Don't Get Me Started with Linda Sharp

People Are People - And The Season Is Almost Upon Us

Hi all - I apologize for the lapse here at DGMS - have finally recovered from the 10 hour time difference and my incredible trip to Abu Dhabi with my equally incredible sister.  It was a remarkable experience, and one in which I continually kept thinking "People are people are people - EVERYWHERE."  And boy, do I wish more people could travel and open their eyes not just to the differences around the world, but to the sameness.

Yes, I was in a Middle Eastern country - something that gave some readers and my parents pause - but there was no reason for concern or alarm.  Abu Dhabi has actually been ranked the #1 safest place in the world many years running.  I never felt uneasy, or unable to communicate for that matter, English being spoken and seen everywhere from buildings to menus.  And rest assured, evidence of what WE export to THEM was also everywhere - Pizza Hut, KFC, Popeye's, Burger King, and on and on.  

And yes there were mosques everywhere - but frankly, having lived in Texas?  I think Texas outstrips the UAE for places of worship on every corner.  We were lucky enough to have our balcony within earshot of one and I absolutely loved the call to prayer six times a day. 

(That picture is me, yes, fully covered, when we visited the Grand Mosque one evening.  Awe inspiring, beyond beautiful, and so very peaceful.)

I saw women in full traditional dress, yes even the full head cover for women with just the eyes exposed.  But I also saw women in coverage that left their faces out, some who opted for jeans, a hoodie, and a scarf, and some who just rocked whatever they desired.  I lost count of the number of men in traditional dress as well.  And all of them - male, female, young, old - were friendly, real.  They laughed, they shopped, they conversed, they were welcoming, they smiled - just like you, just like me. 

Because they are just like you, just like me.

Which beings me to my keyboard today.  Each year as we set out to touch lives near and far through our Yes, Virginia fund, our focus is simple - people in need.  People who are scared, who are hurting, who are desperate, who are burdened - and those emotions know no color, creed, stripe of any kind.  I don't ask, because it simply does not matter.  You don't ask, because it simply does not matter.

While yes, the calls for donations will begin in earnest as November gets underway, what I would like to do in advance is begin making a list of those who need our help.

That's where you come in.

We all know families who are struggling, who have children.  Maybe it's your neighbor.  Maybe it is a coworker.  Maybe it is you.

Please begin reaching out to me and letting me know who we may be able to add to the sleigh.  As always, confidentially and privacy are paramount, and I vet each situation that comes to me before using your donations. 

We are now in our 11th season of giving.  That is both humbling and astounding to me.  11 years in which this amazing blogmunity has cared for so many people they will never meet in person.  11 years in which you have touched the lives of both the young and the old.  11 years in which you have given more than gifts - you have given warmth through paid utility bills and winter coats/boots; you have given sustenance through grocery gift cards galore; you have given smiles as children open gifts on Christmas morning; and you have given hope to so many who feel hopeless.

Most of all, you restore their faith in the people in this world, reminding them that the good people do still outnumber the bad people.

So, please start thinking about those you know who we can help.  While I am always up for last minute elfing, and it happens every year that I am running somewhere on Christmas Eve, let's start building our list now and hit the ground running.  [email protected] - the inbox is open and waiting.

Oh yeah, that donation part, too.  :)  The Paypal link is open 24/7/365 on the left side of this page.

Let's make some magic.

Linda

The Passing Of Elijah Cummings: Sometimes Life Is Just Not Fair

This morning the world is darker.  This morning the world is less.

Waking up to the news of the passing of Representative Elijah Cummings, the sense of loss across the country is palpable.  Well, at least to the majority of people who do not align themselves with everything he stood against his entire life.

His accomplishments were many, ascending from the son of sharecroppers to chairing committees at our highest levels of government.  He was a fighter for the marginalized.  He was a champion standing up against the most retrograde elements and beliefs in our society.  And he was a lion, unflinchingly moving on the corruption, the obsequious lackeys, and lawlessness of the current administration.

To watch him chair a meeting was to see control, command, rationale, and bearing.  He would not be baited by the juvenile antics of those who stood to be cleansed in the sunlight of his blunt admonishments.  Listening to him speak there was measure, stoicism, conviction, and courage.  He did not suffer fools or foolishness.

And he knew time was fleeting and precious.  Especially for him.

His health has been failing for quite some time, he was in and out of the hospital, yet as much as he could, he was there in Congress.  On a motorized scooter, an oxygen tube leading to his nostril.  Listening, directing, fighting, inspiring.  He is a man who came up through the Civil Rights Movement, and who fought tirelessly, endlessly for others, always putting his constituents, and this country before himself.

That is why his passing is so emotionally offensive.  He was only 68.  A man of grace whose entire ethos was to do the right thing.  A man so completely different than the abomination we have in the White House.  A man who deserved many more miles of road before leaving this world.  Because he was GOOD.  DECENT.

He was everything Donald Trump has never been, will never be.

We see this repeatedly in life - those who bring joy, champion the underdog, care, fight for others, do the right things - leave us far too soon.  While those who cheat, lie, steal, abuse, cavort, indulge, and hurt others live on, their every breath a personal affront to decent people everywhere.

There is no doubt in my mind that Trump woke to the news this morning and smiled.  In his malignant, narcissistic mind - one less thing to worry about.  One less thorn in his side.  And no, do not point out the Tweet from his account - it does not read as if from his stubby, stained fingers.  Coherence, correct spelling - none of the hallmarks of a true Trump tweet - that was scripted by someone around him who has at least some fleeting understanding of who has passed, the tone that must be struck.  None of which Trump is even remotely capable.

He is a cornered rat, flailing wildly as the day approaches in which he will finally, for once in his useless, miserable, self serving life be held accountable for his actions.

Elijah Cummings death will not forestall that.  Investigations will continue.  Justice will be brought to bear.  And all those who worked with him, for him, around him will use his memory, his example, his legacy, his tirelessness as inspiration to continue the fight.

“The Trump Administration has demonstrated repeatedly that it is willing to disregard the Constitution, defy decades of clear precedent, and invent frivolous new arguments to delay and obstruct Congress’ oversight authority, and Attorney General( William) Barr and Secretary( Wilbur) Ross are complicit in this cover-up, both Secretary Ross and Attorney Attorney General -LRB- William -RRB- Barr are refusing to comply with duly authorized subpoenas from Congress.”

Justice will come.  There simply is no other way.  He knew that.  He understood what was at stake not only for our present, but for our future, the future of this grand experiment called the United States of America.  That is why he stood strong in the face of the slings, arrows, and Tweets thrown at him by Trump, that is why he was there, in a wheelchair, strapped to an oxygen tank, working for us right up to his death.

His words from earlier this year shall serve as a reminder.  “When we’re dancing with the angels, the question will be asked, in 2019, what did we do to make sure we kept our democracy intact? Did we stand on the sidelines and say nothing?”

Death comes for us all.  Nobody gets out alive.  But sometimes, the scales just do not tip as they should.  Sometimes life is just not fair.

This morning the world is darker.  This morning the world is less.  Rest in power, sir, dance with those angels.  Your work here is done, but we are ready to carry the torch.