two leaders, the ongoing Gomery drama and an election. It was an election that the Liberals entered feeling confident that they would come out on top with a majority. Their plan? Attack the enemy, throw out negative ads, allow them to hang themselves and stumble. No need to provide a visionary plan for the country. No need to offer any inspirational speeches that would begin to bring the country together. The Conservatives played right into it, allowing renegades to mouth off inappropriately, and showing a team of Alliance and PC's that hadn't yet merged forces. And yet, the Liberals were lucky to get out of that election alive. Subtle change was in the air.......distrust left dust marks all over the house of Liberals.

So, now we're four days away from what looks like a Conservative majority; one that would see Tories voted in across the country in every province. The fissures that started erupting before the first election turned into irreparable cracks. How did this happen?

The Liberals felt that they could run exactly the same campaign as they did 18 months ago. They may have changed their slogan, but they neglected to even alter the timelines of their negative ad attack, or their browbeating fearmongering because they were confident that the Conservatives would shoot themselves in the foot again. Wrongo! It's pretty obvious that after the last loss, Harper and crew revamped, and revitalized their gameplan with new faces and new approaches. Surprise! Quick off the mark, on the offensive, we learned of new policies, a more mellowed vision for the country from the same political party that scared us last time around.

You can't win a game just playing defence. You can't win an election without at least trying to take the lead. You can't win an election if your house isn't in order. If you have lost your sense of loyalty to your party, and you begin to feel that your personal goal is more important than the good of the party.........you just can't win. It's time for the Liberals to retreat to their battered house and do some repairs.

Melodies and Lyrics

When was the last time you heard an old song that triggered a flood of thoughts of your past? All of a sudden, you find yourself transported back to a group of friends, a particular party, a memorable point in time which then makes you wonder all the more about where those people are now, and whatever happened to so and so...... It's a trip when that occurs. You could be in the process of tackling some mundane everyday task and then all of a sudden, your thoughts are whisked away to rememberland.

What about a new tune that seemed to jump out of the speakers and grab hold of your attention? You know those songs that pierce you in a way that a thousand others never did? Was it the melody that made you want to get up and dance? Did the words somehow capture your own feelings or questions about life? Did it remind you of another song or a particular person, or was it just the perfect background music to the activity that you were pursuing?

There is no doubt in my mind that music plays a key role in shaping both my life memories and my present memory making moments. There are songs that are very meaningful just to me for various reasons. Then, there are some that I share with people I care about because our relationship or experiences together include a particular soundtrack.

Yesterday, driving to work with my family, it happened again. Jackson Browne's song, Running On Empty came on the radio. It was a huge hit in my teen years and I can't remember the last time I had heard it over the airwaves. I hadn't thought about the song in years. And yet, as soon as I heard the first couple of notes and recognized Browne's distinctive voice and sound, I perked up. Suddenly, I'm singing the words, and wondering about my high school friends with a smile on my face.

Last summer, while attending my camp reunion, the Camp Director, who was my first true mentor, with whom I remain close to, told me that whenever he hears Harry Chapin's anthem "All My Life's Circle," he thinks of me. I had introduced years ago at a Sunday chapel and had taught it to the camp. For the 20+ years that followed after I had left camp and moved on, Chapin's song continued to be sung at campfires and quiet singsongs. To be linked to a song memory made me feel linked in time to a special place and more importantly to a special person in my life. What an honour.

Songs definately add zest and vitality to our lives. Some encapsulate important times in our past, and some that are playing now help shape our thoughts and moments as we live them. A melody can trigger strong emotions. The right phrase can capture exactly what you may be thinking.

Enjoy the music in your life............and take time to enjoy the memories that arrive with the first note of a familiar tune. And never hesitate to test out your vocal chords!

Martin Luther King

The following is an excerpt from Soul Survivor by Phillip Yancey. In it, he describes the genesis of a great leader, Martin Luther King. Today is set aside as Martin Luther King Day in the United States. We all know his infamous speech, "I have a Dream." What I didn't know what how King entered the civil rights foray, and about his trepidations. Reading this excerpt made me realize how this great man who transformed thinking in America, started out as an individual with a strong faith and a belief that he could possibly make a difference with the help of God's guidance. That was his foundation.

"King had been thrust into civil rights leadership in Montgomery, Alabama, after Rosa Parks had made her brave decision not to move to the back of the bus. The black community formed a new organization to lead a bus boycott and by default chose as a compromise candidate for its leadership the new minister in town, King, who at age twenty-six looked "more like a boy than a man." Growing up in middle-class surroundings, with a kind of inherited religion from his preacher father, he hardly felt qualified to lead a great moral crusade.

As soon as King's leadership of the movement was announced, the threats from the Klan began. Not only the Klan-within days King was arrested for driving 30 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone and thrown into the Montgomery city jail. The following night King, shaken by his first jail experience, sat up in his kitchen wondering if he could take it anymore. Should he resign? It was around midnight. He felt agitated, and full of fear. A few minutes before, the phone had rung. "Nigger, we are tired of you and your mess now. And if you aren't out of this town in three days, we're going to blow your brains out, and blow up your house."

