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Amidst the flames

September 17, 2012 by

Last night I smothered them all in kisses. Soft cheeks still ripe with innocence and youth. Noses dotted with the freckles of childhood, when life is secure and free and beautiful and each day can be met with wonder and imagination.

I don’t tell them about the fires. I don’t mention the lives lost and the political uproar, the fear for what tomorrow might hold. I don’t share the unrest or the prevailing hatred that threatens to overwhelm. While flames lick the embassies and grieving loved ones bury heroes, I play another round of UNO, wipe another runny nose and gather my chicks under my wing with nothing more than a prayer.

These are scary times. I look at my children sometimes and I wonder, what will they face? I think of the little girl who may already be waiting for us across the ocean and I long to gather her close, too. To protect her from the scary. To tell her it’s okay, everything is going to be alright.

I haven’tcompletely sheltered the kids. Sloan and I talked politics just the other day. He watched footage of the 9-11 Memorial and I did not try to hide my tears as I listened to a mother remember her son who perished in the flames of that awful day. He knows that evil exists. He understands that there are those who possess a hatred so fierce it causes them to commit the unthinkable.

But while these flames burn, I feel an overwhelming urge to keep my little ones near and to guard their innocence with all the ferocity I’ve been given as their mother. I whisper prayers over them each night. I pray for protection and peace and for days filled with the magical fantasy that only the youthful can possess. 

I pray this not just for my children, but for all the children. I think of Moses and Mwajuma and the different kind of innocence they possess. I pray for the little ones who are trapped right in the center of the flames, the ones burying their daddies and the ones who go to sleep at night to the sporadic sounds of gunshots.

In the nighttime hours, I study the candidates and dissect what they believe so that, when the time comes, I can use what little power I have to try and protect the future for my children. I learn and try to understand and ultimately I remember that in the end, it is God who places people in power and it is all for a reason.

I will fight the flames the only way I can and I will do so with as much education as I can to ensure I truly understand the choices I am making. Because those choices don’t just affect me – they affect them. They affect my children, the ones who are set to grow up in this beautiful, wonderful, scary, volatile world.

My vote and my prayers are the only weapons I’ve got and I take my responsibility to utilize them seriously.

 

Yesterday, I sat behind a woman and her three children who had that very morning said goodbye to a husband and a daddy. He had left in the early morning hours for a nearly nine-month long deployment to Afghanistan. I watched as she and her mother-in-law clutched hands through the worship set, each swiping tears from her eyes in a swift motion of strength and vulnerability.

Two women with the young ones huddled securely beneathe their arms. A hero sent into the flames. My vote and my prayer all I have as back up.

 

 

I believe in the power of both.

 

I will utilize both my vote and my prayers with as much humility and wisdom as I have been granted. I will vote with passion and conviction, but I will not step into the voting booth with hatred.

Hatred ignites the flame.

I have a responsibility to guard my chldren – all the children – from the heat of those flames.

I urge you, my friends, to educate yourselves before this election. Don’t vote based on emotion or popularity or even based on what you’ve voted in the past. We cannot be lackadaisical in our knowledge of the issues. We must go forth with conviction and courage.

The heat of the flames must compel us forward in wisdom, grace and humility and, above all else, we have to protect the little ones who are coming up behind us.

Are you prepared to vote?

Filed Under: faith, Family, Kids, Life, Motherhood, politics Tagged With: , , , ,

Why I Will Continue to Eat Mor Chikin

July 24, 2012 by

Chick-fil-a Rally Cow. Source Unknown

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock or you are one of the few who don’t have a Facebook account (the horror!), then chances are good you’ve heard about the recent controversy surrounding the nation’s premiere seller of all things chicken.

Dan Cathy, son of Chick-fil-a founder Truett Cathy, made a statement last week that incited waves of both rage and support. It was a bold move and, as much as people may not like his decision to publicly state his beliefs, it was an inevitable move. For several months I’ve watched, slightly bemused, as people began posting the news on Facebook of the organizations financially supported by Chick-fil-a.

Given the intense scrutiny they were under for the organizations they chose to support, I figured it was only a matter of time before Chick-fil-a was forced to make some kind of statement.

For days now, I’ve watched with a bit of confusion as people left and right, from Facebook posts, to official statements by major companies and public rants by elected officials, have tossed out words such as “tolerance,” “diversity,” and “discrimination.”

