Think about it

I don't generally go into anything political here, but with the elections tomorrow, what better time to start? I received the following "funny" - or rather, sad and scary - cartoons in my email yesterday and thought I'd share them with you. The last one seems especially accurate.

I immediately forwarded it to my dad and several others. This morning I got this response from my dad:

Great stuff. Here's a good one for you, true story .... Observed activity in our back yard, this morning while I was off at Rehab: Oscar was out on his "zip" line and as he often does, got tangled around the fence. Meantime, a large black lab wandered into the yard. Strangely, Oscar didn't bark or strain at the rope, but rather just observed this dog in silence. The strange, or should I say, foreign, dog went about his business, just sniffing around the yard. Finding a bone that Oscar had taken outside a couple of days ago, the black stranger sniffed at it with interest for a time and finally picked it up and trotted away with it. All the while Oscar just watched in silence. Perhaps he was just incredulous at the audacity of the black stranger and was at a loss for words, or rather, barks. Observing this whole scene from the picture window, Z was just laughing and as the stranger walked off with the bone, commented, "that was Obama, re-distributing the wealth!". Hmmmm .... Perhaps it's a word to us. We cannot afford to stay silent! Dad

I think many of us (perhaps most?) don't fully understand what is at stake for our country this week. Not only are there the economy and war issues, the immigration issue, and the dozens of unanswered questions about Senator O, but there is also the issue of life and death. Yes, the abortion issue is absolutely on the table, and I will personally always vote for life. Period. But I wonder... how many people are aware (or really thinking of this due to all the other issues) that right now there are two Supreme Court judges who are in line for retirement/replacement? These two judges are currently the most liberal judges on the Supreme Court. Who replaces these two men and what these new judges stand for depends solely on who gets elected into the presidency. If our next president ends up serving two terms, that president could potentially replace up to five of the Supreme Court justices. Five new judges handpicked by the president would change the majority of the SC judges. Hmm.... Think carefully. Choose wisely. Not only do we face "today's" issues, but also the shape and direction of our country for the next 40 years. Do you value your way of life? Is the sanctity of life important to you? Marriage? Do you want to live in a socialistic country? And what about things as simple as the right to homeschool our children? Or for that matter, choose their school for them at all. There are other countries that don't have the choice to homeschool or send their kids to private school, or even to a different public school so they can play a sport otherwise unavailable to them. There are countries whose citizens don't even have the freedom to read their Bibles or pray anywhere. Choose carefully. That could be our country.

Not so Speechless

I don't know how many of you follow American Idol faithfully (or not so faithfully). I watch it from time to time. I happened to catch this past Wednesday's episode, and was FLOORED when they closed with "Shout to the Lord." I did notice the change from "Jesus" to "Shepherd", but was still absolutely amazed that NBC had aired it......



Apparently, there were enough complaints........ but wait, not about the song itself, but about the OMISSION of Jesus' name!!..... NBC aired it again... American Idol started Thursday's show with "Shout to the Lord" sung with Jesus' name included!!



This should be a good testimony to the ones that say our voice doesn't matter.... Stop being quiet. It made a difference Wednesday night.... You never know what else your voice and opinion can change.

New Beginnings

This morning I woke up to birds singing and the sun shining.... Could it be? Is Spring *thinking* about coming? (I know, the thinking process will probably be a month and a half long or more, but I can hope, can't I?)

The singing birds and bright sunny morning got me thinking about new beginnings. The fresh new start Spring offers is one of the reasons I love that season so much. I started thinking about all the changes we are going through in our lives... Our "new beginnings" if you will. J is back on second shift (he was moved to first for four weeks - *sidenote: That move had its own blessing despite the upset to the schedule and the lack of any overtime at all for the four weeks.... Those weeks were the exact same weeks that the bro, sil and little man were home on vaca from Italy. And our "time change" meant that the kids and I could go to W-town with J and spend the day with my family at my parents house while everyone was up! Had he still been on second shift, those visits would have been far more complicated. end sidenote*) and that move makes our life a little easier, although, this week we are definitely getting used to late nights and late mornings again... Retraining the kiddos.... 9:00 a.m. IS too early to get up.

