A wonderful story for you

A wonderful story for you


A woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. She said "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat." “Is the man of the house home?” they asked. “No," she replied. "He's out." "Then we cannot come in," they replied. In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. "Go tell them I am home and invite them in!" The woman went out and invited the men in" "We do not go into a House together," they replied. "Why is that?" she asked. One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he > said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love." Then he added, “Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you > want in your home." The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice!” he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!" His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?" Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!" "Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to his wife. "Go out and invite Love to be our guest." The woman went out and asked the 3 old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest." Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other 2 also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?" The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!!!!!!" MY WISH FOR YOU... Where there is pain, I wish you peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubting, I wish you a renewed confidence in your ability to work through it. Where there is tiredness, or exhaustion, I wish you understanding, patience, and renewed strength. Where there is fear, I wish you love, and courage.


Paul Carrack - Perfect Love

(CNN) -- In his first speech to a joint session of Congress, President Obama outlined an ambitious agenda to revive the economy, saying it's time to act boldly "to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity."

President Obama says the United States will overcome its current economic struggles.
Obama focused on the three priorities of the budget he will present to Congress later this week: energy, health care and education.
The president said he sees his budget as a "vision for America -- as a blueprint for our future," but not something that will solve every problem or address every issue.
Obama said his administration already has identified $2 trillion in government spending cuts that can be made over the next decade. Obama said he would cut spending considered wasteful, and invest in programs that will help the economy recover.

The president touted the $787 billion stimulus plan he signed into law last week, saying it will invest in areas critical to the country's economic recovery.
The United States has "fallen behind" other countries when it comes to producing clean energy, he said, but thanks to the stimulus, he said the United States will double its supply of renewable energy in the next three years.
Obama asked Congress to send him legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America.

He said to support that innovation, the country will invest $15 billion a year to develop new technologies. Join the conversation with CNN.com and Facebook
Saying the United States can no longer afford to put health care reform on hold, Obama said his budget proposal will include a "historic commitment" to it.
Obama said he will be assembling representatives of business, labor, doctors and health care providers next week to begin discussing the reforms.
Obama also called for all Americans to commit to at least one year of higher education or career training.

"This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship," he said. "But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma." He pointed to the billions for education -- from early childhood education expansion to college-loan programs -- in his recently approved economic stimulus package and set a goal of having the highest college graduation rate in the world by 2020.

Obama opened his speech by telling the nation "we will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before."
Obama urged Americans to "confront boldly the challenges we face," saying that the answers to the country's problems "don't lie beyond our reach."
"They exist in our laboratories and our universities; in our fields and our factories; in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth," he said. Obama described the nation's financial woes as a "reckoning" for poor decisions made by both government and individuals.

Watch what Obama says about the 'day of reckoning' "A surplus became an excuse to transfer wealth to the wealthy instead of an opportunity to invest in our future," Obama said. "Regulations were gutted for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market. "People bought homes they knew they couldn't afford from banks and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway. And all the while, critical debates and difficult decisions were put off for some other time on some other day." "Now is the time to act boldly and wisely to not only revive this economy, but to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity," Obama said.

Obama also sought to assure people that their money is safe in the banks.
"Your insurance is secure; and you can rely on the continued operation of our financial system. That is not the source of concern," he said.
Instead, the source of concern is that "if we do not re-start lending in this country, our recovery will be choked off before it even begins," he said.
Making sure the nation's lending industry is strong is crucial to jump-starting its economy, Obama said, even as he acknowledged anger over the government banking bailout Congress approved last year. "I know how unpopular it is to be seen as helping banks right now, especially when everyone is suffering in part from their bad decisions. I promise you -- I get it," Obama said. i Report.com: How are you coping with the economy?

"But I also know that in a time of crisis, we cannot afford to govern out of anger, or yield to the politics of the moment." He said he plans a new lending fund to provide college, auto and small-business loans and a housing plan that will help struggling families refinance and pay smaller mortgages. He said he wants to continue propping up the nation's largest banks when they're in danger, but will hold them accountable for how the money is spent. "This time, CEOs won't be able to use taxpayer money to pad their paychecks or buy fancy drapes or disappear on a private jet," Obama said. "Those days are over."

While the economy was the focus of the speech, Obama also touched on foreign policy. The president said he'll soon be laying out specifics on how to win the war in Afghanistan and end the one in Iraq. "We are now carefully reviewing our policies in both wars, and I will soon announce a way forward in Iraq that leaves Iraq to its people and responsibly ends this war," he said. Meanwhile, he said, both Afghanistan and its border with Pakistan will remain a key focus.
He said his budget will pay for more soldiers and Marines, increase their pay and improve veterans' benefits.

