February 7, 2026

Good morning my DU family,

The pulse and heartbeat of our little DU community are the personal posts that people share and then engage with one another much as people would in a community center.

I make that analogy because people like SheltieLover always seem one of the he first to reply, so willing to sit down at our table and support, listen, and talk with us.

Please give us a day filled with the awareness of how important we are to one another and that our community thrives because of us (likely in real life too).

Have a peaceful and relaxing Saturday my dear DU family.

Love, John

February 7, 2026

How magnificent was Andrea Bocelli just now?

Music is food for the soul, and mine just got fed Steak and Lobster.

February 6, 2026

A Thank You for all the amazing things that have transpired since Tuesday afternoon at 2:30pm CST

On Tuesday afernoon at the aforementioned time, OmahaSteve posted this

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220992806

to support a request I had posted 24 hours earlier for GoFundMe help to get through my SSDI appeal timeline.

If you want to witness a truly remarkable time window where you can witness the literal timeline of what turned into a miracle of Tsunamic proportions.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-john-mckusick-overcome-health-and-financial-struggles

Just scroll down a little bit and you can unwind all the donations that have transpired since OS made the first one.

I call this a miracle because within 40 hours, the entire request was met. I don't know if this makes sense, but what I was witnessing overwhelmed my ability to truly take in as I couldn't believe my eyes. It's taken me these extra couple of days to truly begin to grasp just what you all have done for me and I'm still just overwhelmed at your love, support and generosity.

Almost 5000 of you have read his post, more than 75 of you have kicked, recommended and commented, keeping this post visible almost around the clock, and more than 90 of you made a donation ranging from $5 to $1000.
I have felt "The Hand Of God" several times when my energy was a part of something much bigger, citing Rory and the kitties behind my trailer and how things transpired in those cases as being touched by God.
I have also felt that blessing several times from individuals like Wordstroken, Debm55, CloudsPassing, LoisB, OS, Usonian and many others who in their words to me, gave me Hope, Self Worth, fantastic advice, and paths forward that are more spiritually rewarding.

I remember as I was wheeled into the operating room last February 21st at about 530am CST praying a prayer of thanks and gratitude as was so sagely recommended. I believe it made a huge difference in not just the outcome of the surgery, but gave me a recipe that I can use whenever I'm so moved.

All that just to say the following; The Community here at DU has moved me so many countless times with your posts, responses, forgiveness, acceptance, affirmations and yes, generosity of means and spirit.

One of the most difficult things for individuals who struggle with esteem issues is to believe it when someone else says something nice to them.
I always have wondered why it was so difficult for someone to see something so plainly obvious to the rest of us. Well I've been guilty of the very same blindness to my "deserving" kindness from others.
During the first 24 hours of my initial post, my every worst inner messages were playing loudly.
You know, "People are tired of helping you", they've only done it out of pity, my personal favorite
being the "You deserve this because you didn't save like you should have" etc...

https://imgur.com/a/9JVs37p

Shadow wearing her heart on her sleeve.

Many of us have a difficult life as a part of our inherent destiny, not because God made it so, but because our life brought us here, long before we had any control of it.
I know one of my main purposes in my personal life is to become a better and healthier Empath. To be there for others, to relate in an trustable way, to hold anothers hand because we've shared this part of our journeys and to learn every day to love more, love better, all while teaching and learning for myself that usually, the person that needs to hear my advice most often is me.

You've awakened me out of a deep persistent depression that I've been in since Thanksgiving. Not with money mind you, although that certainly has taken care of my physical needs til July, but with your loving words, your loving pm's, your collective assurance that I've heard so many times this week.

I cry every time I think it. "We've got your back", "We won't let you down", "You are family, We got you", because you do and you did!

I will be shutting down the GoFundMe at the end of the weekend, as I really do recommend going there and seeing what you as a family have accomplished and done.

I will close with this:

I know all of you have heard a drum played by one. One of the most beautiful experiences of my entire life is listening to 100 people drumming simultaneously in a large circle in the middle of a National Forest.
When that many people converge with a singular energy, music is made with the music that is made. The waves that many drums create is similar to nthe waves of OHM when hundreds do it. The waves of sound as people breathe and speak is like an ocean, the musical waves from so many drums are like a northern lights performance in sound waves. That is what you did in these last 95 hours and 54 minutes.
You created an energy as a group that performed a miracle and for that, I'm so profoundly grateful.

Thank you OS, and to the thousands of you that listened to Steve's call to action.

Love, John

February 6, 2026

Good morning my DU family,

As I experience the incredible emotions of the last 72 hours, from true despair to awe, to exhilaration, to being overwhelmed with gratitude to the point of crying, to feeling blessed, and to feel a communal embrace that I swear I've felt physically, please know the power that you have, with a word, a choice and an action.

Each has the power to change a situation, fix a problem and alter someone's reality for the better whose benefits will reverberate for months and years in ways that cannot be seen today.

Please give us a day filled with opportunities to share a kind word, to choose to see, and then to decide to act as a gift to whomever we come across today.

