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Who wants to take my panties off for me? 😏 lucky reblogs get part 2 😘

See vote.org or vote.gov if you need information about where or how to vote.

- Shared by a Palestinian man on Facebook

“Before she passed, she told my dad that she wanted him to fall in love again. ‘I’m going to find you the perfect woman,’ she said. ‘She’s going to love my daughters. And most importantly she’ll be a snow bunny.’ That was always the joke between them. Dad was a cross country skier so he loved the snow, but Mom was the opposite. Her dream was to move to Florida, so she covered our house in dolphins and palm trees. I was thirteen when she lost her battle to cancer, and I think I’ve blacked a lot of it out. But I remember Dad put up a good front. He was raising two girls on his own, but he never missed a recital or practice. He cooked all the same meals that Mom cooked. And kept all of her holiday traditions. He didn’t date again for more than a year, when he was introduced to Tracy by his friends in the ski community. Tracy was a serious skier. She’d won the Michigan Cup nine times. But most importantly she was also a widow. Her husband had passed away around the same time as my mom. When they had their first date, Tracy and my dad reserved a table for four, in honor of their spouses. At first I wasn’t thrilled to see him dating again. But even my fourteen-year-old brain could see that he was happier. He was smiling more, and singing again. And Tracy was so gracious. She understood grief so she did everything right. She always asked about our mom. She honored all of her birthdays and death dates. She never tried to erase her memory. When we moved in together, Tracy decorated the house with things that my mother loved. She hung up old family photos. Both my mother and Tracy were crazy about holidays, so we got two trees every Christmas: one for Tracy’s collection of ornaments, and one for my mother’s. Three years ago Tracy finally married my dad. Those two stinkers had been engaged for nine years, but they finally did it. And the next year Tracy officially adopted us. It was a beautiful ceremony. We did it right before Christmas so we could celebrate over the holidays. Tracy held it together the entire time. But at one point the judge said: ‘In the eyes of the law, it will be as if you gave birth to these children.’ And that’s when she started sobbing with joy.”

Well, I honestly can’t think of anything bad about this wonderful lady #EthicalMemes

And this is just the very tip of the bloated, orange iceberg.

“I’d never given it any thought. But when my boss’s husband got a kidney from a newscaster in town, it sorta became a local story. And I began to learn more about it. I found out that a kidney from a living donor can give someone more than twenty years of life. And there were 2500 people in Ohio on the waiting list. So after confirming that I’d still be able to drink, I signed up for the registry. Two months later I got an email saying that they’d found a match. They’d only say that it was a local man. But I was excited. I think I needed a little purpose in my life. I didn’t have any children. I didn’t have anyone to carry on my whatever. And I loved thinking that I could help someone in such a major way. Not everyone meets their donor. But since both of us agreed, a meeting was arranged for after the surgery. They sat me in a conference room at the hospital. I had no idea who was going to walk in the door. And when Tom walked in, I could only think one thing: ‘Oh my God. I’ve given my kidney to Wesley Snipes.’ He was really quiet, so I did most of the talking. But at the end he said: ‘I only have one question. Why would you do this for someone you didn’t know?’ And I said: ‘Why not?’ After that it was like a light switched on. We were going to be friends forever. That’s just how it was going to be. Tom became like a brother to me. He makes fun of me a lot, but he’s also extremely protective. Not that I’d ever need someone killed, but if I did, I’d know who to call. Three years after the transplant I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a nasty kind. And I didn’t have any family around. But Tom called my sister in Florida and said: ‘Don’t worry. I’ve got this. It’s my turn to take care of her.’ He took me to every single one of my chemo appointments. He kept me company the entire time. A few weeks after my treatment ended, I threw myself a 50th birthday party. At the end I gave a little speech. I was looking out at all the people I loved. All the people who’d helped me. And I couldn’t even speak. I turned into a big sobbing mess. Tom got up from his chair and walked to the side of the stage, and grabbed my hand. And he held it until I could speak again.”

