"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow - Don't walk behind me, I may not lead - Just walk beside me and be my friend."

HELEN KELLER

This remarkable woman remains to this day the one person I am most in total awe of.  To bring this fact home to you, whenever I am faced with what I perceive to be an emotionally overwhelming situation in my life, all I need to do is picture the face of Ms. Helen Keller and immediately I am deeply humbled...

Helen Keller was born in 1880 a completely healthy child.  In 1882 she developed a fever so severe, that it left her both blind, deaf and as a result, unable to speak.  Being fortunate enough to have  lived my entire life possessing all five of my senses, I truly cannot presume to tell you that I "UNDERSTAND" what Ms. Keller must have been through. I CAN, however, honestly tell you that she will ALWAYS have my profound respect as well as my undying admiration for having surmounted what to ME, are INCREDIBLE odds... 

Thank goodness Helen Keller had the kind of Mother and Father that I wish every single ONE of us would have!!!  Not only were Mr. and Mrs. Keller able to provide their disabled daughter with the kind of EMOTIONAL lifestyle that every child deserves, but in addition, they were fortunate enough FINANCIALLY to be able to  provide their daughter with an opportunity of reaching her fullest potential. They DID this for her by employing the assistance of her much treasured teacher and dear friend Anne Sullivan, (an amazing woman in her OWN right who I admire greatly) who ultimatelytaught Ms. Keller to "see," "hear," and "speak" through her fingers!!!!!!!!!!!  In order to DO this, Helen had to first learn the art of sign language and just TRY TO IMAGINE how difficult a task THAT had to be for her!!! 

It was soon discovered that Ms. Keller was a highly intelligent, as well as a deeply sensitive, caring and "never-give-up" type of individual, and it was these exact personality traits that caused this amazing human being to go on to graduate college with honors, as well as become a world- renowned author, lecturer, and activist. 

I myself own a wooden plaque on which this quote from Helen Keller is written:  "The most beautiful things of the world are not seen with the eyes but felt with the heart."

MOTHER TERESA

If ANYBODY tried to live her life in the name of Jesus Christ and succeeded, it was Mother Teresa.

In MY opinion, Mother Teresa was actually as GENUINE and as SAINTLIKE as she APPEAREDto be, with not one phony bone in her entire caring body.  In FACT, when I think of THIS marvelous and beautiful human being, the words "COMPLETELY SELFLESS" come into to my mind, for to ME, she truly WAS...

Her birth name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu and she was born in 1910.  When she was 18 years old, she joined the Order of the Sisters of Our Lady of Loreto in Ireland. She trained in Dublin, where the  motherhouse of the Loreto Sisters was and it was then that she chose the name of Sister Teresa, in memory of Saint Thersa of Lisieux.

In 1928 the young nun began a journey to India and in 1929 she arrived at Calcutta to teach at a school for girls.  It was while she was in Calcutta that she witnessed the pain of the sick and the dying and her compassionate heart was deeply touched.

It was in 1946 (In Darjeeling, which is located at the base of the Himalayan Mountains) that Mother Teresa knew for certain that she had experienced her calling to take care of the sick and the dying, so that is exactly what she started to do. After creating her OWN order of sisters (The Missionaries of Charity), Mother Teresa began doing the work that she was definitely BORN for. 

As my boyfriend Chris pointed out to me, the way in which she DID this work, was to actually go out among the population HERSELF, and search for whoever was sick and dying. Eventually, she would  come across these people who were lying neglected in the streets and once she DID, she would physically hold them in her arms and give words of comfort to each and every one of them by letting them know that they were NEVER ALONE and were ALL unconditionally loved by both her and Jesus Christ...To Chris and I, this incredibly beautiful act of allowing these people to depart from their lives in such a way, profoundly touched us deep inside our hearts...

"Civil Disobedience" which he wrote in the year 1849, was a result of a overnight visit in 1846 in a jail, after being arrested for refusing to pay his taxes in protest against the Mexican War and the extension of slavery. Subsequently, Thoreau lectured and wrote about the evils of slavery and helped fleeing slaves, for which I highly commend him.

Thoreau lived on the shores of a famously named pond, which is located in Concord, Massachusetts, in the United States of America. He lived there for two years starting in the summer of 1845 and his account of his experience became one of the most famous books ever written by an American, which is known by nearly every single person who is into poetry, my dears.

Ok...I'll give you your chance...do YOU know the name of this pond which has since given birth to the book which bears the name of the same? LOL  ;)

The pond is called, "Walden" and the book is called "Walden" which is also known as, "Life in the Woods," and wow, was this man a man of extreme sensitivity and articulation.

