Subscribing to the theory that there are six degrees of separation between any two people means more than knowing someone who knows someone who knows someone, etc., who knows Kevin Bacon. In actuality, any degree of separation means a lot more than that. It means that you know someone who knows someone who is unhappy, someone who is in love, someone who feels unloved. It means that you affect the life of someone who knows someone who knows someone who is sick, someone who is dying, or someone who is on the verge of unleashing some great potential for the good of unknown numbers of someones.
Whichever degree of separation you are - whether you are the one who just found out that you are sick or the friend of a friend of someone who knows someone who met someone at the doctor's office who had just been diagnosed with cancer - you will have an effect, direct or indirect, on the lives of many, many people. You may be raising a future teacher who will open the eyes of children who would otherwise never have been so touched by learning; you may be sitting next to a woman who, if not for your careless words of kindness, would have felt she had no hope in the world; you may be reading the blog of a soon-to-be highly acclaimed author making a difference in people's lives (your lips to God's ears).
The point is - well, there are a few points here, but today's focus will be this one - that you may have no idea why you are where you are today in your life. The world may make no sense to you and hope may be a distant memory, but as long as you are here, in this world, in this life, you are a degree of separation for someone and someone is that degree of separation for you. You are someone's link to some promise of the future and someone is the same for you. How sad would it be if your link were taken away before it served its purpose? And how sad it would be for you to miss the opportunity to be that link for someone else.
Think of it this way: If I know someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows Kevin Bacon, I miss my chance to claim that relationship if any one of those people ceases to be a link. And then where am I? Kevin Bacon-less.
Some Kind of Angel
How did you know that I would make it?
How did you know I could stand on my own?
There was no way that you could have faked it -
you never doubted that I would be strong.
How did you sense the secrets of my heart?
How did you find the key to my dreams?
You seemed to expect that I'd be victorious.
How did you know? How did you see?
Are you some kind of angel, sent down from heaven
to help me through struggles and to set my heart free?
Will you stay here forever and keep me in your heart,
'cause I'm sure you're an angel and I need you with me.
How'd you decide that you would let me in?
What made you so willing to put your trust in me?
You held out your hand, so sure I would take it,
How did you know? How did you see?
Are you some kind of angel, sent down from heaven
to help me through struggles and to set my heart free?
Will you stay here forever and keep me in your heart,
'cause I'm sure you're an angel and I need you with me.
Thank God for my angel, sent down from heaven,
you've helped me through trouble and set my heart free.
You'll be with me always, 'cause I've kept you in my heart,
My heavenly angel, sent down to me.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Mother's Day
Today is Mother's Day, so before I say anything else, I would like to wish all of the mothers out there a wonderful day (or that you've had a great day). On this day, let the people you love celebrate you and all you do and are. Let them express their love and appreciation for you in their way. It may not look the same as your ideal celebration would, but if it is a sincere expression of their love and gratitude, it is a blessing and should be accepted as such.
You may ask yourself why I may have sounded a little preachy in the last few sentences of the first paragraph. Well, here goes. For Mother's Day this year, my husband took me and our boys to a baseball game. We had great seats (where the foul balls are usually caught) in the sixth row, the weather was perfect and the kids lasted through the entire game with no mishaps.
For those of you who do not know this, a baseball game is not my idea of a wonderful day for mommy. The pollen count must have been a zillion, the sun was extremely strong (on my face) and I don't particularly enjoy crowds or the knowledge that, at any moment, a large projectile may come at me or my family at upwards of however many miles an hour. Now that I have set the stage, you can imagine how thrilled I was to attend a baseball game on Mother's Day.
I tried to explain to my husband that taking me to a baseball game for Mother's Day was like me taking him to an Avalon concert for Father's Day. While he may eventually enjoy it, the choice of gift would be more about me than him. I think he finally got it when I used the Avalon analogy (I'm pretty sure he doesn't know who they are), but I don't know that his choice of gift will change much in the future.
You see, my husband's goal was to give me a day with the family. He wanted to give me time, which is something I often ask him to do. He wanted to give me a few hours of happy kids, happy, attentive husband, and together time. Surprise of surprises, he succeeded. Would I have had that at the spa? Would the day have been as nice if we had stayed at home (I'm an incorrigible homebody) and stared at each other all day? Would the gift have meant as much if it hadn't been from the heart or if it hadn't involved spending TIME with him?
My husband gave me the one thing he has the hardest time giving, the thing that means the most to him outside of his family - time. Did it look exactly the way I thought I wanted it to? Did it look exactly the way it would have if I had given it? No. But if I'm honest with myself, it was so much more wonderful because it came from him. It was so him and to love him means that I love his expression of love.
So, what did I learn on this Mother's Day? What precious morsel of wisdom do I come away with this evening? It's quite simple, actually. I need to let the people who love me do it in their own way without looking at it through glasses colored by my way of doing things, my absolute "knowledge" that only I know how to express love. Sometimes, I have to look past the package to recognize and celebrate the gift itself.