“You can’t have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against the population. We’re an open city, we’re a city that’s at the forefront of inclusion. That’s the Freedom Trail. That’s where it all started right here. And we’re not going to have a company, Chick-fil-A or whatever the hell the name is, on our Freedom Trail,” huffed Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

“The Jim Henson Company has celebrated and embraced diversity and inclusiveness for over fifty years and we have notified Chick-Fil-A that we do not wish to partner with them on any future endeavors,” stated CEO Lisa Henson.

“I, along with many others, are boycotting chick-fil-a for your bigotry,” someone wrote on Chick-fil-a’s Facebook page.

And my personal favorite from their Facebook page: “Chick-fil-a is anti-gay!”

More than anything, I find the terminology being used here disturbing. What Dan Cathy said is anything but discriminatory. He stated a belief and an opinion, both of which he has every right to uphold. He did not say that anyone who believes different was not welcome to work at his chain or eat at his restaurants. Let’s not diminish the horror that is true discrimination.

Not allowing blacks to share the same bathrooms, sit on public buses, eat in public restaurants and so on…that was discrimination.

The holocaust was discrimination.

History itself is rife with examples of true discrimination.

Supporting an organization financially out of your own earnings is not discrimination. To try and compare the two is absurd. Chick-fil-a has not denied anyone any rights so the words discrimination and bigotry cannot be used in the truest sense of what they mean.

Is Chick-fil-a intolerant for their belief? Well, it seems that depends entirely on where you stand on the issue at hand. There has been little mention in the media of Office Depot’s $1 million pledge of support for Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” foundation, a large supporter of same-sex marriage. No one is breaking down their financial statements on Facebook with battle cries of “Anti-Traditional Marriage!” Or “Office Depot discriminates against heterosexual marriage.”

Chick-fil-a has every right to support who they want to support and fight for what they believe in. Should Mr. Cathy have taken his stance public? That’s hard to say. Again, I’m not sure he had much of a choice, but perhaps it’s wise moving forward to not toe the line of political hot button topics.

On the other side of that token, we have every right as a population to decide what we believe and how strongly we believe it. If you disagree with Chick-fil-a and don’t want to eat there, you have that right. Personally, I cannot imagine a world without waffle fries and the perfect chicken sandwich.

But that’s just me.

We all have the right to support and back those things in which we strongly believe. Not eating at Chick-fil-a may be enough to prove a point, but it’s not going to change anyone’s mind about how they feel and what they believe and, in all honesty, it’s probably not going to hurt Chick-fil-a’s business in the long run.

We can all stand up for what we believe, to be sure, but we can’t sacrifice free speech in the process. Dan Cathy was firmly within his rights to express his beliefs, even if the repercussions were a few less sandwiches sold.

Mayor Menino is firmly outside of his rights to block Chick-fil-a from building in Boston simply because of what they believe and support. If that’s the stance he’s going to take, then chances are he’s going to have to boot a lot of businesses and churches out of his city as well. I wonder if he’s really ready to try and strong arm his way through that battle.

Chick-fil-a is not discriminating against a population of people. Everyone is welcome inside their stores. Everyone can order from the same menu, eat at the same tables, use the same bathrooms, drink the same glorious lemonade and benefit from the same clean environment and excellent service, regardless of race, gender, orientation or religious belief.

It’s not an easy topic to cover and believe me when I say I don’t write these things without a measure of trepidation. I don’t like cyber fights and it is not my intention to start one here. I believe in our rights as individuals to express what we believe freely and to fight for what we think is right and good. Your opinion may differ from mine, but I hope that together we can come to a place of respectful, mutual dialogue and not resort to petty name-calling.

What are your thoughts?

Please be nice. What if I throw in a happy emoticon for good measure? Would that help? 🙂

This is the part where I would compliment your hair or your shoes in an effort to let you know I think you’re super cool and don’t want to offend you or hurt your feelings and still want to be your friend and maybe we could go get a chicken sandwich later? Wait…

No.

How ’bout a Starbucks. They’re neutral, right?

Have a nice day!

