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Grace & Gratitude

Cover Photo by Tim Trumble

From the Editor Shavawn M. Berry

GL OBAL TH I NK ING WO MEN

For These Things I am Thankful As November blows in, with a cavalcade of falling autumn leaves cueing us that winter will soon be here, I am reminded of my deep need to reflect on all the blessings in my life. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. It’s sometimes easy to feel overwhelmed by the expectations attached to the holiday season. It’s easy to complain or eat too much and rest too little. It’s easy to wallow in self-pity and to look back instead of move forward. It’s easy to rant about how our glass is half empty instead of half full. And this year – this terrible year – while many of us watched our 401K accounts sink like the Titanic, as our jobs were threat-ened and the cost of all our bills rose, it has been as hard as ever to remain hopeful about our collective and individual future. However, despite the definite “worst of times” feeling that I get from my daily dose of CNN, I am actively turning my prayers toward the grace that permeates my life and reminding myself of all that I have to be thankful for. The list is long.

Because I am unmarried, for much of my adult life I have spent Thanksgiving in the presence of friends in New York City, Los Angeles, Fairfax, VA and Phoenix, Arizona. Occasionally I have even cooked a whole bird and all the trimmings of a festive meal, and invited friends over to enjoy it at my house! I have witnessed many traditions, dishes, and ways of celebrating the holiday. One family eats paella. Another one serves sticky rice instead of mashed potatoes or gravy. I’ve had turkey and ham, lasagna and red pepper soup, corn stuffing and peach pie. Every single situation has been unique. But one thing that has been rela-tively consistent is the camaraderie of the meal itself and the sharing of what each person feels most thank-ful for. Hearing each person’s singular reasons for giving thanks is often humbling, to say the least. I have heard thanks given for all manner of good fortune, including the ability to rise again after misfortune.

So, when I think of what I will list this year, I think of people, events, places and, yes, even a few pre-cious possessions: I am thankful for the beauty and wisdom of my mother’s life and her ability to help me find my way through life’s detritus again and again. I am thankful that she’s in good health and still able to enjoy her life (at the age of 73). I am thankful for cherry pie and the peaceful purring of my cats; for the sound of laughter and the transformative power of books. I am grateful for my friendships – particularly with my women friends – who offer me so much solace every day. I am thankful that I can write about my life. I feel gratitude for the hope percolating up from the very soil of this nation; for our brave-hearted and eloquent president-elect; for his wife whose brains and beauty are a true pleasure to witness. I am glad I have access to kisses, comfort food, flannel pajamas, pumpkin pie, hot coffee, and the occasional beer…I am thankful for my spiritual practice and the support system it provides. My heart is gladdened by hearing mu-sic and tasting chocolate. I am grateful for my job and my amazing students; for my ability to take care of my basic needs and still buy an ice cream now and then. I am thankful for my body, my brain, and my health. I am thankful for church bells, and true love, and heartache, even if I am alone right now as a result. I am grateful for solitude and sadness and angels and ice bergs...for polar bears and rain showers, for the sound of Oak Creek and the roar of the ocean. I am thankful for the stars poking through the cloud cover here in the desert. I am thankful that I had my father in my life as long as I did — even though it was not long enough. I am thankful for poems and language and paintings and prairie dogs. I am thankful for the

promise of my life and the things that Spirit has set at my table to accomplish. I am grateful for prayer, for hardship, for the ways in which my life is changed and trans-formed in relationship to others. I am thankful for the books I read and the conversa-tions I count on. As I edge toward the half-century mark, I am grateful for every single day, every lovely breath, every opportunity to dance. The world is full of wonders. This Thanksgiving, between the turkey and the sweet potato pie, turn to those sharing your table and express your love and joy and gratitude to them. You will be glad you did.

More musings on spirituality, grace, art, and life in general can be read on my blog at http://www.fallingintowonderland.wordpress.com or on my website: http://www.shavawnmberry.com

VOL UME 6, I SSU E 6

The Thing About Grace by Kim Eagles

If you were asked to give your definition of the word grace many might reflect to what one does at mealtimes: a short prayer of thanks to God said before, or some-times after, a meal. Others might think of a person of elegance, beauty, and smoothness of form or move-ment—or a women’s name. And for some people, it’s the extra time allowed before having to pay a debt or com-plete a transaction also known as a grace period.

