Life is Beautiful

This morning over coffee Chris was telling me that story line of the Italian movie 'Life is Beautiful'. Without giving the story away, I'll just say that it's a tale of love and compassion for life. Part of the story takes place in a concentration camp, and..well, you'll just have to watch the movie for yourself.

As Chris was re-living the story, and as he got to the part about the Germans and the Jews, I realized that Oh My God- this was happening in the 1940's, just 70 years ago, when my grandparents were old enough to remember. People were dying in mass quantities, not because of some rampant drug resistant infection, but at the hands of fellow humans! Here in America, it wasn't for another 23 years that the 24th amendment abolished the pole tax giving black people same same voting rights as the white people.

And today, in November of 2008, open on my dining room table is the Commemorative Issue of 'Time Magazine'. On the cover is the face of Barack Obama, our next American president. I can't relate my feelings to words. All that I can say is that I'm in awe.

Whether Democrat, Republican or Tea Party, Jew, Catholic or Mormon or Muslim, the fact is that as a human race, we are evolving for the better. Thank God! That is, thank which ever version of God that you hold in your heart.

Faith

All along, I've said that we have to have faith that the right thing will happen. I truly believe that everything that happens in life, happens for a reason. Whether good or bad, what we're presented with comes to us for a reason. Maybe to make us stronger, possibly to help us to become more flexible in our minds and actions. And oftentimes, I think that we're presented with certain situations in order to help us to perceive the world from a perspective that we would not have been capable of beforehand.

The past few years have been the later for me. I've been presented with more life altering situations that I can recall, both of the positive and the negative. I've found myself feeling completely helpless and crushed; I've thrown my hands up in the air deciding that I no longer have the energy or the will to care. And I've had moments that all I could do is stare blankly- searching for any emotion at all.

Don't get me wrong, there have been many moments of greatness that have shown themselves to me, and this is where the moral of this entry lays:

If not for the bad, we would not have the good. More appropriately, If not for the bad, we would not be as appreciative of the good. You cannot have love without hate, light without dark, war without peace.

I'm thankful for the many experiences that I've lived through -both the good and the bad.

Right now as I sit here on my couch writing this entry, my heart is so full that I think at any moment it may burst and I am so grateful for this feeling. Most of all though, I find enormous gratitude in the opportunity to have traveled upon a road that has permitted me the full appreciation of this feeling in my heart.

Thank You to my faith. For if there is nothing else left to life, there is always the faith that we are on a path which will lead to a better place.

I have SO MUCH HOPE!

Obama came to Fort Collins today and I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to see him speak.

What an incredible experience- to be in a crowd that reaches further than the eye can see, filled with people who feel passionate about a subject that is close to their hearts. I was proud even of the hecklers, who don't carry beliefs similar to mine. Thank God for option of Free speech, and the power of Choice. I feel so lucky.

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!!

Is it for real? Obama is coming here!!! I can't believe that I'm this excited!!

He's coming HERE!! Even IF I didn't go, I could still stand on my roof and see him!!!
I thought that my meds are supposed to keep me from feeling these sorts of feelings- by heart is beating like a tamborine!