Helping The Community: Buffalo, New York

On March 4, 2015 Trinity Church on Delaware will be holding a silent/live auction 5:30pm to 8pm at the church. Susan Hughes and Joe Silvestri are co-chairs. 

Joe asked me to donate one book of my poetry, of course I will.

Trinity relies on the fundraisers for their out reach programs such as:

• Homespace 
• Compass House 
• City Mission 
• Friends of the Night People 
• MAP, Urban Agricultural Program 

I am reaching out to all of you to see if you may be interested in helping too! I am sure anything that can be live auctioned is fine.

If you have any questions, contact: 

• Colleen Fahey, Program Director 716-852 8314 *18  
• Joe Silvestri 716-235-7973

Thank you, if you can help and if not, that is okay too!

Peace.

And The Gods Smiled

Published on "For Much Deliberation"

imagine another human soul
crawling beneath your skin
gently guiding
each other
to perfect
divine
convergence
realization
culmination

destiny

black and white
does not exist
in this realm
manifested,
only kaleidoscopes of spectrums,
inconceivable

imagine all defenses dropped
like a first rain
descending upon
crowns of daffodils and daises
and all the dirt and dust
of the alternate reality,
cleansed

like diving face first
into oceans
of driftwood

only to float
upon stillwater

and rest
wasted and serene

ashore

oh,
so irresistibly

holy


© Susan Marie

MLK: Voice For The Voiceless

I will always follow the philosophy of this man, one who stood for all of us and had a gift of bringing ALL people together with a rational mind, heart and spirit in the name of peace. 

Dr. King was a man racked with doubt, not without flaws, a man who questioned why he had been chosen for such a task - leading people to freedom, healing the wounds of a nation.  

And yet he led a nation. 

Through words he gave voice to the voiceless. Through action he gave courage to the faint of heart. Through vision, determination, and faith in the power of love, he endured arrest, the loneliness of a prison cell, constant threats to his life, until he finally inspired a nation to transform itself.

Video: MLK: 1968

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. King was a Baptist minister and civil-rights activist.

King headed the SCLC and was a forerunner in ending segregation of African-American citizens in the South.  The creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 are in direct relation to the perseverance of Martin Luther King, Jr.

King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and was assassinated in 1968. 

 

 

Tuesdays With Morrie [The Empathy Library]

Published in The Empathy Library Here

Published in 1997, written by Mitch Albom, with the leadership and guidance of his college professor, Morrie Schwartz, this under 200 page volume is full of simple answers to existential questions regarding the importance of human existence.  

In 1979, Mitch graduated from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. During his time at Brandeis, he managed to cross the path of not only a Doctor of Sociology, a prominent college professor and a published author, but a friend, a guide and a man that Mitch lovingly referred to as “Coach.”

Nearing 16 years later, after watching a Nightline report by Ted Koppel, Mitch discovered that his longtime guide, Morrie, was suffering from ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Mitch had spent his life working in media, specifically as an acclaimed sports columnist. Mitch has been voted America’s #1 Sports Columnist ten times by The Associated Press Sports Editors.

With a successful yet spiritually unrewarding career, Mitch set out to reunite with his longtime friend and “Coach.” 

Unbeknownst to Mitch, this visit was to be his last thesis. 

He met every Tuesday with Morrie, watching his disease progress, tape recording their basic conversations about life.

This “thesis” eventually became a memoir, Tuesdays with Morrie.

This volume touched me deeply. The ideals and conversations documented by Mitch exhibit the inherent basic needs that must be met for happiness for spirits existing in a human shell. 

Mitch’s writing is not complex, it is precise and on the mark, exhibiting exactly what he meant to portray: a conversation with a man he admired facing life and death, simultaneous. 

Books such as Tuesdays with Morrie prove that the human condition is a fleeting one and that every moment must be savored, admired, in the here and now, not later.

I learned that everything I strive to complete really does not matter at this precise moment. What truly matters is that my limbs work, I am able to think, speak and write, that I practice compassion and kindness to the best of my ability and must continue to do so.

