My final thought -- and my final post

[BigBearJohn]

The Concert

When the house lights dimmed and the concert
was about to begin, the mother returned to
her seat and discovered that the child was missing.

Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights
focused on the impressive Steinway on stage.
In horror, the mother saw her little
boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out
"Twinkle,Twinkle Little Star."

At that moment, the great piano master made
his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and
whispered in the boy's ear,

"Don't quit." "Keep playing."

Then, leaning over, Paderewski reached
down with his left hand and began filling
in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached
around to the other side of the child,
and he added a running obbligato.

Together, the old master and the young novice
transformed what could have been a frightening
situation into a wonderfully creative experience.

The audience was so mesmerized that they
couldn't recall what else the great master played.
Only the classic,
" Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

Perhaps that's the way it is with God.
What we can accomplish on
our own is hardly noteworthy.
We try our best, but the results aren't always
graceful flowing music. However, with the
hand of the Master, our life's
work can truly be beautiful.

The next time you set out to accomplish great feats,
listen carefully. You may hear the voice of the
Master, whispering in your ear,
"Don't quit." "Keep playing."

May you feel His arms around you and
know that His hands are there, helping you
turn your feeble attempts into true masterpieces.

Remember, God doesn't seem to
call the equipped, rather, He equips the 'called.'
Life is more accurately measured by the lives
you touch than by the things you acquire.
So touch someone by passing this little message along.

May God bless you and be with you always!

and remember,



"Don't quit."

"Keep playing."

[elshiva]

1. Thanks, but DON'T LEAVE!

I love you!

[LittleClarkie]

2. HEY! WHERE YA GOIN'?

Don't quit! Keep playing!

[bigbrother05]

3. You can't leave, just take a break

I was a lurker for a long time, finally started posting during Katrina, found your post with pictures, it was so beautiful, it made me cry. You can tell there is compassion in your words and its a beautiful story. Your post are heartfelt. We have been fighting oppression for hundreds of years, we have just got to learn to fight better. I stayed away from this whole thing, until today, because I knew there would be alot of infighting, so I just took a break. We have been through worse things than this. So, please just take a break.

[MadisonProgressive]

4. I hope you're OK BBJ

If you need to commiserate, PM me!

[WildEyedLiberal]

5. No surrender.

Stay with us and help fight the good fight.

[traitorsinDC]

6. Beautiful Post

The "Concert" was a great. I hate to see you leave.
We have strength in numbers. If we don't stick together now,
we may lose America to those radical right wing nuts. 

I can't believe so many Democrats betrayed us today. They are
liberals in name only. Damn them anyway. Alito could be the
vote that will kill Roe v Wade. When we need to have an
abortion in the future, we'll have to go back to the seedy
side of town and have one at the mercy of whatever witch
doctor is doing the killing at the time. Do you know how many
women are going to die???? Those dirty sons a bitches. I
better not hear one of them who voted against us today asking
for money, because they'll get told off is all. I'll support
Cindy Sheehan if she runs, because those bastards won't get
another penny from me. 

Right after I signed up I was in an accident and I've had 2
spinal surgeries. I'm not supposed to sit at the computer for
2 more weeks, but when I saw how this vote was going I needed
to post among FRiends. I still can't believe they screwed us
like they did. 

Well, if you are really leaving, then best of luck to you, in
all that you do. Take care, and keep on playing!! :) 

T-in-DC

[zippy890]

14. welcome to DU!

take care of yourself, 

hopefully bigbearjohn isn't leaving for good, I like his posts
too.

we need each other more than ever here

:hi: 

[applegrove]

7. Stay! Stay and fight!

[converted_democrat]

8. Come on John... You're a big asset around here.. We can't afford to lose

you.. Who will give us our pep talks? Please don't go, we need you.

[peekaloo]

9. Beautiful.

Thank you.

:hi:

[laylah]

10. Kickin' cuz he matters! n/t

[understandinglife]

11. John, please stick with us, here. Please.

Peace.

[Sydnie]

12. Dude ... where you going?

Just to the store for some milk I hope. But what ever you do ... don't go out for a pack of smokes .... I have heard horror stories about the guys that have done that before you.

Hurry home soon!

:hug:

[democrank]

13. BBJ, Please don`t go.

We need you. Really, really need you.

[Jose Diablo]

15. Vaya con dios, John n't

[AZBlue]

16. don't go!!

[ClayZ]

17. We need you.... We The People!

[johnnie]

18. Don't leave John

It is rare that it goes to that level here. You are needed at DU.