Another change being made around here is me. Well, more specifically, I am embarking on a lifestyle change. It is NOT a diet. It is a "retraining" of my (mostly head, I think) body to eat enough.... Some days, "enough" means "more" and other days, like yesterday, it means "less". I used to scoff at those (well, really scoff is a strong word.... snicker and then say "no way!! Couldn't catch me counting my points!!!!") who chose this method... But really, the more I have watched, the more I have seen it work. And, I have finally accepted that I do not have my 16 year old metabolism and the ability to eat six hot dogs, buns and condiments included, and remain at the same "anorexic" weight. (*No, I was never anorexic... That just is how my body at 5'7" and 110-115 lbs was often described.) Hey, back then I TRIED to put on ten pounds.... Had I been a couple inches shorter, that weight would have been fine, but..... Oh well, I'm digressing AGAIN. Now as I am cruising toward 30 at the speed of light (that's how it feels anyway), I am finding that those ten pounds I so coveted twelve years ago have FIRMLY attached themselves to my body, plus a *few* friends, and they WILL. NOT. LET. GO. It is very disturbing. I've been watching my sil (no, not that one, one of the other ones... from the other side) and she has "joined up" and is doing a fantastic job of counting points and is gradually and steadily losing weight. Very good for her. I'm very proud. S, if you ever read this, high five. Good job. Sorry, I keep getting slightly sidetracked. Moving on.... So I've watched her, and realised, if she can do it, I can do it. And if it works, what is there to lose? (Uh, besides the weight.) So I called her up and told her to give me the low down. She helped me figure out my point scale and allowance and helped me figure our how many points I had just eaten for breakfast that day.... Two. Twenty-one to go. Crud.......... If you don't eat ENOUGH, your body is in starvation mode and it will store every ounce of fat you eat and start burning up your muscle. Ew. Can't have that. So THAT day I tried really really hard to reach my points. I actually had to *force feed* myself a small bowl of ice cream. Oh, the horror. Now, YESTERDAY, on the other hand, was a COMPLETELY different story...... For lunchsupperdinner, I blew all 23 points. In. one. meal. One serving (portions are important here, folks) of spaghetti, two meatballs and sauce with grated cheese on top and a slice of garlic bread. All my points. Gone. I almost cried. In fact, I might have... I can't completely remember... I kind-of blocked out that day from my memory... Thank God for those 35 flex points a week. All of that potentially over-share to say, I am making a change. I cannot do it completely on my own. And, while I am jumping head first into the points counting and portion watching, I am not attending "the meetings." (Heresy, I tell you.) First of all, they are on Monday nights, and I am still in class for EMT training on Mondays, and plus each week (going to the meetings) costs $12, and what can I say... I'm being cheap. So my "support group" is you... I vent, share, rejoice, cry, whatever, and, if you want, you read. :) Otherwise, skip that post.

But back to my thought track this morning, listening to the birds. Spring brings fresh starts and new beginnings. I am in a fresh start.... But fresh starts aren't limited to Spring, different schedules at work or lifestyle changes. Every morning we have a fresh start. A new beginning. God's grace grants us that.... What are you going to do with your fresh start today?

Yeah, What They Said....

To All My Democrat Friends:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious secular persuasion and or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wisher.

To My Republican Friends:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Oh My

(AKA: New Definitions)

I seem to come in contact with a ton of these people:

Bozone (n): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.


Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.


Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and a(n)....... complete jerk..... (I cleaned that one up....)

Rebuttal

This morning I received an email notification that I had two new comments on a post from way back in March of this year that dealt with my reaction to the HPV vaccine. Wow! How cool!! So, being the curious sort, I followed the persons profile and checked out her blog. And discovered that I am the subject of her most recent post. Yikes! As I was reading, I realized that my point was totally missed. And, just in case millions (ha ha) of people stop by here because of her link to me, I thought perhaps I should lay my thoughts out. So, I am posting the comment that I left on this mom's post. I am not trying to start or fuel fires, I just want to make sure I am not misunderstood. :)

