IF NOT FOR YOU

It only was one,

but it was one.

You and I

we had

something

special.

Thank you

for being the one

Dad.


......................................................

......................................................
The Story of Love

For my Dad
Let the world stop turning.
Let the sun stop burning.
Let them tell me love's not worth going through.
If it all falls apart,
I will know deep in my heart
the only dream that mattered had come true:
In this life I was loved by you.

In this life I was loved by you.

HOW SWEET IT IS to be noticed

Unsuspected and pleasant ~ there was the news that someone left me a comment in one of my "you've got mail" emails tonight. The comment can be found in my "comment section" of the post. I wasn't going to come to this place of "too many hours robbing me of sleep", but I gave myself the excuse that I needed to check for meeting and conference call information that I have "on" ~ both for tomorrow night. I am always excited when someone actually takes the time and effort to write me a comment. It happens so rarely. I don't monitor my comments and only once was there a reason to second-guess that decision.

There is the following pleasant text about my blog post January 12, 2008 titled “Legal to Have Skin Color and Hair” at The Rising Blogger

Red-headed, white-skinned, tender, provocative. All words to describe one very vocal blogger who chose to peel back the layers of color for all to see. In her own life. On her blog. Most decisiviely her blog. While most of her writings could never be categorized as subtle and are usually starkly political and informative, this post blossomed into a personal realm. What I admire about her writing is not so much the details and statistics and broadly scrutinized arguments for the political process - although that is surely commendable in itself -but the way she lays it bare without apology.

Our post of the day entitled Legal To Have Skin Color and Hair is an expose on racism, love, and happiness far from the scrutiny of politics. Quoting from Sport of Nature by Nadine Gordimer, we see what is in her heart and what once came out of her mouth in a faraway ceremony once upon a controversial time in her life. It is clearly beautiful prose. "Lying beside him, looking at pale hands, thighs, belly: seeing herself as unfinished, left off, somewhere. She examines his body minutely and without shame, and he wakes to see her at it, and smiles without telling her why: she is the first not to pretend the different colours and textures of their being is not an awesome fascination. How can it be otherwise? "

She has just flipped the switch and crossed the purely personal line. If only the political process she so boldly exposes could do the same.

Congratulations ilovemylife, you have posted The Rising Blogger's Post of The Day.
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.........................................................
......................................................... Somewhere Over the Rainbow

It is so lovely when we encourage one another. What a wonderful world this could be if we could do for another what we ourselves would love.

I'll be looking out for someone else's blog post to nominate to The Rising Blogger.

Thanks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At worst, a house unkept cannot be so distressing as a life unlived. source unknown

IOAN ONLINE IS NOW ASLEEP, WAITING FOR PRINCE CHARMING

Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans

THIS IS BITTERSWEET. THE END OF A GOOD THING

I stayed up all night "holding the hands" of members of the most fabulous actor's website in cyberspace. We were there for the website's last minutes. The link went out one hour and 25 minutes, approximately after it was supposed to go out. We part with sorrow, but with our senses of humor well in tact. We had some laughs and had some melancholy. We "sang" some songs and kept it alive on life support to the very end. We didn't want it to go out without the humanity that it encouraged and maintained for the nine years that it "lived". So, we were there with one another.

The website was the brain child of a woman of integrity, just a fan of Ioan Gruffudd, really. Her name is April and she deserves our gratitude and admiration. But so, too, do the wonderful members deserve a gold medal, who as far as I could tell in the two short weeks that I posted and read their posts - are the cream of the human race. This only reflects well on Ioan, my William Wilberforce of Amazing Grace, as it is him that drew us there. The website was born April 6, 1998 and it died May 1, 2007,by my eastern standard USA time at 4:25 a.m.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kwvqSP5dbU

You’re My Heaven sung by Wynonna Judd

My heart goes out to Ioan who found fault with the site which in reality supported him to the last breath of its existence. The site was as much for him, as it was for his highly regarded and intelligent enthusiasts - his fans.