As I child, I have fond memories of the grace and gratitude of our good neighbors—back when family and community stuck together. Growing up in our modest and nearly poor household, our neighbors were very important to our family—we could rely of them in times of need. There’s a familiar scripture that states: “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back later; I’ll give tomorrow”—when you now have it with you. Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you.”

During that era—as opposed to the times we live in now—people sincerely took care of each other. Perhaps caring was the order of the day because things were not simply handed out freely. Back then a long, hard honest day of work instilled virtue and kindness that caused most people to feel that they should take care of others in their time of need, with no strings attached, simply as a means of giving to give. I now see the im-portance of a ‘timely blessing’ and the act of ‘truly giving from the heart’. As a child, I received help from others; and that was very humbling for our household. It caused us to become proud, yet envious, instead of thankful. Unfortunately, when the tables shifted and I became able to give, I really did not give freely as I should have; sad to say—my heart had hardened. I quickly developed a desire to get things in order to have things—not simply to give to others.

My life has now turned full circle and my heart has softened, mostly because of the grace and mercy of God—primarily because I have allowed wisdom and grace to enter into my heart, soul and mind. In certain areas, I’ve come to the end of myself and my selfish exploits of self promotion, mistrust of others, manipula-tion and attempting to control my circumstances in order not to be exposed and humiliated by my desire for achievement. The spiritual legacy of Christ promises each of us the opportunity to walk in the light of truth,

not in our past disappointments. The thing about grace is that grace is a gift. Grace is often distinguished from mercy. Mercy is seen as not

receiving punishment that one deserves to receive; whereas grace is receiving a posi-tive benefit that one does not deserve to receive. Divine Grace also can be defined as God's empowering presence in one’s life enabling each one of us to do and be what we were created to do and be. Grace emerges from the generosity of spirit that gives indi-viduals the capacity to endure intolerance, accommodate the unlovable, and forgive the unforgivable. Grace is God's gift to humankind.

Giving the Gift of Time

by Mary Powell


Despite the plummeting of the U.S. stock exchange, the increase in housing foreclo-sures, and a stumbling economy, Americans have much to be grateful for. Most of us have clean drinking water, vaccinations, food, and a roof over our heads. Many of us have people in our lives that inspire us emotionally and spiritually, supporting us through the best and worst of times. It is for this reason, that it is so important to give people the thanks they deserve for making a difference in our lives. This holiday sea-son, rather than spending money on another sweater for our siblings or scarf for our mothers, perhaps we

should make them gifts of gratitude.

Gifts of gratitude need not be extravagant. In today’s fast paced world, where one can apply for a job, cook dinner and play solitaire on the computer simul-taneously, making someone a gift for the holi-days, or a simple thank you present, is crucial. What are some simple options? A kind, cheerful note or poem can be more meaningful, since the majority of us e-mail rather than hand write let-ters. Hand writing a thank you card to a friend or loved one takes more time and effort, and can cheer up a person’s day. If you want to add a more personal touch to it, decorate the card; add some scrap-booking pieces from a local crafts store, use magazine cut outs, or fabric scraps to add color to the cover.

Another gift of gratitude that does not cost much but can be so special is a natural gift

such as geodes, pretty rocks, or fresh or dried flowers. You can even purchase a plant at your local Home De-pot or Target that will cost you as little as three dollars. These make nice gifts of gratitude because they are thoughtful and can be used to brighten up the office, or add color to a room. Food can also be a wonderful gift. Baking cookies, bread or brownies, making chocolates (you can find easy recipes online) or creating a trail mix of dried fruit and nuts make wonderful gifts for friends.

My favorite gift of gratitude, however, is time. Offer to wash a friend’s car, help him/her study for an exam, or take care of his/her pets. Create a “spend time with me” coupon, good for treating a person to a meal or helping him/her with weekly chores, such as grocery shopping or picking up the yard. This assistance will greatly ease stress in a person’s schedule. Treating a friend or loved one to a cup of coffee on a Sunday morn-ing, hiking or biking with him/her, even something as simple as keeping a person company while they are watching their children, are all ways of showing how much each special person means to you.

