Hello bloggers

I am totally delighted that friends have taken up my offer to be an author on this blog. Now I get to have the fun of opening my own blog and finding a story. I also feel the pressure. I'm just not as good of a writer as my fellow bloggers. Can I possibly be so eloquent? What cause do I have? A white, 53 year old woman who has had a pretty good life, good parents, good education, good job, good husband, good friends.

My cause is the world that I see when I look out. My cause is unraveling my confusion over how the world can be this way. Yes, there are many good people. And then there are people who are discriminated against, poor, people who live on a dollar a day, slaves, countries where children are sold, women are practically hostages, people without clean water, without healthcare, education. It becomes overwhelming. I start to collapse emotionally and mentally when I think of all that needs fixing. And the saddest part of all is - most of what is wrong can be fixed. We know how to feed the world, we can provide health care, we can educate people.

And then I remember. One person doesn't have to fix the whole world. If one person helps just one other person, think of the change and the ripple effect. The Obama's are going to plant a vegetable garden on the White House lawn. How fantastic is that! He's lifted the ban on stem cell research, voted with the U.N. that homosexuality is not a crime (shame on the Pope - I'm sorry, but shame, shame, shame - I have no respect for him because of this), and Obama is giving money to help develop better electric cars. He's done more in two months than George did in eight years.

Plant a garden. Plant "seeds" of compassion and support inside another person. Raise your voice when needed. Listen when needed. You might be surprised at what you hear.