Yes we can - Barack Obama, music video by will.i.am

In celebration of the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama: For the hope he inspires and for his call to all of us to be co-creators with him in manifesting our vision of a better world.



If you can't view the YouTube video in this post, here is the link for the uplifting Yes We Can Barack Obama music video by will.i.am.

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.

Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.

Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.

Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality.

Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.

Yes we can heal this nation.

Yes we can repair this world.

Yes we can.

We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics...they will only grow louder and more dissonant ........... We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea --

Yes. We. Can.

Yes We Can: Then Illinois Senator Barack Obama's January 8, 2008 concession speech to Senator Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary.
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UPDATE: The links below were for the transition and are no longer active. See the sidebar for current opportunities to work together with President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

Change.gov - Communication from the President-elect and his staff and several methods of communicating your ideas to the new administration. Included are video's of President-elect Obama's weekly address. The President-elect's plans for 24 different areas such as the economy, families, and social security are listed under the menu heading: Agenda.

America Serves - Sign up to let them know if you are interested in working together with the new administration in new solutions.

Citizen's Briefing Book - Give his staff your ideas, rate others submitted, and they will share top rated posts with the President.

Share Your Vision - Let the new president know your vision for America.

In appreciation of weather

Sun and Snow by Melle Plante

Today is crisp -- very crisp actually with a wind chill below zero - the air is fresh and clean. The sun is shining on a layer of new snow, the sky is clear and blue, and trees provide a dark counterpoint in this light-filled world. How could I not feel joy today? Cloudy days are full of wonder, too. The cumulonimbus clouds build up in impressive thunderheads as the warm, moist air rises thousands of feet to the stratosphere. The warm showers late in the day refresh the earth and clear the air. Lenticularis hover like spaceships over mountains and towns. From flat, slate gray slabs that cover the sky to billowy white pillows, clouds are ever changing. The light hitting them changes constantly, sometimes producing the beautiful "God's Rays" that shoot down to illuminate the earth. The rising and setting sun reflects gold, red, lavender, purple and every lovely shade between to create a beautiful moment...and another...and another -- just for your pleasure and mine. The weather all works together with nature to provide just the right conditions for life. The cold and snow kill germs and bugs while providing the cover and protection for plants and trees to hibernate for the winter. The warm rains of spring nourish new growth. The heat of summer, and rains, are needed for that push to complete the cycle of growth and on to fall for harvest. The animals, bugs, reptiles, birds -- all of us enjoy the fruits of weather. The beautiful skies, the nourishing rain and sun, sunsets and sunrises. Each moment is new, never the same, never to be repeated. Presented for our enjoyment by a loving Universe working in perfect harmony and balance. Always ours to enjoy -- for a moment or a day.

The Cloud Appreciation Society

A rampage of well-being on creating

There's nothing like the delicious sensation of creating. I love thinking about a new idea. I try out different strategies in my mind and play with them, revising them as I go along to be even more pleasing to me. Then there seems to be a point of explosion when it's ready and action must take place! I lose the separateness of being in the world and regain my connection with my Inner Self as I focus on bringing my vision into my world. There is a pure joyful energy flowing through me that wants to be expressed and I mold the clay of the physical world to match it. As I work, I feel my way and make any changes to my creation until all my feelings are smooth and flowing. My creation is whole and complete. Done. There is nothing more to be added. And yet, it is incomplete. There is always more to be done, but not with this creation -- the new energy will be with the next idea -- the next creation. I am left with a feeling of happiness and joy. I love the ephemeral quality of creating. It's like a flower that blooms to be enjoyed for this moment. And there is another. And another. And another. An eternal garden to be experienced. I don't have to hold onto anything at all, but just to walk from one delicious experience to another. I love that anything at all could be a focus for me. Making up my own recipe. Writing a post. Drawing. Photography. Or just losing myself in the moment by stopping to watch a beautiful sunset. I love the feeling of success when the manifestation feels complete. I love that surrender to joy in the experience of creating and I feel eager for more. As I wrote this I realized that this is what Abraham has been describing as the process for all of the desires we have in our life. Look at anything you do that is creative. Do you take it for granted because it's easy? You probably do it for the pleasure of creating. How amazing to think that everything is that easy! Castle or button. Red car. Winning the lottery. A relationship that makes our heart sing.

Thank you darling Abraham, for reminding me of what I knew when I first came into this world -- that life is meant to be a joyful, delicious adventure that I live just for the fun of it.