For those of us who have children, the most precious present we can give them is our time. Taking children on a picnic or spending the day watching old movies on television are powerful strategies for bonding with your children. It is important to choose an activity that does not require you to spend much money on your children because you want the focus to be on being together rather than on material items. Offering your time allows you to refocus on what is most important: the time you share together.

In this time of financial crisis, advertisements tell us to spend more money when we actually need to save it. So this holiday, instead of buying presents for people, be creative and make them. Our time is more precious than our money, but it is the one gift we can give freely. When we look back upon our lives, we think of the time we spent with our friends, we do not crave the objects they purchased for us. This year, let the fo-cus be on memories rather than merchandise.


Gratitude is not the same as happiness. We all strive for something called hap-piness; we go places, we do things, we read or listen to music, we drink or take a pill to be happy. To be happy is what everyone in this world wants. Happiness is a new Lexus. Happi-ness is a Caribbean, white-sand beach. We search for something, or someone to trigger hap-piness in ourselves, so inside we will feel something good. Gratitude does the opposite. Gratitude is directed toward an outside influence; it flows out of us rather than in, yet feels just as good, if not better than the pleasures we seek for happiness. It is the outward sharing

of our energy with another, with nature, rather than the internalizing of an outside influence. We may be taking or accepting something from another when gratitude arises but we are also giving back. When we have gratitude for another person, they receive it as appreciation and true understanding. When we have gratitude for a moment in time, we send this wave of good energy out to those around us, our friends, our culture, our children and our families. Gratitude washes over you in unexpected moments. When your infant son is lying in critical care, where he’s been for weeks, with you at his side day and night, in anguish worrying for him, longing for your other child who is still so small and in need of her mother too. Then one day, in the endless march of days, you are walking up a steep hill back to the children’s hospital, high on top of the hill, with its con-crete and old creaky windows and doors, its needles and instru-ments of pain, its teddy bears standing under rainbows painted on the walls. It’s a crystal clear, blue-sky, San Francisco day and you are stopped in your tracks by a sudden wave of happiness and con-tentment. The sky is beautiful, the air is fresh and you are able to say to yourself that you will accept whatever happens to you in this life. You are filled with gratitude for walking on this city street, for witnessing the deep blue California sky and for having the opportunity to love and care for this boy, no matter how hard it is to do so. What would you be doing otherwise? What is more important than this, even if it is hard? And you think it strange that you have gratitude for this moment that seems on the surface to be the worst time of your life. Grati-tude is a gift. Recognizing gratitude when it arises can be a gift to ourselves as well as to others. Grati-tude is a mind-body experience which can put you in touch with your spiritual self, your deep sense of a higher-power, or a master plan. At the very least gratitude gives you a sense of peace that balances you and lets you rest. And for others, knowing of your gratitude for their presence in your life is a gift that can last forever.

Wendy Brunner is a writer and mother living in Fountain Hills, Arizona. Her writing interests include examin-ing human nature to see how seemingly superficial, everyday acts can unexpectedly become profound.

Reflections on Gratitude by Wendy Brunner

Gratitude Letters, Visits and Lists by Shavawn M. Berry

Martin E. P. Seligman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and founder of the “positive psychology” movement, advocates something called a “gratitude visit.” The steps are simple:

think of a person in your life who has played a significant role in terms of kindness or generosity, but to whom you have never properly expressed thanks for that kindness or help. Write a detailed “gratitude letter” to them, explaining why you are grateful for the role they have played in your life. Then visit them, and read your letter out loud. According to Seligman, gratitude visits always offer catharsis for both the recipient and the letter writer. They also allow the recipient a chance to “pay it forward” by writing their own letter, and vis-iting another person whose impact may have been overlooked. In Daniel H. Pink’s amazing and encouraging book, A Whole New Mind, he offers two other options to express our gratitude: The birthday gratitude list which requires you sit down and write out a numbered list of things you are grateful for that corresponds with your current age; or the “one-a-day” expression of gratitude which “is a way to weave thankfulness into your daily routine” (Pink, pg. 216). Whatever choice you make, possessing an attitude of “gratitude is a key component of personal happiness” according to scholars who study positive psychology (216).