It is difficult to think about Ioan in the same way as I did, before I learned of the situation. I have tried my very best to support all sides. But honestly, I am thoroughly confused that a website that essentially is his best "publicist" couldn't have been salvaged by talking about the misunderstandings, find clarity and negotiate, so that Alice Evans, his fiance, would feel comfortable with www.ioanonline.com.

I saw nothing on the site by way of the members attitudes and expressions that was disrespectful essentially. Perhaps something, somewhere could have been construed as hurtful or distasteful to Alice. But sometime in our lives, it would be beneficial to learn how to talk out the things that we allow to divide us and that we allow break our chances of getting along, instead of mending and healing. We all live in this universe. And until the universe is no more, there will be spats, misunderstandings and different perspectives.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na5qkH9e_rs

People Get Ready I don’t know who is singing this wonderful version. The pictures have nothing to do with my post. But the song is so peaceful, I thought it fitting.

The song that I wanted, Peace in this House, from Wynonna Judd’s CD “Her Story: Scenes From a Lifetime” wasn’t found on Youtube, yet. But, I did find the lyrics to her song:
Peace in this House

Hey kids turn off the tv, no i don't want to watch the evening news so come on over here and sit down next to me, and let your momma look at you, and you and you.your beautiful faces that i wanna keep safe as long as i can, i'm telling you right now, there's gonna be peace in this house, there's gonna be peace in this house. there's gonna be some tender talkin and sweet little nothings that add up to the somethings we can do without,there's gonna be peace in this house some belief in this house. every good thing that ever happens, happens from the inside out
i'm telling you now, there's gonna be peace in this house
did i tell you today that i love you, you're the reasons for everything i do and sometimes i think the only hope for this world is the love in you, and you and you.
let's try to be patient
let's all play nice
cause everyone's gonna get a slice of this pie
there's gonna be peace in this house
there's gonna be peace in this house
gonna be some tender talkins
sweet little nothings that add up to the somethings we can do without
there's gonna be peace in this house
some belief in this house
every good thing that ever happens
happens from the inside out
i'm telling you now, there's gonna be peace in this house

A sense of justice, fairness, clear-eyed welcome and a good dose of humor would just be a good thing to actually give a try. How in the universe do we ever expect Peace on Earth if we can't discuss our differences?

I wrote many lo-ong posts at April’s out-of-this-world’s website for Ioan Gruffudd, www.ioanonline.net, but this is one that I wrote near the day’s end of the last day of the website:

! I'm Here UNTIL the Lights Go Out... Your Grace Has Been Amazing

---

I just signed in for the first time today.

There's that familiar: Thank you for logging in ilovemylife
when entering www.ioanonline.com in cyberspace that is so nostalgic.

I tried to open another window just now so that I could see it again, but for some reason that little comforting message didn't appear in the new window.

Oh, well. But I did see: Welcome ilovemylife
so that was good enough for me.

Well, here we are......

I am staying on this site until my computer screen does whatever it does when this Gift from the Goddess of Admiral April disappears from my sight.

I believe that means I'll be sitting here until 3:00 in the morning. But that's what I'm doing. Wouldn't have it any other way.

'sides I have spent some nights here over the last 7 days all night long.

I'll be over at the Gallery most of the night, popping over here and about until the fateful minute.

I have committed to myself not to write any more words to Ioan or his Alice tonight. That is done. Here I spend time with you, people I didn't know in any sense two weeks ago. And yet we share empathy, melancholy and are mourning a loss tonight.

Yes, we will survive.

You might be familiar with that old Helen Reddy song: I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar..." Great words for our time of sharing this evening or whatever time of day it is for you wherever you plant yourself on this earth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPDcMyPlFvw
<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<

We are the Garden. We are the Garderners. We are the Flowers. There are no weeds in our Ioanonline Garden.

I know we have all been saying Thank You to April and all of her dedicated crew. It seems so little to say . . . Thank You. And yet that's all we have. And we in our own ways love you April and the crew....

But what a beautiful thing to have come together and rally behind our leader and see all the emotions being laid out here for the world to see really.

I am a big fan of YouTube, as some of you may have caught onto with all my music links here in my posts, but some of the posters there are bigots, full of hatred, mindless and seemingly not human.

