"... the courage to change the things I can ...".
We are here because we believe in change and we witness for the power of common commitment (that is also a power greater than ourselves) and shared strength and understanding. We do need courage because the size of the task has been made more clear to all of us since November 3. But so have the resources available to us, and in us.
Surrendering my country to Nazis and their leashed corporate media-bitches is not acceptable -- and my being unable to accept passively their illegal power grab is also something that I " ... cannot change...."
It takes what it takes. And that also applies to becoming aware of where we are and where we want to be. For me, it is easy to view the 2004 election as we view our own paths, namely ....
What it was like (before 11/2)-- unaware of the depth and breadth of the lower powers we face
What happened (11/2) -- hitting a democratic bottom, the great "Ah HaH!" and taking the blinders off
What it is like now (post-11/2) -- growing awareness, gathering energy, knowledge and allies; changing our playmates and playgrounds (no more passive Dems or time spent with the MSM); respecting those who walk the walk (the democracy 32); doing the next right thing (fighting these bastards for all we're worth, because we're worth it.)
Right before I finally got "it" (and Lord, did it take a while), I saw a Winslow Homer painting of a New England fisherman out in a raging sea, alone, with only his own strength and the distant beacon of the lighthouse (faith) to guide him. And someone had written under the painting: "Pray to God, but row toward shore."
What we don't need now are resentments, against the enemy, ourselves or our democratic brethren. What we do need are clear heads, strong hearts and the heat of a righteous cause. Those of us who are sharing code in this thread probably also share all three of these resources, and are happily being of service to Higher Power and others with what we are doing, here and now. Tonight, I can't see a better way to be of service than to work long and hard to right this wrong, with the serenity that comes from accepting that -- as an American who believes in democracy -- I cannot change the responsibility that is mine (that is ours) to act now and forever, to take our country back.
Time to go take the garden-grown pumpkins out of the oven and put the berry cobblers in. And to breathe. And to be here now.
Democracy works when you work it, and when you want it to work. We're worth it, so let's keep working it. We've made a whole lot of progress in a relatively short time, and for that, I continue to be grateful.
See my earlier post on gratitude that's still on the board (somewhere):
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=267768&mesg_id=267768 Hope to see all ya'll soon. Here in middle Tennessee, I'll save a seat for ya'.