Image credit

Filed Under: Grace, politics Tagged With: , , , , ,

Why I don’t feel bad for Bin Laden: Post Edit

May 1, 2011 by

*After having some time to read and reflect, I’ve changed the wording of one sentence.  I don’t think Osama Bin Laden’s death is cause for celebration.  I thought the dancing and singing in the streets last night was a little weird.  We didn’t win the war.  Killing Bin Laden is a symbol, a final act of justice for what began so many years ago.  But celebration?  No.  I don’t think we have cause to celebrate.  I don’t want my faith to be one of revenge.  I’m a little more subdued today in my feelings about this turn of events.  No less glad that he is dead, mind you.  But a little more measured…

I’m not sure if you heard.  Osama Bin Laden is dead.  I KNOW?! Crazy, right.  Too bad news spreads so slowly these days.  The whole world knew this almost a full hour before the President of the United States took the podium.

Thank God for Twitter, eh?

Like every other American, I pumped my fist in the air upon hearing the news.  I did it while laughing at Geraldo Rivera who was annoucning it whilst grinning like the Cheshire Cat and laughing like Pee Wee Herman.  “We got the SOB,” he said…twice.  And I smiled, shook my head, and breathed a sigh of relief.

I don’t think this necessarily means anything for the war on terror.  Osama Bin Laden has been reported ill for many years now.  He was but a figurative face of Al Qaida, but he has many, many minions.  And they aren’t the cute little yellow guys from Pixar.

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No.  Bin Laden’s minions are much more sinister and their mission is not to steal the moon, but to kill and destroy.  So I don’t think his death means anything for the war we are fighting, and likely will be fighting for a long, long time.

But his death is cause for celebration a sigh of relief.  It’s closure.  For those of us who huddled around our TV sets ten years ago and watched the towers holding our countrymen fall to the ground, the idea that justice has prevailed against the man responsible is like a balm to an open wound.  And for the men and women whose loved ones never came home…this is the final piece of the puzzle.

I’m not sorry for Osama Bin Laden.  In fact, I kind of hope he experienced pain.  I hope he was alone and sad.  I hope he wasn’t sleeping peacefully, unaware of what was about to hit.  No.  I hope he suffered great fear, just as the men and women who were stuck at the top of the towers sat in fear, knowing they wouldn’t survive.  I think about the men and women who made the choice to leap to their deaths rather than burn inside the buildings and I hope that Osama Bin Laden’s final moments were filled with equal amounts of terror and fear.

Is this wrong?  Maybe.  I’ll pray through it.  But right now, at this very moment.  I don’t feel bad about it.

The evening of 911, I was living in Frisco, Texas.  My husband of one year was supposed to fly home from a business trip in Atlanta that day.  Instead, he was waiting on a rental car to open up.  I went to our church, Chuck Swindoll’s Stonbriar Community Church, and cried with everyone else.  I was angry.  I was scared.  I was sad.  And I felt hatred for the first time in my life.  I’ve never felt hatred before or since.

As Chuck Swindoll stood up to address his congregation, he shared in our tears.  It was comforting to know that he, too, needed to cry.  He needed us like we needed him.  And then he spoke.  I don’t remember much about what he said, except for this one line:

“There is not a hell hot enough for the monsters that committed these acts today.”

I was surprised, of course.  Those are bold words.  But I was also relieved, because it was what I was thinking.  I spent much time in the months after that night thinking and praying about those emotions.  Swindoll preached on the idea of righteous anger and I spoke with many wise leaders within our church and I came to a place of peace in feeling a truly righteous anger.

We should feel righteous anger toward evil.  Does this mean I wish hell on men?  No.  But, it does mean that I wish for justice.  I’m glad that God is the Judge and not me, because if it were left to me, justice would most assuredly not be done.

I believe and trust in God’s just power to judge a man’s heart and I believe that God has the power to change an evil man’s heart toward Himself.

But I don’t always believe that He will.  There is example after example of God hardening the hearts of men in the Bible.  Pharoah is the first and foremost that comes to mind.  And with righteous anger, God deals with the men who have hardened their hearts.  I feel no pity or sympathy for evil men like Osama Bin Laden, Sadam Hussein or any other terrorist leader who meets his fate.  It doesn’t mean that I don’t want to see that area of the world come to know and understand the power of the Living God.

But I want justice to be served and Osama Bin Laden met justice on Earth.  His eternal judgment is not for me to decide.  I know what I want to happen to him, but again, I’m thankful I’m not the one who makes that charge.