[CanOfWhoopAss]

19. Remember the Battle for America. Watch it again and be re-energized!!

The Battle for America

http://www.current.tv/studio/media/684.htm

The hanging trees of Jim Crow. The Cole Mines of Colorado. Sweatshops and Robber barrons. We've been in darker places and we will turn the tide!! Stay with us John!!! Don't give up the fight don't let them win!

Watch it when you wake up everyday and watch it when you go to sleep at night!!

[fooj]

20. No!!!! BigBearJohn...

please don't go. Please.:cry:

Peace.

[Blue Belle]

21. Don't go... Keep it comin' love... Keep it comin' love...

don't stop it now, don't stop it no no,
don't stop it now, don't stop it...

Don't go Big Bear. We need your voice and thoughts to keep us centered.

Don't tell me there ain't no more,
Don't stop it now.
Don't turn me down and just
close your door, don't stop it now.

I don't know if I can handle another loss today...

[Individualist]

22. Good luck and warm wishes

wherever you may go, BBJ. PNAC Amerika is going to be a dangerous place, so stay safe.

[Jeanette in FL]

23. Then don't quit

"Don't quit." BigbearJohn.

I read your post over at the DU Panic room on Yahoo. Skinner did what he had to do at the time. It was not directed at you personally. This place was crazy when the vote was going on. Come on now, we all enjoy your posts and appreciate your input.

[LeahD]

24. Surely that won't be your final thought......

and it can't be your final post! Maybe, your final post for today.
Enjoy your posts, and thanks for this one.

NGU!

[LiberalAndProud]

25. Inspiration for the weary, BigBearJohn.

You are cherished here.

[BigBearJohn]

26. Not fair. You went and made a 55 year old man cry. You ARE the best!

I'm more than a bit overwhelmed by the response to my posting engendered.
And now I'm a bit embarrassed to boot. In the heat of the moment, just as
we were losing the vote, after hours and hours of faxing, typing, telephoning,
emailing ad infinitum, I tried to logon onto DU and got the message saying,
"Due to heavy traffic, only donors will be allowed access." My fuses blew
and in the heat of the moment, I said, "That's it -- can't take no more!"

Well, I didn't stop to take into consideration the problem Skinner may have
been having with the web servers. I had let my donor status slip and then
seeing a pop-up telling me I had to pay to be with my friends at this
momentus time, was more than I could bear.

Then, inspite of getting pissed off at a 55-year-old man throwing a temper
tantruum, you all get together and encourage me to stay. Now THAT is what
I call true friends. Then, I get a message from Midlodemocrat telling me
that she donated to DU in my name. Kindness almost too much to bear.
My heart goes out to Midlodemocrat... and to all of you.

Your kindess humbles me (and ask my sister, that ain't easy to do!)

Love you all,
BBJ

p.s. Thanks for putting up with my occasional tantrum.

[Midlodemocrat]

27. And you just made a 47 year old woman cry.

Thank you John.

[banana republican]

31. & A 56 Y.O. MAN N/T

[Rhiannon12866]

29. Your original post was beautiful, but this is the one that choked me up.

DUers are truly amazing. As ornery as we can get, so much that happens here is incredibly generous and kind. People really do come through for you, here, whether it's with answers, advice, support, friendship, a shoulder when you need it, or a star. Kudos to you, BigBearJohn, for engendering such friendship here, for the humility that allowed you to change your mind about leaving and for letting us know, and for being a valuable member of the best site on the internets, the one I'm proud to all my home.:loveya:


Rhiannon:hi::hug::yourock:

[liberalpress]

52. And that's the difference..

As Democrats we care about people rather than profits

If you're down on your luck, we don't tell you to get a job and leave us alone.

If you're depressed and angry, we ask how we can help instead of asking when you will grow up.

If you're broken, physically or spiritually, we will try to repair you rather than discard you.

And, in the face of unbelievable terror, we stand together so we will not know fear.

Maybe ... if we can a find a candidate who will articulate that ... we might just have a chance in '08


Good Night and Good Luck

[Sydnie]

30. Glad you decided on milk and not smokes

You have made me cry when I needed to, laugh when I didn't think I could, and think when I didn't have a sane brain cell left.

You can't leave now ... who would I lean on?

Welcome home dude. We kept the light on for you.






