Hi - Skye Grayson here. My Daddy is Congressman Alan Grayson.

{this is a solicitation for a contribution. I don't know who, just about, deserves it more. Alan Grayson has shown us that he has what we so sorely need all the way around. Reliable and tenacious courage. If you can contribute, please do so, he is working for us and is undeterred)

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Hi - Skye Grayson here. My Daddy is Congressman Alan Grayson.

He gave me a special birthday gift to me when I was 10 years old. He told me why my name is Skye.

Before I was born, Daddy read a touching oral history about the children of American servicemen and Vietnamese mothers. These children grew up in Vietnam after 1975. They were living symbols of a hated war. Many of them were beaten and cursed, just for being who they are.
One of them was able to leave Vietnam and go to America while she was a young girl. The author asked her, "what do you like most about America?" She answered, "the sky." He said, "why? There was a sky in Vietnam." She replied, "I know. But I was so ashamed of myself, I never looked up."

Like that girl, I'm the child of an American father (Congressman Daddy) and an Asian mother. On my 10th birthday, Daddy told me that he named me Skye to remind me that no matter what happens to me in life, and no matter what other people think about me, I should always have the courage to hold my head high, and look up.

And I do have that courage. Thank you, Daddy.
Best wishes,
Skye

Skye,
I'm glad you inherited that courage, or got it from watching your Dad in action.

I met her, briefly, in a supermarket. She was about 14 or 15, and very, very tall and absolutely gorgeous. I was an old 35-year-old guy. She was walking in an aisle of the market, slouched down, with head bowed, obviously trying to disguise her height.

For some reason, and it was very unlike me, I said, "Excuse me, but you're beautiful. Stand tall, hold your head high, and enjoy your tallness." She did. She gave me a brilliant smile, and just said, "Thank you." I walked on through the store. The whole exchange took maybe 10 seconds.

About 10 years later, I ran into her again. She was with her husband, and was carrying a baby. Her husband was about 6'6" tall to her 6'1" or so. To my surprise, she recognized me after all those years. She stopped me and said, more or less, "I just want to thank you for what you said to me that other time. For some reason, I took it to heart, and have been standing tall ever since." That's when I found out what her name was.

This doesn't relate directly to your post, but does in an indirect way. By straightening up and holding her head high, she started looking at herself in a different way. Sometimes, a stranger can alter a life, I guess.

You are right. You did change a life, and we can do that - we can do it every day if we so chose.
Sadly, often we change it in the wrong direction because we are grumpy and judgmental and projecting.

You ran into her at the right age and the right time.
Kudos

I'd never do anything but just smile at a kid like that. But, something just made me say something to her. I'm glad I did. I don't think I've done anything quite like that since, but something made me speak up that day.

amazing.

that could be done. I wish more people would be aware of others in that manner. You did a beautiful thing.

I used to volunteer in my local library, about the same time, in my mid to late 30s. I'd shelve books, and work at the counter sometime. This was a small town, and the library was a popular after-school spot for kids. I really enjoyed helping them find the books they needed, since I've always had a huge soft spot for kids.

At some point, I noticed this girl, again about 13 or 14. She was in the library almost every afternoon. Very quiet kid. Wouldn't make eye contact with anyone. She borrowed trashy romance novels by the dozen from the library's paperback rack. She was shy, and seemed a little depressed to me. So, I decided to make a project of her. I asked the librarian what her name was and she told me. So, I started just saying Hi, Jill, to her when she'd come up to the desk. For a long time she'd just mutter something in response.

Over weeks, she started to look up a little and be a little less shy. Finally, she started saying Hi to me and calling me by my first name, which was on a name tag.

One day, while I was shelving books near the paperback rack, she started looking for romance novels she hadn't already read. She wasn't having any luck, since she'd read hundreds of the things. I took a chance, said Hi to her and told her I could show her some books she might like. OK, she said. I took her into the fiction area and pulled out "Little Women" and a couple of other Victorian romances. I suggested that she give them a try and see what she thought.

