crazy miracle called * life *

Thursday, November 13, 2008

time to fix what’s been broken too long…

*something heavenly*

sanctus real

It's time for healing, time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
All I can do is surrender

Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos, somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Revaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow your will
or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is you want from me
I give everything, I surrender...

Whatever you're doing inside of me

It feels like chaos, somehow there's peace

It's hard to surrender to what I can't see

But I'm giving in to something heavenly

Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to to release all my held back tears

Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life ~ something heavenly

It's time to face up
Clean this old house
Time breathe in and let everything out

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

red white + blue… perspective + freedom

So *technically* Barack Obama is not the President. Absentee ballots have another week or something to arrive. But he's popular and he makes huge promises, so I'm just taking it and moving on. (I'm sick of election drama, remember??)

BUT.... I am excited about his win, even though Sarah Palin is SO going to rock this in 2012. (McCain? Yeah.... no comment...) I'm not an Obama fan, and even though he clearly doesn't respect certain religions and beliefs, he is our President. We must pray for his guidance and strength whether we like him or not. I pray for his safety in a nation that has made huge strides in acceptance but still lacks where it counts the most. I hope his experience is enough to help him make the difficult choices that we cannot even yet dream of. Deep inside? I hope his elaborate promises (that I know in most cases are not realistic) bring a little bit of relief to people like me - people with disabilities, people in minorities, those who need a little help NOT out of laziness and lack of will, but simply out of chance, fate, circumstances out of their control. Those who simply want to live the American dream and do so with more courage than any other normal citizen. You know, not everyone is willing to continually wrestle with and defeat an obstacle, fighting a million times harder for the same thing other people can achieve with much less effort. Yes, there are the lazy. Then there are the oppressed, the victims, the "unlucky" if that's what you want to say. I'll even admit that the Republicans peg us all together. We're the ones who want the handouts because we enjoy watching TV too much to go work, right? WRONG.

So see.... it goes both ways. It's all in how you look at it. Perspective.

I do want to say though, this is a victory so much bigger than a man himself. This is a victory for all of us, men and women, black, white, yellow, hot pink, whatever. If only Dr. King could have lived to see this day. Surely he is looking down and smiling. Our country is one step closer to really believing our fundamental values, just a little bit closer to - as a whole - truly believing that all are created equal. Because we are. The same blood in your veins is flowing in mine.

And even though Barack Obama pays his female staff a mere .80 to the dollar compare to his male staff (yes, I DO have an issue with that), Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton and Anna Shaw and allll of our other beautiful grandmothers would be smiling, too. Why? Because we women aren't just voting. We're rocking the vote. We're statistically constistantly more likely to vote than men. (Ironic, boys?) WE are the ones who aren't ashamed to ensure that our voices are heard. We're going places. We're balancing work, family, education. The best of us? The guys are just afraid. But you wait and see - one day, we will have a female President. Maybe even an African-American female President. I hope and pray it's in my lifetime. Today's win makes it just a little closer.

So with this win, my heart is elated for my African-American friends, and I am so proud to be an American woman because I know in my heart that it's our turn next. Think Obama's switching things up? Put a woman in office. The right woman can change the world.

Tonight, I'm thankful for freedom. I'm thankful for equality. I'm thankful for acceptance and free choice and free speech and the right to vote to keep all of those rights. I'm thankful for America. I hope she remembers where she came from, and I hope she can be a shining example for the rest of the world - so many people are just starving for freedom. Don't take any of this for granted.

Don't tell me we can't change.

Yes, we can. Yes, we can change. Yes, we can.

Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can seize our future. And as we leave this great state with a new wind at our backs and we take this journey across this great country, a country we love, with the message we carry from the plains of Iowa to the hills of New Hampshire, from the Nevada desert to the South Carolina coast, the same message we had when we were up and when we were down,

that out of many, we are one;

that WHILE WE BREATHE, WE WILL HOPE.

And where we are met with cynicism and doubt and fear and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the American people in three simple words:

......YES WE CAN......

Senator, now President, Barack Obama

January, 2008

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Don’t vote.

Ahhh.... the election. So it's been funny. It's been angering. It's been made fun of so much that the jokes just aren't funny anymore... (Okay, well this vid is funny...)

and good ole' Sara Benincasa and cousin Dinah...

But anyhow, I KNOW a lot of us are on election burn-out, BUT.

Yep. But.

This is when it's most important for us to be excited and ready to go.

Here in Ohio, it's a gorgeous day, so no excuses for anyone.

Now yes, it is YOUR choice. But please, choose to vote.

Or fine... don't want to? Then DON'T VOTE.

Don't wanna research the issues?

Don't really care?

K, then don't vote.

But if you care one bit about being an American,

you know what you need to do.

Watch this...

I love the ending. Makes me think. Why are you voting?

I'm voting because it's my right. I'm voting because my grandmothers died to give me the right. I'm voting because freedom is amazing, and it shouldn't be taken for granted. I'm voting for my children. I'm voting for a chance to live longer. I'm voting for my family. I'm voting for my health. I'm voting for those all over the world whose voices are suppressed.

I'm voting for my rights... your rights... our rights.

So if you're not so keen on this:

then I suggest you seize the remaining few hours to get out there and VOTE.

After all, you do get free coffee:

;-)

And one more thing.... before election stuff is "old news" ... I really did want to share this video of Sarah Palin. Now I don't agree with everything she says or does and I won't get started on my views/opinions on the matter of this topic, but watch this and hear her out. Don't get hung up on the first part depending on your beliefs. Just hear how she talks about her little son Trig. If you have any heart at all, you'll be inspired by the genuine love and hope she radiates right here:

(An even closer look is here ... or you can go here (go Elisabeth! "I have a hard time not being sassy... I just can't help it!" lol) and here.

Anyways.... get out there and VOTE!!

(Or don't vote... And then I better not hear a single complaint from you for the next 4 years.)

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Tooooo much!!!

Is this little girl not the cutest thing you've ever seen? I bet she's quite the little Miss Priss - precocious, sweet, but definitely a lil sassy. And so stylin'! Kind of like a mini me.... you know, circa 1990. ;-)

Look at the suit... the shoes... the pearl necklace... the earrings. And those sweet little glasses? Too much!! All topped off with her baby doll. And look how she's rockin' that leopard bag. Told you she is like an Age 3 me! And quite a brilliant Sarah Palin too!

2 weeks of secrets!!

2 weeks of 'em! :) yay!

it's a good feeling, isn't it?

i save voicemails. maybe that's a secret of mine?? some might think it lame, but you know what? life is SHORT and oh so unpredictable.

ok this is GROSS GROSS GROSS.

amazing how powerful friendship is. my best friend and i don't agree on things like this sometimes, but it doesn't matter. either of us would put aside our differences any day if it meant being there for the other. that's how you know you have a true friend. :)