Many people wonder what good can come from the economy; the recession, inflated cost of living, national debt, foreclosures, homelessness,…the list goes on. Life is strange.  Sometimes it takes something bad…something devastating to bring the good out of a situation.  A horrible disaster, such as a  flood, a hurricane, an earthwake is something none of us wish to endure.  Lives are lost, homes are gone, and people who survive have to begin all over again. But in every disaster it is amazing how people rally to help.  They come from all over , working day and night to help those they don’t even know.  We see the good in humanity coming thru at these times even to the point of people risking their own lives to help and save others. 

In everyday life, we humans have a way of being satisfied to live our daily lives with minimal concern for others needs.  We may donate at a community center, or a church, or volunteer from time to time; but do we really know our community, our neighbors, or even our own family’s needs?  At this point in time where global recession, greed, and fraud seem to be the norm, we have an amazing opportunity to step back and determine to help change our world, beginning with ourselves, our homes, our own communities 

If you think that it is an impossibility, look at history.  It proves it is the way to accomplish a true change.  Take a look at the emancipation proclamation.  Over a hundred years ago, slaves were emancipated but as late as the 1960’s  African Americans still had to sit in the back of the bus,  stay away from white neighborhoods, to remain segregated, to work in service jobs paying very little.  It was in everyway a form of slavery and the predjudice and hatred was so prevelant  that many of us remember cases of young African American men being beaten or hung for even looking at a white woman.  In those days the  klu klux klan was actively and hatefully committing crimes against the African American population.  We know that prejudice is still prevelant but things are very different now.  Why?  Because individuals like Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks decided to change their world…beginning  one step at a time. African Americans  united and stood up against prejudice for what they believed was their right….the right to go to a good school, the right to drink out of a water fountain, the right use a white person's restroom, or eat in a white person's restaurant.  We all know the story, and you know that it changed the world.  Martin Luther King won his fight but lost his life.  Rosa Parks lived to see what she had done for her race, change men’s hearts.  But the Dream became a reality because people untited for freedom. 

There are so many examples of oppression and hard times bringing out the good  fight in people.  We can decide to complain about our economy, our government, our lives; or we can  choose to begin turning our country around, to bring jobs and manufacturing back to America, help our children learn good work skills,  become a healthier nation.  The list goes on, but we can do it.  If we are committed and united, we can change our ways, our homes, our communities and our country providing ourselves and the  next generation a much better future in everyway.  

Together we can do it!