Winter Wonderment ~ Chicago-style

Dr. Susan E. Rice was destined, from the beginning, to be a part of the Obama Administration. She vehemently debated foreign policy issues on several media outlets for months during the primaries. I watched her closely because I was so impressed with her knowledge and how she firmly stood her ground with the older white male counterparts. She has to be applauded for her contributions to our country during the Clinton Administration as well. The United States was beloved across the planet in those days. She was vital in those policy makings.

The Obama Administration/Transition team has really given this country a fighting chance to become the caring, giving, peaceful giant it has always been positioned to be.

It is our news for the day.

Upon reading about what the media is saying today, here in Chicago, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as women assume their posts and are being revered to restore our image around the globe. Woman are gentle and firm. This has made me excited about being an American again. We don't have to cower. And if anything, such as like what happened in Mumbai, occurs we can show our passports and die with pride. Not that those who died did not die with pride, I am just referencing that a new America is emerging. It is the America our ancestors wrote about, dreamed about, and died attempting to make. ALL of our ancestors, every one of them who struggled to get here, stepped foot on new land, and pursued a dream where they would all be appreciated - men and women alike, regardless of their skin or orientation.

It also speaks volumes as to what this means for women around the world! That's where my REAL excitement comes in.

Just yesterday, I read another's blog and my heart broke. I silently prayed that with our influence, women around the world can be appreciated, allowed to go to school without being raped or disfigured, and given a promise for a fulfilling life.

I will say again that it is a shame that the youth, uneducated and ignored, have not given our process a chance and have not waited to see the changes to come. Entering martyrdom, without having the facts is a waste. Acting so violently without having an understanding. We must teach children to be diplomatic. Just because I don't think like you does not mean I should die, or that you should die just to show me that you are right.

Growing up my mom always said, "give it another day, you never know what's in store" and its true, if you just wait to wake up another day and then another, the truth and the light always manage to find their way.

As the reports of the Russian Ship the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko docks today, we should all be mindful of how we want our country to be viewed and seen. With a new administration and a new way of life ahead, stay in your elected officials ears and make sure that we continue to be heard - gentle yet firm.