God Bless our country, and protect our troops.  This war is not over, but tonight we can rejoice in victory.  And with that, I now officially tuck away my soap box.

You’re welcome…

Filed Under: Blogging, politics, Random Tagged With: , , ,

The problem, you see…

January 11, 2011 by

Like everyone else in the country, my heart breaks at Saturday’s horrific shooting in Arizona.  There is no sense to be made of six deaths.  There is no sense to be made of the gunman’s frame of mind.  There is, of course, plenty to debate, but in the end, no sense can be made of it.

I understand the need for dialogue.  It is only natural to want to disect and pull apart the layers of what happened Saturday to find a reason.  Seeking blame gives momentary solace, I suppose.  But it doesn’t change that fact that there are parents in Arizona whose arms now ache with longing to feel the weight of their child.  There is a spouse whose ears strain for a sound of her husband’s voice.  There are children who watch the door that their father will no longer walk through.  Blame only gets us so far, you see.

There are families walking through fires that most of us will never know.  There are tears being shed that are more bitter than the majority of us will ever understand.  There is a depth of sorrow more harsh than most of us could possibly imagine.  There is anger and pain and heartache and yes, fury.  Answers are longed for, many of which will likely never be found.  We can point fingers and accuse this person of saying this and that person of saying that, but is it truly productive?

I vowed awhile back that I wouldn’t delve into politics on this blog again and, for the most part, I haven’t.  I don’t think one can avoid politics altogether, particularly as a parent.  Parenting is political.  Politics matter because they determine the forecast of the world laid before our little ones.  So politics is not to be ignored.

However, I’m not a political writer and I don’t like confrontation (makes my stomach get all fluttery) and politics are confrontational.  So I steer clear when I can and today is going to be no exception.  This post isn’t about politics.  It’s about respect.  The way I see it, our country doesn’t have a problem with political philosophies that are “hateful” so much as a problem with respect.

There’s a word we don’t hear enough, right?

There are crazy people in this world.  People who think it’s okay to buy a gun and open fire in a crowd.  People who think it’s okay to hurt another in the name of a cause – any cause.  People who think it’s okay to fly planes into buildings.  The list could go on and on.  You can’t characterize evil and hate by any one group, any one religion or any one political party.  And no religion, no political party, no one place or vicinity should be tainted as a whole because of a crazy person.  Evil is evil.  Hatred is hatred.  Trying to pass it off as anything else misses the mark.

Instead of pointing fingers at each other, slinging accusations and political barbs, perhaps we could instead examine the need for respectful dialogue.  You know, the kind without name calling and back-handed jabs.  And it would do us all good to remember the families in Arizona whose lives will never again be the same.  Is jaded arguing and combing through each political figures’ every word with a fine tooth comb getting us anywhere but further steeped in the same back and forth jabbering?

Joe stated it well when he wrote, “When an event like this happens, our natural instinct is to reach for labels that allow us to separate ourselves from the ones who committed the evil. At this moment it may be liberals blaming conservatives, but in other instances it’s Christians blaming Muslims, whites blaming blacks, the poor blaming the rich, etc. (or the other way around). If instead, our first instinct is to see the evil that lives inside ourselves we will recognize that our lines of demarcation collapse and the ones we seek to marginalize are actually our own flesh and blood.”

It’s not that I’m not angry.  I am.  I hate what happened in Arizona.  Every time I see a picture of Christina Green my heart breaks.  And it’s not that I don’t want answers.  I want to understand what would make someone do something so horrible.  I want a reason as much as anyone else for what he did.

But I’m not going to find it in a political ad from two years ago.  And I’m not going to find a reason for it by slinging accusations into the great, wide nothing using words like vitriol and rhetoric.  All I can do is control my emotions and my anger.  And I would like to see others do the same.  It’s okay to disagree.  It’s okay to dialogue.

I do think a lot of people are dialoguing well on this topic.  There are many healthy discussions going on.  Unfortunately, the conversations getting the most attention are the sensational dialogues.  I’m glad we’re talking.  I’m glad people are examining motives.  I just hope that we can be productive in doing so.

Filed Under: politics Tagged With: , , ,

Let’s have a chat

May 20, 2010 by

This post is going to be a random conglomerate.