But it is obvious this www.ioanonline.net community with its admirabe, gifted, principled and able leader, APRIL, we here have set the standard in cyberspace as to how to"act" and how to be human.

I am proud to be a small part of this community. It is a blessing to my already blessed life. I genuinely do feel as my online name says: I Love My Life. I walk around my house and it just bursts out of my mouth all of the time. When someone asks me "How are you?" I sincerely mean it when I say with gusto and enthusiasm "I am great, just great!" And here you have just added to my wonderful life with the sharing and caring and humanity that has shown up at the “party”.

Thank you. Each one. I am proud to share the universe with you. And I am especially proud to be a woman. We really do rock. We really do possess the power to change this world and Make It A Better World as William Wilberforce wanted his life to be about. It is so fitting in a way that Ioan so beautifully fleshed out Wilber's life for us to see.

We will carry on. We will see why one day this all happened. We are really an example to the world how to behave in times of stress and our little online/human behavior crisis.

Last Saturday I led a group of common every day human beings in the historic little seaport town of Newport, Rhode Island carrying the Darfur Genocide posters from one historic sight to another historic sight for my speech. The movie Amistad about the slave trade was filmed on the very sight that I stood to give my Darfur speech on Saturday. George Washington sent a letter to the Touro Synagague, one block from this location of Washington Square. We can make a difference in this world. One person can make a difference.

So, I thank you each one for the graciousness that has shown up and continues tonight, today, whatever it is where you lay your head... we are a wonderful example of what it means to be human.

<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<

What I Did for Love and what I found on Youtube was this by Shirley Bassey with that song on it but it starts with When You’re Smiling, which isn’t a bad song for us all.

Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2DL8NmnN2k

Save it and look at it after www.ioanonline.com goes out to cyberspace never, never land….can we hope just be dormant(?) ... and then after a much deserved and needed long rest, find phoenix is a truism.

<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<

What I Did For Love
Kiss today goodbye,
The sweetness and the sorrow.
Wish me luck, the same to you.
But I can't regret
What I did for love, what I did for love.
Look my eyes are dry.
The gift was ours to borrow.
It's as if we always knew,
And I won't forget what I did for love,
What I did for love.
Gone,
Love is never gone.
As we travel on,
Love's what we'll remember.
Kiss today goodbye,
And point me t'ward tomorrow.
We did what we had to do.
Won't forget, can't regret
What I did for
Love
What I did for...
Love
Love is never gone
As we travel one
Love's what we'll remember
Kiss today goodbye.

And point me t'ward tomorrow.

Point me t'ward tomorrow
We did what we had to do.
Won't forget, can't regret
What I did for love.
What I did for love.

What I did for love

<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<

I AM WOMAN
Words and Music by Helen Reddy and Ray Burton I am woman, hear me roar In numbers too big to ignore And I know too much to go back an' pretend 'cause I've heard it all before And I've been down there on the floor No one's ever gonna keep me down again Oh yes I am wise But it's wisdom born of pain Yes, I've paid the price But look how much I gained If I have to, I can do anything I am strong I am invincible I am woman You can bend but never break me 'cause it only serves to make me More determined to achieve my final goal And I come back even stronger Not a novice any longer 'cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul I am woman watch me grow See me standing toe to toe As I spread my lovin' arms across the land But I'm still an embryo With a long long way to go Until I make my brother understand Oh yes I am wise But it's wisdom born of pain Yes, I've paid the price But look how much I gained If I have to I can face anything I am strong I am invincible I am woman Oh, I am woman I am invincible I am strong I am woman
<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<

I love you.
Thanks for it all.

Sandra, ilovemylife


P.S. I really appreciated what StevieT said above.

And Kazq - I loved singing Auld Lang Syne with you.

And Fishforit, I'll check out your link later - as I was having trouble getting it but I'm hoping that even after the theatre here goes dark - I can still access your link.

You all rock!

Light tomorrow with today. Elizabeth Barrett Browning

__________________

LET'S MAKE GENOCIDE HISTORY:

www.savedarfur.org

www.fidelityoutofsudan.com

www.genocideintervention.net

WE CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE