I watched "Coach Carter" last night with the family...a pretty good movie. But there was a poem quoted in the movie that reached my heart... I chased it down and wanted to post it. Maybe it will inspire you to reclaim a dream or maybe you'll just appreciate the dreams of others. Either way, I hope it makes you think a little.

Lisa


Our Greatest Fear


by Marianne Williamson



it is our light not our darkness that most frightens us
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,talented and fabulous?Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people won't feel insecure around you.We were born to make manifest the glory ofGod that is within us.It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,we unconsciously give other peoplepermission to do the same.As we are liberated from our own fear,Our presence automatically liberates others.

For Phenomenal Women everywhere, this is for you....

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies I'm not cute or built to suit a model's fashion size But when I start to tell them They think I'm telling lies. I say It's in the reach of my arms The span of my hips The stride of my steps The curl of my lips. I'm a woman Phenomenally Phenomenal woman That's me. I walk into a room Just as cool as you please And to a man The fellows stand or Fall down on their knees Then they swarm around me A hive of honey bees. I say It's the fire in my eyes And the flash of my teeth The swing of my waist And the joy in my feet. I'm a woman Phenomenally Phenomenal woman That's me. Men themselves have wondered What they see in me They try so much But they can't touch My inner mystery. When I try to show them They say they still can't see. I say It's in the arch of my back The sun of my smile The ride of my breasts The grace of my style. I'm a woman Phenomenally Phenomenal woman That's me. Now you understand Just why my head's not bowed I don't shout or jump about Or have to talk real loud When you see me passing It ought to make you proud. I say It's in the click of my heels The bend of my hair The palm of my hand The need for my care. 'Cause I'm a woman Phenomenally Phenomenal woman That's me.

Maya Angelou~

Some history about nursing in Canada

I found this information posted on the rnao.org site. I thought it was interesting and I had a "the- more-you-know..." moment when I read it. Read on...

Bernice Redmon, a Toronto native, had to go to the United States to attain a nursing degree and a graduate diploma in public health nursing because Canadian nursing schools refused to admit her. She was the first Black nurse allowed to practice in Canada when she obtained employment with the Nova Scotia Department of Health in Sydney in 1945 (Calliste, 1993, pp. 91-92; Braithwaite, 1977).

By the forties, with the shattering of employment barriers due to the war, African Canadians had begun a more concerted struggle for civil rights. Elements of the Black community, such as the Toronto Negro Veterans Association and Pearleen Oliver, founding member of the Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NSAACP), and with the support of mainstream organizations such as trade unions and church groups, put pressure on nursing schools to accept Black students. As a result, Ruth Bailey from Toronto and Gwen Barton from Halifax were accepted at the Children’s Hospital in Halifax.

In Windsor, the Hour-A Day Study Club wrote to the provincial minister of health and the University of Toronto to help get Black nurses admitted for training there. By the late 40s-early 50s, Black women gradually began to be accepted as nursing students and to be employed in hospitals in various centres across Canada. Marissa Scott, from Owen Sound, was initially refused acceptance at nursing schools across Ontario and there was a great deal of negative publicity about her case. Guelph Catholic Hospital eventually accepted her application and she became the first person to graduate and become a nurse in Ontario in 1950 (Calliste, 1993, pp. 92-93).

Brett Dennen...

Been missing for a while ( I offer you no excuse). Busy with school and work I suppose, who really knows???
As a rule, I don't listen to much Folk music, but I was watching a commercial for Rogers TV the other night and the song being played in the background got stuck in my mind. The lyrics said "and I will be the one who loves you the most..." The tune was catchy (to me) and I made it my mission to find the songwriter and the song. A week or more later I struck gold... his name is Brett Dennen, and the song is called "The one who loves you the most". He has had some other song featured on Grey's Anatomy, so he's doing well and getting some exposure.
This guy is different, and I'm not talking about his hair, or his taste in clothing. He is not what you might expect, even though you weren't expecting anything at all. (does that make sense?) :) His voice is higher than most male vocalists(at times he can sound like Billy Holiday and Bob Dylan all at once) and his lyrics are simple and have basic messages about our global situation. Listen to him and you'll see what I mean. Check him out and let me know what you think.