Snowy Day 1-20-09

Snowy Day 1-20-09
Yate's Mill

And, I'm still STANDING!!!

If a person ONLY gets their information from the mainstream media and never looks beyond what is presented, their thoughts of what is going on are very jaded.

I've been voting since 1980 and I've never agreed 100% with any elected official. Even my favorite president, Ronald Reagan, had his moments. I've been married for almost 25 years and I don't 100% agree with my husband, either. So I am not focusing on finding a politician that I 100% agree with because I know better.

I did support Bush, both times! I'm not ashamed or apologetic about that. My goodness, the man stood up before a nation and prayed to the Creator of the Universe on behalf of the people he represented. He wasn't ashamed, or didn't feel his countrymen too diverse to put forth his true, heartfelt beliefs.

And yes, I supported John McCain because as the choices were presented I knew I couldn't support Obama. Obama stands for a vast majority of things I stand against. I am not ashamed or apologetic of that either. I am an American, that is my right but more importantly, my resonsibility!

I can't vote for a man who in 2007 gave a speech to Planned Parenthood telling how he would support abortion for all females; then in 2008 told the nation at the Saddleback forum that identifying the beginning of life was above his pay grade; and then a few days after the inauguration with a stroke of his pen he suddenly feels conception is NOT above his pay grade anymore. He either can't remember what he stands for or is flat out lying. Either way, I'm not a supporter of an alzheimer's victim or a liar for president.

We really knew where he stood no matter what he said because his record in the Illinios senate bore that out. The man voted at least 4 times to promote abortion at all costs. He voted to strip the rights of American citizens who survived an abortion gone wrong (right?). He told you and me the wording wasn't right. Yet, if you look at what really happened you see he insisted certain wording be added so it would align with what was past at the federal level. Once that wording was included he still voted against it. Now I say, "Liar, liar pants on fire!" I'm okay with being a little juvenile too! I'm an old lady and every chance I get I try to take it!

I'm not inclined to support a man who in less than 3 months has racked up a larger deficit that any previous administration in all of their years combined. But yet, every time he goes to talk about why he's doing what he's doing he blames the previous administration for the mess they left him. And acts like that's all he should have to say.

If we can pull our thoughts back to the memory station and remember what the previous administration had been doing those past 8 years we will recall that the last 2 years no one got anything productive done because congress refused to promote anything that was good for this country for no other reason than partisianship. Then the 2 years before that there was enough of a majority in the house and senate that many things Bush tried to get done for the betterment of the American citizens was filibustered--through yet more partisianship. So Obama's excuse is nothing more than passing the buck and it's very unbecoming a man or woman in his position.

Not to mention--I've been paying bills for our household for a long time. We've been in financial trouble before--you can't spend your way out of financial issues! It doesn't work--It has never worked and will never work, not on the personal level and certainly not on the national level. For the man to get up and say ONLY the federal government can get us out of this mess simply shows his ignorance. He can't remember, or has never understood, who the federal government is, or who they are employed by.

We the people have to pay every bill they commit themselves to. Essentially they are commiting us to those bills. We are trying to grab the checkbook and say, "Oh no you don't! We don't have the money for that and it is NOT in our best interest to obligate ourselves to that." The man can say oh yeah we will spend, spend, spend and then we will have money to pay, pay, pay but does he understand the spending and the paying are coming out of the same wallet?

I can't support a man who voluntarily sat and listened to a man get up and preach the damning of America; and his wife, who said she was never proud of her country before her husband ran for the greatest office in the land. (I guess she wasn't proud of anything going on in Illinois either). And now, in that same vein we have your representative and mine globe trotting with the message that he doesn't like the American people either. He apparently hasn't been proud of his country either. He thinks we have been arrogant, derisive and divisive all of these years. And right near the shores of Normandy. You young people need to pull out those old dusty history books, you might not get the true info from the internet--it's being changed to fit what they want to suit the next generation of tickled ears. You might want to sit down and talk to that grandfather or great uncle. Let them tell you what America was all about. Let them tell you how hurt and betrayed they are to hear someone from their own country say they are arrogant.

And, now his own administration has turned us against ourselves. He issued a proclamation that people who don't like BIG government; those who believe abortion is wrong; those who are returning from foreign lands they went to, to protect; those who think illegal immigration ought to be "illegal"; just might be right-wing extremists and involved in terror activities. They won't call internatiional terrorists, terrorist but they don't have a problem calling their own people terrorists. I'm quite upset and mighty angry at such a screwed up administration.

And some want to still claim to not understand why American's would be upset now and not before. I'll tell you--before we were being attacked from without and our within was being protected. Now our without and our within is being attacked by the very people someone(?) voted in to protect our without and our within.

See The Light

See The Light

North Carolina Fall 2008

North Carolina Fall 2008

God's Amazing Beauty

God's Amazing Beauty

Quiet Country

Quiet Country

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Wow!!!

Hello Everybody!!!

It is the day after Christmas and WOW! I love Christmas with all of it's trappings and all of it's anticipation but I'm also glad when the day after comes and all of the secrets are revealed, the leftovers are snug in their containers, just waiting for lunch, yum!

This year, as in the last few years, has been bittersweet. Along with the anticipation also comes the knowledge that my life has changed so dramatically since leaving all that I knew in Florida to move to North Carolina. And while North Carolina is beautiful and the weather is much more appealing, this time of year always commands the memories of Christmas' past.

Christmas' in shorts, gathered at Mom's house on the lake. Christmas' throwing Frisbees in the park. Christmas' spent with hubby and kids fishing the day away. Christmas' spent celebrating together at our home and then loading everyone up to go to Mom's and celebrating totally relaxed around everyone you feel most comfortable with. Christmas' knowing that Mom has gone all out, as she always does, to make each item, each gift, each bite special in every possible way.