P.S. I got tombstoned in the big bug mess this morning. I know what it feels like to be cut off by no doing of your own. It feels like nothing else I know. I can stand losing ... I just don't want to lose alone. :grouphug:

[MelissaB]

35. I really enjoy your posts

and am glad you are calm now. This almost makes me glad I had to work today and miss all of the crazyness here. I was able to stream the speeches by Kennedy and Kerry though.

:hug:

[CountAllVotes]

37. I know what you mean

I couldn't log in either nor access the DU this a.m. I was hopeful for awhile, but this 50 year old woman is upset as all hell as it was my generation that managed to get the things that women needed. Now that is all up in air and I feel so very sad for young women of today. In the meantime, the seig heil charade goes marching or stealing our rights and what liberties may be left. A sad day indeed and yes, I think we all sort of felt like tossing in the towel but WE ARE STILL HERE ANYWAY and likely, we WILL NOT go away!

Hang in there and know you are NOT alone! :hug:

:kick:

[bigwillq]

41. Glad you are staying.

:hi: :hug:

This is a nice thread.

[ClayZ]

42. Love makes the world go round, Love makes the

world go round.....

[Mnemosyne]

43. And another 47 year old lady crying here you

dearhearted one you!:hug: :cry: :loveya: :pals: :yourock: :patriot:

Your passion and caring always touch my heart and soul John.

Does this mean you'll stay?! Please!

Vicki

[BigBearJohn]

48. With friends like you, how could I leave? Guess you're stuck with me

[Mnemosyne]

51. Great! I didn't want anymore bad news today! :) n/t

[calimary]

58. Shoot! I hope so! You CANNOT leave after posting this one.

We NEED YOU! It was a thing of loveliness, truly. Thank you. Made this 52-year-old battle-axe get all quivery.

[BigBearJohn]

63. oh, to have a few more battle axes in my life...

:hug:

[WildEyedLiberal]

47. DU is a better place with you around.

:hug: We want you here. Thanks for coming back, man.

[autorank]

49. Glad you're staying. I quit once and came back two days later.

I even published my "Buddy List" in the adios message. As it turned out, I didn't leave but I sure made a lot of friends with that list.

Just remember next time things get rough, "It's all whatever..."

Your story is excellent. Stick around.

[Catamount]

53. So glad to hear that you're staying on...we need you!

Although I don't have much time to be on DU, I always find your posts to be sincere and full of heart!
After re-reading last night's post, I'm so glad that my farewell to you was premature!

What our community accomplished yesterday, (that includes AA and all the other progressive blogs and radio shows) is only the beginning!
Even if we didn't stop Alito, we did get 25 dems with spine to do the right thing!
We should all be proud!

Take a breather, and then get ready for the next step to save our country!

Love!
:hi: :hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi:

[WilliamPitt]

54. Good to know I'm not the only asshole on this forum

:P

[Surya Gayatri]

55. BigBear, I couldn't even post when I read your OP,

words failed me. Now, I read that it was just a momentary 'crisis of faith' and that you'll be staying.

Your 'homecoming' warms my heart. I love your posts & your presence here.

O8) :loveya: SG

[BigBearJohn]

64. You are far too kind. I am totally rejuvenated by expressions of support

:hug: :pals:

[bleever]

56. You're not getting rid of us that easily, bro.

:hug:

[Synnical]

57. Now you made my eyes tear up

Stop That! BTW - it was very, very busy here yesterday, forgive us.

[Michigander4Dean]

59. I understand.

I just hope you realize that DU is here for you. :hug:

[BigBearJohn]

65. I'm overwhelmed by the showing of support.

It truly is a humbling experience.

[Carla in Ca]

62. BBJ, thanks for staying

We lost power for 20 hours due to a major traffic accident. I missed being here and didn't know what you were going through. I'm so glad you aren't leaving.

We are all here to support and help each other.

[Obamarama]

67. Whew...you're staying?

:-) Good.

Now, for the lecture:

DON'T EVER DO THAT TO US AGAIN, BBJ.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

28. hey you this is the first post by you I've seen

and I'm starting a petition among newbies to get you to keep posting.

[Rhiannon12866]

32. What a thoughtful idea, Jeffersons Ghost!

Welcome to DU and we're very fortunate to have you with us!:toast:

Rhiannon:hi:

[linazelle]

33. Bookmarked...hang in there, I get upset at times too. But we're here. nt

[AnotherMother4Peace]

34. Why ya' leavin'? You're one of the ones that make this place great.

[peace_on_earth]

36. Glad to hear you're not leaving! For encouragement, read this

This is from Jane Hamsher at http://firedoglake.blogspot.com/

...my favorite blog. Jane, I hope you don't mind...it just seems like folks at DU could use a little rallying call right about now.


