Clivia Writes: Purpose

IF there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

Source

[I needed to have this for posterity]

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, by clivia

In Letting Go, Mood In Music

Perception...the MIST

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, by clivia

In Follow the Ramble, Purpose

Forgive me this morning for the rant that bubbling in my chest....[ Names and specific situations have been removed to protect the innocent]

I am a sinner. We all are. For us that believe in God, or lets say a higher being, we believe in the concept of living a life that respects our brothers and sisters, ourselves; that repents of our Slip ups and tries to seek a higher purpose, all while struggling with earthly material things so that we can attain that Final Glory beyond this physical realm. Or just. NOT.

You are to be judged by HIM and all can be forgiven if truly confessed. That is the Mystery of Christianity. Most religions carry this same concept.

So God, Allah, Yahweh, Abba, Jah, Free Choice, Ngai, El...whoever he/she is....

Forgive me this moment of blatant Anger.

I have no problem with people finding their faith. I am happy when people have discovered their personal connection to God, to a higher being or entity that makes them see a purpose, a path, a direction for their life and hope for the life after that.

Having a religion and faith are not intertwined for me...[am i scaring anybody yet?? Don't get scared Mommy]

I believe in that higher power that has a purpose beyond my reasoning and understanding...and while I have at times been VERY Mad at that power..for not speaking to me when I wanted it to...[read on mommy], I have released my life to its direction. I cannot control it or predict it , or judge it. I can just hope to accept that the PURPOSE is there.

MY PROBLEM is when people try to FORCE their faith on me.

Its the Hypocritical "I am better than you now" stance that drives me up a wall.

A CHRISTIAN whose purpose is to bring other to the flock does not PUT THEM SELF on a pedestal and condemn those who don't walk in their specific path.

A CHRISTIAN does not judge the lifestyles of the ones around them and condemn them to eternal hell and damnation.

A CHRISTIAN doesn't forget that they too are a sinner, NOT PERFECT, susceptible to sin just like others around them.

Just because you have JESUS on SPEED DIAL,
Just because the HOLY SPIRIT is your homeboy ...
and he STAYS in YOUR GUEST BEDROOM when he tired of HEAVEN...

Don't mean that you are somehow better than me... ESPECIALLY when I hold the secret to the DIRT In you grungy, black little sordid past !!@!!!!

And just like HUMAN NATURE that JESUS himself created, APPLE tree cant grow GRAPES.

I KNOW your nature...and you KNOW it too.

One day the little ceramic SHELL you created to Hide YOUR HEART will crack and shatter into little stinky pieces at your feet. LILY white on the outside...and GRUNGY BROWN on the inside.

I don't run. I EMBRACE and LEARN and ask FORGIVENESS and GROW.

So while you judge others..Be careful...because we BOTH know how low the MIGHTY have fallen.

God Bless YOU!

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, by clivia

In My writing, Poetry

Choose

[for pbp]
To survive…we must SEEK Joy..
I didn’t say to live..
To SURVIVE..
We must Seek joy..
Guard it Fiercely..

We must CHOOSE to hope..

CHOOSE TO HOPE

Choose to hope

Cause life can strip you of the ENERGY
The DESIRE..
THE STRENGTH
to Hope

It’s so easy to fall…
To get pulled into the fathomless murky churning depths of Despair
To succumb to the swell of
Black evil waters
Surging past you
Sucking you into it..

FALL ..
It says

Fall in…
Let me comfort you..
Forget the struggle, the righteous indignation..
What do you do...when you can do NOTHING??

Fall
In..

Let me carry you..
Direction is meaningless
Future irrelevant..
Purpose unnecessary..

FALL..

Fall In..
I guarantee Numbness..
Not single minded apathy…
not motivated self preservation.
NUMBNESS

Numb to joy
To anger
To pain
No Need for Justice for unfair deaths
Political travesties…
Numb to genocide, to starvation,
To international Hypocrisies…

FALL

Fall in..