Most importantly, that I am able to love and forgive myself and others for simply being human.  

In the words of Morrie himself:

“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in. Let it come in. We think we don’t deserve love, we think if we let it in we’ll become too soft. But a wise man named Levin said it right. He said, “Love is the only rational act.”

Everyone must read this book. It is one full of aphorisms of wisdom. It is a volume filled with unconditional love. 

 

"Notable Today" Recognizes Susan Marie

Linked HERE
 

Notable Today recognizes Susan Marie

 

Buffalo resident recognized as among the more notable persons to have been born in 1971. 

 

                 © Susan Marie The City of Buffalo

Notable Today™ is recognizing Susan Marie with inclusion in the 2015 edition of the prestigious Notables of 1971 List.

Marie, a Buffalo, New York resident, is among a number of individuals born in 1971 to have demonstrated or achieved notability, as determined by the editors of Notable Today™.

Recognition on a Notables List™ highlights individuals who have become worthy of attention or notice in their local communities through career success, demonstration of a high level of personal integrity, worthwhile volunteer contributions or other considerations.

Notables Lists™ are intended to celebrate excellence, achievement, altruism, and newsworthiness.

Susan was nominated in October of 2014 for inclusion in the Notables of 1971 list, and selected by editors in December 2014 for inclusion in the Notables of 1971 List™, 2015 Edition.

 © Notables Lists™

One Hour With Lance Diamond

On WGRZ CH. 2 HERE

LIVE AUDIO ---> HERE

 © Rose Salley Artists United for Human Rights

 

Entertainer and Showman, the Incredible Mr. Lance Diamond is a legend. 

There aren't many entertainers that can boast of fans from more than one generation. People remember Lance from shows at the Executive in the mid 1970's. Today's generation recall him as the guest vocalist with the Goo Goo Dolls. 

All generations have seen him perform and considered him the best dressed and the hardest working showman in Buffalo Music.

Lance had one thing on his mind and that is to entertain beyond the best of his ability performing in the 70's with the New Breed. During the 70's and 80's he traveled across the U.S. and Canada. He traveled to Japan with Isaac as The Lance Diamond Show. 

During this time he opened for such national artists as James Brown, The Righteous Brothers and many others.
 
Mr. Diamond came to the attention of a new generation when he recorded with the Goo Goo Dolls on Down on the Corner and Never Take the Place of Your Man for Metal Blade, Warner Brother Records. 

In 1995, Lance was featured on MTV with the Goo Goo Dolls to raise AIDS Awareness for the No Alternative Album, along with Soul Asylum and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, performing the Rolling Stone's classic, Bitch. Lance recorded his own CD's, Gold and A Lance Diamond Christmas.

His shows were highly charged, non-stop motion. His golden voice and platinum wardrobe won him a devoted following of which he so lovingly referred to as his family. People traveled from miles to be taken in by the warmth and the style of a legend. 

Lance entertained in every major club in the Western New York area and toured the world with the USO entertaining troops. 

He was a constant featured artist at Buffalo's Thursday at the Square, the New Years Eve Ball Drop, Taste of Buffalo, Mash Bash and numerous mainstream events.

Featured in Time Warner commercials with a national appearance on A&E's (Arts & Entertainment Television) show Confessions of a Matchmaker, in addition, Lance had a #1 radio show on WJYE 96.1 FM. 

Lance received the Al Tinney Award for Outstanding Career Achievement, Top Male Vocalist, Radio Personality of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, The Legends Award, is inducted in the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame, and the City of Buffalo named November 23 as Lance Diamond Day.

I am honored to have known Lance and to be able to refer to him as my friend and my brother. God Bless You, you will be missed by the world. 