You may ask yourself why I may have sounded a little preachy in the last few sentences of the first paragraph. Well, here goes. For Mother's Day this year, my husband took me and our boys to a baseball game. We had great seats (where the foul balls are usually caught) in the sixth row, the weather was perfect and the kids lasted through the entire game with no mishaps.
For those of you who do not know this, a baseball game is not my idea of a wonderful day for mommy. The pollen count must have been a zillion, the sun was extremely strong (on my face) and I don't particularly enjoy crowds or the knowledge that, at any moment, a large projectile may come at me or my family at upwards of however many miles an hour. Now that I have set the stage, you can imagine how thrilled I was to attend a baseball game on Mother's Day.
I tried to explain to my husband that taking me to a baseball game for Mother's Day was like me taking him to an Avalon concert for Father's Day. While he may eventually enjoy it, the choice of gift would be more about me than him. I think he finally got it when I used the Avalon analogy (I'm pretty sure he doesn't know who they are), but I don't know that his choice of gift will change much in the future.
You see, my husband's goal was to give me a day with the family. He wanted to give me time, which is something I often ask him to do. He wanted to give me a few hours of happy kids, happy, attentive husband, and together time. Surprise of surprises, he succeeded. Would I have had that at the spa? Would the day have been as nice if we had stayed at home (I'm an incorrigible homebody) and stared at each other all day? Would the gift have meant as much if it hadn't been from the heart or if it hadn't involved spending TIME with him?
My husband gave me the one thing he has the hardest time giving, the thing that means the most to him outside of his family - time. Did it look exactly the way I thought I wanted it to? Did it look exactly the way it would have if I had given it? No. But if I'm honest with myself, it was so much more wonderful because it came from him. It was so him and to love him means that I love his expression of love.
So, what did I learn on this Mother's Day? What precious morsel of wisdom do I come away with this evening? It's quite simple, actually. I need to let the people who love me do it in their own way without looking at it through glasses colored by my way of doing things, my absolute "knowledge" that only I know how to express love. Sometimes, I have to look past the package to recognize and celebrate the gift itself.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Rising From the Ashes
Rising From the Ashes
All across this barren land
burned and battered by the sun,
drenched with sweat and tears in battle,
stained by rivers of our blood,
lives and families have shattered,
no one spared the scars of war,
no one free from all the suff’ring
or the pain that’s gone before.
And yet we’re rising from the ashes,
from being trampled in the dust.
Even though we’ve been held down,
you can never count us out
because we’re never giving up.
Nobody’s riding to our rescue,
we’re not expecting charity,
but with a faith that is divine,
we will stand and we will fight
‘til every one of us is free.
Turn your eyes up to the sky,
watch the morning as it dawns,
see the promise of tomorrow
in the future as it’s born.
Because we’re rising from the ashes,
from being trampled in the dust.
Even though we’ve been held down,
you can never count us out
because we’re never giving up.
Nobody’s riding to our rescue,
we’re not expecting charity,
but with a faith that is divine,
we will stand and we will fight
‘til every one of us is free.
With a faith that is divine,
we will stand and we will fight
‘til every one of us is free.
Ever since the Don Imus Situation (heretofore referred to as The DIS) was resolved (in a manner of speaking), I have wanted to post this entry. You may ask yourself why I haven't done so. Well, I don't know, but here it is.
I can't tell you how happy I am that we (by "we" I mean everyone, regardless of race, gender, etc.) have shown yet again that when we "lift every voice and sing," we can accomplish something. Having said that, I don't know that we accomplished as much as we could have. Bear with me here - I'm certain quite a few people will disagree. But, this is my blog, so I can say what I want to.
When I say that I'm not sure we accomplished as much as we could have, what I mean to say is that we should not have been so shortsighted in our efforts. The uproar that followed The DIS caused sponsors of the show to pull their support, which led CBS and MSNBC to terminate Mr. Imus's employment. That may seem like he received his due. As a matter of fact, I hear very little talk of the situation now, so everything must be okay, right?
Well, in my opinion, losing his job so that he can obtain an even more lucrative one elsewhere is not going to curb his or anyone else's tongue. It is not going to change the way anyone views the "nappy-headed h_s" he referred to, nor will it help minority and disadvantaged children conquer the mentality that tells them it's okay for someone (ANYONE) to make such derogatory comments about them or anyone else as long as big business doesn't disagree.
The problem here isn't Don Imus or his producer or MSNBC or CBS or the corporate sponsors who waited for this latest infraction to take a stand. The problem we face is not that Michael Richards used "the n-word" in ways that even the imperialists who thought it up in the 1600s could not have imagined possible. And, surprise, surprise, the problem has not been solved by people like Howard Cosell, Jimmy the Greek, Don Imus or his producer losing their jobs.
The problem is that minority and underprivileged children - the ones who are growing up as the targets of vile diatribes, crass jokes, low expectations and an educational system that was designed to "keep them in their place" - never actually benefit from the resolutions we reach when these situations come to light (I won't say when they occur because they occur behind closed doors all the time).