Landon got his permanent cast on yesterday.  He picked a fiery red cast.  They decided to cast him all the way up above his elbow even though the fracture was in his wrist.  Otherwise he might be able to pull the cast off.  I saw the X-Rays.  He broke both the ulna and the radius just above the growth plate.  We’re thankful the growth plate wasn’t affected at all!

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 He’s proud of his cast.  And Steve the monkey got a cast too because his arm was hurt.  So everyone is healing.

 Tia seems to be a little jealous.  She told me she wished she had a ‘puwple tast’ for her arm.  Here she is pretending she has a cast like her brother.  Landon’s trying to figure out how to navigate the world left handed.  Watching him eat brings a smile to my face.  Half the time he misses his mouth, the other half the time he shoves the fork down his throat.

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Lee has found the silver lining in this whole broken wrist ordeal.  “He’ll get tons of practice dribbling the ball left handed,” Lee said, his eyes getting all glassy and dreamy.  So, you know, he’s got that going for him…

My kids, like all kids, wear me out daily with their constant fighting, whining, tattling and arguing.  But it’s moments like this one that we had last night…

SLweb

…that energize me and give me the strength to get through one more day.  I am writing this at 7:48 in the morning and the kids are screaming at each other behind me.  I keep looking at the picture to remind myself that there are sweet moments to look forward to.

Speaking of being energized, you can read my latest post over at 5 Minutes for Mom.  It’s all about how I’m actually NOT supermom.

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 Tia had her last day of perschool yesterday.  I’m so excited for summer break.  I have all sorts of lofty goals and plans for the kids.  We’ll see if I can stick with it or if I cave and let them watch TV all day long.  Just kidding, I would never do that…

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Lee and I started the P90X workout this week.  I can’t move anything from my neck to my ankles without gasping in pain and I’m walking like a ninety year old woman with a hunchback.  It’s intense but so far we’re enjoying it.  Except for the Abs workout, which I’m fairly certain was developed by Lucifer himself.  Seriously, if I cough or sneeze I have to hold onto something to offset the pain.  Fun…

I had a whole paragraph (or two) written about the Arizona Immigration bill and my horror at the President’s audacity to stand up next to a foreign President and publicly call out another State.  I’ll save you my rant, but will say that we are the United States of America.  We don’t need a President who’s a man of all Countries.  We need him to be the man of the People, which is what we elected him for.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

Now I’m going to hobble my way to the bathroom to start getting ready for the day.  I will attempt to brush my hair, but given that it hurts to raise my hands above my shoulders I may have to lay a hat down on the bed and shove my head into it…

Filed Under: Exercise, Family, funny stuff that happens, Kids, Kids do the darndest things, Landon, Life, Motherhood, politics, Random, Sloan, Tia Tagged With: , ,

On the Russian Adoption Situation

April 15, 2010 by

As a family who is seriously praying over and considering the possibility of international adoption (particularly from Russia or Ukraine – I’ve written about my love for the adoption process before here), we are following this story pretty closely.  It breaks my heart to read about this situation and I find myself frustrated and angry.

When any parent enters an adoptive situation, particularly with an older child as this one was, there is the potential for psychological or emotional issues.  Any child that has been neglected and virtually unloved for much of his life is going to have problems adjusting and accepting love.

If what the adoptive mother in this situation says is true, then I agree that the little boy she adopted had severe emotional problems and that she likely felt overwhelmed and incompetent to parent him.  But here’s the kicker:

YOU DON’T PUT A CHILD ON AN AIRPLANE WITH A NOTE PINNED TO HIS CHEST AND SHIP HIM BACK TO RUSSIA!!!!!!!

The absurdity of what she did is astounding.  This is a child – not a defective puppy or a ripped shirt that you can just return.  It’s a CHILD.  A child she agreed to parent, incidentally.  She never told her adoption agency of the problems she was having with her son. 

Her SON.  She adopted him.  He was her son.  In my mind, that is abandonment and she should be ashamed of herself. 

No.  She didn’t make anyone aware of the struggles.  She didn’t ask anyone for help.  She just shipped him back.  What did she think was going to happen?!  Did she think the Russian government would send her a thank you note?

