The Seance Newsletter - November 2008

Thoughts from Suzane

History has been made and what an elated feeling it is to be part of it! I, like millions of Americans, watched Barack Obama win the 2008 presidential election through the magic of television, as did millions and millions of our neighbors around the world. So many of us shared tears of joy during this historic moment.

The image of thousands of people running to get to Grant Park — a place I walk through every time I go to Chicago — with no room to move and nothing to divide them, truly stands out for me. They all had that joyfulness reflecting optimistic thoughts that spread throughout most of the world, along with hope for a change long overdue, and the idea that we truly are one.

While watching all this on TV in my apartment in NYC where the entire world seems to be represented, I heard thousands of people celebrating in the streets, car horns a-honking, as if the Yankees had just won another World Series. Despite the late hour, I got calls, emails and text messages from so many friends expressing the sentiment "United we stand, divided we fall." And the spontaneous and heartfelt celebration lasted for hours.

I thought about the Kenyan people a breath away, and remembered being in Nairobi when Barack was nominated. There were the same screams and sounds throughout Kenya that day as there were in New York this past election night. There in Kenya, it felt like another side of America . . . a part of them would soon be a part of us, and a new America will be leading the world.

I have so many friends in education, and so many colleagues of mine are spiritual teachers. All teachers know that in order to be a great leader you need to be able to listen to people. You need to register with their hopes, fears, needs and wants, and find what you can do together to make a difference.

A great leader knows that it is truly an honor to be given the privilege of responsibility which must be graciously accepted. So much rests on you. If there is a gap in a part of you that needs to be filled, you need to align yourself with the best people to fill it and work together for the whole.

Everything happens for a reason, and this coming presidency is no exception. As you probably know, during the final weeks of the campaign, Mr. Obama took time out to visit his ailing grandmother Madelyn Dunham, who passed away at age 86 on the Sunday before the Tuesday when he garnered his historic victory.

Madelyn Dunham, Obama's grandmother, had reportedly "blazed a feminist trail in Hawaii banking circles in the late 1960's and early 1970's and rose to become one of the Bank of Hawaii's first female vice presidents." But she was ailing. And on the Sunday before the election, I believe, Ms. Dunham knew her job here on Earth was done, and that she could help guide her beloved grandson from her home in the afterlife. After his grandmother had passed, Mr. Obama was quoted as saying, "She has gone home."

I think it is so wonderful that Mr. Obama listened to his heart and traveled to Hawaii to see his grandmother before she passed, taking time out during the crucial closing days of the election, for what he knew would be the last time they would visit together. This is something I advise should be done if opportunities allow, and have said so in every one of my books, at events and during many a session. And I'll say it now again. Life changes in a moment, a breath. Take that moment to visit a loved one while you still can. Mr. Obama took that moment knowing that there might not be another opportunity. So he visited his ailing grandmother before she passed and will never have to say "I should have gone when I had the chance." With this simple act, President-elect Obama honored the woman who in his words helped shape him into the kind of man he is today.

In Africa my thoughts over and over were how blessed America is, and how often it's taken for granted. I also know how so many Americans work tirelessly and anonymously to make the world a better place and are the unknown or unsung heroes. Watching that wonderful gathering in Grant Park on election night, I knew there were so many people there and elsewhere who will now be called on to make a difference.

Can we now make the world a better place? In President-elect Obama's words spoken from his heart, "Yes we can!" Words that I know in my own heart can help bind us once again as a nation. I look forward to doing my part and I know so many of you on your paths are feeling the same. As are the guests I have on my radio show, and the people I meet in my journeys.

Before President-elect Obama is sworn in, there will be some holidays to celebrate. In just a few weeks, it’s Thanksgiving — an American holiday. No separations of religions or cultures — just a time to get together with loved ones and others who need a place to go. Let us not forget those who have lost their loved ones, and those who have no blood relatives remaining, and try to do what we can for them, to share in the bounty of love and caring. Thanksgiving is truly one of the most significant American holidays, and a wonderful time to stop and be thankful for all we have. I always have felt that way but now those words take on a new meaning with the new President-elect. God has truly blessed America.

Warmly,
Suzane