"Remember to play after every storm. Celebrate life no matter how bad it seems. Life is a gift, and there's always something beautiful that you can find. We have to make the best of life and do what we're meant to do. Everyone has a special song inside their hearts. If you believe you can be happy, then you, too, will hear your song. "
Sorrowful Goodbye To Stepanek
We are all the same.
We are not different from one another.
We all belong to one family.
We love and we laugh, we hurt and we cry, we live and we die.
Care for us and accept us. We are all human beings. We are normal. We have hands. We have feet. We can walk, we can talk -- and we have needs like just like everyone else. Don't be afraid of us.
We are all the same.
***
Additional excerpts from We Are All The Same:
The highlight of his trip to the West Coast ... was an unforgettable lunch with the comic and actor Robin Williams.
"He is the funniest man, I think, in all the world," Nkosi recalled. "He made me laugh a lot. He made me laugh so much I spit out my water once. Maybe twice. I was laughing very much at Robin. I think he liked me. I think Robin is my friend."
We love and we laugh, we hurt and we cry, we live and we die.
Since Christmas was only a few days away, I inquired about his personal gift list.
"A Dodge Viper," he said. Once more the grin.
"I want a Porsche," I said. "Good luck to both of us."
He knew that I knew he was pulling my leg.
"I actually dream this Christmas of getting all the money we need for our big dream house," he said.
He was referring to the farm outside that Johannesburg that Gail had been eyeing for some time, a much larger version of Nkosi's Haven, with enough space for a hundred mothers and children -- and, until then, beyond her financial reach.
"We are full here," he continued." "This is a small house, and we hardly have room for anybody else -- and that is not fair to all the other all the other mothers and children who are HIV. They are dying, and they have no place to go. They have no place to bring their children and live."
A wonderful wish, I said. "But what do you want for yourself."
"I haven't thought about it," he said. "Right now I'm just thinking about all the other mothers out there."
We all belong to one family.
Gail was receiving hundreds of letters every day. One local woman wrote that Nkosi was in fact an angel dispatched from paradise to earth to teach human beings the lessons of love and courage. Gail, who had not lost her sense of humor despite the stress and pressure of those long and painful weeks, laughed when she read that particular note. "Clearly this woman has never met Nkosi," she said. "Anyone who has ever dealt with my darling boy would know for sure that he is definitely not an angel and never was."
Care for us and accept us. We are all human beings. We are normal.
***
"How Does it Work?"
Scientists believe it takes 21 days to form a new habit and complaining is habitual for most of us. As Twain said, we must coax our old behavior down the stairs. The bracelet(s) you receive are a powerful tool(s) to remind you of how well you are creating your life with positive intention. Here are the suggested rules:
1. Begin to wear the bracelet, on either wrist
2. When you catch yourself complaining, gossiping or criticizing (it’s ok, everyone does) move the bracelet to the other arm and begin again.
3. If you hear someone else who is wearing a bracelet complain, you may point out their need to switch the bracelet to the other arm; BUT if you’re going to do this, you must move your bracelet first!
4. Stay with it. It may take many months but when you reach 21 days you will find that your entire life is happier, more loving, more positive and more abundant.
"Hey Mace- When your cherries grow on the trees, we could eat them and spit the seeds at each other."- Cassie
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
DIR Chad Lowe SCR Ethan Canin PROD Hilary Swank, Chad Lowe, Mark Burton DPStephen Kazmierski ED Amy E Duddleston CAST William Hurt, Rita Wilson, Julianna Margulies, Michelle Trachtenberg, David Call, Brett Davern
Short Note:
Directed by Chad Lowe and starring William Hurt, Rita Wilson and Julianna Margulies, set in the 1970s, a 15-year-old boy lives in the constant shadow of his older brother, a free-spirited and enigmatic mathematics genius. The family's coming of age culminates in an event that will affect both brothers and their family forever.
Long Note:
Chad Lowe makes his impressive directorial debut with BEAUTIFUL OHIO, a solid coming-of-age tale that centers on the complex family dynamics and changing social attitudes ofthe early seventies.
Simon and Judith Messerman (William Hurt and Rita Wilson) are enlightened, modern parents who have high hopes for their children's futures. Much of their attention is focused on their quirky and gifted son Clive (David Call), whom they expect to win an upcoming mathematics competition. Clive is an uneasy genius who frequently disconnects from the family by slipping into his own unique method of communication. Meanwhile, his teenage brother William (newcomer Brett Davern) struggles to make his own way while living inhis older brother's formidable shadow. Adding to the relationship complications is Clive's provocative and free-spirited girlfriend, Sandra (Michelle Trachtenberg), who may behiding secrets of her own.
