No Small Feat

Purple Power!

Today is Spirit Day where individuals are asked to show their support for victims of bullies by wearing purple. I say it is about time the nation stand up and take notice of exactly how damaging bullying can be... and with the recent suicides of several victims of bullying, how dangerous.

I was the victim of bullying. I imagine people didn't really make much of it. They made fun of my hair, height, overall appearance, said I'm ugly, not worthy of talking to, isolated in the classroom, my BFF suddenly walking away from our friendship in 6th grade because the popular kids liked her and I was a liability. 

All of that happened to me - and then some.  And I kept it ALL inside and was hospitalized at the ages of 9 and 11 for stomach issues that were never diagnosed. Pardon the pun, but my gut tells me that it was a physical reaction to my emotional stress. I distinctly remember thinking about suicide in my early teen years and also began using drugs about the age of 13. 

So. This is not just a gay/lesbian student issue, though that is the focus and I have no problem with that. But, ultimately, this is a call of support for ALL victims of bullying. 

Below is a video of Enimem's that spotlights the bully/victim relationship.  Below the video is a portion of the lyrics of the song. I love it because it tells the bully to go f*ck himself (or herself). Empowerment is the best anticdote. Let's help these children become empowered!

It's a little too late to say that you're sorry now
You kicked me when I was down
Fuck what you say, just (don't hurt me, don't hurt me no more)
That's right bitch: and I don't need you, don't want to see you
Bitch you get (no love)
You show me nothing but hate
You ran me into the ground
But what comes around goes around
I don't need you (don't hurt me)
You (don't hurt me no more)
That's right, and I don't need you, don't want to see you
You get (no love)
Bitch you get (no love)
And I don't need you

Directionally Challenged.

Politicians make promises and break them all the time but this blogger made a promise and intends to keep it.  I promised that I would never go political on my blog, unless the debate is Edward or Jacob -- then things will get heated.  But I feel confident that we don't have to worry about such a skirmish happening here because all of my friends are certainly reasonable and rational enough to know that they don't have a "dog" in that fight that can win.

I proudly voted in this election and stood in line just like every other American who didn't have enough sense to vote by absentee ballot.  Going above and beyond the call, I actually stood in line to early vote for over 3 hours while my husband, on the other hand, voted on election day and it took him 30 minutes (life of Riley, meet Brian).  The morning after it can be said that all who voted believe they are right, even if they are on the left.  Those who didn't vote think it was all wrong and they might be right too, or left.  Maybe center, who knows... but I think I have found a little something to bring us all together at this moment, both the winners and losers.  This is what I like to call a compromise:

Three Hour Tour of Duty

I voted today and waited in line for three hours to do so.  There was a woman behind me was trying to sell "wickless candles" to those of us around her.  I quickly shot her an unwelcomed glance (they come easy to us Northerners) to deter her from approaching me so that I would not have to listen to her pitch (believe me, her high pitch southernness was all I could bear).  First of all, I can't smell.  Second, wickless candles?  No matter, the bottom line is:

 

Who has the desire to talk when faced with three hours of no children and the ability to read 200+ pages?  I mean, honestly, can you think of a better way to spend your time while waiting to vote for bloodsuckers and wolves than to be reading about them?  I can't.  Except at least the ones vampire in the book is appealing.

Blow Hard.

We are 57 days from the Presidential Election.  It is such a highly charged event in our nation and those of us who are highly political have many opinions and love to debate them... myself included!  I said I would never go political on my blog and while this may seem like a departure from that, it isn't.  It is simply being posted to say I want people to know the facts about ALL candidates who are running for elected office on November 4, 2008.  I am providing a link to a great website that sticks to the facts about each and every candidate on the issues without all the slants you get from news articles, pundits and subjective reporting.  I am also attaching a link to a great quiz that takes the candidates out of the equation and based on your answers on the issues will show how ALL the candidates stack up to your views (broken down percentage wise socially and economically). 

