John Edwards To Appear on Meet the Press this Sunday
A message from Kim Rubey of the One America Committee:
Senator John Edwards will appear on Meet the Press on Sunday, March 5th. Senator Edwards and former Secretary Jack Kemp, co-chairs of the Council on Foreign Relations Task Force on U.S.-Russia Relations, will discuss the findings of their upcoming report. Click here to find your local listings.
Senator Edwards and former Secretary Kemp will present their findings to the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday, March 6th at noon and C-SPAN will cover their presentation LIVE.
Then, on Tuesday, March 7th, Senator Edwards and former Secretary Kemp will also appear on the Charlie Rose show. Click here for your local listings.
We hope you can tune in for these appearances!
Thanks,
Kim Rubey, One America Committee
Iddybud Journal Nominated for Two Koufax AwardsI have received two nominations this year for Koufax blog awards. I kindly thank those who nominated me. What I do here is something I do because of passion. I do not make any money from my blogging efforts. I work professionally as a facilitator in a school-based program for a Community Service non-profit organization and I spend a lot of time volunteering for various community service efforts, including a Crisis/Suicide hotline, a faith-based choral organization, and a local theatre. I care deeply about my community and spend most of my volunteer-time in political pursuits, taking part in a local Progressive Coalition and writing a political blog for my city's newspaper. The greater Syracuse community is filled with wonderful and caring people, and many days I wish I had three or four more heads and hands so that I could do more for the citizens here. To be honest, though, I already know I have the heart to accomodate all those extra heads and hands I wish I had!
Speaking of heart, my thanks go out to Wampum's own Mary Beth Williams for all the hard work I know she puts into the Koufax Awards.
Your support for my blog is much appreciated.
Jude_____________My KOUFAX Nominations:Most Deserving of Wider Recognition
*see Billy the Blogging Poet's write-up
BEST BLOG (non-professional)
Living A Life Of Grace
The story below is about Grace. It's become a favorite of mine. I received it at a time when I most needed it. It reminds us that as we go through our trials of life, Grace is always present, whether or not we are able to acknowlege her presence. When I first read it, I sent it along to many of my friends to remind them that even when we feel that we're alone, we are never alone. When we feel lost and believe there is no inspiration left to find, tapping into the moment in the deepest silence between our busy thoughts can lead us back to Grace. We are so very lucky, yet we often forget about our good fortune as we allow ourselves to sink hopelessly into our mundane, worrisome, and fearful hours. Faith, hope, and charity - - none of these would be possible in this life without Grace. With it, we can face anything and we can even find an odd beauty in the seemingly ugliest of circumstances. Some call Her a "silver lining." I prefer to call Her a river of unconditional love and eternal light. Living A Life Of Grace printed at Daily OM October 6, 2005
Grace exists inside of all of us and around us. It is our inner beauty that radiates outward, touching everyone we meet. It is that unseen hand that comes from the divine, raising us up when we most need it. To be able to live in a state of grace is not based on worthiness, nor is it earned through good deeds, ritual, or sacrifice. Rather it is an unearned favor, freely bestowed and available to all, that is inherent to our birthright. All we must do is open our eyes to its presence and we will find and experience grace everywhere.
Grace is in the rain bringing relief to drought-ridden farms, and the unexpected lead for the perfect job opportunity that comes from a stranger. Grace is what happens to someone when they miraculously escape injury; it is even the simple events that happen to us that we call "good luck," like when we don't get a parking ticket after our meter has expired. Grace resides in the love between two people, the gift or check that comes unexpectedly in the mail, the cozy comforts that make up a home, and in the acts of forgiveness we bestow upon others. It is grace that moves us to go out of our way to help a stranger. 
In music, a grace note is the pause between notes that is so important to the pacing of a song. Grace is the state we are in when we are doing nothing but just being who we are.
When we accept that we always exist in a state of grace, we are able to live our lives more graciously. 
Knowing we are graced gives us hope, makes us more generous, and allows us to trust that we are taken care of even when we are going through difficult times. Grace is our benevolence of heart, and our generosity of spirit. Grace is unconditional love and the beauty that is our humanity. When we know that we are blessed with grace, we can't help but want to live our lives in harmony.
_________
Grace
It's a name for a girl
It's also a thought that changed the world
And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness in everything
What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things
- from Grace, a song by U2
