BRING THE HOPE

Never Say "I Can't" Again

Meet Hee Ah Lee. She is known as the four-fingered pianist. If you think you can't do something, just watch the video below. Here are some words from Lee that bring the hope. Have a good weekend. 

“I hope people are inspired by the idea ‘Yes, I can do anything’ while listening to me play.”

“In my life, I have experienced many difficulties and have struggled hard to overcome some of my obvious disabilities. I continue to struggle daily, but I am comforted and feel deep consolation in being privileged with the opportunity to express my appreciation for life by using the talents that God has blessed me with and sharing them with you.”

“Do not compare yourself to others. Try hard to become whatever you want to be.”

The Foundations vs. Julia Nunes

Do you remember listening to music with your folks when you were a little kid? I do and it was a big part of growing up. My Dad was a radio disc jockey early on in his career, so he had albums spinning on the turntable all the time. It was awesome and I had great fun exploring his massive record collection as a kid.

Recently, I was scanning stations on the radio dial when I stumbled upon one of the oldies Dad used to play for us. The song is called, Build Me Up Buttercup and The Foundations made it a hit. As I drove along, the song brought back great memories of hanging with Dad and listening to his music.

Cheers to Pops for bringing the hope by sharing his turntable with us. I'm sharing my tunes with his grandkids now and they seem to be enjoying it too. The turntable has given way to the iPod and YouTube, but the love of music remains the same.

Here are two options for your Build Me Up Buttercup listening pleasure. The first one is the old-school version from The Foundations. The second is a 2008 cover from Internet sensation Julia Nunes. I dig them both. Maybe you will too. Enjoy.

A Call to Public Service

  Interest in the upcoming election is off the charts. Early voting is strong and record numbers of Americans are expected to vote next Tuesday. All of this is good and I hope that we see a renewed commitment to public service coming out of the election process.

Both Obama and McCain have discussed the need for personal sacrifice to move our country forward. And it seems like the mood of our country is one of hope and fear. We know that our best days as a nation could very well be ahead of us. But, we fear that we are losing are standing in the world.

Senator McCain has outlined his goals for increased public service through his Renewing America's Civic Purpose plan. His campaign web site says that McCain, "will create a Service to America initiative to strengthen the teaching and understanding of American history, culture and core ideas, and to inspire Americans to serve causes greater than their own self interest. Civic participation by citizens over a lifetime, working in neighborhoods and communities, and service of all kinds - military and civilian; full-time or part-time; and national or international - can renew America's civic purpose and heal our fractured patriotism."

Senator Obama has similar views and he delivered the following remarks in a commencement speech earlier this year.

"Our individual salvation depends on collective salvation. Because thinking only about yourself, fulfilling your immediate wants and needs, betrays a poverty of ambition. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential and discover the role you'll play in writing the next great chapter in America's story."

Both men are right. It will take some sacrifice for us to get our national mojo back. Let's hope that process starts in earnest after Election Day.

Hope Chest

Here are a few random things from the hope chest. Enjoy.

"I shall pass through this world but once, any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again."  -- Author Unknown

Some people and organizations use H.O.P.E. as an acronym. Here are a few of my favorites:

1) Helping Out People Everywhere; 

2) Have Only Positive Expectations; 

3) Heroes Offer Possibilities Everywhere, and

4) Having Our Potential Expanded.

"Never talk defeat. Use words like hope, belief, faith, victory."  -- Norman Vincent Peale

 

Gone Where?

Over the weekend, I learned a valuable lesson about how to find hope in even the most trying situations.

Here was the setting: A dear friend of mine was officiating over his Dad's funeral on Saturday morning. During his moving remarks, he recounted many of the things that make the father-son bond so special. Then, he read the following words from American clergyman Henry Van Dyke. 

"I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads its white sails to the ocean. He is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch him until at length he hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then someone at my side says: “There, he is gone!”

“Gone where?”

Gone from my sight. That is all.

His diminished size is in me, not in him. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: “There, he is gone!” there are other eyes watching him coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout:

“Here he comes!”

And that is dying."

That story brings the hope. Cheers to my friend's Dad for a life well lived.