#NaturalHair #Yinka #Yinka Naturalista #YinkaNaturalista #BlackGirlMagic #Melanin #Curls #CurlyHair #BraidOut #Nigerian #Yoruba #African

My guiding philosophy over the past ten years has been to ‘disappear’ as much as possible. Because I think the work is always strongest when it’s centered in other people’s voices. And that means HONY is at it’s best when I’m the most invisible. As a result, the name ‘Humans of New York’ is ten times more famous than the name ‘Brandon Stanton.’ I prefer it that way. It’s by design.  Even on Patreon, I generally prefer to keep my comments limited to the craft of creating HONY. Because I’ve always wanted the creation to outgrow the creator. I don’t want it to be weighed down by my opinions, or politics, or shortcomings. If I keep myself out of it, hopefully it can become bigger than me. And better than I am.         But we’ve reached a moment when it just seems tone deaf to speak about anything beyond our present circumstances. I haven’t watched the video because I don’t want to watch a man being murdered. Instead I’ve watched some videos of George Floyd when he was alive. I’ve read about his life. And coupled with the descriptions of his death, it’s been enough for me to understand and share in the heartbreak.  I think the power of George Floyd’s life and the reason his death has shaken so many millions, comes from its symbolism. He died with his hands cuffed behind his back. With a white officer’s knee on his neck. His death was the most brutal possible symbol of the oppression felt by so many black Americans at the hands of our justice system, our court system, and our prison system. By all accounts, he was admired and loved by the people who knew him. But in his death, he also became a symbol of injustice. And symbols grow so much bigger, and carry a message so much farther, than any individual is capable of doing. His murder unleashed feelings of powerlessness that can only be understood if you live in a community that doesn’t have the resources to navigate our justice system. Or the power to push back against its abuses. The rest of us can only imagine those feelings. And imagination doesn’t come close to lived experience. So I’ll end with an acknowledgment of the validity of the anger being felt. And a hope that our current upheaval will end with a more informed citizenry, a deeper understanding, and some sort of lasting change. I’d have loved to have interviewed George on the street. From the videos I’ve seen, and the stories I’ve read, I imagine he’d have chosen to tell me about his kids. Or his fiancée. Or his faith. Because he was more than a symbol. He was a person. And I’m sure that he’d have wanted to be remembered for his life much more than his death.

“He was really scared of my wheelchair when I met him. So it didn’t seem like it was going to work out. But I had a soft spot for him. Ted was the smallest of his litter. He ‘d been really sick and they didn’t know if he was going to survive. The first time I went to meet him, I collapsed in his owner’s kitchen. But Ted wiggled over toward me and laid down on my chest. Everyone thought it was so cute. It was the first time I’d ever had a health scare that turned into something positive, so it seemed like it was meant to be. There are two options when you get an assistance dog. You can get a dog that’s already been trained. Or you can train the dog yourself, and that’s what I wanted to do. Because I needed something. I have this genetic disease. It weakens every part of my body, but it didn’t get bad until my teenage years. So I had this wonderful life and then it was taken away. I was isolated from my friends for so long. I couldn’t go to school. It reached a point where I couldn’t see a reason to live anymore. I needed something to focus on besides my health. And Ted gave me that. He needed me and I needed him. I watched all the training videos I could find. I read all the books. I reached out to people and asked for help. It gave me a reason to talk to people again. I hadn’t done that in so long. And I learned that I was good at training. Everything just flowed. From day one, we’ve been so in sync. He can fetch me anything. He helps me get undressed. He even watches me when I sleep, and wakes me up if I’m having night terrors. My mom was having to help me with everything before I got Ted. And she loves me so much. But she has two other children, and I know she was getting so tired. But Ted doesn’t get tired. He loves to help. He’s so excited to help. He’ll pick up the same thing seventeen times. It makes him so happy. He’s my world, really. He saved my life. He made me happy again. And he takes so much pressure off my family. He gives me a break from being the disabled child. From being the focus of everyone’s attention. He lets me be a daughter. And a big sister. He lets me be Chloe again.” #quarantinestories

today you, tomorrow me.