How much you should tip? When we go out of the United States, we often won-der how much we should tip. This is a fair question coming from a society that tips almost everybody, and where that extra buck is not always just appreciated, but expected. If you disagree, try overlooking the people who get your bags at the airport!

Tipping etiquette is a must read when going abroad, because knowing what the rules are can make our trip go much more smoothly. There are countries where tipping is a must even when asking for directions. At restaurants, sometimes leaving the change (i.e. coins) –whatever it was- is enough; in other countries, the tip is already included and nothing else is expected, and in others tipping is even con-sidered rude! We tend to over tip everywhere we go. We tip taxi drivers, hotel staff, etc., The effect? All we do is make them expect it every time they see an American tour-ist.

For example, when I travel to remote areas in Mexico, one of the things I see is how expensive things get wherever Ameri-

cans travel on a regular basis. A taxi ride that should be $2, is $10 or $20. Why? Because when the locals charged $2, people gave them $5, thinking, “That is too cheap!” When they charged $5, everybody gave an extra dollar (i.e. tip) and made the price rise even higher. The effect of all this over spending and over tipping is that we (as trav-elers) end up complaining incessantly about how expensive some things have become!

So, next time you travel, read about tipping etiquette for the country you plan to visit. Treat it like you would any other seri-ous subject. You want to respect the culture of the place you are visiting. Knowing when and how to tip is part of that sense of un-derstanding and re-spect. For addi-tional help with this topic see the following link:

http://www.ehow.com/how_112003_tip-foreign-country.html

The Tipping Point

by Marcela Marenco


Would you like to write for Global Thinking Women Newsletter?

Do you have expertise to share with other women? December’s Issue will cover the theme:

Offerings: Community Service; Giving Back Submit articles, article ideas, or ideas for themes for

upcoming issues to [email protected] Articles are due on 5th of each month for each monthly issue.


Enhancing and Maintaining Memory

by Sue Grace

Where Did I Put My *@#& Keys?! Americans fear the possibility of losing their memory. A Met-Life Foundation study from 2006 surveyed American concerns about illness, and found that those between the ages of 18 to 55 feared only cancer more than Alzheimer's Disease. For those over 55, Alz-heimer's was their greatest fear.

Of course, not all memory loss is a precursor of Alzheimer's Disease, but how can we tell when our forgetfulness is a part of the normal aging process versus when it signals something more seri-ous?

When should I be concerned about memory loss? Memory loss shouldn’t always be cause for concern. As we

grow older, our brains store more information and it can take our brains longer to process and retrieve infor-mation. There are “red-flag changes in mental functioning”, however, that can be serious. A new Johns Hopkins 2008 study titled “Memory” details them:

Problems with learning and retaining new information;

Difficulties handling complex tasks, such as balancing a checkbook, cooking a meal or other tasks that require a complex train of thought;

Ability to reason or react appropriately to common occur-rences such as dealing with a flat tire;

Spatial ability and orientation that allows us to drive and find our way in familiar surroundings;

Language problems that prevent us from speaking or un-derstanding conversations;

Behavioral changes such as acting passively or becoming more suspicious or irritable.

Can we improve or maintain our mem-ory? The answer is yes. We can take proactive steps to positively affect our memory.

Exercise According to the Johns Hopkins study, blood flow to the brain decreases by 15 to 20% be-tween the ages of 30 and 70. Exercise increases this blood flow so find some activity.

Brain exercise: read, do crossword puzzles, play Sudoku, take a class, perhaps in new area of inter-est. Or go out and dance. This gives you double benefits since you’re getting exercise and your chal-lenging your brain with two different activities-movement and focus on dance steps. AARP offers a range of memory games that can be accessed on its website, www.aarp.org.

Proper sleep and proper diet are also factors in helping all of us maintain a healthy memory, so be sure to get enough rest, and eat your fruits and vegetables!