The Quiz: http://www.speakout.com/VoteMatch/pres2008.asp?quiz=2008 

The Information:  http://www.votesmart.org/ or http://www.ontheissues.org/default.htm

Any comments that either supports or attacks ANY candidate will be immediately deleted.  This blog is designed for our family and friends of ALL political persuasions to safely visit our cyberhome to enjoy the Max and Mimi Show without being inundated by my personal (strong) views.  I just want people to be informed about their choices in a non-partisan way.  If you want to debate politics, email me (and then take 2 aspirin). :) 

Reality Bites

I interrupt this blog to ask you to visit our friend Heidi's blog for a staggering first-hand report of the famine in Ethiopia, where she is right now.  This famine is very real.  This is happening in 2008.  As citizens of the world we MUST find within us the obligation to do something to help ... whatever that may be ... We can no longer just shake our heads, mutter "how sad" and move on.  I am personally sickened that just today I "cleaned out" my refrigerator of the "excess" food I threw away! 

I know that Heidi will have more posts and information on how we can get the help into the hands of the people who will actually make sure that these families and children will receive the food they so desperately need.  So please continue to read her blog for information and updates.  We can get the resources into the right hands.  And the best hands to lay it all in is His hands and with that, I ask that if you do, and if you will... pray for the men, women and children of Ethiopia and other places around the world filled with a suffering we will likely never truly know.

World Refugee Day

To get involved, please visit: www.unhcr.org

Famine in Ethiopia

I am so heartbroken by this article that I cannot even write about it.  I cannot even articulate the pain that my heart feels right now.  I cannot believe that we are here in 2008 and reading about imminent famine in Ethiopia AGAIN.  I don't even know what a true hunger pang FEELS like because I eat as soon as one comes on... if I even get to that point.  I complain there's "nothing to eat in this house" because I don't like the choices, not because there really is nothing to eat.  The poorest of the poor in America have access to food stamps and free food provided by agencies such as the Salvation Army. 

Why should this THREE YEAR OLD child not have access to food and adequate shelter, the very basic needs for sustaining life that we have?  This is my problem, it is your problem.  And it's big.  So what do we do about it? 

Here is one thing you can do... donate your money to the UN World Food Program.  You can donate to the Fill the Cup program where 25 cents will fill a cup of food for 1 child.  A $15 donation will provide food for 10 children for one week!  You can also designate the money to go to the Child Hunger program.  Also when you complete your donation information please designate "Ethiopia" as the country you are wanting to help.

Can I get you something to drink?

Every time you draw a hot bath "just to relax" or take a long shower in the morning as you wake up and then drink a cup of tea, coffee or glass of water remember this:

This is an illustration for the western world to consider what 1.1 billion men, women and children around the world must do every day to have access to contaminated water.  It should not be this way, and it doesn't have to be.  It can change with our help. So please give.

Thank you, Dr. King

Yesterday, we traveled to Montgomery, Alabama to have lunch with friends that live there.  Our group included four children from Ethiopia and three from China.  We could not help but marvel that our diverse families converged for lunch in an exclusive restaurant in the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement without fear or intimidation.  Quite the contrary, we were welcomed with warmth, friendliness and enjoyed our lunch in peace.  What perfect timing that this trip coincided with the birth of the man who led this important movement.  Yes, we have a long way to go but we've also come a long way.  I want to use this space today to thank Dr. King and all those that walked before him and with him.  I pray we see Dr. King's dream realized where we judge a person not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. 

"... and I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land. So I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man." Martin Luther King Jr., Speech in Memphis, April 3, 1968, the day before King was assassinated

Where is God?

"The one thing, on which we can all agree, is that God is with the vulnerable and poor. God is in the slums and in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them. 6,500 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 Equality." --Bono

On the Move is a book written by Bono which is based upon the speech he gave at the 2006 National Prayer Breakfast.  It delivers an inspiring and powerful message.  Here, in Bono's own words, is a reflection on his own faith and a challenge to people of all faiths to reach across boundaries and come together on behalf of what the Scriptures call "the least of these."

  On the Move features B&W photographs that Bono took of Africans during his first trip to Ethiopia in 1986. Profits from the sale of this book will benefit the One Campaign.