Thank you, Madam, for your honesty and forthright thinking in this sensitive matter.  Of course, we would be happy for you to come over and take a look at our other children and find one that better suits your needs.  Perhaps a mild and meek little girl who will sit quietly and let you brush her hair all day long.

Ugh!  Can you tell this story has gotten me a bit riled up?

There are so many ways this woman could have handled this situation.  She could have given her adoption case worker a heads up, first of all.  She could have gotten counseling both for herself and for her son.  The fact is that she hadn’t even had this boy for a full year.  So no – I don’t think she put any effort into helping this child overcome his obvious issues.

There are even reports that in December, this woman told her adoption agency that she would like to adopt a second child from overseas – something she was discouraged from doing right away.  So clearly, this woman has an equal amount of problems and likely shouldn’t have adopted in the first place.

But what about the child she shipped back?  What happens to him now?  He’s branded as being violent and psychologically unstable.  He spent the first seven years of his life in a Russian orphanage and he is finally told he has a mother – someone who will love him unconditionally – and what does she do?  She abandons him.  Sends him packing.  What will this do to this precious boy’s heart?  It literally makes me sick to think of this little boy and what he’s been through.

And now, because of this woman’s foolish, careless and selfish decision, Russia has shut down adoptions to the U.S. until better regulations can be set in place.  I don’t blame them.  I just hope that this doesn’t destroy the trust forever.  I also hope that this doesn’t set into motion stipulations and regulations that are so impossible to meet that U.S. families will no longer be able to afford Russian adoptions.

The fact of the matter is that adoption is never to be taken lightly.  In my viewpoint, if you are called to adopt a child and a child is placed in your care, then that child was ordained for you by God just as your biological children were ordained for you by God.  I know not everyone probably holds that same viewpoint and it’s probably really easy to say that if you don’t have a problem child.  But I know many people who have adopted or fostered children from around the world who had severe emotional problems and I have seen the power of perseverence and love in the life of a troubled child.

Does that mean it was an easy road for those families?  Nope.  Not at all.  But they didn’t love their adopted child any less than they would have a biological child who had a difficult temperament.

If Lee and I choose to follow this route of adoption, we will, of course, pray that God spare our adopted child of severe emotional distress.  But I trust beyond a shadow of a doubt that should God choose to give us a child that is more difficult to parent, He will also equip us with the grace to parent the child well.

I could go on and on about this, but I think I should stop now before I break out in hives.  And I shall now climb off my soap box and carefully tuck it away once again…

Filed Under: Adoption, Family, Life, politics, Random, Russian, things I don't need to hear

Disappointed

March 23, 2010 by

I’ve taken a couple of days to think through this Health Care Reform Bill and ponder the ramifications that it brings about.  I must confess that Sunday night, I was angry.  I couldn’t even watch as one by one Congress men and women stood up and made their case because it felt so terribly deceptive and wrong.  They weren’t making a case for or against the bill – they were lobbying.  Not all of them, of course.  I can count on one hand the few who I sensed truly and passionately believed that what they were arguing was right (on both sides of the debate).  The rest, however, were making a campaign speech.  It made me feel violated.  I found myself pacing the kitchen, yelling at the TV and, finally, turning my back and trying to tune it all out.  I was mad.

Today?  Today I’m disappointed.  I’m not angry anymore.  I’m just very, very disappointed.

I’m disappointed in our leaders and their lack of leadership.

I’m disappointed in the Democrats for their arrogant dismissal of public concern.  For their willingess to push this thing forward despite a majority of Americans being against this particular bill.  Take note that I did not say that those of us who opposed this bill were against reform…

I’m disappointed in the politicians who pontificate as though we the people are no more than uneducated toddlers who need our hands held and paths directed.

I’m disappointed that our elected leaders are more interested in appeasing their constituents than in doing the right thing.

I’m disappointed in the Republicans for their arrogant misuse of power.

I’m disappointed in our President for placing his desire to make a legacy for his Presidency over the will and good of the people.

I’m disappointed that our leaders are willingly spending money we don’t have on a bill that no one understands.

I’m disappointed in the elected officials who did not have the courage to vote with their gut because they feared it would lose them precious votes at the polls.

I’m disappointed that my children will inherit this massive debt someday.

I’m disappointed that despite the enormous public outcry, our leaders weren’t able to come together and craft a bill that was more acceptable and fair.

I’m disappointed that politics came before the people.

