lots of non-related stuff . . .

First and foremost . . . today, November 2nd, is election day -- VOTE!!

I'm not a political activist, and I'm certainly not going to use my blog as a platform, but I do feel like voting is an incredible, hard-fought-for privilege and the manner by which we the people of the United States of American are given the opportunity to express the direction in which we want/don't want our country to move. After seeing an e-mail on the women suffragettes of the 1920's, I feel even more compelled to go out there and let my voice be counted!

As an aside (and to get in a little quilting), this is a little wall hanging I did for our guild's Quilt the Vote challenge in 2008. It was the first challenge I'd ever entered (or really, even seen), and I didn't quite get what a challenge was.

But I really liked the thought process that went into my design -- the one is a paper-pieced star, and the other is the Alabama block. It's entitled Stars Over Alabama. The challenge was to use the red, white and blue fabric you see in the stars in some shape or form in the quilt, and to have a voting theme. I used silver binding and metallic silver thread to quilt it. I thought it was pretty. :)

On another November note, evidently this is National Blog Posting Month! The challenge is to write a blog entry -- of no particular length -- every day for thirty days! I've accepted the challenge; and I'm off to a good start! Click on the cornucopia on my left sidebar to get to NaBloPoMo's site, read all about it, and sign yourself up!

Speaking of blogs, it may surprise you to know that this is NOT the only blog I am involved in! My husband writes for Camp MACOBA's blog, which I help edit and publish. This blog is mostly made up of entries detailing our guests and activities taking place up at the camp. We also have a blog for Restoring the Church Ministries, which we update monthly. Blogging is in my blood!

I didn't get as much quilting done yesterday as I had thought, but on the upside, I got to spend a lot more time with my darling family than I had anticipated! I spent the afternoon with Sawyer and his mommy, and then I had dinner with my Jocey and her hubby! I'll take precious time with my family any day over quilting!

And let me just share with you precious: Sawyer's first costume . . .

Ah yes, time with family over quilting any time!

:)

Imagining Peace: The Renewal of Hope, the Wisdom of John F. Kennedy and the Message of John Lennon

Note: With the exception of this Friday's Halloween post, (see my P.S. at the bottom of this post) all of my other posts, between now and election day, (November 4th) are going to be political in nature. Why? Well, as my oldest, college going, vote registering daughter told one of her peers who declared her disinterest in politics by stating, "I don't do politics." ...
... "You may not do politics" replied my daughter, "but politics does you!"

... I don't know about you, but I like to have a say in what is being done to me!

And now for todays post...
47 years ago our nation elected John F. Kennedy as its 35th president, giving hope for a brighter future to millions of Americans. Sadly this dream was never realized due to an act of irrational violence and hatred. Now for many, with this election, we once again have that hope of a brighter and better tomorrow, for all humans everywhere. I pray that this time the hope can live, grow, prosper and spread, so that we may all live in peace one day.

John Lennon, whose life also was tragically cut short by another act of irrational violence and hatred, expressed the vision of a peaceful world more beautifully then anyone else I can think of...



The following words were spoken by Kennedy, and they are as relevant today as when he first spoke them, more then 45 years ago.

- No one has been barred on account of his race from fighting or dying for America, there are no white or colored signs on the foxholes or graveyards of battle.

- When written in Chinese, the word "crisis" is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.

- The basic problems facing the world today are not susceptible to a military solution.

- We cannot expect that all nations will adopt like systems, for conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth

- If we cannot now end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.

- Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal.

- Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.

- We have the power to make this the best generation of mankind in the history of the world or to make it the last.

- Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.

- Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.

PS. For those of you who do not enjoy the heaviness of this weeks posts, I have decided that in the spirit of childhood innocence and fun I will be posting something lighthearted and halloween-ish on Friday.