 Kids Escaping Drugs Christmas Benefit Show 

© Data Copyright The Lance Diamond Show  

The Human Soul Is Resilient

You know, you go through life dodging all kinds of bullets:  emotional, mental, physical and spiritual ones; with immense ease and one day the wiring so delicately constructed in the brain, well something tends to just snap. I do not mean break but kind of . . . loosen a bit. 

If you happen to notice this occur, that is a good thing. You can keep yourself in check. It does not seem to lessen that weight you feel on your back like the Great Wall of China, every damn brick, bringing you down into the dirt until you are on your knees, praying, to Gods you never met.

Some days you just punch through the clouds man, I mean nothing can stop you. Truly horrible things can occur and you deal with life with skill, like a pro, because you are a pro.

The days when every fiber inside of you is taut as a guitar string, those are the days you have to watch out for.

It makes me wonder what causes one to truly lose it.

Some turn to God, some to alcohol, drugs, sex, some people retreat further into themselves or project their entire lives onto others. 

A lot of people jump from person to person thinking that is going to make them better but in reality, it makes things worse. I mean you have to love you and no matter what horrid issue you are dealing with, it is temporary, it will pass.

The human soul is resilient.

I think back in my life when severely tragic things occurred, you know, life shattering moments when all the blood drained from my body and the bones in my skull just blew right apart from the sheer impact of the crash and burn.

It is in these memories I find solace. Somehow I got through the worst times in my life. 

I mean, the past doesn't make the present any easier to deal with but it helps me to remember that I am strong, I am a survivor and nothing, I mean nothing . . . 

Can.
Ever.
Break.
Me.

Not for good.

It is in times such as these, I think about the sun . . .

Gallagher Beach, Buffalo, NY 

© Susan Marie

A Thousand Words [Urban Blues Remix] Susan Marie & Nikki Richards

This is a remix of my spokenword and the passionate guitar of Nikki Richards in New York City. He was kind enough to collaborate with me, adding music to my words. 

i can write
one million poems
describing
the sweet breath
of breeze
like peaches in summertime
how they cool your brow and palette
on a day
that is sweltering,
simultaneous

or how the speech
of our forefathers
can never suffice
to explain the thoughts
that explode inside my brain
like atoms, splitting
supernovas in space
constellations ablaze
neurons sounding
and resounding
across synapses
like trapeze artists
on tripwires

and i can write
of the speech of animals
foreign to the human sense of sound
and how only they comprehend,
truly,
what they say
to one another

and i can even write of God and the heavens
the beauty of the skies at dawn and sunset
colors yet undiscovered
painted
for us all,
daily

i can write of it all
a thousand words
describing everything

yet not one word
or poem
can ever compare
to the softness of your gaze
like the canvas of the morning tide
or your silent roar
not unlike that of the mighty lion
or precisely how your spirit connects
to my very own

i can write of it all
mere words
i can write
one million poems

and not one can ever truly describe

you

but i can try


 

Please check out Nikki's work here:  https://soundcloud.com/nikki-richards-2

© Words by Susan Marie 
© Music by Nikki Richards 

confetti

 

when i was a child
my sisters used to tell me tales
of princes and kings
and dragons slain

of gold and silver
and queens and crowns
of fairies and forests
and elves and trees

and of mystical kingdoms

and glories of conquests

and of love found and lost

and gained

again

and of pain and heartbreak

dark hearts of madness

evil men and women

that shook their angry fists

at the coming of a pure dawn

and raged

against the deep velvet coat of night

and
everyone
was
always

so

utterly
happy

eventually

and my eyelashes used to flutter

like the wings of birds in flight

resting, finally

in eternal silence

like the princesses in the tales told

awaiting a kiss of a lover

awaiting her throne

awaiting her death

awaiting her birth

awaiting the day

when she

will truly

be free

from eternal 

waiting

woman

always

waiting

for whom?

waiting

for what?

waiting

why? 

the answer eluded me then

as words waltzed crescendos

across my subconscious self

curling like smoke rings

holding hands with each other

letters forming words

creating sentences

one day to be recalled

and written

Oh, such sweet innocence!

like the first snowfall

in slow motion freeze frame

landing upon the grass, still green

Autumn barely gone

and all the little children
standing outside

mouths wide open

chins tilted towards the sky

cerulean

catching snowflakes

in awe
of the wonder and divinity

of Mother Nature

pure

like the chalk lines freshly sketched
around your body
lying face down
in a pool of my

heart
broken

lying tattered and torn

shredded
like confetti

on New Year’s Eve. 

