Help Mid-Michigan's kids succeed in school

It's no secret that many folks in Michigan, particularly in the Mid-Michigan area, have been hit hard by the state's economic problems. It's one thing for adults to suffer, but when it affects children, it just seems that much worse. Thank goodness we can all be a part of the solution.

The City Rescue Mission on Michigan Avenue in downtown Lansing is on its annual mission to make sure children from low-income families have what they need to return to school with its Backpack and Supplies Drive.

According to an article in today's LSJ, the drive is already off to a roaring start, but on a more depressing note, the number of children in need is also up.

With the Lansing School District canceling their annual drive, there's still a possibility that some children could go without.

If you would like to help out some children in need, drop off a brand new/gently used backpack full of new school supplies to City Rescue Mission, or call 485-0145 for further info.

It really does take an entire village city to raise a child. Be a part of the community and help out some kids in need.

A Pollyanna kind of Acceptance

After viewing my most recent appearance on OTR, I was informed that I was "such a Pollyanna". My first reaction was to get offended, but as quickly as my temper began to ignite, I realized it was neither meant as a criticism nor should I take it as an offensive remark.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term, or the Haley Mills movie of the 1950's, let me share with you what it means for me.

I'm definitely what you would call an optimistic person. I see the good in everything, and for the most part, everyone. Even the things that I don't like or agree with, I do my best to see the positive side of it.

When many people hear the story of my journey with Crohn's Disease, and all of the battles that consumed my life for over 13 years now and continue to do so, they look at me in bewilderment. How can I possibly be so happy, positive, optimistic, sunny, etc ? I explained a bit last week, but let me venture a little further down this road.

First off, I really thought my life was over at the age of 15/16 when I first received my diagnosis. Many, many times as the angry red seas of pain consumed me I was so desperate for relief that I really just wanted to die. I wasn't suicidal, but I wanted out of my trapped body, and death seemed to be the only way. I cursed God, my genes, the doctors, the nurses, my family, and anything else that made for an easy target of my frustration and utter agony.

I was too much of a fighter to let this disease take it all away, and if nothing else could be said for me, I was a bit of a control freak. I had worked too hard to stay alive and have a good life to let some ridiculous disease end it all.

Somewhere along it all, I realized that 90% of my battle was really about attitude. I begrudgingly accepted this broken down and aching body was mine, and there was very little that I could really control, except my attitude.

It all boils down to a coping mechanism. My 'Pollyanna attitude' is how I cope. Why did I get so sick? Why do I still live with the very real threat that in an instant I could be plunged back down that road of hospitals, tests, and pain should my Crohn's flare back up? Why do I have to live daily with rheumatoid arthritis, constant fatigue, abdominal obstructions that sideline me for days, bizarre allergies, and a body that bares so many scars from my 35 surgeries?

Here's what I think - I think my body serves as a reminder of what I've survived, what I had to endure to get to this point, and precisely what made me the person I am today. I think my aches, pains, and fatigue remind me that as much as my mind would prefer, I am not invincible. It's a trap that we all fall into, especially the young. I'm lucky that time has erased many of the vivid moments of pain, but the haunting memories will forever stay.

I don't know why I survived, but I can guess. I realize everyday that I'm living on borrowed time, and I believe that it's only because I'm supposed to make something good out of that extra time. From the very essence of my core, there's a burning fire within me to change the world.

Wow, how many times have you heard that in a beauty pageant, a young child, or from someone else and just rolled your eyes? Yeah, we all have.

But it's true. If I can be a part of something good, then another piece of the puzzle that is my life suddenly finds its home, and I take one more step forward.

I take the lessons I've learned along the way and do what I can to help out. My life unraveled and here I find myself in the intricate world of policy and government. There's so many possibilities that exist for a better change out there, so many ideas, so many fantastic people working so hard, it makes me want to run in 15 different directions and solve all the world's problems with one fell swoop. But then I wake up, feel the aches and pains, and am reminded that I'm limited to only one or two.

My mother likes to remind me what my life's goal is - balance, between the emotional and physical, the wants and the needs, and reality and the dreams of my future. I believe that I'll never quite achieve perfect balance, but each day I creep a little closer. Until then, there will be more days like this past week on the campaign trail, where I willingly endure the physical pain to accomplish something that gives me peace of mind.