Who said women can’t have it all—brains, beauty, grace and a company that spans the globe? We have certainly found that woman! Jerrie Ueberle, President of Global Inter-actions, Incorporation. Global Interactions, Inc. is a non-profit organization that creates and facilitates

opportunities for professionals to interact worldwide with domestic and global counterparts. Through such interactions, they seek to increase the exchange of best practices, technologies, and research in edu-cation, science, and technology. They also enable individuals the opportunity to work together, build-ing relationships that accelerate their learning and ability to apply knowledge that improves services, products, and systems for their clients and custom-ers.

Ms. Ueberle’s energy and enthusiasm is con-tagious from the first moment she greets you. She is the “hostess with the mostess” whether in her home office in Arizona or in China where she has traveled nearly 100 times in the past 24 years.

Currently, Ms. Ueberle owns a Phoenix-based non-profit corporation focused to increase worldwide communication and understanding among U.S. professionals and their international counterparts. Conferences, seminars, and study pro-grams engage participants in sharing best practices, research, and technologies that contribute to identi-fying common concerns and discovering new meth-odologies for achieving results. She is also the owner and president of Jerrie Ueberle & Associates, a woman-owned and operated company specializing in collaborative team building for personal and or-ganizational change.

The purpose of this work is to create partner-ships with colleagues to continue the dialogue and develop sustainable relationships. The work of Global Interactions began in 1984 and has focused primarily on China, spanning a 20 year period of rapid change and development. One of her more recent activities involves a Beijing conference on Multiple Intelligences. She also serves on the Foun-

dation Board of Directors of SIAS University, the first private U.S. University in China, located in Zhengzhou, Henan Province.

Another project Ms. Ueberle is passionate about is Challenge: TOMORROW. It is a 21-day China – U.S. Youth Program designed to bring Chi-nese and American youth together for cross-cultural immersion and leadership development around the theme “Two Continents, One Tomorrow, Endless Possibilities.” Together the students will address issues and generate ideas for creating the world they want to live in. The planning and implementation of this experience focuses on building sustainable rela-tionships and partnerships that will grow and ex-pand beyond their time in China.

The American students will meet, share, and learn with Chinese students and staff in a rural area of Henan province on SIAS University campus, and with a second group of students in Beijing, Haidian District. The two sites will provide the contrast of geography, socio-economics, and life styles in two distinctly different areas of China. This will enable the American students to gain a perspective of the vast differences between regions, economy, and de-velopment of people living in a country the geo-graphic size of the United States inhabited with five times more people.

2008-09 Programs & Events 2009 America Asia Education Partnership Summit April 14-16, 2009 - Phoenix, Arizona, USA

2009 Challenge: TOMORROW July 2009 - Shanghai, Beijing, Zhengzhou, Moon Lake (Inner Mongolia) - CHINA

2nd Annual Women's Symposium & Study Program - May 16-May28, 2009 - Shanghai, Sias International University, Xinzheng City, Henan Provice, CHINA

For more information or to become a women’s mentor, contact:

Global Interactions, Inc. 14 West Cheryl Drive Phoenix, Arizona 85021 Phone: (602) 906-8886

http://www.globalinteractions.org


Profile: Jerrie Ueberle—President, Global Interactions, Inc. by Kim Eagles


Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful. -- Buddha

Gratitude is generally regarded as thanksgiving or appreciation for what we have re-ceived. However a deeper spiritual construal of gratitude includes the foundation of un-conditional love, that is to say, gratitude is a natural expression or manifestation of appreciation that is based upon unconditional love. There are innumerable ways of expressing this kind of gratitude. We can speak our ap-preciation to others, we can en-act our gratitude through ser-vice, and at the highest level we can live gratitude. Gratitude becomes a deeply engrained as-pect of character. Johannes A. Gaertner, an art historian, poet and theologian, said: “To speak gratitude is courteous and pleas-ant, to enact gratitude is gener-ous and noble, but to live grati-

tude is to touch Heaven.” Thus, our goal should be to ‘live grati-tude.’

