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If you're looking for a good tender-hearted cry today, here it is:

Inspiration for the Week

"Love cannot remain by itself -- it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action and that action is service."
* Mother Teresa

This Just In...

Inspiration for the Week

"Pain is weakness leaving the body."
U.S. Marine Corps

Fav. Foto Friday

Happy Merry Rama-Chanu-KwanzMasTice
OR
ChristmaSolKwanziHanukAdan
whichever you observe!!

Inspiration for the Week

"Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It is beyond me.

But in the main, I feel like a brown bag of miscellany propped against a wall. Against a wall in company with other bags, white, red and yellow. Pour out the contents, and there is discovered a jumble of small things priceless and worthless. A first-water diamond, an empty spool, bits of broken glass, lengths of string, a key to a door long since crumbled away, a rusty knife-blade, old shoes saved for a road that never was and never will be, a nail bent under the weight of things too heavy for any nail, a dried flower or two still a little fragrant. In your hand is the brown bag. On the ground before you is the jumble it held — so much like the jumble in the bags, could they be emptied, that all might be dumped in a single heap and the bags refilled without altering the content of any greatly. A bit of colored glass more or less would not matter. Perhaps that is how the Great Stuffer of Bags filled them in the first place — who knows?"

* Zora Neale Hurston, "How It Feels to Be Colored Me," The World Tomorrow (May 1928)

Fav. Foto Friday

or...
How to Start a Winter Break Off the Right Way!By passing out on the couch after your third episode of "How It's Made" and avoiding folding laundry (again!)

Inspiration for the Week

"To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives.
Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day.
Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought.
And Number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy.
But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."
* Jim Valvano, NC State Basketball Coach, 1980-1990

Fav. Foto Friday

Couldn't decide between this
and this
Both from a conference in SC last Dec.

Inspiration for the Week

WARNING: view this only if you're ready for a good cry.
Devon Gundry - "Armed" from Justin Baldoni on Vimeo.

Inspiration for the Week

"In the practice of tolerance
one's enemy is the best teacher."
* The Dalai Lama

Thank You!

My brother-in-law is recovering wonderfully and everything looks good (even the HUGE scar!). Thank you all for your prayers and kind thoughts.

Inspiration for the Week

"Give people light, and they will find their way."
* Ella Baker

Inspiration for the Week

"Do what you feel in your heart to be right —
for you'll be criticized anyway."
* Eleanor Roosevelt

Fav. Foto Friday

This is Elle riding her water horse (Uncle Eddie) this summer in Texas.
Please keep him in your prayers today - he's undergoing surgery this morning.

I Believe the Children Are Our Future

I get to go see this guy tomorrow with my daughter's first grade class - wish you ALL could come with me!

What a glorious day it'll be when we all feel this way about each child!

Oh What a Night!

We had such a great time last night - as Bahá'ís, we celebrated the birth of Bahá'u'lláh (Arabic for "The Glory of God"). Religious beliefs aside, I have to tell you that there just aren't many groups as diverse, hopeful, and service-oriented as Bahá'ís. It makes it alot of fun to be at our parties. Since you couldn't join us, I'll give you a little peek into an all out joy fest!

We warmed up the crowd
with a little break-dancing, Latino style.
Stories were shared
and some Irish folk dancing.
We learned and sang a prayer, using sign language too.
Voted for most creative dessert.
Had many chances to re-connect with friends.
Enjoyed some live music.
Then the music (and the tall guy in the back!) inspired a conga line, and the dancing didn't stop for the next 2 hours!
There was an impromptu meeting of the "Tall" club (the shorty in red is 6'4"!)
Parents had fun with their kids.
Kids had fun with their siblings.
We enjoyed some hot tea and all those creative desserts from earlier!
The dancing continued...
Not everyone was in to it though.
Some went so far as to employ techniques of civil disobedience to prevent their mom (me) from dragging them out on to the dance floor with her.

In summary, that diverse, one-human-family loving group all went away with even bigger smiles on their faces.

(This wasn't everyone - just the ones that closed the place down!)

A Little Teary Today

It's Veteran's Day - a day of many and mixed emotions for me. I come from a family of strong military service, especially during wartime. My grandfather served as a fighter pilot in WWII. My dad was an Army Airborne Ranger infantryman in Vietnam - I can't even begin to fathom what his two tours (two years) were like there. My younger sister was an Army chemical/biological/nuclear warfare officer during the Gulf War - I remember not even being able to catch a glimpse of the news playing on TV without bawling. My own love of country and desire to serve the glorious principles that this great nation embodies moved me to join the Air Force.

Last week, I stumbled upon an amazing show on PBS - Medal of Honor, stories and reflections from several living (definitely a minority) award recipients. It left me with tear-stained cheeks and the burning desire to know WHEN will we stop sending the best of our youth/citizenry off to suffer the emotional and physical and spiritual ravages of war.

This is offered for all those who have served and are serving and will serve...

"Briefly, I have traveled this long distance, crossed the Atlantic Ocean to this western continent in the desire and hope that the strongest bond of unity may be established between America and Persia [Iran]. I know this to be your wish and purpose also and am sure of your cooperation. We shall, therefore, offer supplication in the divine threshold that a great love may take possession of the hearts of men and unite the nations of the world. We will pray that the ensign of international peace may be uplifted and that the oneness of the world of humanity may be realized and accomplished. All this is made possible and practicable through your efforts. May this American democracy be the first nation to establish the foundation of international agreement. May it be the first nation to proclaim the universality of mankind. May it be the first to upraise the standard of the Most Great Peace, and through this nation of democracy may these philanthropic intentions and institutions be spread throughout the world. Truly, this is a great and revered nation. Here liberty has reached its highest degree. The intentions of its people are most praiseworthy. They are, indeed, worthy of being the first to build the Tabernacle of the Most Great Peace and proclaim the oneness of mankind. I will supplicate God for assistance and confirmation in your behalf."
'Abdu'l-Bahá, 1912

Inspiration for the Week

"I must sing my song. There may be other songs more beautiful than mine, but I must sing the song God gave me to sing, and I must sing it until death."
* Charlotte Hawkins Brown

Fav. Foto Friday

My Girl Scout troop is not only fun to camp with,
they're absolutely ADORABLE too!!

Inspiring, Even Though It's Not Monday

"Rosa sat so Martin could walk.
Martin walked so Barack could run.
Barack ran so our children can fly."
~JayZ.