Because Obama's presidency is a month old, the speech is not technically considered a State of the Union address. The annual State of the Union speech is delivered in the House of Representatives before members of both the House and the Senate as well as the justices of the Supreme Court, the president's Cabinet and international dignitaries.

A president's first speech before a joint session of Congress is often referred to as an "annual message" or a message on a particular topic, such as an "economic message."

Posted By Kitty 2-25-09

1996 -- Michelle & Barack Obama

On May 26, 1996, Mariana Cook visited Barack and Michelle Obama in Hyde Park as part of a photography project on couples in America . What follows is excerpted from her interviews with them.

MICHELLE OBAMA: There is a strong possibility that Barack will pursue a
political career, although it’s unclear. There is a little tension with that. I’m very wary of politics. I think he’s too much of a good guy for the kind of brutality, the skepticism.

When you are involved in politics, your life is an open book, and people can come in who don’t necessarily have good intent. I’m pretty private, and like to surround myself with people that I trust and love. In politics you’ve got to open yourself to a lot of different people. There is a possibility that our futures will go that way, even though I want to have kids and travel, spend time with family, and like spending time with friends.

But we are going to be busy people doing lots of stuff. And it’ll be interesting to see what life has to offer. In many ways, we are here for the ride, just sort of seeing what opportunities open themselves up. And the more you experiment the easier i t is to do different things. If I had stayed in a law firm and made partner, my life would be completely different. I wouldn’t know the people I know, and I would be more risk-averse.

Barack has helped me loosen up and feel comfortable with taking risks, not doing things the traditional way and sort of testing it out, because that is how he grew up. I’m more traditional; he’s the one in the couple that, I think, is the less traditional individual. You can probably tell from the photographs—he’s just more out there, more flamboyant. I’m more, like, “Well, let’s wait and see. What did that look like? How much does it weigh?”

BARACK OBAMA: All my life, I have been stitching together a family, through stories or memories or friends or ideas. Michelle has had a very different background—very stable, two-parent family, mother at home, brother and dog, living in the same house all their lives.

We represent two strands of family life in this country—the strand that is very stable and solid, and then the strand that is breaking out of the constraints of traditional families, traveling, separated, mobile. I think there was that strand in me of imagining what it would be like to have a stable, solid, secure family life.

Michelle is a tremendously strong person, and has a very strong sense of herself and who she is and where she comes from. But I also think in her eyes you can see a trace of vulnerability that most people don t know, because when she’s walking through the world she is this tall, beautiful, confident woman. There is a part of her that is vulnerable and young and sometimes frightened, and I think seeing both of those things is what attracted me to her. And then what sustains our relationship is I’m extremely happy with her, and part of it has to do with the fact that she is at once completely familiar to me, so that I can be myself and she knows me very well and I trust her completely, but at the same time she is also a complete mystery to me in some ways.

And there are times when we are lying in bed and I look over and sort of have a start. Because I realize here is this other person who is separate and different and has different memories and backgrounds and thoughts and feelings. It’s that tension between familiarity and mystery that makes for something strong, because, even as you build a life of trust and comfort and mutual support, you retain some sense of surprise or wonder about the other person. ♦

I have to thank my friend Kitty for this

"TOGETHER WE CAN"

longest marriage for a living couple

Liz Bowles/Sun Journal

The husband is 104 years old; the wife is 102 years old. My favorite line was when she said, “He was not mean; he was not a fighter. He was quiet and kind. He was not much to look at but he was sweet.” Having a man who treasures you and respects you will trump looks all day, every day! I hate to see the day when one of them passes away….since all they have known is one another. That will be a painful day. Their endurance is truly beautiful, and a fine example for us young folks. Zelmyra and Herbert Fisher have set a world record as the oldest living couple married the longest.


September 13, 2008 - 10:48PM
Francine Sawyer
Sun Journal Staff

A Craven County couple are in the Guinness World Records book.
The two did nothing outlandish such as sky-diving upside down, dancing for days, taking the longest lawn mower ride or having the most tattoos.
No, Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher of the Brownsville community have been married for more than 84 years. That is a feat in itself.

They have the world record of the longest marriage for a living couple.
They can thank their granddaughter Iris Godette for getting the recognition. She submitted the information to the Guinness Book of Records..
The information was apparently checked by Guinness and a certificate was given to the couple.

However, when you ask Herbert about the Guinness recognition, he just says, "Oh, Yeah?" The recognition has not changed their life. He still looks at her with love and concern, as she looks toward him as if he will give her strength and guidance. They have lived for more than 50 years in a house near the Coastal Carolina Regional Airport They lived in James City before that but the land was purchased for apartments and the two moved.