In 1990 one of the founding members of the rock band called, "the Eagles" a Mr.  Don Henley, created The Walden Woods Project to prevent the

When you think of the word "non-violence" there is one man whose name immediately comes to most people's minds and that name is none other than Mohandas K. Gandhi.

In his autobiography, "The Story of My Experiments with Truth" This exceptionally humble as well as HONEST human being made the statement that he was not comfortable with being called, "Mahatma" which means Great Soul and this alone should give you an idea of his personality.  When you think of the word "non-violence" there is one man whose name immediately comes to most people's minds and that name is none other than Mohandas K. Gandhi. In his autobiography, "The Story of My Experiments with Truth" This exceptionally humble as well as HONEST human being made the statement that he was not comfortable with being called, "Mahatma" which means Great Soul and this alone should give you an idea of his personality.

On December 5, 1955 five days after Montgomery, Alabama civil rights activist Rosa Parks refused to obey the city's APPALLING and DEHUMANIZING rules stating that blacks and whites must be segregated on the city's buses (she was told to go sit in the back of the bus), black residents of the city went on a boycott.  During this boycott, they elected Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as president ofthe newly-formed Montgomery Improvement Association.  In 1956, while the boycott continued, Dr.King gained much-deserved national prominence by the use of his sterling personality traits.Despite many trials and tribulations, in December 1956, Montgomery buses were finally desegregated after the United States Supreme Court declared Alabama's segregation laws unconstitutional. THANK YOU.

This beautiful human being continued his great amount of good by being instrumental in getting the government to allow black citizens to vote. He spoke at the Lincoln Memorial during the 1957 Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom and in 1958, published his first book, "Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story." In 1959, he toured India, and there he was able to increase his knowledge and understanding of Mahatma Gandhi. 

Dr. King attempted to reach and change his world by way of speaking to the younger generation and I highly commend him from the bottom of my heart for trying so hard to accomplish his "dream." On August 28, 1963, this now famous "I Have a Dream" speech attracted more than 250,000 protesters to Washington, D.C.  Again speaking from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. King spoke his deeply moving as well as awesomely powerful words not only to his OWN people, but to EVERY person in the entire world who truly cared about the fate of human race as a single entity...He DID make a difference in our world!!!!! and he did it without the use of violence in ANY form!!!!!!!

People, I am IMPLORING us now to not allow the violent death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to be in vain...PLEASE...We CAN do our parts to bring an end to all of this horrible violence going on around us!!!! Just THINK about it, and you'll realize that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!

PRINCESS DIANA

I've loved this extraordinary human being from the moment I first heard of her...

Princess Diana rose to meet the challenges in her life with an inner strength that even SHE didn't realize that she possessed and she overcame them with flying colors using her wit, style, humor, charm and grace.

In MY humble opinion, if asked what she would like me to say about her right NOW, I believe that Princess Diana would rather I speak about the kind of MOTHER that she was to her precious two children as well as the kind of PERSON that she was to the REST of the world, than about "Diana the Princess" and her mostly unhappy personal life as a result of her marriage into the Royal Family.

Because of my continued love and respect for the "People's Princess" I choose to see Diana for exactly the person that she WAS, and with her beloved children in mind, I will now speak about how I viewed her as a Mother...

Princess Diana was the best kind of Mother that any child could ever HOPE for.  The sun rose and set around her two sons and whatever she tried to DO for them, she did with the knowledge and the hope that she was preparing them to live in a world where they would grow up to treat ALL LIVING THINGS around them with the very same compassionate heart and soul that SHE had...According to MY estimations, she did a SUPERB job in this area, and I only hope that they never, EVER forget the lessons that she taught them...

Now as far as the kind of PERSON that she was to the REST of the world, all you need to do is ask practically ANYBODY you come across to share their thoughts and feelings regarding Princes Diana. and they will more than likely tell you that she was without a doubt, one of most giving and  compassionate human beings on the face of the Earth.  In THIS way Princess Diana reminded me of MotherTeresa, in that she, TOO, felt within her beautiful heart, that she needed to do WHATEVER SHE COULD to alleviate the emotional pain of the sick and the dying by letting them not only interact with her VERBALLY, but allowing them to touch her PHYSICALLY.  By DOING so, people knew that she was there for them and loved them unconditionally. 

I believe that even though we've recently lost Mother Teresa and Princess Diana, we hold within ourselves the power to keep BOTH of them alive FOREVER...All we have to do is to simply follow their shining examples JUST A LITTLE BIT EVERY DAY, and THIS way, they will ALWAYS live within us and in our future generations to come!! 

Stylish, graceful, elegant, talented, sensitive, charming and radiant.  These are the words that in my as well as MANY people's opinions, best describe one of my favorite actresses and people.

