Tribute to One of the Finest, Most Interesting Men I have EVER met

This week was the 3rd anniversary of the passing of one of my good friends in Colorado, Clarence Shivers. His wife Peggy put together this wonderful tribute (see link below). Peggy and Clarence Shivers are 2 of the most interesting people i have EVER met in my life. He was just a wonderful man who was also one of the original Tuskegee Airmen and a GREAT artist! He was commissioned in 1983 by Miller Brewing Co to produce 12 portraits of Civil Rights leaders for their annual calendar. The link below shows the portraits he painted for the calendar and has an audio commentary of Peggy talking about Clarence and how these portraits came about. Also, there's a video of him talking about his service to our country.

http://krccnetwork.org/tbs/2010/02/16/a-locals-portfolio-of-civil-rights-portraits/ Clarence Shivers was one of the Tuskegee airmen and a wonderful artist....may his memory live forever.

Comments from FB posting:
KVD: WOW, that was moving. I loved how entrepreneurial he was! Look how he created so much opportunity for himself and gave his wife such an amazing experience.
CG: Clarence was a charming, funny gentleman ... he is missed.

THE MONEY....OH MY!!! (or Dear Sarah Palin just pick this one issue to focus on, please!)

i didn't think i had much else to say today....i've posted twice in the past 24 hours

but here's what is really bugging me for now and for probably ALWAYS. As a nonprofit fundraiser, where there truly is an urgent need to serve ppl in great need (my current gig is for the 1,700 ppl w developmental disabilities in Memphis and Shelby Co WITHOUT services and they CANNOT advocate for themselves...they truly have no clue compared to ppl who are traditionally called "clueless" who have been born with fully functional brains, who refuse to use it properly). Tell me, who will really advocate for them or even cares to advocate for them, but their own families? In general their families probably have no time or energy to advocate b/c they are so busy taking care of their loved one w a developmental disability who cannot do for themselves OR working their asses off to pay the higher bills necessary when you have a loved one w a disability. There are a few good ppl like those who work at SRVS (http://www.srvs.org/) who DO care and are doing what we can to help these families and their loved ones!

anyways, i just get so F-in (yes I said the F word b/c it's warranted here...okay i'm going to go back and change that b/c if my ED saw that she would faint). I get REALLY REALLY mad that ppl (the ppl behind corporations) can spend MILLIONS on Super Bowl ads and cannot find a mere $100,000 in their budget to help organizations like SRVS provide programs and services to ppl w developmental disabilities (except for two wonderful corporations so far in Memphis--1st TN Bank and AutoZone). I also get REALLY REALLY mad when i hear about the ridiculous FEDERAL EARMARKS for stupid stuff like "honoring the whaling tradition in our country"...that includes Mississippi -- uh, really, they have a whaling industry!??!? see: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/opinion/04collins.html

i know its only an opinion piece and i need to do more research (lord knows research on earmarks is a difficult task the way the politicians BURY this stuff and most Americans have no F-in clue what their taxes are paying for)...and IT STILL PISSED ME OFF!

It's all about who you know, and I'm sorry i WASN'T FREAKING BORN W A SILVER SPOON IN MY MOUTH TO "KNOW" THE RIGHT FOLKS, but dadgumit (really trying to tame my foul mouth) I want to help the less fortunate...and people w developmental disabilities truly ARE the less fortunate (i have a whole other beef about the way Memphians are all upset over the animal shelter...so fine, you love animals, but there are people suffering too....where is the outrage for people who need help!?!?!)

I gotta do what I can do to get to know folks and raise this $7 million for SRVS so we can help more people w disabilities in our community. Seems like a measly sum compared to what corps spend on commercials or what some individuals spend on their 2nd and 3rd homes....but I gotta figure it out! And i'm gonna do it...it will take some time but i'm gonna do it!

just gotta add one more little thing (like i added to the title a few minutes ago -- approx 20 mins after the original post): Sarah Palin only seems to speak up for ppl w disabilities when someone else disses ppl w disabilities...she is TOTALLY REACTIVE and i don't see much proactivity on her part (well, to be true I don't really keep a keen eye on her policies) but my Google of her didn't result in much proactivity on the whole disability issue other than when she had to cut down those in Obama's admin who callously said the R word....wonder how many times conservatives use it but b/c the media spotlight ain't on them these days, we just don't get a reaction!?!?!?

Attitude is a Choice and NOT based upon all the crap going on in your life!

It's really BLEEPIN amazing how much your attitude can influence so much in your life. I really didn't mean to do this experiment this week but I was really nervous and stressed about something and was making myself PHYSICALLY ill. After a day or two of this, I had to tell myself, "what is this worry doing for you? is it really going to make the situation better? you really need to get over it and move on!! NOW!"

Once i had that little conversation w myself I felt a BAZILLION times better! The situation causing the stress is still here but I'm not obsessing about it and I feel sooo MUCH BETTER! I had been going to bed at 9 pm just after the kids were in bed b/c i didn't have any more energy (due to wasting it all on worry) and then last night the energy CAME FLOODING back when I decided to let the worry go away. I was up til 1 am thinking and coming up w some great ideas and then when Quinn (who has to be dragged out of bed on school days but wakes up EARLY on non-school days) came to get me up at 7:30 AM, I wasn't too tired!!

