judecorp | I just flipped off President George; I'm going to Disneyland!

I have:

a new set of tools
2 new Rubbermaid bins
new rubber duckie stuff for my new bathroom
a new care package for Jennifer
a new diploma

You know, I didn't feel it until I opened and read the actual diploma, but I actually accomplished something. I didn't think it would matter since I already have a B.A. and an M.Ed., but I'm kinda emotional about the whole thing. This was the most challenging year of my life, and I still plugged through and completed all of my personal goals. I created a life in Columbus, I earned my MSW, I made friends, I gained clinical skills. When I moved here I thought I'd be thinking about children by now, but things change and I change with them.

How can we dance when our earth is turning?

I am blessed. I am one of the luckiest people in the history of the universe. I am loved more than many, and I love more than most. I have a comfortable existance, a family to fall back on and who will always catch me, a brother who is a best friend, a former roommate that will always be one of the most important people in my life, and two cool cats.

I have seen cities and let their buildings rise inside of me, I have embraced their noise and their smells, and I have let them love me. I walk with the sun on my face at all times. I have confidence, and I have strength, and I can do anything. But I am grateful. I have not forgotten that not everyone is fortunate. I have not stopped helping others. I have not ceased thanking my creators and those who have come before me.

I am grateful, and I am proud.

Paul Robeson (Born to be Free)
by Larry Kirwan

You can wreck my name, vilify me, stretch me on the rack
But I won't bow down to any man, be he white or be he black
Take away my passport, refuse to let me travel
But I will not get down on my knees,
You're never gonna make me grovel
There's a lot more to democracy than havin' a vote
I'm the equal here of any man, free my people, let them go
These chains around my body are never gonna hold me
And I refuse to be a slave in my own country
The great are only great 'cause we're down on our knees
Rise up, my brothers and sisters, we were born to be free
Born to be free

You can call me a traitor but I love my country
And I will not sell out it because of your hypocrisy
I refuse to hide behind the Fifth, I've no fear of honesty
You always know exactly where I am, so why don't you just
Come on over here and get me
You can tap my phone but there's one thing you will never hear
'Cause the drumbeat of freedom wasn't meant for your slaves' ears
I'll never turn my back on my comrades and my friends
The poor and the dispossessed, the women and the men
The great are only great 'cause we're down on our knees
Rise up, my brothers and sisters, we were born to be free
Born to be free

I stand here struggling for the rights of my people to be full citizens in this country and they are not!

Close your halls to stop me singin'
Close your minds to stop me speakin'
Close your kitchens to stop me eatin'
Close your hotels to stop me sleepin'
But I'll never turn my back on my comrades and my friends
The poor and the dispossessed, the women and the men
The great are only great 'cause we're down on our knees
Rise up, my brothers and sisters, we were born to be free
Born to be free

These chains around my body are never gonna hold me
And I refuse to be a slave in my own country
The great are only great 'cause we're down on our knees
Rise up, my brothers and sisters, we were born to be free
Born to be free

I am born and bred in this America of ours. I want to love it, but we must have the courage to shout at the top of our voices about our injustices, and we must lay the blame right where it has belonged for over three hundred years of slavery and misery - right here on our own doorstep.

My father was a slave, and my people died to build this country, and I'm going to stay here and have a part of it just like you! And no facist-minded people will drive me from it--is that clear?