No failed dreams here…
No insecurities about failure
Or life goals…
Or fulfilling the destiny that you FEEL….but cant TOUCH yet..

Give up

FALL IN

Let my waters wash you
Rage and Despair do their cleansing..
All here are free…
An eye …for your eye
No guilt…
No conscience needed…

FALL

In..

I speak truth to you…
You feel it…
It resonates in your head..

FALL IN.

To survive..
You choose to not fall
To not have that black safety blanket..
That Choice is Life..

It is a painful, awful thing..
It is acknowledging that pain will come
Must come
Loss will come
Must Come…
That despair will eat at your heart and your head
And wring any presence of belief in man and human nature and innate goodness in THEM and in YOU…
That someone will Laugh and ridicule the very things..
The only things that you Hold Sacred..
And you …YOU will be able to Do
NOTHING…

But FALL…

But..

When you do..

You lose laughter..
You lose feeling sun on your face..and optimism for the day
You miss knowing that you’re loved..and loving in return
You miss being remembered in someone’s eyes…
You miss music…and wonder…and Learning..
And living a life time of love in a few precious moments..
You miss

HOPE..

Choose.
Choose Hope.

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, by clivia

In Purpose, Sarcastic

Why Men Should Not Date Smart Chicks

[Sisters please be aware that the word BITCH in this post is used as a term of endearment]

The Man woman dynamic will always be one to create drama...
it is the base element of the thing..
the conquering of passion over nature over ethics...K

Any adult worth their salt KNOWS THIS...
I know its been said that a Man is as faithful as his options...
I'm not trying to start a man war...lol

That's not the purpose of this post...

What I am saying....is

Men

Pay attention to the intelligence of your woman..

And brace yourself for the consequences..Every Action has a Reaction...Every Choice a Circumstance

This sister is giving you some survival tips...

so Listen...

When you date a DUMB CHICK...
You can have a certain amount of freedom...
DUMB CHICKS usually compensate for the lacking brain capacity with obvious Physical Attributes…so they sometimes stand out ….

But with DUMB CHICKS
You can make up convoluted excuses about why you were not where you said you would be...
About why you cheated...cause you know...its was HER fault..
You can justify cheating...
And you can argue with her
And just scream...
Obscenities and BASE in your voice to intimidate her and have her second guess her own Ideas..
You can confuddle her brain with intricate complicated avenues as to why she's wrong…
And say phrases like
“Baby I Love you...”
“And it didn’t mean a thing...” and
“You’re my woman. She’s just a friend”
And
“Yeah I know she wants me. But i only want you” and
“Baby....yeah I go to the strip club...and to the parties...and flirt.
But I’m coming home to you..”

If you have the constitution for it ...go right ahead.....
The physical aspects are usually quite astounding..

but

This might cause you some moments of frustration...
She might not understand that complex game that your watching…
“What baby? This is Basketball...no they’re not gonna break the pole. There supposed to do that”
and
You won’t have to discuss politics...
Or foreign policy
And you just give her something shiny – Foil - or a new dress ...
And you can get some sleep...
And life can go on.
You might actually love her.
In a dumb mutt pet dog kinda way.
She stupid...but she's my stupid...and she looks like a porn star so I’m happy.

My warning is this....

Things are not so easy with a SMART CHICK
See the reason you choose her...
Is because she is Smart.
The Reason you’re so attracted to her in the first place..
Is that outside of the pure Physical..
Bitch got into your head....

That Mind sex...
The kind where she just said a sentence to you that conjured up a image in your head
That had nothing to do with friekin Gas prices..
even though that's what came out of her mouth.
You want her to say “Mortgage Rates and “Plethora” and “Itinerary,” because nothing has sounded more sexy to you in your entire life

And now you’re all nervous...
Cause BOTH brains have to work..
You can’t slump into that safe spot where you just use the word baby every three sentences, the unbutton the top buttons on the shirt,
And buy her the drink special at the bar..
cause

ONE.