Herbert was born June 10, 1905. His hearing is going but his mind is sharp. Zelmyra was born Dec. 10, 1907. She uses a walker to get around the house and yard. The two of them can still give their reasons for marrying on May 13, 1924.
"He was not mean; he was not a fighter," Zelmrya said. "He was quiet and kind. He was not much to look at but he was sweet." Herbert said Zelmyra never gave him any trouble. "No, no trouble at all. We never argued, but we might have disagreed," he said.

Norma Godette, one of the couple's five children. said her parents have gotten along well through the years. "One time, mama wanted to work. Daddy told her she could not work, that he could take care of the family. She slipped down to Cherry Point and got a job as a caretaker there," Godette said. "Well, it was done; she got the job. I had to let it be," Herbert said. Different religions did not tear the two apart. He is a member of Pilgrim Chapel Missionary Baptist Church . She is a member of Jones Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church . The churches are in James City , where they both grew up. For all of their married life they have attended their own churches. They go their own ways on Sunday morning.She reads the Bible daily.

The two watch television together. "We separate when thebaseball comes on," Zelmyra said. Herbert loves baseball, especially the Atlanta Braves. He also enjoys golf, because one of his son-in-laws plays the game. They have no secret or sage advice as to why their marriage has lasted so long. "I didn't know I would be married this long," Herbert said. "But I lived a nice holy life and go to church every Sunday. "Yes sir, anything for her."

Zelmyra said Herbert was the only boyfriend she ever had. "We got along good," she said. "There was no trouble."Zelmyra and Herbert Fisher have set a world record as the oldest living couple married the longest. She said she is not tired of seeing him. "I didn't think I'd be married this long. He is quiet," she said..
Zelmyra said her husband had no annoying habits. They both said they shared the title of "boss." The two sit on the porch and as a train goes by they count the cars. They also watch the neighbors who walk by.

"They were excellent parents," said Norma Godette. "We were poor, but we didn't do without a thing. If he had two cents he saved one cent."Herbert worked as a mechanic at the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in New Bern for 35 years. He took a bicycle, caught a cab or had a neighbor drive him to work. That hard work and savings put all five of the children through college. Inside the house are plaques, letters of recognition, and awards that both the Fishers and their children received for accomplishments in civic duties and church. The house where they raised their children has two sitting rooms and three bedrooms. Now that the children are grown, the Fishers enjoy having a bedroom for each. Herbert Fisher can stay up until the last ball is thrown in the ballgame he is watching. And he does. Herbert makes his bed each day and sweeps his floor. He also checks on his wife as she rests. Between the rests, they enjoy their children, ten grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews. Both say that if they had it to do over, they would not change their life.

Thank you Kitty for this post

Letter to the NY Post‏

Sent: Fri 2/20/09 12:24 PM

To:
Dear Friend,

The day after President Obama signed his stimulus bill into law, the NY Post ran a cartoon depicting the bill's "author" as a dead monkey, covered in blood after being shot by police. You can see the image by clicking on the link below.

In the face of intense criticism, the Post's editor is standing by the cartoon, claiming that it's not about Obama, has no racial undertones, and that it was simply referencing a recent incident when police shot a pet chimpanzee. But it's impossible to believe that any newspaper editor could be ignorant enough to not understand how this cartoon evokes a history of racist symbolism, or how frightening this image feels at a time when death threats against President Obama have been on the rise.

Please join me and other ColorOfChange.org members in demanding that the Post apologize publicly and fire the editor who allowed this cartoon to go to print:

http://www.colorofchange.org/nypost/?id=1899-50829

The Post would have us believe that the cartoon is not about Obama. But on the page just before the cartoon appears, there's a big picture of Obama signing the stimulus bill. A reader paging through the Post would see Obama putting pen to paper, then turn the page to see this violent cartoon. The imagery is chilling.

There is a clear history in our country of racist symbolism that depicts Black people as apes or monkeys, and it came up multiple times during the presidential campaign.

We're also in a time of increased race-based violence. In the months following President Obama's election there has been a nationwide surge in hate crimes ranging from vandalism to assaults to arson on Black churches. There has been an unprecedented number of threats against President Obama since he was elected, with hate-based groups fantasizing about the killing of the president. Just a week ago, a man drove from Louisiana to the Capitol with a rifle, telling the police who stopped him that he had a "delivery" for the president.

There is no excuse for the Post to have allowed this cartoon to be printed, and even less for Editor Col Allan's outright dismissal of legitimate concerns.

But let's be clear who's behind the Post: Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch, the Post's owner, is the man behind FOX News Channel. FOX has continually attacked and denigrated Black people, politicians, institutions at every opportunity, and ColorOfChange has run several campaigns to make clear how FOX poisons public debate.