When we live gratitude as a spontaneous expression of unconditional love, our attention shifts away from the self onto the other. In this way, it pro-motes the formation of human fellowship and the foundation for lasting relationships. Fur-thermore, living gratitude helps us to become truly humble and thus to appreciate what we typi-cally take for granted. When we take things for granted we run the risk of living life on the sur-face. Humbleness has a way of keeping things in perspective. It helps us to keep our hearts con-tinuously open to God.

St. Teresa of Avila reminds us: “In all created things discern the providence and wisdom of God, and in all things give Him thanks.” Since everything that surrounds us is in God’s domain and belongs to Him, we should be thankful for the privilege of temporary stew-ardship. Perhaps the only thing a person truly owns is her own heart, and if she is wise, she would also lovingly give her heart to God (in gratitude). When we live in gratitude, it is

easier to reconnect to what is sa-cred in the external world because gratitude connects us to what is sacred within. In this sense, grati-tude is transformational. It pro-motes spiritual and personal growth because it calls upon us to acknowledge and to exercise our divine nature, unconditional love, and humility. This results in true service.

Service that is borne from the overflow of unconditional love becomes a privilege. It is a privi-lege to help, instruct, and encour-age those who are in need; to sup-port, uplift, and love those who feel isolated and alone. This kind of service connects us to the divine elements within our own nature and acknowledges the divinity in all other things. It is natural to serve others when we realize that we live in a sacred world. When we are genuinely grateful, we can demonstrate kindness to others, express our joy, and humbly speak our truth.

Elaine Yoshikawa, Ph.D., is a Lecturer in Philosophy at ASU, Polytechnic Campus. Her current research interests are: Virtue Eth-ics, Christian Ethics, Buddhist Ethics, and happiness.

Living Gratitude: An Attitude of Unconditional Love

by Elaine Yoshikawa

“The greatest gift that you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance.”

— Brian Tracy

The Audacity of Hope: Yes We Can By Barack Obama, the 44th President-elect


From the acceptance speech in Grant Park, in Chicago:

“...The true genius of America [is] that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow. This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of oth-ers who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election ex-cept for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old. She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and

because of the color of her skin. And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her cen-tury in America - the heartache and the hope;

the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can. At a time when

women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can. When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can. When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can. She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Over-come." Yes we can. A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can. America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made? This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of op-portunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can. Thank you. God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.” The full text of Obama’s speech can be found online at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/04/obama-victory-speech_n_141194.html Scroll down to see it.

Arizona Thinking Women Kim Eagles, M.A.—Global Leadership

Founder/Director Tempe, AZ 85281

[email protected] www/igloo.org/arizonacommunity

www.igloo.org/kim_eagles http://eagles-thinkingwomen.blogspot.com/

A Division of:

ODATS

Organizational Leadership and Development Training System

It’s not often that we get an opportunity to celebrate a moment in history—examples include a woman’s right to vote and man’s first step onto the surface of the moon. But the first week in November, change oc-curred in America. Whether or not your candidate won the 2008 Presiden-tial Election, Barack Hussein Obama is

our nation’s 44th President-elect. Not bad for a black man raised by sin-gle woman once on welfare!

As predicted by the late singer Sam Cook in 1964 in his song, “A Change Gonna Come,” ‘change’ has finally arrived. Emotions ran high with the worldwide announcement that the United States had elected its first Black President. For some individuals came tears of joy; some fell to their knees in thanksgiving; some were speechless; and some became

fearful of the future, sending them “into mourning” as quoted by Family Activist, James Dobson. Whatever the reaction, President-elect Obama’s election is historic. People of all races, creeds and col-ors voted for a man because his values, intelligence, dedication and love for the American Dream. The long cherished dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came true on November 4th, 2008. Without violence or revolution, on the wings of over 65 million votes (65,855,918), America embarked in a new direction. All I can say

is: YES, WE DID. For more on Kim’s reaction see: http://globalthinkingwomen.weebly.com/.

Yes We Did! by Kim Eagles

“Global Women Have Something to Say”

We’re on the Web! http://globalthinkingwomen.weebly.com/

Leadership and Development