Well, that was the start of a friendship that lasted all the way through her high school days. She started reading real books, grew out of her shyness pretty completely, and was a bright young woman.

There's a twist: I was talking to a friend once who I knew pretty well through a computer user's group I belonged to. He was talking about his daughter and used her name in the conversation. A big light bulb turned on. Jill was his daughter. Same last name. I asked. Yup. By then, several years had gone by, and she was graduating from college and headed towards a teaching career. I had never made the connection.

As it turned out, my wife and I went over to his house for dinner one time and Jill was there. She started talking at the table about our library friendship, and my friend, her father, said, "You were that library guy?" Funny stuff. Apparently I had been a topic of conversation in that family back then, and had no idea.

I think we're so frightened of talking to kids these days, that some of these opportunities get missed. That's a sad thing.

positive ways, our lives would be augmented by it all the time.

Since we're telling stories:
My parents, in post war Germany where we lived, took on a farmer's young teenage boy, who destined to become a farmer was restless and unhappy.
They lent him books, sat down and talked to him about those books and life in general....

He grew up to become one of Germany's foremost ecomonomists, RICH now, when he is not working in his firm or on TV (like CNBC and sometimes the US etc) he does lectures world wide, OR spends some time in his condo in the Fla. Keys.

For about 15 years now, that huge condo at the ocean, with pool and tennis court, fishing dock and jaccuzzi is ours for free for a full month of our choosing each year, with no end in sight unless my mother dies.
She flies in, we meet in Key West, and that is how we spend time together every single year granted by the rare thing of true gratitude extended to our family.

A toast to our benefactor, and evidence to what is possible when we extend ourselves to others.

And many parents don't want 'weirdos' talking to their kids. I'm thankful I live in a neighborhood with good families where the children are welcome into anybody's home. It also helps for the kids to see how functioning families have different beliefs, values, and ways of doing things.

Autumns, Summers, Rada, Mirabai, Mirabrooke, Hummingbird, Taninger etc, etc. Hippie kids.

a grown daughter named Sage. You gotta love it.

That must have made you feel great, when you ran into her the second time!

Way to go!

second time. More for her than for me, though.

:grouphug:

We know kids named Sky, Rainbow and Summer.

I have donated and will continue to donate to this man.

It sounds suspiciously melodramatic, and not at all the way children talk, even children who've been through a horrific ideal.

Nonetheless, I love Grayson, and will continue to support him.

I suspect she is not much older than the ten now.
I noticed some incorrect usage (though I am not a expert with it being my second language) of English, but I thought it was endearing they left it in.

One thing I feel certain of, Alan Grayson would not manipulate us with something untrue, maybe a bit sentimental, but never a lie.

However, ALL politicians lie to some extent...even Alan Grayson. I like the guy, but nobody should be hero-worshipping any politicians. Look how that worked out with Obama.

In any case, it's a lovely story, true or not.

:patriot:

(because, duh, THEY support US), and Grayson leads the list.

and his wife Lolita.
Check this out:

Alan Grayson as a Daddy

Because of a question raised about Skye I googled "Alan Grayson's family"

He seems like a great Dad.

:patriot:

Thank you for sharing that, Mira.
And your other story just goes to prove that sometimes we can make a deep and very long lasting impact on another's life without intending to.
Good people and good deeds are always worth hearing about.

fortunate to have a great Dad. Thanks for posting this Mira.

Not much, but this is a man I can get on board with.

Aside from your emotional appeal -- what do you have to offer in cold hard fact?

This was an email the OP received.

The OP is "forwarding" an email fundraising appeal sent by Grayson's campaign.

What cold hard fact are you questioning?

jeez, get a grip...

:eyes:

And it makes it look like they are the originators of the text. The text cited was an email purportedly from Grayson's child.

For example, if the OP had written, I received this email from Skye Grayson, Alan Grayson child, it would have avoided confusion.

I should have!
I was within my allotment of 3 mistakes per day, but I'm sorry to have caused confusion.

Please backup you credentials...