I don't expect much from Murdoch. However, with enough public pressure, we can set the stage for advertisers and subscribers to think long and hard before patronizing outlets like the Post that refuse to be held accountable.

You can help, by making clear that the Post's behavior is unacceptable, and by asking your friends and family to do the same. Please join me:

http://www.colorofchange.org/nypost/?id=1899-50829

Thanks.

Thank you Kitty for the post

First Lady Michelle Obama Talked To 6th And 7th Graders

Why white America perhaps fears Michelle

This article was forwarded to me. ...it speaks for itself. Why white America perhaps fears Michelle more than Barack. Excerpts from a 'Jack & Jill politics' newsletter: ....as hard as it is to accept a black president, it's even harder to accept a black first lady. First Lady has always held a beloved sentimental mother/wife of the nation symbolism. Conservatives are not ready to have to look at this very BLACK woman with her degrees and her fierceness and see her as the epitome of the American mother/wife. This will be a first for white people. They do not want this black woman in the White House as their first lady. That New Yorker cartoon was [actually] about Michelle - she was its focal point…..look closely... she is the leader, the one starting the "revolution" they want you to imagine… MSNBC's Chris Matthews said, in the course of covering the Obama candidacy, 'He (Barack Obama) brings none of the ' bad stuff, you know?" By 'Bad Stuff', he meant the legacy of [whites] enslaving Africans in this country, keeping them as second-class citizens until 1965, a mere 11 years before this country celebrated its 200th anniversary. You know, 'the original sin', or ' the birth defect', as Condi Rice called it. Barack escapes this 'bad stuff' only because his mother was white and may have had ancestors involved in the slave trade; and also because Barack's father was not African American. He was full blooded African and therefore Barack had no ancestors enslaved by America - and so the white guilt factor is missing when they think of him. HOWEVER, NO SUCH LUCK WITH MICHELLE! Michelle Obama is a direct threat and lightening bolt against White Superiority. Because, she's Black… VISIBLY BLACK… But it's important to note, she does not, in any way, shape, or form, contour to the acceptable Black Pathologies that enable White Supremacy to sigh with relief. [welfare mother, fatherless child, druggie, etc.] Michelle was raised in a neighborhood. In a home. With TWO parents. No child revolving in and out of jail. Raised by a Black man who not only provided for his family, but did so, WITH A DISABILITY. Her mother had a working class job - secretary- but it was taken ONLY after she had seen her youngest child settle into HIGH SCHOOL. Michelle Obama's poise, her confidence, her aura - that was created by that humble Black man, who by all accounts, adored her. He told her that she is worthy, and so, when you have that told to you by the first man who loves and protects you, you seek that validation of that in your choice of mate, you'll settle for nothing less, and Michelle hasn't. Michelle Obama, doesn't fit any of the acceptable Black pathologies. And when you don't fit the acceptable Black pathologies, then you must be destroyed. Michelle Obama has become the face of the Black America whose existence is routinely denied by this country. Think about it. In ONE generation, the face of this 'Invisible America' has gone from living on the top floor of a bungalow, to the possibility of living in The White House. And yet, Michelle Obama, refuses to say ' I'm special", in order to give white America its usual security blanket [that she is one of the exceptions rather than the rule], So what should be done? Beat her down into submission. Michelle Obama represents everything we black women want our daughters to be. When we stand up for her we stand up for ourselves. No other women in the world are more neglected and abused as African women period. Michelle looks like [our] daughters, her daughters look like us. We love the way Barack looks at her we adore the way he looks at his daughters. The Obamas represent the hope that we can be loved by our men and they will support us in whatever we do. Little African American girls need a vision and dream of what it is like to be loved by a man who looks just like them. Is America ready for a First Lady who looks like her? A regular black woman? Not a passable biracial curly haired girl that they call black, but a regular black woman from the south side of Chicago ? With dark skin? Is she going to be the face of The Woman on the largest pedestal in the country? A self-confessed 'loud-mouth" black woman? If the Obamas succeed, it turns white supremacy upside down. And not because a black man is in the White House; but, because a black woman will be there who didn't have to come in the back door to lie in bed with the president. =Thank you Kitty for your work on this post

LOVE IS THE ANSWER

LOVE IS THE ANSWER

Michelle Obama - New Job

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90-year-old great grandmother Votes

Prayers For Obama

Prayers For Obama
www.prayersforobama.org

Come give your prayer for President Obama

Pray for President and Mrs. Obama and their daughters, nurture them spiritually, protect and watch over them.

Pray for great wisdom for President Obama and his team.

Pray for President Obama as he begins to tackle the concerns of our nation and the world.

Pray for fairness and equitableness in our economic development.

Pray for the continued process of inquiry and ask that God’s will is done and that truth and justice be our foundation.