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| God Bless America, and rise high! |
In lieu of the results of the election I have felt compelled to share.
Whether you voted for Trump or not. Whether you believe he can or can not lead our great country. We have to remember that EVERYONE deserves a chance. EVERYONE has the right to be LOVED and only PEACE and LOVE will prevail in the end. Kill them with kindness right?
Below is an email I received from my friend Emily Cavanagh. She is a terrific singer songwriter and now poet... which is really what a singer songwriter is anyway. I feel her words are profound, sincere, worthy of sharing. Take them to heart my friends as Emily is one wise young woman!
Take from it what you will. But pay close attention to HER words. She is one of the best women I know. And whatever you take from it, remember we are still America, we are still strong, and we are the best nation on Earth. We don't need to make America great "again", we just need to KEEP America Great as she always is and always will be! That will take cooperative efforts from all PEOPLE, RACES, and GENDERS. Remember that please as we go thru this unknown territory. The women I know are way to strong to let this result effect how they go forward with their lives. The international friends I know, know America is a great country regardless of who we perceive our leader to be or not to be. Don't let this result discourage you, instead use it as a spring board for educating our youth, setting a fire under those who can and will implement the proper changes and so on. Keep working for what YOU believe in and ALL will be well in the world. I truly believe this. I think my friends would agree with me!
By Emily Cavanagh
when i say i am american what i mean is..
that i believe wholeheartedly in having a dream,
that i am grateful to live in a country where many have sacrificed far bigger than i know to make it possible for me to have a place i call home,
that in my home, i welcome those who don’t look like me, whose politics may be different from mine, whose worldview doesn’t quite fit into the one that has taken shape in me,
it means that i value those who come from far away places, where they have left families, friends, and have fought harder to be here than i can understand by simply reading about it in some book that sits on a shelf in my apartment,
it means that i acknowledge those who have gone before me—-
that i am born to parents on the south side of chicago (who still welcome me, though i root for the cubs:), who have worked hard to teach their children to love fearlessly,
that i have many brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, and neighbors— that they have big hearts and great spirits, and we have loud family parties,
that my ancestors come from ireland,
that my boyfriend comes from dublin,that my friends come from everywhere—
that they are made up of different faces— some who look nothing like mine, with customs and traditions and stories and dances different from the ones i was raised with…..that they are such integral parts of me now, that you could do nothing to separate us,
that we are stronger together,
when i say i am american what i mean is..
that i believe wholeheartedly in having a dream,
that i am grateful to live in a country where many have sacrificed far bigger than i know to make it possible for me to have a place i call home,
that in my home, i welcome those who don’t look like me, whose politics may be different from mine, whose worldview doesn’t quite fit into the one that has taken shape in me,
it means that i value those who come from far away places, where they have left families, friends, and have fought harder to be here than i can understand by simply reading about it in some book that sits on a shelf in my apartment,
it means that i acknowledge those who have gone before me—-
that i am born to parents on the south side of chicago (who still welcome me, though i root for the cubs:), who have worked hard to teach their children to love fearlessly,
that i have many brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, and neighbors— that they have big hearts and great spirits, and we have loud family parties,
that my ancestors come from ireland,
that my boyfriend comes from dublin,that my friends come from everywhere—
that they are made up of different faces— some who look nothing like mine, with customs and traditions and stories and dances different from the ones i was raised with…..that they are such integral parts of me now, that you could do nothing to separate us,
that we are stronger together,
it means that i believe that you love who you love,
you pray (or you don’t) to a god who makes sense to you…. or to a universe, or to a tree, or to whatever brings you peace,
it means i believe in peace, that it is only possible when we open up to the possibility that there is more than one way of doing things,
when we acknowledge we are not as progressive as we think we are if tolerance is something we enact only when it is convenient,
that fear is not a place to make decisions from,
it means that i am pro-everyone, that I am pro-immigrant, pro-LGBTQ, pro-woman,pro-man, pro- all-of-us- having- a -voice- and a story worth telling,
it means that i have learned that “other” is something we have created…all by ourselves to keep us separate,
it means that i value togetherness,
and kindness, and having a sense of humor, and admitting when you just don’t know, and asking people to tell you about themselves, instead of deciding who they are,
you pray (or you don’t) to a god who makes sense to you…. or to a universe, or to a tree, or to whatever brings you peace,
it means i believe in peace, that it is only possible when we open up to the possibility that there is more than one way of doing things,
when we acknowledge we are not as progressive as we think we are if tolerance is something we enact only when it is convenient,
that fear is not a place to make decisions from,
it means that i am pro-everyone, that I am pro-immigrant, pro-LGBTQ, pro-woman,pro-man, pro- all-of-us- having- a -voice- and a story worth telling,
it means that i have learned that “other” is something we have created…all by ourselves to keep us separate,
it means that i value togetherness,
and kindness, and having a sense of humor, and admitting when you just don’t know, and asking people to tell you about themselves, instead of deciding who they are,
it means that my songs are inspired by travels to places i never dreamed i’d see, where i have experienced tenfold the kindness of strangers who now are my friends,
that my other career in social service has exposed me to the suffering, pain, and poverty of many who are never given a fair chance…that inequality is real--that we must say that out loud, and not pretend it isn't the case, if we hope for real change....that survivors of this embody the resilience of the human spirit,
to me, being an american does not mean walls and borders,
it does not mean hate and misogyny,
it means kindness...it means faithfulness to the ones you love,and acceptance of the ones you don’t,
it means freedom.....
.... sparklers on the 4th of july, swimming in lake michigan, but it is so much more than raising a flag…
it means as a country, we are young, and other countries are old, and may have some wisdom to impart to us, and perhaps we should listen sometimes…
that my other career in social service has exposed me to the suffering, pain, and poverty of many who are never given a fair chance…that inequality is real--that we must say that out loud, and not pretend it isn't the case, if we hope for real change....that survivors of this embody the resilience of the human spirit,
to me, being an american does not mean walls and borders,
it does not mean hate and misogyny,
it means kindness...it means faithfulness to the ones you love,and acceptance of the ones you don’t,
it means freedom.....
.... sparklers on the 4th of july, swimming in lake michigan, but it is so much more than raising a flag…
it means as a country, we are young, and other countries are old, and may have some wisdom to impart to us, and perhaps we should listen sometimes…
it means i have so much to learn, and maybe we all do,
it means that i will miss obama, and i am so glad that he was here…
that i am happy that hillary and bernie came and changed the conversation..
it means that i will continue to be hopeful and dream of a day when a black man and a woman can run side by side, and we will be wise enough to choose them,
it means we have to hold a little tighter to each other now.
it means that i will miss obama, and i am so glad that he was here…
that i am happy that hillary and bernie came and changed the conversation..
it means that i will continue to be hopeful and dream of a day when a black man and a woman can run side by side, and we will be wise enough to choose them,
it means we have to hold a little tighter to each other now.
Thank You Emily for sharing, caring and being an exemplary role model for women, men, children, black people, white people, and all kinds of people!
Now I Beg You... Go Out and Hug EVERYONE Today!!!
