As a woman who knows first-hand the pain and anger of losing a loved one to suicide, I was very saddened and a bit outraged to learn of yet another eleven-year-old boy who died by suicide within a week of another.

In keeping with my acronym theme, I have HOPE that we will harness the opportunity before us, reclaim our power, and emerge stronger as a nation because of the current economic crisis.

This title reminds of the song of my youth, “Where have all the flowers gone - long time passing . . .” 

My thoughts today are inspired from a recent Larry King Live segment on the Bush Years. Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary under President Bush commented, “The fact that made America so great was that the private sector is and should be bigger than the government. . . Business and labor have got to get together and figure out how to thrive. The government plays a moderate role, but if it is the preemptive role America’s on the wrong track.”

The moral obligation for business and government to act with integrity, responsibility, and in good faith has withered away and led us straight into the current economic and environmental crisis of today. How did this happen? Who is to blame?

I was saddened to hear the news that Senator Obama’s grandmother, Madelyn Dunham died after a long battle with cancer on the eve of the election. The article Obama's grandmother, family 'rock', dies on election eve warmed my heart and was a wonderful tribute to the power and strength of grandparent leadership everywhere. Madelyn Dunham’s leadership legacy lives on in her grandson and the American people.

I recently read an Internet article by Kate Mercer, "Why Doesn’t Leadership Training Produce Leaders?" Her article title peaked my interest. I agreed with most of the the article except the question Ms. Mercer posed, “How Can You Learn to 'Do' Great Leadership?”

Myth One: Great leadership means "doing" great things.