What an exemplary life this woman has led!  From the time she was a very young girl until her tragic death of colon cancer in 1993, Audrey Hepburn has proven herself to be a human being who was capable of  extraordinary  things.  For example, as a young girl during World War II, she performed in underground concerts to raise funds for the Dutch Resistance and she ALSO acted as a courier, believe it or not! 

When she became older, she began to model and she also found work as an occasional actress.  She was appearing in a bit-part role on a film shoot in the South of France when she met the French author Colette, who asked her if she would like to play the title role in a Broadway adaption of her novel, Gigi.  From this springboard, her movie roles became history, with such unforgettable roles as the ones that she played in Roman Holiday (she earned a Best Actress Oscar for her performance), Sabrina, The Nun's Story and MY personal favorite, Breakfast at Tiffany's, to name but a few. 

Since during the 1970's Ms. Hepburn decided that she wanted to place the raising of her family in the foreground of her life, naturally that didn't leave her much time for the persuit of  her career, but of course this was a personal decision and one that I deeply applaud. 

In 1988 this wonderful woman did something so incredibly generous and beautiful that I'm certain that she earned even MORE respect and admiration from her legion of  fans, when she became a special ambassador to the United Nations Children's Fund  (UNICEF).  She ended up spending the last years of her life doing tireless work for needy children, focusing mainly upon Africa and Latin America.  I
myself can still see her on tv, not feeling her very best healthwise, but always keeping her fertile mind actively focused upon her oh-so-important crusade. 

Ah yes...she was truly a gifted individual in more ways than one.

JOAN BAEZ

WHY do I think this woman is so marvelous? well to BEGIN with, not only was Joan Baez a gifted folksinger, but she was an influential non-violent activist as well!

Her clear, soothing and yet powerful singing voice is one that once you HEAR it, it is not quickly forgotten.

The year 1956 was obviously an important one for young Joan, since it was during THIS year that she bought her first guitar as well as had the opportunity to hear Martin Luther King, Jr. speak about non-violence and civil rights. 

Whatever information she digested, must have had a huge impact upon her being, because in 1957, while the rest of her high school class participated in an air-raid drill, Joan refused to do so, sticking to her newfound convictions.  It was ALSO during this year that Joan met Gandian scholar, Ira Sandperl, who became one of her strongest political influences.

I absolutely LOVE the fact that in 1962, amidst a country deep in the civil rights movement, she was brave enough and bold enough to conduct the first of three concert tours to Southern college campuses with a strict no-discrimination policy for her audiences.

I absolutely LOVE the fact that in 1963, her loyalty for her friend and fellow folksinger Pete Seeger was more important to her than furthering her own celebrity agenda, that when she was asked to appear on the television show "Hootenanny," not only did she say no to them since they had banned Pete Seeger (they did not agree with his political views), but she led an artist boycott of the show which ended up being much publicized. 

I absolutely LOVE the fact that in August of this same year, she sang, "We Shall Overcome" before an approximately aquarter million people at the Martin Luther King, Jr. civil rights march in Washington, D.C.

I absolutely LOVE the fact that in 1964, she withheld 60% of her income taxes, which was the determined amount which would have been used for military purposes during the war in Viet Nam.  Despite the fact that the IRS retaliated by placing a lien against her, this fantastic woman continued to withhold portions of her taxes for the next ten years. She continuing protesting not only this unconscionable war in various ways and by various means, but also the unconscionable manner in which black individuals were being treated. 

I absolutely LOVE the fact that while all this was going on, her career took off.

I absolutely LOVE the fact that in 1980, in recognition of her political activism and the "universality of her music," she was bestowed Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees by both Antioch University and Rutgers University.

I absolutely LOVE the fact that despite being ostracized, criticized and the object of numerous death threats, Joan Baez walked and STILL walks erect, proud and ever strong along her chosen path in life. 

These are just a few of the fabulous accomplishments that this extraordinary woman has under her belt.  There are many, many, many more. 

I just KNOW that should we ever have the opportunity to meet, we would talk and talk for hours, since we feel the exact same way about so many issues. 

I for one, hope whatever causes that this lady becomes involved with turns out exactly the way she DESIRES them to turn out.

Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, this amazing multi-talented entertainer began to show an interest in the piano at just the tender age of four.  At age eleven, "Reggie" entered the Royal Academy of Music, but left just prior to his graduation because he wanted to become...a rock musician!  Even though his father (who wanted his son to become a banker) had decided to ban rock music from their household, Reggie's mother (intuitive and sensitive soul that she was) smuggled such stuff as Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis into their home. Reggie began playing in local bands, including Bluesology, the backing group for singer John Baldry. Due to the influence of Baldry and saxophonist Elton Dean, Reggie decided to pay tribute to them by adopting their names as his own. 

