Hungry for Love

The world today is hungry not only
for bread but hungry for love,
hungry to be wanted, to be loved.

~Mother Teresa

Of Note: Mother Teresa worked in the slums of Calcutta under the worst conditions imaginable. Leprosy, death, flies, hunger and exhaustion were part of the everyday life of those she served and thus became her life as well. Even given all of these deprivations and challenges, she found these people to be open and loving and reveled in their company. In later life, when she finally visited the United States, the visionary was moved by the hunger in the west. This condition was not created by lack of bread, rather by a soul-sucking lack of love. Though initially she came to ask audiences to open their pocketbooks to serve her causes, she found another resonating message for those who attended her talks: Open your Hearts.

Today's Weather Report: This thermometer showed a warming trend once the sun rose this morning. Prior to that, the dial was down 4 notches at 26 below zero Fahrenheit! That's not too bad, actually. In parts of North Dakota, it was 38 below (real temperature, not wind chill.) We are snug in the house with a fire blazing in the fireplace. Not a day to go exploring outside--though, I do wonder what the forest animals do in the cold, cold like today.

News You Can Use Snippet: Much has been made of the "team of rivals" that Abraham Lincoln assembled in his Cabinet. It is said that President-elect Obama has attempted to emulate the practice in the various Secretaries he has selected. The thought is that rivals will induce healthy discussion upon which the President can make the best decisions. Thus, it was somewhat surprising to find that when Abraham Lincoln asked his Cabinet to vote on the history-making Emancipation Proclamation, all voted "No." Not deterred, Lincoln was reported to have replied without wavering: "The ayes have it!" Hopefully, if President-elect Obama is to be a great leader, he will have read this little known but illuminating story as well.