The bittersweet also is revealed that even at Mom's house things have changed. We are not there to fill every corner of her house with a little squealing person who can't wait to tear into their package. We are not there to watch each child open a gift from grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We are not there to watch relationships flourish. We are not there to meet new friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands and wives. And we are not there for them to meet us.

It is also bittersweet because those at Mom's who have continued to abide and attend have also changed in our absence. Relationships have been hurt and hindered because of life's circumstances. Physical maladies have caused limited participation. This year most especially so many emotions have suffered damage. I wonder if I were there would I be able to help the emotions or would I likely add to the hurts?

I have recalled in years past, people talking about not enjoying this time of year and thinking, "How very odd." But also, "How very sad." How sad it must be for people to have strained relationships with other members of their family. So strained sometimes they refuse to speak to their kin. I've never known such relationships. That's not to say I've always gotten along with every member of my family and the extensions. That is certainly not the case. However, our family has always been very blessed to have the ability to overcome those differences and move beyond the hurt to experience the love.

Love is a very strange emotion. Love creates such marvelous, wonderful feelings. We often think of those feelings as defining love and if they are not present 100% of the time then love must be gone. But there is also another aspect of love that the media and the world-at-large doesn't want to face. That aspect that love isn't all warm fussy's.

Sometimes "love" is a forced emotion for the sake of preserving meaningful relationships. We may not always love the activities of another but love goes beyond activities, love goes beyond appearances, love accepts the relationship for what it is-a relationship. Many times we aren't the author of our relationships. I remember my mother telling me I could pick my friends but I couldn't pick my neighbors. This stands true in relationships as well. We can't always pick our relatives. A brother marries his choice of spouses, not our's. A sister chooses a husband because she loves him, not necessarily because the rest of the family does. A cousin, son, daughter, etc. they all get to make choices with little or no regard for what the rest of the family may think or feel.

And so begins the relationship process. Family relationships especially are born and it is up to the members to love the other members, not based on their activities, but instead based on who they are--family! I don't know any two people who ever agree 100% of the time so "love" must be something more than agreement.

When I've questioned people about why they don't get along with their family they always have a long list of hurts caused by one person or another, and for one reason or another. All seem very valid reasons to the offended. Yet all have the same core error. The love professed is based on performance instead of position.

I did not choose my sister's husband but I love him because he is her husband and a person to be respected and honored because I have been given the privilege of having a relationship with him. He may not do everything I think he ought to do. He may make unwise financial decisions, he may spend more time than I think he should doing things he likes, he may not care for their children properly, etc. But those are decisions that are his to make and not mine to make for him. I am only charged with loving him simply because he has entered our family circle and that is reason enough to extend love.

(Please understand the above examples are hypothetical scenarios-this is not the case in my personal family experience. Just to make sure I don't start any kind of relationship deterioration of my own!!!:-])

Since moving so far away from my family I have experienced the sadness of the season. I can't quite reach the same zenith of excitement because I know I will not be loading up the kids and making that trip to enjoy the extended family. So I too have come to know the sadness of Christmas. Even a snowy Christmas morning couldn't replace the special moments of celebration at Mom's house. I am thankful, however, for relationships that the miles have not broken, and that disagreements have not shattered.

Christmas was designed to be the celebration of love. God sent His son to the earth as a baby because He loves us and wants a relationship with us so much. He looked beyond our performance and instead made a way for us to have a position in His family so His love could be extended to us for all eternity. The marvelous thing is that He doesn't take back that love when our performance is less than desirable because we hold a position in His family and that supersedes our performance.

I would encourage ALL who have less than desirable relationships with family members to use this time of year to reach out and overcome the hurts. Don't let performance dictate position within your family!

Determine to spend 2008 developing, nurturing, and caring for with special, loving hands those who are positioned within your family for your love.
Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Bella-The Movie

Mike and I went to the movies last night. We had to go a little out of our way to find a theatre that was playing this movie but I wanted to make sure I found some way to support it. And I also wanted to check it out to see if it was something I could really support. Mike calls it a Chic Flick. If you go, take a NEW box of tissues-everyone should have their own!



The YouTube video I've included is the actor explaining why he has sought to go beyond Hollywood to produce films that have meaning. It is refreshing! I can't imagine how this guy isn't married!

It was pretty amazing that it took the theatre about 25 minutes to actually get the movie going past the time it was scheduled to start. I wonder if they were wanting us to get frustrated and leave so they wouldn't have to play it-or if Satan was at work trying to sabotage God's message. I don't know but it was worth the wait.

I recommend this movie to everyone (even guys!). They want to call it a Chic Flick because they find themselves in tears too. The message is great! I knew this would be a pro-life film and it proved excessively so. The story line is a little difficult to follow until you get out of the film and do the replay. Every scene is important. Remember the opening scene, it is important.

I wondered if this would be something our youth group would like to see. After viewing the movie, I advise youth workers to view the movie first. Each youth group has it's certain level of spirituality and the youth workers would know if it is appropriate for their group. If youth go I would recommend separated viewings for boys and girls. If they can't go at different times then I would recommend they be seated in different areas. Just simply so they have the freedom to express their emotions without worrying what the other's think.

If you know someone who is pregnant with less than ideal circumstances, drag them to this movie! It's worth it!

The only people group I would caution about this movie are those who have had an abortion. Depending on how they feel about the abortion would depend if this movie would be good for them. It is not at all condemning, just deals with the issue in a head-on manner.

You can find more information at www.bellathemovie.com.

Well, that's my recommendation. Comment and let me know if you have seen the movie, or will go see the movie, and what you think!

Camille-Big Momma America
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)