25 Things I Have Learned

On Thought Catalog HERE 

 

 © Theresa Durant Photography

Every moment I do my best to learn from every experience. Human beings tend to focus only on positive experiences. Negative experiences eventually become positive if one is paying attention. 

At the close of every year, I ask myself: 

What have I learned? 


1. That all of us are valuable parts of one race, the human one, and all of us have numerous purposes. Some yet to be discovered. Do not discount your own being. None of us are greater than another. 


2. That an immense ever growing desire to learn about everything is a rare and beautiful way to be. Do not ever allow anyone to cause you to lose your wonder. 


3. Not everyone will understand your struggle, outlook, opinions, beliefs and especially, your heart. That is okay. Stay by those who do. Learn from those who do not. 


4. Move on when any experience discounts the importance of your own existence. 


5. Before you move on, grieve, heal, grow and positively teach others through your actions. 


6. Love is wondrous. It exists. Do not ever be afraid to show others that you care for them, and that you love. The world needs more of this. 


7. Love yourself. We are only human. We are supposed to make mistakes. We are not perfect, we were not created to be omniscient. This is what being human is all about. Bliss, pain, progression, repeat.


8. If you want to create, then do it. What are you waiting for? You have the ability to do whatever you want. There is no time stamp on creation. 


9. All. Art. Heals.  


10. Nature is a peacekeeper. Let us be more kind to her. 


11. Be responsible for your behaviors, words, and actions. Blaming others is projection and denial. Causing pain to others because you have refused to deal with past hurt causes more pain. Say sorry. It need not matter if one says it back. You did your part. Move on. 


12. Be mindful of how you communicate. Words. Hurt. Be kind to yourself and to others.


13. Run through the sprinklers in Summer, make snow angels in Winter, lay beneath the trees in Autumn and get out in the sunshine at the first sign of Spring. 
Nature = instant healing. 


14. We get one chance to do something lasting while on Earth. Whatever you do, make it count. 


15. Cease obsessing about how you look, what you did or did not do, thinking about the past, blaming yourself for things you had no control over and most essential, remember that you cannot control everything. Do what causes you to heal and let it go. There are amazing people waiting for you out there! 


16. Hug those you care about. Tell them you care. Show them you care. Recognizing another human soul is crucial for progression on both ends. Bring more happiness into the world and to yourself. 


17. Some people will never move past their own hurt. If you are unable to make a positive impression, move on. You tried. It is up to them now. 


18. You are not a doormat.  
Say it! --> I am not a doormat.


19. If you are in need of help, get it. Cease being ashamed of being human. We have all screwed up. So what? If you never screw up, you never learn lessons. The important thing is to keep going. 


20. Tell your children you love them. Hug them. Give them confidence. Motivate them. Teach them how to be responsible, active parts of all society. Teach them what you know. Show them through your experience. You were given this role because you were chosen as a guide to another human soul. Your job is to help them be the best version of themselves possible. Be grateful for your family. Make sure they are aware of this. Some people have no one.


21. Put down your technology and get out into nature. Trust me, it matters. A lot. 


22. Learn about different languages, cultures, faiths. We have such a wondrous world.  


23. It is okay to disagree with anything that does not suit you. It is not okay to attack others for not agreeing with what suits only you. 


24. It is NORMAL to have a wide range of human emotions.


25. Wherever you are, remember, if you did your best with what you have, that is all that matters. Keep doing better.

I leave you with this. 

Why do I leave you with this short video? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny3bFLzXfdw

See for yourself.

Peace, 

Sue