Why I'm Excited...

It WAS an exciting day yesterday. I agree with much of what was said; It's great to see a black President when not too long ago, they couldn't even use the same bathroom as a white person. But by far, the thing that excites me the most is seeing and hearing the next generation so inspired and seemingly ready and willing to get involved in our country.

No matter what channel I watched yesterday, I saw ad after ad, all day long, from many companies about getting involved and volunteering. Helping out our fellow humans - obviously inspired by our new President. While we can hope for change, and some people will "expect" it, it absolutely can't and won't happen until EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. of us is willing to make it happen. We can't sit back and wait for the President to make our lives better.

If every individual who has an extra dollar would give that dollar to someone you know or a complete stranger who needs it, we can start making a difference. We can't let people go hungry - get that food out of your pantry that you know you won't eat and take it to the food bank.

Do you have old coats, blankets, gloves? Pack them up and get them in the car and head to the mission or to a local park where you know the homeless people stay during the day.

If you have extra, share it. If you have knowledge, put it to good use. It's so easy for us to "plan" on making a difference but also so easy to put it off or decide to let someone else do the work.

The economy is terrible now, the winter is cold, it seems to make us all depressed. But the best way out of depression, is to help someone. It's amazing how good it makes you feel to make a difference for even just one person.

So, I have a challenge for my readers. Once a week, all of those with blogs (if you have one I don't know about, send it to me!) should post about AT LEAST one thing we did during the week to make a difference. If you don't have a blog, you can comment on mine and let us know what you did. I'll post every Friday through the rest of the year and we can all post under Obama's words yesterday "Remaking America". Don't consider these posts as "bragging", they'll be used to give the rest of us ideas on what everyone is doing and an exchange of ideas on what we can do to make a difference, or help you brainstorm to accomplish lending a hand in some bigger way.

So, whether you pay the change for the person ahead of you in the grocery store, buy a pack of diapers for a mother you know can't afford them, volunteer for a week at a kids camp, take a kid to the movie that you know can't afford to go, or even share a kind word with someonve who obviously needs it - no matter how big or small, let's share what we're doing to help get the country we love back to where it should be.

Don't let them be just words from a new President. Let's make them OUR words and give them meaning, "YES WE CAN!"