Lizbeth’s We Are The World Blogpost #WATWB
Obama’s Tweet
A tweet by Obama, posted after the violence in Charlottesville, quoted Mandela and was the most-liked tweet ever. It attracted more than 3.3 million likes and 1.3 million retweets as of August 17th.
I’ll include an excerpt. You can read the whole thing at http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/08/16/543882516/obama-s-tweet-after-charlottesville-is-the-most-liked-tweet-ever.
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion …,” Barack Obama tweeted on August 16, quoting words from South African President Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. The tweet was accompanied by a photo of himself, jacket slung over his shoulder, smiling at four young children of different races gathered at a windowsill.
As they say in Hawai’i, Obama gave me “chicken skin.” Mandela (what a great name for a great man, yes?) gave me something even better. He gave me hope that someday the blazing light of love might dissolve the pitch blackness of hate.
Patriot the Husky
Here’s the link to an uplifting story published on August 11th:
Patriot the Husky, a victim of abuse as a puppy, now helps kids who’ve also been victims of abuse. This cycle of events was only made possible by Kevin Marlin, 47, the man who rescued Patriot and taught him to trust again, thus enabling the dog to return the favor by helping hurting children. Patriot helps them through the trauma of having to testify in court. What a heartwarming story of receiving help and giving help back, of suffering abuse and, with the help of emotional support, surviving and sometimes even thriving in spite of it.
When Kevin Marlin, who’d been involved with pet therapy for 10 years, adopted Patriot, he was 4 months old with severe mouth injuries caused by metal wire wrapped tightly around his snout.
Marlin and Patriot currently work with Orange County’s PANDA Program — PAWS Assist the Needs of the District Attorney. Patriot is one of 13 therapy dogs helping young victims feel more secure when telling their stories.
“One young girl, just beginning the process of a trial, was visibly uncomfortable until Patriot came over and nudged her with his nose,” Marlin said. “The girl grabbed hold of him and cried. They made a strong connection and the girl was able to move on with her story.”
Thank you Lisbeth for sharing these great stories ~ after reading some of the great blogs this month makes me feel there is some hope for this world. Thank you for participating in #WATWB
Thank you for your positive words! I checked out your site at http://www.professorowlsbookcorner.com/ and enjoyed your post about Variety Village ambassador Patricia but didn’t see anywhere to leave a comment. Love the pics on your sidebar!
You’re very welcome. I feel the same way; uplifted by the stories I’m reading. I’m so glad my friend Gail Baugniet told me about #WATWB! I also enjoyed your post about Patricia, a Variety Village ambassador.
Sawubona and hello from South Africa, Lizbeth!
It’s wonderful to see Mandela’s name mentioned here.
Thank you for sharing this heart-warming story about Patriot.
Great to meet you via the We Are The World Blogfest. *waving*
How lovely to meet you as well, my South African neighbor! When I think of Mandela , I think of this line from Longfellow: “Lives of great men are reminders, we can make our lives sublime, and, departing, leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time.” What a beautiful footprint Mandela left! Thank you for commenting and so glad you enjoyed the story about Patriot. BTW, I just commented on your post about the young nurse; what a moving story!
Patriot has such a sweet face and I can only imagine how beautiful he was as a puppy. So, who could possibly wrap wire around his snout? I’m so glad that Kevin gave Patriot a home and taught him to trust and be an advocate for children in court. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story and participating in #WATWB.
Thank you, Mary. And thank you for sharing your compassionate post, which really spoke to me. I admire the folks who rescue animals and care for them rather than the kind of people who only want to catch and kill them. Three months ago, a feral cat had 3 female kittens on our patio. Thanks to help from a knowledgeable cat lady who helps feed a cat colony, I became educated about the feral cat situation and was able to get all four girls fixed. Now they’re frolicking and playing and catching rats (which they proudly offer to me in a smelly decayed state) in the back yard. I’ve become an expert on and advocate of Trap Neuter Release and Manage.
Great shares Lizbeth – they bring a swell of love and hope to my heart.
That is a really great program that Patriot and his human belong to. Thanks for sharing these stories and for being a part of #WATWB
Thank you, Lynn. You’re welcome, and I’m enjoying being part of this positive group.
Thanks for commenting, Lynn. I’m glad you liked the stories.
Thank you, Deborah. I’m glad. And I was very moved by your post. What a touching story, i love the young man and his tea wagon banishing loneliness and building community. He inspires me, touches my heart.
The timing of the Mandela quote could not have been better and what a perfect accompanying photo.
Kevin and Patriot are providing such a wonderful service for kids who desperately need it just when they need it. Thank you for sharing these with us, Lizbeth!
Thank you for commenting, Emily, and I’m glad you like my post. I also like yours, but could find no place to comment. I’m wondering how you and hubby like living in Equador. How fantastic to participate in those beach cleanups. Se habla Espanol? Probably yes, I imagine. My hat’s off to you for helping to protect the sea creatures from that nasty plastic.
Thank you so much for letting me know that you could not find the comments area Lizbeth. Do you mind telling me which device you are using? On my laptop browser and Android phone, the comments are after the “This is a bloghop” area and new comments are at the bottom of that. I will play around with blogger to see if I can make it better.
Sí, hablo Español. There are a number of people who live here who don’t and they seem to get along well enough with just a few basics. When they go to doctors or government meetings, they bring a translator. Thanks for your kind comments!
Thanks for pointing me to where I could leave a comment. I enjoyed your post about DoMinga and gathering up beach trash to save the sea creatures. I know of a lady here in Hawaii who makes that trash into art and sells it to benefit conservation (she’s a marine biologist named Susan Scott.) Love the pics on your sidebar – I had the good fortune to go to Midway Island several years ago and see so many boobies; we had to be careful not to hit them when we bicycled around the island!
Another South African waving at you and delighted you used Mr. Mandela’s words about the colour of one’s skin, accompanying that gorgeous photo! And the story of Patriot nudging the little girl was very very touching. Kudos to all involved in pet therapy ..
Waving back at you, Susan Scott! And kudos to you for sharing the uplifting scarf story about giving of yourself to help the less fortunate. All in the name of the great Madiba Mandela. Thanks for sharing.
These are all such great stories! I loved the tweet, it’s so true. Also loved Patriot’s story, so much can be said about the healing power of animals, they don’t judge they are just there for you. Thank you so much for sharing and being part of #WATWB
Thank you, Belinda. I also liked the video you shared about Muniba Mazari AKA “Iron Lady.” I liked her TED talk so much I shared it to Facebook. What an amazing woman and talented artist. I am humbled.
This is indeed doubly good news. Thanks for sharing Simon’s Still Stanza #WATWB