I’m disappointed that our health care system was allowed to deteriorate to the place that it is now.

I’m disappointed that I don’t feel like I can trust a single politician any further than I can throw him…or her.

I’m disappointed…

I’m not sad or mad, though, and I have not lost hope.  By nature I tend to be fairly optimistic.  I hope that this health care reform bill will succeed.  I have doubts that it will, but I do hope.  I hope my fears, and the fears of thousands of others, are unfounded and wrong.  But a nagging thought keeps tapping the back of my mind – What if our fears and concerns are right?

I take courage in one thought and one thought alone…

Jesus is still the same yesterday, today and forevermore.  Some of you may not share that same conviction, but I find an enormous amount of comfort in the fact that none of this is a surprise to Him who is ultimately in control.  Do I want to suffer the consequences for bad decisions?  No, I really don’t.  But I won’t fear tomorrow – I will take rest that tomorrow will not surprise the One who ordained it from the beginning of time.

Filed Under: politics Tagged With: , , ,

In which I get all political again

January 20, 2010 by

I know, I know…politics-ugh.

But it’s worth noting that I am extremely proud of Massachusetts for their historical election yesterday.  That was an election that affected our entire country and I know I am joined by many when I breathe a sigh of relief that the balance of power has been shifted.

I do not believe that any one party ever deserves to have such a majority in Washington.  I know those people were voted into those positions, but there should be limits on how much weight one party can carry.  Because when the balance is too lopsided, the American people suffer.

I don’t like being bullied.  I don’t like being told that this thing which we are doing is what’s best for you when I know for a fact it is not what’s best for me, my family or my neighbors.  I don’t like being painted as uncaring or selfish because I am opposed to a universal health care bill that I am certain will fail and will leave us further in a financial rut.

It doesn’t mean I don’t grieve for the families who don’t have health care.  It doesn’t mean I think the system we have now is squeaky clean and doesn’t deserve a face lift.  It doesn’t mean I’m heartless.  All it means is that I don’t think that universal health care will work and I don’t support the bill they are trying to pass.

President Obama came into office promising change and hope.  I did not vote for him, but I desperately wanted to believe him one year ago.  I wanted to buy into the ideal that he set before us.  I wanted him to succeed.  I really did – because if he doesn’t succeed what does that mean for our country?

Unfortunately, I believe all that he set before us were nothing but ideals.  His inexperience in leadership has shown itself in epic proportions throughout this first year of office.  He’s a master orator.  He’s appealing.  He’s young, energetic, handsome and seems like a fun guy to be around.  But he has some growing to do in the area of leadership.

I don’t want a dictator.  I want a leader who’s going to listen to the people and truly do what’s right.  You can’t please everyone, I know this.  But when a vast majority of the people are opposed to something, it’s time to step back, take a breath and reassess what you’re doing.  That would not show weakness – on the contrary, that is leadership.  It’s time to step up and quit being a mouthpiece and truly lead. 

And so, with the historical election of Scott Brown, my prayer is that Washington will receive the wake up call that was issued to them yesterday.  We the people won’t be bullied.  We won’t be told what’s best for us-especially when it pertains to the care we receive from our health professionals.  We are smart, we are educated, we know what’s right and we won’t passively walk into an inferno.

The government was never meant to be a giant wheel turning and manipulating the country into what they believe to be the perfect ideal.  Our government has derailed big time – they are too big and too involved.  It’s time to step back and give us back the freedoms that the founding fathers intended us to have.  We the people want Washington’s support.  We don’t want them dictating our lives.

Wake up, Washington.  I am middle America and I am tired of being pushed around.  It’s time for everyone out there to put their big boy pants on and be the leaders that they promised us they would be.  I will be waiting in hopeful anticipation.

I am an idealist, but I have very realist tendencies.  We’re in a fight right now and it’s a fight we must win, for our children and for the generations to come.

And thus ends my political rant.  I will now commence talking about New Kids on the Block and my children.  Sighs of relief heard all around.

Filed Under: politics Tagged With: ,

The President’s Address to our Children

September 3, 2009 by

*update –Well that certainly got a little crazy yesterday, didn’t it?  I had no idea I was opening such a large can of worms, but I am thankful to all of you who were supportive in your comments and who provided encouragement throughout the day.  I’d also like to thank the last commenter, Katie, who gave a great example of how to respectfully disagree with someone.  Well done! 