Hi, thanks for visiting my page... I think I should clear a couple things up because it sounds like you may have missed my point. :)
We have not chosen to homeschool because of a vaccine... We HAVE chosen to teach our children at home to give them a better education - to give them one-on-one attention because there are many schools out there where kids get lost in the cracks, despite most teacher's best efforts to not let that happen.
We have also chosen to homeschool because we want that Christian base to their education, but what is available is almost an hour away and will cost THOUSANDS of dollars per year. I was sent to that particular school growing up. I don't really have a problem with it at all... It was a good education and there was the Christian base. However I don't have the money to spend nor do I want to submit my kids to two hours on the road alone 180 days per year.
We are trying to raise them to the best of our ability with a strong faith and one that they will hopefully hold on to and not walk away from... for a time or *forever*. Teaching them at home comes into play here. But, if they ever do stray, I will still love them and stand by their sides.... God's love is unconditional. Shouldn't ours be as well? We homeschool our kids because there are some things in public schools that we would rather not have our kids presented with AT THIS TIME. For instance, our son would be getting "sex ed" soon, and we would rather that he get the Biblical perspective as well as "this is how our body works" and not the "here are some condoms, if you ever need an abortion, let us know, your parents never need to find out if you don't want them to" perspective that public schools give.
Another GREAT perk to homeschooling is that their friends in public school are on the bus at 8:00 (or earlier), school at 8:30, school lets out at 3:30, they arrive home at 4:00 (or later), homework 'til dinner time, possibly more homework after dinner, have an hour or two of free time, then head to bed. Get up the next morning and do it all over again. However (here is the perk), our kids get up early, get their work done - school and homework all rolled into one - and have the rest of the day as "free time".
THOSE are some of the reasons that we homeschool. As far as my reaction to the vaccination, everyone has the right to choose as they feel led on this point. To be honest, yes, I do feel that this may send the wrong message to our kids just as passing out condoms does. But that is just my personal opinion. My actual PROBLEMS per say with the HPV vaccine is that in some states it is becoming mandatory. I disagree with that. That is where my comment about being glad we homeschool came into play. If New York were to mandate this vaccine, we would not be under it because of the fact that they are not in public schools. I just have a hard time with the government telling me that I MUST take something. It seems to me that it is taking some of my freedom away. It should be our choice, and if it turns out that it was the wrong one, then it should be my fault. But I should not be forced to give it to her. Also, this vaccine isn't thoroughly tested yet. What are the side effects? How long does it even last? Would I be putting my daughter in *possible* danger to negative side effects to only have her protected for ten years? HPV is not something that has had a ton of research. Those are my concerns. That is where I stand on that issue and on the homeschooling issues. I hope that clears up any confusion.

Invisible

This is a story that has been on several blogs lately and the original link is lost amidst all of the other links to everyone else's blogs that it is on. My goal today is not to be a blog copier, but rather to encourage you. What is it that you are doing that has you worn out and frustrated and feeling like YOU can't be seen anymore? I know there are plenty of days that I feel this way! Not entirely every day, which is good. Be encouraged today as you do what God has called you to do.

I’m invisible…….

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I’m thinking, “Can’t you see I’m on the phone?”

Obviously not. No one can see if I’m on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I’m invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I’m not a pair of hands; I’m not even a human being. I’m a clock to ask, “What time is it?” I’m a satellite guide to answer, “What number is the Disney Channel?” I’m a car to order, “Pick me up right around 5:30, please.”

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She’s going … she’s going … she’s gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress;it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, “I brought you this.”

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn’t exactly sure why she’d given it to me until I read her inscription: “To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.”

In the days ahead I would read — no, devour — the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals– we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, “Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.”

And the workman replied, “Because God sees.”

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, “I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no cupcake you’ve baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can’t see right now what it will become.”

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend he’s bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, “My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand-bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.” That would mean I’d built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home.

And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, “You’re gonna love it there.”

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

I Am SO Glad We Homeschool!!

Every once in a while, something comes up that makes me so thankful that our children are not in the public school system. Today I am probably more grateful than I have ever been. Struggles? Sacrifices? They all just disappeared. They became just a minor itch, if anything.

It all started with an email from my sister-in-law. She forwarded me some information and asked if I was giving my daughter theHPV vaccine. Well, that was the first I had heard of it, and, spurred by what I read in her email, I did a little research. I am seriously appalled.

From the small amount of research I did, it seems that HPV is a sexually transmitted disease. That is what I gathered from the first statement made in this article. Other articles addressed the question of whether or not HPV could be contracted from things like toilet seats, but from what I have seen so far, it is a very remote chance... The first article stated: "According to the CDC, the only way you can totally protect yourself against HPV is to avoid any sexual activity that involves genital contact." Um, really.... Isn't this one of the reasons (besides the obvious, "this is God's way - WAIT!") that we teach our kids ABSTINENCE?! And, in Texas, Governor Perry signed an order making this vaccine "mandatory" for girls entering the sixth grade in the public school system. How scary is that?! With orders like this, how long will we have the freedom to choose what to do with our own family? And isn't an order like this once again saying that "we know you are going to sleep around. Here, get safe." That is just the moral side of it.

What about the effects of the drug? Not all vaccines are the greatest gift to mankind. In case you didn't check out the first link about what SIL's email contained, here it is, seriously, check it out. Research this on your own. I am not normally one to write posts like this, nor am I really an "anti-system" person, but this situation made my blood run cold, for all sorts of reasons. As parents, regardless of the fact that we homeschool , it is our job to raise our children in a Godly fashion and to protect them. This new mandate sends the wrong moral signals and it also has the potential to harm our daughters in a very real way.

God, thank You that You directed us to teach our children at home. Thank You for the wisdom and strength to do what is right.

Edited to add: 11/15/07 - If you are visiting from Teaching the Truth: a Homeschooling Perspective, go HERE for clarification.