I'm unashamedly part dreamer, part optimist, and part believer. Besides, if it weren't for the Pollyannas in the world, who else would you have to roll your eyes at? :-)

The Gloves Start to Come Off

Last week a trip to the Northern Lower Peninsula awakened the inner tree-hugger in me. It's not just about enjoying hearing birds chirp and watching the grass grow green. It's about realizing that our state's got to get our priorities straight if we're going to dig ourselves out of the mess that began with Engler & Co. nearly 12 years ago, and has snowballed with the downfall of the The Big Three.

The Republicans are screaming for Governor Granholm's head, and dancing the "Democrats Raise Taxes" jig, all the while failing to provide any type of real solution. How convenient for them. Lose the election, retreat to their corner to lick their wounds and play the ol' blame game.

God forbid that DeRoche, Bishop and Saul actually get real results. Giving credit where it's deserved, kudos to Anuzis for actually admitting that even his own party people are sick of his stuff.

I received several emails in response to my commentary yesterday. Most were supportive and/or in agreement. However, a Republican Mayor from west Michigan wrote me concerned that “my rhetoric” was not helpful to “fixing what needs to be fixed” and that I was more interested in “political posturing” than dealing with the situation.

I'm sorry, but did someone just miss a bit of a wake-up call?

So, whilst our over-paid Senate Republican leaders attempt to lead the state off the nearest cliff without bothering to listen to the 10 million of us who sign their paychecks, this tax-payer would like to focus a little more on what we can really do to get our state back on track. Our Democratic leaders have a fight on their hands, and we need to support them. But that's not where our civic responsibility ends. There's plenty we can do on our own to help our state get back on track. There's also a lot that we need to do to make sure it stays on track.

So while many will wrap themselves in a flag and claim that their hooting and hollering is helping the state and the nation, this liberal is going to try something new - being proactive. Let's roll up the sleeves, get serious, and go to work. It's our state, and we need to fight for it.

Stay tuned...

Strengthening Michigan's Progressive/Liberal Community

All the meet-ups that are going on throughout the state both this month and last are a good sign of our growth and development. It gives this liberal hope that our elected officials understand how important it is for our entire community to connect with each other.

All the responsibility for this state-wide connectivity does not and should not rest solely on our leaders shoulders. After all, one could argue that they are only doing what we, the constituents ask of them.

Cordelia Lear always reminds us of Alice Paul's famous saying - Democracy begins at home. It's so easy for us to shrug off the responsibility of our civic duty and pass that proverbial buck, but that wouldn't constitute what we all like to believe that we are, good citizens.

With the Information Age well upon us, and the Internet quickly becoming the place where we literally do almost everything, it does seem fitting that we get back to basics. Start with where you live and who and what you know.

I recently started up the Lansing chapter of Drinking Liberally. Our chapter here brings the state-wide count to three, joining Ann Arbor and Oakland County.

But what about the rest of the state?

Drinking Liberally is a great organization, a great way to meet other local liberals/progressives, and an organization with a very simple mantra

Bars are democratic spaces - you talk to strangers, you share booths, you feel the bond of common ground. Bring democratic discourse to your local democratic space - build democracy one drink at a time.

A group like Drinking Liberally could easily make it's way into any city/town/village here in Michigan. From Muskegon to Clare to Homer to Trenton and Bessemer, there's no such place as a bad spot for a group like Drinking Liberally. There's no membership requirement, fee, or application process. Just a couple like-minded people getting together together to talk about politics.

Some of the best ideas have been scribbled down on cocktail napkins, and formulated on a bar stool. Sharing ideas and promoting democracy doesn't have to be done just in the voting booth.

While we start lay the ground work for '08, what can you do? Drinking Liberally may not be for everyone, but it certainly is a different and interesting way of connecting with liberals and progressives in your area that might not normally be reached. Consider starting a chapter in your area, or joining another local progressive group.

Democracy starts at home, and whether its the kitchen table or the booth at the local pub, it's up to you. Promoting and sharing democracy is a civic responsibility that we all must lay claim too. After all, it's our state, we need to make it work for us.