I got up had my favorite breakfast (eggs sunny-side up and toast) and now my brain is all ready to think and be creative again (not sure if that has to do w the fact that my horoscope said i'd be creative) but who cares? I'm happy to have my energy back and my positive attitude back....

NOTE TO SELF: MUST embrace it and remember it and save a little of it for the down times!

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. -- Martin Luther King, Jr

Not that this post really "matters" ....I just like that quote (the title of this post) and trying to shine a light on my thinking over the past month. i'm struggling w something right now but can't really talk about it...it's a REAL DOOZY, and one of those game changers but can't really go into it til i have all the facts! so here's the lame-o rest of my thinking tonight:

FB seems to be a jumble of the life that we lead....if you review your posts, well, maybe its just me and most other people are more "normal" but the following posts over the past month show the variety of things that POP THRU my brain. It seems like FB is a public recording of ppl's lives and blogs are becoming somewhat passe or irrelevant or hmmm...what's the right word--OBSOLETE (OMG, i had to go back in and edit this b/c it took my brain about 15 mins to come up with that...even trying to use the online Thesaurus didn't help, but it just jumped into my brain a second ago).

People have too short of attention spans to sit down and read a full article or a full blog entry so the 1 sentence status update or twitter's tweets are all ppl seem to be able to handle (information-wise about other ppl in their lives).

However, the interesting thing is that twitter and FB have given us some insight into the lives of ppl that we have known at some point in our lives and may not see socially anymore but are still kind of wierdly interested in what is going on in their lives. I guess that's the "catch" of FB, we can snoop into ppl's lives that we don't really want to have a drink with (and OMG, have to spend more than 5 mins with) and then move along....

here's a sample of my FB status to show how "all over the place" my thinking can be (I've actually been trying to post quotes from others that have some "deep" meaning to get a reaction from others....b/c stuff i say don't seem to mean shit to others (based upon the low response rate or maybe i just post too much shit and ppl have tuned me out like the boy who cried wolf??):

in the middle of MLK week (THIS ACTUALLY SPURRED LOTS OF COMMENTS-- 19, WAHOO, probably my most ever!! -- Proud little moment of good back and forth partisan discourse....): okay its just killing me! i was only going to do MKL Jr quotes this week (I think in early FB times you could post w/o changing yours status)..anyways, i'm saddened that ppl are giving up on Obama so quickly...its only been a year PEOPLE...have none of you ever been involved in politics directly!??!? its the toughest... crappiest way to get stuff done EVER!!! Give the guy a break...at least he had the balls to try!

COMMENTS:
DP: Here here! I agree completely!
January 20 at 12:03am ·

SM: Never argue politics or religion. I forgot that a few days ago and upset a few folks. From here on out I'm not gonna go there. Live long and prosper everyone. :-)
January 20 at 12:06am ·

KR: yes, it is tough. but you can only use hype to get you so far and if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen. eventually people have to get back to their lives. we'll see what happens in the coming months. it doesn't mean people are giving up, just disappointed. people are fair-weather friends. it is life.
January 20 at 12:39am ·

JK: Please...if you can't see the truth, then you can not see!
January 20 at 1:43am ·

MS: I didn't like his politics but I really liked that he kept talking about bipartisanship and reaching out to people with different political views, becuase no one else was talking about that and I really had hoped that he would be different. Sadly, though, he turned out to be just as partisan (or even worse) than Clinton or George W. I think nothing will ever get done in Washington as long as we keep focusing on what's best for our PARTY and not what's best for the COUNTRY.
January 20 at 3:48am ·
KVD: #Dems, we mustn't "wallow in the valley of despair." I watched MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech this morning to help keep the spirit and the dream alive.
January 20 at 6:07am ·
ARW: I do respect Obama for trying. However, I disagree with his means and I am sad to see our children inherit the overwhelming burden of a national debt spiraling out of control at an alarming rate!
January 20 at 6:28am ·

PP: I wonder how far back folks are willing to trace that national debt spiral. As an old folk, is seems to me that it was actually going down until we decided to change directions. How much does a WMD cost?
January 20 at 7:40am ·

TM: Year one: Obama gets the U.S.S. Titanic up to steerage, and he's just able to clear that iceberg called health care, but then his supporters, who don't see the threat, call all back full, and the rest is history. Year four: Hail Sarah Pailin. Son of a b*%$!
January 20 at 8:25am ·

JK: Actually he told you it was the Titantic (which he was part captain), but it is now a dingy with one oar. And it only stirs to the left. Year four...this time anyone who has actually run something and done anything.BTW...WMDs are a lot cheaper than any leftist program and actually will do what they are intended.Good day!
January 20 at 9:07am ·

ABW: I look at the things he has accomplished in only a year, and I'm terrified at what the next three will bring! Sometimes less is more, in this case, less goverment spending and less government interference in our lives. Let the people do for themselves.
January 20 at 10:25am ·