Annie Edson Taylor Rolls Out the Barrel

Here's your tip for the weekend. If you become tempted to fling yourself from a huge waterfall, resist the urge.

On this day in 1901, Annie Edson Taylor became the first person to survive a barrel ride over Niagara Falls. It was her birthday and she was 63.

Taylor gets props for surviving her wild and bumpy ride. But, there is no denying that this sort of stuff can shorten one's lifespan. Since Taylor's successful plunge, roughly 1/3 of all Niagara Falls' copycats have failed to live to tell about their exploits.

I don't care for those odds. But, history tells us that Taylor became a clairvoyant following her barrel ride. So, maybe a swift knock to the head is good medicine for intuition.

My intuition tells me to stay out of barrels that are headed toward huge waterfalls. That kind of free advice brings the hope. Enjoy the weekend. 

  

R.I.P. Randy Pausch

If it wasn't for the pancreatic cancer, today would have been Randy Pausch's 48th birthday. It's too bad that he's gone, but his stories and his words of motivation still bring the hope. Here are some of his best words of advice. R.I.P. Mr. Pausch.

"Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people."

"When you're eight or nine years old and you look at the TV set and men are landing on the moon — anything is possible. And that is something we need to not lose sight of — that the inspiration and permission to dream is immense."

"It's not about how to achieve your dreams. It's about how to lead your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you."

"You just have to decide whether you are Tigger or an Eeyore. You have to be clear where you stand on the Tigger/Eeyore debate."

"Don't complain; just work harder."

"Find the best in everybody."

Jason Mraz Brings It

Good music brings the hope. And really good music can change your mood and take you to a better place. Such is the case with the Jason Mraz song, "I'm Yours." This tune came out earlier this summer and you can't help feeling good when you listen to the great rhythms this song delivers.

Trust me on this one and give it a whirl. We've been starting each morning in our house with this song lately. And I haven't had a bad day since that started. Coincidence? It could be, but I'm not going to stop to find out. Click here if you want to see the lyrics to Jason's song.

And if you want to help some people in need, check out Mraz's web site for a chance to bid on VIP package to one of his upcoming tour stops. The auction ends this Friday and proceeds will go to support MusiCares. This group "provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need." Cheers to Mraz and MusiCares for bringing the hope.

Back on My Feet

Imagine if you didn't have anybody in your life who ever said, "I'm really proud of you." An inspiring young woman from Philly imagined just that and decided to bring some positive reinforcement to homeless men and women living in the City of Brotherly Love.

Ann Mahlum said that she would regularly jog by homeless people on her early morning runs last year. At one shelter, the residents even became somewhat of a cheering section for her. That was nice, but Mahlum eventually decided that she didn't like moving forward while her new-found friends at the homeless shelter remained stuck in the same place day after day.

So in July of 2007, Mahlum decided to start a program called "Back on My Feet". Fifteen months later, Mahlum was nominated as one of CNN's Heroes. Her organization's mission is to "promote the self-sufficiency of Philadelphia's homeless population by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem." And she has done all that and more.

If you're interested in learning more about "Back on My Feet", watch the video below. If you'd like to donate to the cause click here. I think Mahlum is awesome for bringing the hope and I particularly like the words she lives by...

"Watch your thoughts for they become your words, choose your words for they become your actions, understand your actions for they become your habits, study your habits for they become your character, develop your character for it becomes your destiny." (author unknown)  

Happy Monday

I saw a joke recently that went like this:

The Lone Ranger and Tonto were camping out one night. Tonto, after having a very bad dream, woke up to see the stars up above him. He woke the Lone Ranger and said to him, "What you think?"

The Lone Ranger replied reassuringly, "Well, Tonto, it's like this, God gives us miracles in life. Each day is a new beginning, just like every night there's a new star in the sky. What do you think?"

Tonto looks at him, confused and says, "Tonto think someone stole tent."

Okay, maybe someone stole Tonto's tent. But, the masked man was right about each day being a new beginning. It might be Monday, but it's another week and we get to decide what we'll make of it. That's opportunity. Have a great week.