Saturday, January 26, 2008

Mother Delays Cancer Treatment So Her Baby Can Live

Wow!!!! All I can muster to say is "what a sacrifice". I don't know if I could do the same thing that this woman did or not. Lorraine Allard was four months pregnant when she found out that she was in the advanced stages of liver cancer. She immediately had to make a choice between killing her unborn baby and living or killing herself so her unborn child could live. She decided she would let her baby live. She waited until the fetus was viable and scheduled a C-Section. Her son Liam was born a premie and she then immediately began chemo and died 2 months later. She left behind her new baby, her husband and 3 daughters 10yrs, 8yrs and 20months. Lorraine Allard was 33 years old when she died. I don't think I would have done what she did. I would not have been able to leave my other 3 children motherless just so I could have one more.

Labels: , , , , ,

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Barack Obama Speaks at Ebenezer Baptist Church (WhereMartin Luther King Jr. preached)

I have decided I like Barack Obama. I like him because he speaks of peace and equality. Here is the video of him speaking at Ebenezer Baptist Church. The day before the MLK march in Atlanta. I marched in that march taking many many pictures. I will post them another day.



Labels: , , , , , ,

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Wintley Phipps Sings Amazing Grace With A Lesson On Negro Spirituals

Wintley Phipps is the president of the U.S. Dream Academy. This is an organization for the children of prisoners who have been left behind in school work due in large to their circumstances. He tells a story about how almost all Negro Spirituals are played while only using the black notes on the piano. He then demonstrates how this is true by playing a few Spirituals on the piano using the black notes. He then tells the story of how Amazing Grace came about. This is a spiritual written by a white man named John Newton. John Newton was the captain of a slave ship before becoming a Christian. It is thought that he wrote the words to Amazing Grace to a slave tune that he heard on the ships coming from the bottom where the slaves were kept. Many believe the tune of this song sounds much like a traditional West Afrikan Sorrow Chant. This song was written using the black notes or the pentatonic scale sometimes referred to as the slave scale. Listen to this version of the song Amazing Grace sung by Wintley Phipps. If you are like me it will bring tears to your eyes.



Labels: , , , , ,

Twins Adopted To Separated Parents Married Without Knowing They Were Siblings As Adults

Two British twins married as adults without knowing they were even related. Apparently their biological mother put them up for adoption and they were each adopted to different parents and never told they were twins. Later as adults they met and found that they felt an 'inevitable attraction' to one another. A British court annulled their marriage after they learned of their true relationship. Activists are now saying that this case is an example of why children should be able to learn who their biological parents are. The details of who the twins are has been kept secret for obvious privacy reasons. The CEO of Adults Affected by Adoption says there have been previous cases of siblings being attracted to one another without realizing they were related. Regardless of how rare this situation is, it is obvious how traumatic it likely was for all those involved. All I can say is WOW!! I am soooooo glad I know who my brother is.

Labels: , , , , ,