The Judiciary Committee hearings on Alito were a real eye opener for me and I think for many others as well. Not so much because the members of the committee were in such disarray -- that's been going on for a long time -- but because as we sat here together and watched them collectively I got a sense in reading the comments that some seismic shift was happening, that people finally realized that enough was enough. Something had to be done, someone had to start agitating for change and it wasn't going to come from within the Democratic establishment.

I want to take a moment to thank each and every person who took the time to participate in the comments section on this and other blogs to voice your frustration and your willingness to do something. It really took me by surprise, I have to say, to hear people so engaged and ready to mobilize. This amazing move to fight this battle came from the ground up. DC pundits are feeling threatened, and many have tried to dismiss this as John Kerry's cynical attempts to manipulate the grass roots, but that's a mistake. It was a groundswell that swept me and other bloggers up and called out for direction, and somehow John Kerry heard that and he stepped into a leadership position and he gave it to us. He gave our frustrations a focus, he offered us a chance to stand up and fight regardless of the likelihood of success, and that was all we asked. He validated our efforts and he let people know that their voices were being heard in spite of the timidity gripping many of his peers.

I frankly think the passion of the netroots community surprised him. For those who want to criticize him for not acting earlier or better, I do not think he had any reason to believe that this kind of support was extant or that we would have his back. He put his neck on the line over at Kos and the Huffington Post, not knowing what was going to come back. The outpouring of gratitude that came back to him for his efforts was extremely moving.

Next time he'll know. And so will we.

We shook things up. People like Joe Biden and Barak Obama were extremely irked about being put on the spot. Diane Feinstein changed her vote, and it's entirely possible others did likewise and we just didn't hear it. We forced those who voted for cloture into publicly opposing us, and now we know where things stand. And everyone across the political spectrum knows we're here now. They are starting to get a glimmer of the kind of muscle we can put behind something we believe it. It was a great moment, a grand and noble fight and I am so proud of each and every one of you for taking part in it.

The next big battle on the horizon are the NSA wiretap hearings coming up next week. On February 6 the Judiciary Committee will begin questioning Alberto Gonzales. I hope everyone will stop by Glenn Greenwald's blog and take time to look over his post on the points he believes will be the most important to cover during this process and to contribute your ideas. Glenn has a lot of people's ears right now after his work on the topic made headlines so it's a great way to prepare for and contribute to something that's going to be very critical for all of us.

I don't think anyone can look at the Alito battle on the part of the netroots community and say it was anything other than a huge success. We proved we could show up and we knew how to fight for what we believe in, no matter the odds, just because it's the right thing to do. Your courage, your conviction and your fearlessness is inspirational.

If anyone's been looking for the heart of the Democratic party, it's right here.

Update: I'd also like to take this opportunity to invite the "lurkers" to join in the comments, people who stop by but haven't felt that the time was right to participate in the conversation. Please feel free to introduce yourself. The natives are friendly and the water is warm.

posted by Jane Hamsher @ 5:43 PM

[RazzleDazzle]

39. Please learn to post the permalink for blog articles

Please. I'm begging you. The link you posted is about like sending a friend the link to DU's home page to get them to see this thread.

http://firedoglake.blogspot.com/2006_01_29_firedoglake_archive.html#113867195405228177


For FiredogLake, it's available at the timestamp at the bottom of the entry. For many other blogs there's a hotlink called "permalink". You can right click, "copy shortcut" and it's no more trouble than copying the main page link.

Welcome to DU.

[Zen Democrat]

38. That was beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

[deflated]

40. That was awesome

Please don't go.

[dalaigh lllama]

44. thank you for this thread

People here are just AWESOME...

[Tigress DEM]

45. I really hope you just mean final post of the night.

Take a break, but come back.

I did.

Thanks for the awesome post. I needed that. Still healing up my brokeness over all the shit that's been flying lately.

[Catamount]

46. Sorry to see you go, BigBearJohn

:(

[Stockholm]

50. Well said BigBearJohn

:toast:

[madokie]

60. BigBearJohn what a gentle soul you must be. Thanks for these tears

they were sorely needed.
Peace

[demgurl]

61. I was going to buy you a star....

but either you or someone else beat me to it. I hope you have a nice long stay here.

demgurl

[BigBearJohn]

66. Thank you for the thought. Another DU'er beat you to it.

This truly is a wondrous group of people.

[0007]

68. Thank you for bearing your factuality and love for us.