In 1967, Elton met lyricist Bernie Taupin (through an ad in a London paper) and by 1971, the two geniuses became the first act since the Beatles to have four albums in the American Top 10 simultaneously.  Apparently their genius continued to be recognized throughout the world, for as time went on, Elton's star shone brighter. In the  mid '70's, Elton appeared in the Who's rock opera film, "Tommy." he was on the cover of Time magazine; had his star placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; played two concerts in L.A. to more than 100,000 people; and co-wrote a No. 1 hit with his dear friend John Lennon titled "Whatever Gets You Through the Night."

Together, Elton and Bernie scored twenty-three Top 40 hits, fifteen Top 10 singles, and five No. 1 songs. 

During the '80's, Elton played a free concert in New York City's Central Park and delighted 400,000 people.  He now began to adopt a more subdued stage and personal demeanor from the flamboyant and glamorous one that he had previously employed. Although he announced his bisexuality in 1976, he married in 1984. Unfortunately for Elton and Renate, their marriage lasted only four short years. 

In the late eighties, Elton befriended Ryan White, a young hemophiliac boy suffering from AIDS and the two (as well as Ryan's family) formed a close personal friendship. When Ryan passed away in 1990, Elton was there at his bedside. He performed at Ryan's funeral and then Elton began a life of introspection. He announced that he was checking into rehab for treatment of drug and alcohol addition and bulimia as well. He also decided to tell the public that he was a gay man and not bisexual, (which unfortunately due to our still mainly homophobic inclined society), took a TREMENDOUS amount of courage for him to do.

The '90's were very exhilirating as well as traumatic years for Elton, as they saw him becoming clean and sober, deciding that all profits from his singles would be donated to AIDS charities, and forming the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which went on to become one of the world's largest nonprofit AIDS organizations.  He also formed an alliance with Disney, earned five Grammy Award nominations, and took home Best Male Pop Vocal. He was also nominated for three Academy Awards, and took home the Oscar for Best Achievement in Music for the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight." He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, suffered two deep, tragic losses (his dear friends Gianni Versace and Princess Diana), and was knighted Sir Reginald Kenneth Dwight by the Queen of England.  He teamed up with Tim Rice ("The Lion King") on the Disney musical, "Aida" based upon Verdi's "Aida," he is still doing concert tours (the most recent with Billy Joel) and the way he is going, the sky is the limit for my favorite singer/musician!  As I've said numerous times before (to anybody who knows me), I will always be grateful for what his talent has meant to MY life.

Mattie began writing poetry when he was three years old. "I write to express my thoughts and feelings," he explains. You hear the word "heartsongs" a lot in his work. "Your heartsong is your inner beauty," says Mattie. "It's the song in your heart that wants you to help make yourself a better person, and to help other people do the same. Everybody has one." 

Because I want you to know him the way he saw himself, here, in his own words, Mattie describes himself and his life:

"I have a rare form of muscular dystrophy called mitochondrial myopathy, and I also have something called dysautonomia. That means that my 'automatic' systems, like breathing, heart rate, body temperature, oxygenation, digestion, and things like that don't always work well on their own.

So, I use extra oxygen all the time, and when I am tired or sleeping, I use a ventilator that breathes for me and some other machines, too. I also use a power wheelchair much of the time to save energy and move my medical equipment around. My two brothers and one sister died during childhood from the same thing I have, and my mother uses a power wheelchair all the time because she has the adult form of this disability. 

I love to read, write, and do public speaking at conferences and seminars. This year (2000) I was chosen to be the Maryland State Goodwill Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. I get to participate in many fundraising events that will help find a cure for neuromuscular diseases, and support children and families in celebrating life during the time before a cure is found. I also enjoy playing with Legos, drawing, Pokemon, and studying about famous people and the Martial Arts (I have earned a 1st Degree Black Belt in a Korean art similar to Tae Kwon Do). 

When I grow up, I want to be a peacemaker. My biggest role model for this is Jimmy Carter, who has been a wonderful peanut farmer, politician, and peacemaker... I call him the 'perfect hero.' I would like to work as a mediator and share my poetry, essays, and philosophy with others so that they may be inspired to work with other people, too. I want people to know that in every life there are storms. But we must remember to play after every storm and to celebrate the gift of life as we have it, or else life becomes a task, rather than a gift. We must always listen to the song in our heart, and share that song with others."

On June 22, 2004 I cried very hard when I heard that Mattie passed away. I truly believe that somewhere on another spiritual plane, there is an extremely riveted audience who is listening to him speak. I plan on buying all of his books, because I want to keep his magic with me forever.