Here's my point: When The DIS occurs again (and it will, just by some other name), the perpetrator should be made to keep his or her high-paying job. The perpetrator should then be persuaded by public opinion, sponsors, etc. to adopt several inner city elementary schools (you know, the ones in which many of his "nappy-headed h_s" often begin their education) and contribute to providing the equal opportunity in education that is the only thing that will put those children in the position to compete in the marketplace. Until enough of those children grow up to run these multi-billion dollar companies and make policy decisions that regulate what is or is not acceptable, it's always going to be somebody else's daughter being insulted, somebody else's son dying at war.
I am not saying that Don Imus is any more of a racist than any other human being. I'm definitely not saying that it's okay for "some people" to use certain words and not others. I am saying that if someone is in the public eye and people listen to that person, he or she is able to influence others to do the right or the wrong thing. I understand that Don Imus has used his considerable influence to raise money for "the children" and I applaud him for that. I would have liked to have seen his repentance in this instance reflect that dedication to children. I am certain a man who has raised that much money for kids would have welcomed the opportunity.
All across this barren land
burned and battered by the sun,
drenched with sweat and tears in battle,
stained by rivers of our blood,
lives and families have shattered,
no one spared the scars of war,
no one free from all the suff’ring
or the pain that’s gone before.
And yet we’re rising from the ashes,
from being trampled in the dust.
Even though we’ve been held down,
you can never count us out
because we’re never giving up.
Nobody’s riding to our rescue,
we’re not expecting charity,
but with a faith that is divine,
we will stand and we will fight
‘til every one of us is free.
Turn your eyes up to the sky,
watch the morning as it dawns,
see the promise of tomorrow
in the future as it’s born.
Because we’re rising from the ashes,
from being trampled in the dust.
Even though we’ve been held down,
you can never count us out
because we’re never giving up.
Nobody’s riding to our rescue,
we’re not expecting charity,
but with a faith that is divine,
we will stand and we will fight
‘til every one of us is free.
With a faith that is divine,
we will stand and we will fight
‘til every one of us is free.
Ever since the Don Imus Situation (heretofore referred to as The DIS) was resolved (in a manner of speaking), I have wanted to post this entry. You may ask yourself why I haven't done so. Well, I don't know, but here it is.
I can't tell you how happy I am that we (by "we" I mean everyone, regardless of race, gender, etc.) have shown yet again that when we "lift every voice and sing," we can accomplish something. Having said that, I don't know that we accomplished as much as we could have. Bear with me here - I'm certain quite a few people will disagree. But, this is my blog, so I can say what I want to.
When I say that I'm not sure we accomplished as much as we could have, what I mean to say is that we should not have been so shortsighted in our efforts. The uproar that followed The DIS caused sponsors of the show to pull their support, which led CBS and MSNBC to terminate Mr. Imus's employment. That may seem like he received his due. As a matter of fact, I hear very little talk of the situation now, so everything must be okay, right?
Well, in my opinion, losing his job so that he can obtain an even more lucrative one elsewhere is not going to curb his or anyone else's tongue. It is not going to change the way anyone views the "nappy-headed h_s" he referred to, nor will it help minority and disadvantaged children conquer the mentality that tells them it's okay for someone (ANYONE) to make such derogatory comments about them or anyone else as long as big business doesn't disagree.
The problem here isn't Don Imus or his producer or MSNBC or CBS or the corporate sponsors who waited for this latest infraction to take a stand. The problem we face is not that Michael Richards used "the n-word" in ways that even the imperialists who thought it up in the 1600s could not have imagined possible. And, surprise, surprise, the problem has not been solved by people like Howard Cosell, Jimmy the Greek, Don Imus or his producer losing their jobs.
The problem is that minority and underprivileged children - the ones who are growing up as the targets of vile diatribes, crass jokes, low expectations and an educational system that was designed to "keep them in their place" - never actually benefit from the resolutions we reach when these situations come to light (I won't say when they occur because they occur behind closed doors all the time).
Here's my point: When The DIS occurs again (and it will, just by some other name), the perpetrator should be made to keep his or her high-paying job. The perpetrator should then be persuaded by public opinion, sponsors, etc. to adopt several inner city elementary schools (you know, the ones in which many of his "nappy-headed h_s" often begin their education) and contribute to providing the equal opportunity in education that is the only thing that will put those children in the position to compete in the marketplace. Until enough of those children grow up to run these multi-billion dollar companies and make policy decisions that regulate what is or is not acceptable, it's always going to be somebody else's daughter being insulted, somebody else's son dying at war.
I am not saying that Don Imus is any more of a racist than any other human being. I'm definitely not saying that it's okay for "some people" to use certain words and not others. I am saying that if someone is in the public eye and people listen to that person, he or she is able to influence others to do the right or the wrong thing. I understand that Don Imus has used his considerable influence to raise money for "the children" and I applaud him for that. I would have liked to have seen his repentance in this instance reflect that dedication to children. I am certain a man who has raised that much money for kids would have welcomed the opportunity.
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