Please have a day that takes you to Cloud 9 in so e way.
Love, John

February 5, 2026

Good morning my DU family,

For all the beautiful people in Minnesota, who have suffered so many indignities at the hands of ICE in the last several weeks, this is for you.

According to Brule Sioux legend, the Pipestone Quarry is one of the most sacred places anywhere.

Eons ago, Unktehi, the Water Monster made war with the people, causing a great flood. They suspect the Great Spirit Wakan may have been upset with people, or wanted to make a better human being, so he let all the people die in this flood that covered all of earth.
The very last survivors gathered at the highest hill in the land, which was to become the Pipestone Quarry.
The Pipestone Quarry was formed as the blood of all the last victims of that flood pooled, jelled and became Pipestone with that very special red color.
Special rules allow to this day, Native Americans from many tribes to hand mine the Pipestone, which once they break through the incredibly hard quartzite, which runs four to ten feet thick, which then uncovers 10-18 inches of the soft Pipestone.
The legend continues that the Water Monster, Unktehi was turned to stone, possibly by Grandfather Spirit Tunkashila, as punishment for killing all but one human.
The bones of Unktehi are scattered in the Badlands, and her spine makes a ridge of red and yellow vertebrae that are visible to the naked eye.
The reason Pipestone is so sought after for these pipes is because many Native tribes believe that the Pipe Bowl represents the flesh and blood of their ancestors, the stem represents the bones of those long dead, and the smoke from the pipe is their breath.
There is more to the history of the one girl that survived and became the wife of an Eagle, giving rise to the Eagle feathers cultural significance for that tribe.

Until I read this story in American Indian Myths and Legends, (page 93,94) I had no idea of the sacred place that the Pipestone Quarry is.

Another wonderful spiritual place to celebrate being.

Please give us a day filled with opportunities to feel reverence, appreciation and respect for so much history that helped us find our way to today.

Have a wonderful day filled with peace and serenity.
Love, John

February 5, 2026

This really belongs in GD so more can see it.

What a way to wake up today, Holy cow!!!
Wow! What a way to wake up.

While I will be addressing this subject in a later post, I can't just pretend you all didn't just fill my remaining GoFundMe request in the last 40 hours or so.
I'm in complete awe and overwhelmed with every positive emotion I can possibly feel.

Thank you so much.
Love, John

February 5, 2026

What a way to wake up today, Holy cow!!!

Wow! What a way to wake up.

While I will be addressing this subject in a later post, I can't just pretend you all didn't just fill my remaining GoFundMe request in the last 40 hours or so.
I'm in complete awe and overwhelmed with every positive emotion I can possibly feel.

Thank you so much.
Love, John

February 5, 2026

I had to go to Effingham Il today,

and it happens to have the only grocery store within 60 miles of me that has its own bakery.
Well, I just about died and went to heaven, because not only did they have Vienna bread fresh out of the oven when I arrived, but also those hard crusted bread rolls.

Needless to say, I bought both and as I sit here having canned beef stew for dinner, I am so blessed to be dipping this amazing bread and butter in it and truly savoring each bite.

As I've said for many years, great bread can make a meal.

The name of the store is Kirby Foods for anyone that's interested.

February 4, 2026

I think a really important part of the Epstein story is being missed completely.

We keep referencing these billionaires that believe they're above the law and that's true. What we're really missing is that that belief runs far deeper in our society than the rich. Without citing any specific examples, we can certainly remember the stories about the crooked sheriff in Iowa that was committing all sorts of crimes in broad daylight, the Alabama sheriff who finds ways to keep as much of the budget for inmate meals for himself, crooked local politicians than ran their own little fiefdoms etc...
We can certainly remember all the famous people that were shocked to find themselves under arrest for solicitation of a prostitute, a minor, and God knows what else because they thought they were invincible.
Isn't this the very essence and foundation of what is truly nothing more than a VIP benefit of White Privilege?

Think about it, the last true protests that saw the American people rise up against their government in full force was started more than 50 years ago with Vietnam.
The Civil Rights act was the last real crumb any regular people got.

We are so beaten down and apathetic, that we honestly don't believe we can make a big difference anymore, because there are parts of three generations that never have.

I'm not trying to criticize our citizens, more just trying to say that the 80's. 90's and right up until today have been designed to isolate us from one another and from collective action and goals.

Just my thoughts on why that attitude is so very pervasive here today. Think about it, Politicians, Royalty and famous people are resigning in shame around the world because their citizens won't tolerate this shit. We on the other hand have been so to say Salt Petered into functional impotence.

Where is our true collective red line in the sand as a nation?

February 4, 2026

Good morning my DU family,

I've had the first decent nights sleep in a solid couple of months, and I'm sure you all know why.

Peace of mind is probably the single most effective medicine there is for many ailments, in the sense that stress just adds to our list of problems, rather than solving them.

Please give us a day filled with opportunities to help others, to ask for the help we need, and to be grateful for families like ours.
Thank you and I wish you each a peaceful and enjoyable day.
Love, John