For the blind of this country tomorrow is bright with promise. We believe in the future; we believe in ourselves; and we believe in the goodwill of our sighted friends and associates. We will put the batteries in our clocks; we will pour coffee for ourselves and others; and we will tap the charcoal-but we will do it quickly and with a light touch.

• Dr. Kenneth Jernigan

I wrestled with an alligator. I tussled with a whale. I handcuffed lightning, I thrown thunder in jail. Only last week I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalised a brick. I’m so mean I make medicine sick.”

• Muhammad Ali

This is your world, live for it, love while you live, and live for the love that you find from others when they give.

Life is NOT about waiting for the storm to pass.
It’s about learning to dance in the rain.

Still in your feelings because of something someone said last year? Can’t get over the fact that someone or some thing did not go your way? Can’t get past the emotional turmoil from months ago? Then I have the secret to your problems.

Its you!
That’s right, YOU are the only person who can choose whether the problems of yesterday shape your tomorrow.

Take Yourself aside, and deliver two dope slaps, as fast as you can, and repeat the following mantra:

“I is smart, I is kind, and I is important.”
Remember, you are the one who makes the difference.

This messages brought to you by the folks around you who are tired of your negative attitude.

in this century of the overwhelming triumph of science, the appeal of the cause of human freedom is no longer that it is great and noble; it is essential. It is no greater than the cause of edible food or the cause of effective shelter. Man must have freedom or he will cease to exist as man.
-Rex Stout
The Black Mountain

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but it is okay to think the media blew COVID out of proportion and still take the virus seriously. We are in the midst of a pandemic, but we are not at a point where the world is coming to an end. We are, however, in a place where caution and respect for science and common sense is more important than ever. This disease kills. It can also be conquered. We will survive.

One of my favorite columnists, Ms. Kathy Benjamin, authoress of some of the funniest articles on Cracked.com sent out a challenge. She asked her Facebook following to list 10 books “that have stayed with you in some way.” She claims she is always on the lookout for good books.

As an aspiring author, I can believe it. I, myself, am also looking for awesomeness in the book department, and have a very eclectic list from which to choose. Some of the books I read are inspiring, and others are just humorous.

Here is my list, and I challenge all of you to come up with a list of your own:

• A Prison Diary – Jeffrey Archer
• Down and Out in Paris and London – George Orwell


• Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America – Barbara Ehreneich


• Salvation In Death – J. D. Robb


• The Cronicles of the Lensman – E. E. “Doc” Smith


• The Hitchikers’ Guide to The Galaxy – Douglas Adams


• The Inimitable Jeeves – P. G. Wodehouse


• Time Enough for Love: The Lives of Lazarus Long – Robert Heinlein


• You Can’t Drink All Day If You Don’t Start in the Morning – Celia Rivenbark


• To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

As a social worker, I have seen too many cases where people have to go without because they cannot afford to meet their basic needs. Reading stories about people who help the less fortunate reminds me that there is still a shred of humanity left in the world. This girl, who just so happens to have a vision disability, chose to overlook her problems to find shoes for the homeless. (/p>

(CNN) – For 13-year-old McClain Hermes, the inspiration to impact her world began in 2009, after her father showed her a magazine article about a shoe recycling program. “We decided (that instead of) recycling them, we would collect them and give them to people that needed them,” she says.

And with that, Shoes for the Souls was born and delivered 365 pairs of shoes that first year.

In the five years since, the Georgia teen and her father, Matt Hermes, have collected about 10,000 pairs of shoes for an Atlanta homeless shelter.

But what’s especially impressive about this middle school student is she does this despite the daily struggles life brings her. About the time she began collecting shoes, she developed vision problems that ended up with one of her retinas detached and her vision extremely limited in the other. She’s now legally blind, and doctors say she will be completely without sight in the next two to five years. Outside the comfort of her home, she oftentimes will need to use a cane.
CNN: Helping the homeless: one”step” at the time

As a blind person, I am very proud of this young lady. She is indeed inspirational and serves as proof that we the blind of the world can give back to society, making a difference for those less fortunate than ourselves. Good job! You rock!