The impressive ensemble cast delivers strong, yet subtle performances, while Lowe's mature and even-handed direction infuses the film with authenticity.
-John Bernstein
Biography:
Chad Lowe has resisted becoming a standard issue teen idol, opting for a more unconventional career. In his body of work on stage, screen and TV, the green-blue eyed blond has conveyed an impressive seriousness and gravity that belies his pretty boy looks. As a frustrated 15-year-old, Lowe was encouraged to "pursue acting not only as a profession but as a way of life" by family friend Martin Sheen. He soon acquired an agent and landed his first acting job--a role in the TV-movie docudrama FLIGHT 90:DISASTER ON THE POTOMAC, just before his 16th birthday.
Lowe received his first major showcase as the star of the engaging teen sitcom SPENCER playing an eccentric, discontented and lusty 16-year-old high school student. Lowe subsequently focused on improving his craft with an acting coach and stage work. He returned to TV to play the estranged son of Elizabeth Taylor's emotionally fragile faded actress on the comeback trail in the TV-movie version of THERE MUST BE A PONY. Lowe later co-starred with Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Urich in APRIL MORNING, a period coming-of-age drama set on the eve of the American Revolution.
Lowe gained a devoted following and considerable acclaim and notoriety as a series regular on the third and fourth seasons of the landmark family drama LIFE GOES ON as Jesse McKenna, the HIV-positive artist boyfriend of Becca. Lowe won a richly deserved 1992/93 Emmy for his portrayal.
Lowe received good notices in films including, APPRENTICE TO MURDER, NOBODYÕS PERFECT, HIGHWAY TO HELL and SIRINGO.
BEAUTIFUL OHIO is his directorial debut.
http://www.afi.com/onscreen/AFIFEST/2006/project2020/lowe.aspx
If you haven’t already seen the stand-out documentary, “Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life” at the Cleveland International Film Festival, go now. Today. Immediately. (It’s playing at 4:15 p.m. at Tower City).
The movie tells the story of Darius Weems, a hilarious, sweet-faced, 15-year-old who was born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, the number one genetic killer of children in the world. The disorder destroys all the muscles in the body, and usually kills victims by the time they reach their late teens and early 20s. Darius already lost an older brother to the disorder, but he’s not ready to give up the fight.
Raised in the housing projects in Athens, Georgia, Darius had never been out of his hometown. Two summers ago, his friend Logan Smalley decided that was unacceptable. So Smalley and 10 others raised thousands of dollars to transport Darius to California, in hopes that he could get his wheelchair blinged out on MTV’s Pimp My Ride. They documented every RV breakdown and bathroom joke along the way.
After the film’s showing last night, we ran into the crew members wandering through Tower City looking for beer and food. We led them to Flannery’s Pub downtown, and commenced to find out the real story behind the documentary.
Smalley, a boyish looking special-ed major, talked humbly about the project and his poverty. All proceeds from the movie go to Charley’s Fund, a non-profit trying to find a cure for the disorder. The crew relies on donations and corporate sponsors to get to film festivals.
Becoming instant movie stars hasn’t gone to their heads. They’re still the same old Georgia boys. “We nicknamed the RV ‘The Cherry Butt Hole’ because we were so fond of it,” says John Hadden, the only member who actually wants to make films for a living. – Lisa Rab and Rebecca Meiser
"People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life.... I think what we’re really seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonance within our innermost being and reality, so that we can actually feel the rapture of being alive."
-Joseph Campbell
Below is a note from my dear friend Katie......or Kate as she goes by now.
Katie has been my friend since the 7th grade.
I would like to ask YOU to help her make her dream come true.
She is an excellent writer as you will see if you review her chapter online.
This is an amazing read!!!! The link to the chapter and the summary of the plot is below.
I just posted a comment and gave her a rating ....can you do that too???
You vote for her by clicking on a rating below her chapter!!!!!
Thanks for your help!!!!- Michele
Here is the letter from Katie:
I am trying out for American Idol!!!
Okay, if you’ve heard me sing you know this cannot be true. There is, however, an American Idol of sorts for writers, which as you know has been a dream of mine for years. Yes, it’s a bit cheesy. No, it’s not how Hemingway got started. But here I am. Check out http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976933506 and their First Chapters Contest. The name of my book is Days of May. Take a look at it and see what you think. If you like it, please give me a fair rating. Or even a comment.
Of course I can tell you a bit about it, so you know whether you might be interested in checking it out:
It’s about a woman so desperate to find her runaway daughter she might sacrifice all that is dear to her —just so she won’t lose control as she had in the past, when the man she thought she’d marry was killed at Kent State. It brings the past and the present together in a way that I hope is meaningful for all, especially as we face questions today about the similarities between
I know you are all very very busy so I truly appreciate you taking the time. It is posted only for 2 weeks so don’t procrastinate like I usually do;-)
Thanks, and wish me luck!
P.S. If you are so moved, please tell friends and colleagues who you think might like it, too.
Support our troops,
but what does that mean?
Does it mean that
speaking out against an unjust war
Is an act of treason?
There are those who think so.
Does it mean that
when you question the motives
That brought a nation to war,
you embolden the enemy?
There are those who think so.
In this country there exists
A blind patriotism
that demeans democracy,
there exists a red, white and blue bias
that refuses truth.
How do you tell a mother that her son died for a lie?
How do you tell a son his father died for politics?
How do you tell a daughter her mother will be gone for
the rest of her life, and for no reason you can find?
Tonight across the country
there are candles burning
In memory of lives wasted,
of families destroyed
And there is nothing else to do but honor that memory.
But tonight, we also start anew,
for the state of the union is strong,
and because we are strong,
we must be the change
We wish to see in the world.
We move forward with love from here.
(by markk, recited in front of New Court House, Medina, Ohio 3/19/07)
The family. 
... it's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst ...
And then I remember ... to relax, and not try to hold on to it. And then it flows through me like rain. And I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life. You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. Don't worry ... you will someday.
-Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) from American Beauty
Marko and Me 
Autistic basketball player Jason McElwain has the game of his life...this is so inspiring...click below.
| |
|
The purpose of life is that which you give it. Its meaning is different for each and every one of us.
My definition of the meaning of life is very likely not the same as yours. You may agree with some parts of what I consider to be the intent of life, however it is unlikely you will agree with everything I propose concerning this matter. Some will define it as simply getting through each day with as little fuss as possible. Others define it as a process of acquiring as many possessions as possible before they die. Yet others are on a spiritual path leading where their hearts take them. There are those who think the main purpose of life is to help as many others as possible during their lifetime. There are as many possible definitions as there are people on the face of this earth.
What is your definition? That is the only one that will have any true meaning for you. There is no wrong answer. Neither I, nor anyone else, can give your life direction. We can tell you what has worked for us and you, and you alone, will decide if it is fitting for you. We are predisposed by our prior conditioning and beliefs to accept only that which basically agrees with us. In other words, you are more likely to accept those things which are in alignment with your own beliefs.
There are many ways to seek and find your definition of the purpose of life. Some of these are to follow your heart, find those things you really love doing, search within yourself, follow a certain occupation or spiritual path, and/or seek to do only those things at which you excel. The greatest teachers of all time are those who lead you to seek and find for yourself. They do not give you pat answers, they set up conditions and circumstances encouraging you to advance on your own merits. They influence you to think and act. There are certain basic elements taught by all the great teachers and masters.
Some of these are as follows: You must have faith (belief) in what you are trying to achieve. You must not be focused on what you desire. The Kingdom of Heaven, God, Cosmic Intelligence, Supreme Being, whatever name you have for it, is within each and every one of us. The universe is a friendly place. There are certain immutable laws controlling life and the universe. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Know thyself. There are other elements threaded throughout the teachings of the masters, however these are the basics. Apply them to your life as best you can and observe the way they work for you.
Poet, Mark S. Kuhar, shows the number of people who've read his book.The two-story Visible Voice opened on Valentine’s Day, a couple months after Ferrante shuttered the popular 84 Charing Cross store and relocated its rare- and old-book inventory. He’s since added poetry compilations by local writers to the shelves, and many of them are inspired by our city. Plus, adding readings to the store’s calendar makes sense, says Ferrante. “They have an edgy, urban, contemporary influence to go along with the store’s feel,” he says. “Only people in Cleveland would write like this.”
Want to know how free you really are? Good! You're about to be presented with a unique opportunity to learn all about your individual level of inner liberty.
