pic from www.huffingtonpost.com/

Wow! One week from today will be an historic day in the good old U.S. of A.  Barak Obama will be sworn in and become the first African American ever elected as President. I am elated, as are the great majority of my friends.  One thing (among  many) that I admire about Obama is that he gives us all a sense of community, which, frankly, I haven’t felt in a long time-like, oh, 8 years!

In the spirit of cooperation, Obama has asked the people of this country to embrace a new spirit of service. (oooohhhhh—SPIRIT–that’s my word for 2009).  On Jan 19, the Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday holiday, we are asked to choose cause to volunteer with. I plan to help clean-up a nature preserve in Atlanta. There are lots of simple ways to heed the call-donate blood, bag food for the hungry, volunteer at a local homeless shelter. For a list of events in your area, you can click on USA Service and find an option and sign up online.

After you’ve completed your service, why not rise to the challenge and continue to volunteer some of your time on a regular basis? If everybody could commit a couple of hours a month, I promise you’ll feel great about yourself, and this country will begin to move toward the change that we can believe in.

So go ahead, have a look. I’d love for you to share what you’re gonnna do to be part of the change you want to see.