TM: Anyone who wishes failure of healthcare reform, does not have a clue about how fragile our lives can be, and how people have to make choices everyday just to maintain the little care they have. Choices like which state to live in, which crummy job to stay in, which injury/condition to live with rather than address. People's freedom and health are ... See Morerestricted by company fees and fine print. Compared to other countries, our system is broke, and the ones who like it that way are the ones fighting Obama the hardest. Well congrats. Hopefully, you never find yourself in need of support from some leftist program, because when you do it will be woefully underfunded.
January 20 at 11:17am ·

MR: I can't say I've given up on him--because I never wanted his agenda to succeed. He and his policies are bad for America. I think the only thing he's done so far that I can get behind is finally going forward with the surge in Afghanistan. And that should have been larger.
January 20 at 11:18am ·

KR: Tony - I don't think anyone wants health care reform to fail - it is the broken bill that we want to fail so that we can do something that might actually work. Look - I have been on both sides of the health care issue - broke and sick as well as healthy and well covered. The fact is, there are many local programs offered for people who cannot afford health care. But people refuse to ask for help, and even won't take it when it is offered. I paid $40 for a $1000 hospital bill when we were broke. Because I asked for help. And they even put me on a local FREE insurance plan in case anything else happened. The programs are there, they just need more funding. And for ignorant people to realize that a blanket plan won't work.And look at the current federal health care - Medicare and Medicaid. They are not cheap, nor are they efficient, nor do they do much to help people out - they do only the minimum. Worse than an HMO. We don't want THAT to be shoved on everyone in the USA. But that is what other countries have - the equivalent of Medicare and Medicaid. The current bill will limit the private companies, which is a good thing. I support limiting them but I do not support getting rid of them because I believe in the free market.... See MoreAnd "compared to other countries" we are doing just fine. Have you seen what has been happening in Canada and Europe? The government cannot afford to keep surgeons and so thousands of necessary surgeries are being postponed for years - sometimes forever. I am not saying our system is perfect - but federal government health care is not the answer - local programs are. So the gov't should help fund those programs.
January 20 at 2:38pm ·

JK: I could have not said it better Krista...really I could have not said it better. Nice!
January 20 at 9:16pm ·

TM: Okay. Good civil points. But I don't think we can polish this cannonball forever while other business is pending. From a Democrat's point of view, this needs to get done so Obama remains effective and can work on our other concerns (before election season).
January 21 at 7:51am ·

Afterall, we've cleared some big hurdles in the House and Senate. Some reform is better than no reform.
January 21 at 7:53am ·

MR: But no reform is better than bad reform.
January 21 at 9:42am ·

KR: no reform is oodles better than bad reform.local businesses already have a bad, bad reaction in place if the health care bill goes through as-is. They are knocking down employee work hours to under 25 hours a week so they don't have to deal with the restrictions and pay out for health care. I don't understand the whole deal, since it isn't my personal work that has announced this, but it would seriously hurt the economy for people who work 40 hours a week to be cut down to 25 or less.
January 21 at 12:31pm ·

(friday night--night of this post) just finished watching "The Wizard of Oz" with Jack (Quinn was too scared) for the first time in probably over 20 years. Great quote, Wizard to The Lion: "You, my friend, are a victim of disorganized thinking. You are under the unfortunate impression that just because you run away you have no courage; you're confusing courage with wisdom."
COMMENTS:
CTS: Yup . . . . .sometimes the best advice is to "keep low and keep moving."
about an hour ago ·

BFB: great movie to enjoy w ur kids! one of my favorites!

SCF: its funny how much good advice you find from these childhood movies...maybe it "seeped" in a bit when i was little....i'm sure jack is mulling it all over now!


Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon. ~Doug Larson

work for SRVS http://www.srvs.org/ and we serve over 800 people w disabilities in Memphis and Shelby County....but there's a waiting list of over 1,700! Check out the good work we are doing!
Realizing Everyday Dreams

John Dewey: “The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.”

“Honesty is like an icicle; if once it melts that is the end of it” --American proverb

People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be. --Abraham Lincoln

Women are angels, and when someone breaks our wings, we simply continue to fly....on a broomstick........we are flexible.......;) ~A friend on FB

Sheila Collins Ferguson is so lucky that all my wonderful friends and family are raising such super fantastic award winning kids like themselves!

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. -Martin Luther King Jr

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. -Martin Luther King Jr.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. -Martin Luther King Jr.

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it. --Martin Luther King Jr

sports illustrated

i really don't get why ppl (women...mainly) are all upset thinking that the skier Lindsey Vonn's picture on the current cover of Sports Illustrated (see: http://www.dailyworldbuzz.com/lindsey-vonn-in-the-sports-illustrated-cover/18260

is "provacative"...i'm just not seeing it. Maybe i'm too old or too liberal but it doesn't seem sexy to me...and what if it is? the men who are on the cover 90% of the time are posed pretty sexily...so who cares if a female athlete is posed that way too?!?!? but really it doesn't seem all that sexy to me!?!?