King sat staring at an untouched cup of coffee and tried to think of a way out, a way to quietly surrender leadership and resume the serene life of scholarship he had planned. In the next room lay his wife Coretta, already asleep, along with their newborn daughter Yolanda. Here is how King remembers it in a sermon he preached:

And I sat at that table thinking about that little girl and thinking about the fact that she could be taken away from me any minute. And I started thinking about a dedicated, devoted and loyal wife, who was over there asleep. . . . And I got to the point that I couldn't take it anymore. I was weak. . . .
And I discovered then that religion had to become real to me, and I had to know God for myself. And I bowed down over that cup of coffee. I never will forget it. . . . I prayed a prayer, and I prayed out loud that night. I said, "Lord, I'm down here trying to do what's right. I think I'm right. I think the cause that we represent is right. But Lord, I must confess that I'm weak now. I'm faltering. I'm losing my courage."
. . . And it seemed at that moment that I could hear an inner voice saying to me, "Martin Luther, stand up for righteousness. Stand up for justice. Stand up for truth. And lo I will be with you, even until the end of the world." . . . I heard the voice of Jesus saying still to fight on. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone. No never alone. No never alone. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone.

Three nights later, as promised, a bomb exploded on the front porch of King's home, filling the house with smoke and broken glass but injuring no one. King took it calmly: "My religious experience a few nights before had given me the strength to face it."

King drew strength from that memory at every hinge moment in his life. For him it became the bedrock of personal faith, an anointing from God for a particular task. As I read accounts of King's life, and his many references to that night, I am struck by the simplicity of the message he received: "I am with you." Those words convey an underlying theme of the Bible: the Immanuel ("God with us") presence of God. Over the next thirteen years of his career, King had other religious experiences, and many moments of crisis, but none to match what happened that night at his kitchen table. This one word sufficed."

Random Acts of Kindness

"If you were arrested for kindness, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"
Unknown

The other day, just before 9 am, I parked my car at the curb got out and proceeded to dig through my wallet for change for the parking meter. As I was just about to put the money in, a familiar looking man who was standing on the sidewalk begging for money said to me:

"Don't put your money in that parking meter, dear. You don't have to pay for parking until 9 am. Give it to me and I will put it in the meter when it needs to go in."

Was it the way he said it, so kindly and with a smile on his face that made me give him the money and some for his troubles? Yes. I trusted that he would follow through on his promise. I smiled, he smiled.......we both felt a quick connection of kindness that made me walk away with a lighter step.

A random act of kindness from a stranger.........brings buoyancy to both spirits.

Yesterday, as I was running up the steps to the front door of my office building, I noticed a young woman struggling with her new baby and with all the acoutrements that one has to lug around. My quick second assessment was that she was a bit overwhelmed with the task of getting up the steps, through two sets of doors and into the building. I stopped in my tracks, and turned to help her maneouver her way. Within that same moment, she exclaimed that her baby, only 2 months old and that this was their first time venturing downtown. She was nervous and self-conscious and all thumbs. We spoke briefly in the foyer..........me coooing over the sleeping babe, and she asking for directions, and then our encounter was over. I felt good about helping her and getting a "baby fix" (there are only two types of people in this world: Baby people and the rest of the world) and she left relieved and a little more confident to continue on with her personal business.

A random act of kindness to a stranger.........echoes through both people.

On an errand today to pick up a birthday present, I had all intentions of running into the store, blitzing the shelves and getting out of there as quickly as my feet would take me. Head down, no eye contact.........plowing through. As I rushed passed the flower section, I was bowled over by the scent of the hiacynths. Flowers are my other achilles heel. Of course, I stopped to admire the pots filled with spring, and my eyes fell on a small grouping of yellow tulips. Impulsively, I picked them up, and for 4 bucks, took them home with me. They are now sitting on my desk to admire as I write this posting. A little pick-me-up on a rainy January day. It makes me feel renewed.

A random act of kindness to yourself.............don't ever forget yourself!

Though it may seem sometimes that your kindness is not always recognized right away or appreciated, there is no doubt in my mind that every act has an impact. In fact, I think that the less it seems to be acknowledged, the more it is needed. If someone is so oblivious to an offer of kindness, that person REALLY needs a little boost. One never knows when a simple smile, a small acknowledgement of another individual, can make a big difference.

There really is no such thing as a small act of kindness because it has a ripple effect. If it is felt, it is passed on. So, toss out a few pebbles of acknowledgement. Smile at the cashier, hark out a hearty hello to a neighbour, take the time to hold the door for someone, and if you have a hankering to buy some flowers, a glossy magazine, gosh...... or even a new Carrie Underwood CD for yourself..........Go right ahead!

Nothing bad comes from spreading and experiencing good cheer..............


"The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless unremembered acts of kindness and of love." William Wadsworth.