As you review each of the inner liberties on the list, just note mentally whether or not that particular freedom belongs to you. Our intention is simply to learn what's true about ourselves, not to prove anything about ourselves. Allow these forty freedoms to awaken and stir that secret part of you that knows living in any kind of bondage is a lie. Then follow your own natural sensing all the way to the free life.You're Well Along Freedom's Path When:
1. You have no desire to change places in life with anyone else.
2. You step over setbacks without stopping or looking back.
3. You accept and appreciate praise, but never take it to heart.
4. You don't overeat or feel driven to diet.
5. You don't think about your sex life.
6. You meet and do what's true without fear of the consequences.
7. You really don't want anything from anyone.
8. You stop thinking about how much money you may or may not have.
9. You don't carry any upset from the last moment into the present one.
10. You have no interest in old resentments.
11. You start spending more time alone and enjoying it more.
12. You stop dreaming of the perfect vacation.
13. You're neither frightened nor shocked by the evening news.
14. You stop making deals with yourself.
15. You dress for comfort, not for compliments.
16. You lose all interest in trying to win mental arguments.
17. You don't blame anyone else for the way you feel.
18. You forget what it was you didn't like about someone.
19. You're awake to and spontaneously considerate of the needs of others.
20. You see beauty in life where you never could see it before.
21. Your life gets progressively simpler.
22. You see where you're wrong sooner than later, and stop defending yourself faster.
23. You do what you need to do (but don't want to do) and you do it with a lighter spirit.
24. You're not afraid of having nothing to say or do, if that's your true condition.
25. You can take criticism without cringing away from the truth it may hold.
26. You have no concern for what others may think of you.
27. You stop trying to make others see life in your way.
28. You enjoy the sound of silence as much or more than the sound of your own voice.
29. You see the same unpleasant traits within yourself that have made you shun others.
30. You say what you want, and not what you think others may want to hear you say.
31. You actually enjoy hearing about the good fortune of someone else.
32. You see more and more just how unfree you and others really are.
33. You're moods are fewer, lighter, and move on much quicker.
34. You see that society is destroying itself and that the only solution is self change.
35. You can listen to others without the need to tell them what you know.
36. You don't find a thrill in any kind of fear.
37. You know that forgiveness of others is the kindest thing you can do for yourself.
38. You realize that the world is the way it is because you are the way you are.
39. You'd rather not think about yourself.
40. You can't come up with one good reason why you should ever be anxious or frightened.There's one more important point to bring to our attention: never be discouraged over your present location!
Discouragement is a negative emotion with more than one trick up its dark sleeve. It tricks you into mentally or emotionally dwelling in the very place you want to leave. Drop all such sorrow permanently by daring to see through this deception of the unconscious mind.
Who you really are, your True Nature, is no more tied to the kind of person you've been than the wind is tied to the skies through which it moves. Your past is just that, the past, a place within your psyche with no more reality to it that the picture of a castle on a postcard is made from stone. You have a destination far beyond where you find yourself standing today. It may not seem so at first, but your new findings are a great start. Now keep going.
Use this list and your new discoveries to help you ignite your wish to be free. Then step back and welcome the spiritual firestorm. Watch as it burns away the ties that bind. This is what it means to let the Light fight for you.From 'Freedom From the Ties That Bind' by Guy Finley ? 1999 Llewellyn Publications For information on books, tapes, and helpful on-going study groups call (541) 476-1200, write to the Life of Learning Foundation, P.O. Box 10, Merlin, OR 97532, or log onto www.guyfinley.com.
Hi guys,
my cousin Krissy is working hard on this. (see letter she sent me below)
I would like to let you know about this.
Please support this if feel it is right for you.
thanks a bunch!!
Michele
Hi there -
Hey guys, It seems to me that there are a lot of people who support the troops but are also disgusted by this tragic war. Unfortunately, I don't think that our feelings about the situation are being voiced loud enough. It's time that we take this beyond our living rooms and kitchens. Let's use that freedom that we hear so much about and let Congress know that we want them to end this war and allow our troops to come home! Tell your friends and family about the March 19 nationwide vigil. Remember, our political opinions don't mean much if we don't express them beyond the dinner table!
I just signed up for an Iraq War Anniversary Vigil.
Americans across the country are more concerned than ever about our direction in Iraq. Now is the time for Congress to force a change.
On March 19th, thousands of us from organizations across the movement will gather together to observe the fourth anniversary of the war through candlelight vigils. We’ll solemnly honor the sacrifice made by more than 3,000 soldiers and contemplate the path ahead of us. We cannot send tens of thousands under-equipped and unprepared soldiers into the middle of an un-winnable civil war.
Join us at a candlelight vigil on Monday, March 19th. Honor the sacrifice. Stop the escalation. Bring the troops home.
The event details are:
Iraq War Anniversary Vigil Medina City Square 93 Public Square Medina, OH 44256 Monday, 19 Mar 2007, 8:30 PMTo sign up for this event, click here: http://political.moveon.org/event/iraq4/35238