Bitch bought her own damn drink. and you never even heard the name of the drink that she sipping on. Just the look of it in the glass make you wanna ask her… “Can I have some?” .So you’re wondering how in the hell I never heard of this drink before?? What stone I’ve been living under??

and

TWO

you called her BABY once...and her left eye brow arched....and that arched eyebrow made your left nut shrink....you felt it...shriveling...the higher the arch...the tighter the squeeze...so you make sure you REMEMBER HER NAME...cause you’re afraid of what the other eyebrow will do to your anatomy

So now ...

You’re hanging out..
and your chest ispuffing up cause your boys seeing you out with this chick who they know is of a certain caliber..
And for some reason she's giving you the time of the day.

She sees your hidden potential...and has decided that she will let her guard down...and allow you to know her..

Initially you accept this honor with gratitude and reverence...

And you enter...the "LOVE ZONE"

Which eventually turns into the

"SHE ALRIGHT" zone

‘Cause your boys talking about the hot PET DOG DUMB chicks that they’re seeing at the club..

And suddenly, to you, SMART CHICK seems to lose some points on DUMB CHICK.
Because DUMB CHICK is quicker to drag on a thong and feed the other brain..
Cause SMART CHICK just got off work as CEO somewhere,
Went to her classes for her Masters after work,
Came home, cleaned the house, fixed dinner, washed herself off
Gave you a blow job, put you and maybe the kids to bed,
And then stayed up working on that project for an hour before she got up again at 5 to dress the kids and send them and you off into the world with a smile

And because SMART CHICK has fallen into a routine with you..
A Safe, orderly, stress free life.
You start to think that she has become HOME CHICK!!

This, my friend

Is your fatal error.

SMART CHICK IS FOREVER SMART CHICK!
It’s a genetic code, hardwired into her psyche

SMART CHICK always KNEW what you were capable of...
SMART CHICK knows the inner workings of your mind because she has that sensibility.
SMART CHICK has been around the block a few times and knows what a REAL relationship and a MAN in particular will begin to do
SMART CHICK can think around your excuse that you have stupidly given her
And CAN extract the truth...

She is aware that the best way to confound someone is to wrap the lies with TRUTH..
And can decipher one from the other.
Do not believe that you have pulled a fast one on SMART CHICK
In fact allowing you to believe that your ruse has worked is one of the tried and true tactics of SMART CHICK
Because then YOU get complacent.
You stop trying to back up your un-truths,
Giving her ammunition to unravel the ENTIRE story…
Her silence is not acceptance.
It Is STRATEGY

Do NOT give Smart chick justifiable reason to act on anything.
And your assumption that she has accepted your GARBAGE makes her Angry.
Angry SMART CHICK is dangerous.
ANGRY SMART CHICK does not break windows or smash cars...
DUMB CHICK will do that
You can buy DUMB CHICK a pair of shoes and purse after
And take her to dinner and she will be all right, and forgive you
Because “HE was sorry and made it up to me, cause he can’t stand to see me upset.”

You can do the same to SMART CHICK.
And she will smile and be happy with you...
All the while plotting her revenge

You should be DEATHLY afraid of angry SMART CHICK...
Because everything that you have done to her....
She is capable of doing to you...
She will do it with MORE finesse and decorum than you.
Because she knows that society will Judge her actions more than yours.
You may pray to NOT find out what SMART chick has done in retaliation.

Because remember that eyebrow move when you were dating???

THAT my friend was the tip of the ice berg

When you CHOOSE smart...retaliation is SMART.
And usually a longer lasting experience...
One that may not just involve the wrecking of physical objects...
They prefer to damage long lasting, Precious things like:

Self Esteem

Pride

Careers

Finances.

yeah...so uhm watch out

CHOOSE WISELY

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, by clivia

Pages

Alive.

Detached

Processing...

Catharsis Anyone??

SHE POWER - She sings

Anchor or ANCHOR

Acceptance Speech Transcript

Perception...the MIST

Be careful what you wish for

I am a Sinner - ANGRY

Choose

Why Men Should Not Date Smart Chicks

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