Katie, I understand your point and would agree with you that there are probably a lot of children who don’t have the benefit of supportive and involved parents.  But that does not mean, in my opinion, that the address should be broadcast directly into the classrooms.  There are still ways that you could help ensure that all students have the opportunity to see the broadcast, without subjecting everyone to it.  For example, schools could open up their buildings in the evenings and offer to show the broadcast to families together. 

The fact of the matter is that parents have the right to know what’s going on and what’s being said in their children’s classrooms.  No elected official should be allowed to take that right from us.

And as an update, I have heard from Sloan’s school.  The broadcast will be made available to grades 3-5 only, so Lee and I feel comfortable sending Sloan to school on Tuesday.  We will likely watch the broadcast on our own and we will decide whether or not we think Sloan needs to see it.

Thanks all for the colorful conversation yesterday! Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend. 

I posted a status update on Facebook that got people talking yesterday and I wanted to expound on it more here.  It has to do with my reluctance and discomfort with President Obama’s September 8 address to students.  The President of the United States is going to be broadcast directly to students in the classrooms. 

I had more than one person respond or email me asking me why in the world I would be uncomfortable with the President’s address to students.  And my response is, why shouldn’t I be?  Even if the President speaking to my child was a man I had personally voted for, I would still be vigilant about wanting to know what would be said to my child before, during and after such a broadcast.

My child is six years old.  It is my job to be his advocate.  It’s my duty to ensure that what he’s being fed at school matches with the morals, values and worldview that we share as a family.  And, if what he hears doesn’t match with our viewpoint, then it’s my job to help him process the new information he’s received and filter it through the lens of his developing worldview.

And I don’t agree with the idea that by doing this we are brainwashing our child.  We are protecting our child.  We do not expect or hope that Sloan will be so sheltered that as he grows he’s unable to respect, hear or appreciate different viewpoints and opinions.  On the contrary, we hope that by helping him establish and solidify his own worldview, he’ll better be able to understand and respect the differing views of others.

Obviously, if you’ve read my blog for any amount of time, you know that we are conservative.  Some would say extremely so.  These conservative views are built upon our worldview, which has been established upon Biblical principles, which we believe wholeheartedly and passionately. 

That being said, I have no problem at all with my child being encouraged to enjoy learning and education.  I don’t see anything wrong with him setting goals and having dreams about his future.  I want him to be excited about learning and education.  I DO have a problem, however, with the President of the United States being live-streamed into my child’s classroom without me knowing what exactly he’s going to say, or how any discussion before or after will take place.

I have already called Sloan’s school and spoken with the Prinicpal’s assistant about my concerns and was informed that at this point, they aren’t sure if they are required to show the address by the school board, but if they are, parents likely won’t be asked to join.  But, we have the option of having Sloan leave the classroom if we want.

I’m not sure it will be necessary for Sloan to leave the classroom, but Lee and I will be spending some time researching this over the weekend and praying about what we should do.  I was told that teachers would be encouraged not to discuss the address – at least at the kindergarten level, but how  would I know? 

I take issue with this for several reason, the biggest being that I don’t think it’s the President’s business to show up directly in the classroom.  If he wants to speak directly to students, great.  I think he should do it.  But I think it should be done in the evening, on a national broadcast, when parents and children can sit down together and watch.  Because, in my opinion, education should start in the home.

Now, the fact of the matter is, I don’t agree with President Obama on a lot of levels and on many issues.  I feel like he’s trying to take our country down a path that’s unhealthy and over-governed.  I don’t want my President involved in every aspect of my life and I certainly don’t want him coming into the classroom, talking to my child when I’m not there.  While I want my children to learn about civics and about how democracy works, political science, I don’t want them being schooled in politics at school. 

Finally, I’ve read the press release to teachers, encouraging them to talk with their students. I certainly don’t have a problem with teachers helping children focus on their dreams and goals in education, but I don’t think our children need to be told the story of Obama’s upbringing, his background and so on and so forth. While Obama deserves our respect as our elected leader, he does not need to be placed on so high of a pedestal that our children think of him as a super hero. He deserves our respect, certainly, but not our worship.  Is his story inspirational?  Sure.  But we need to be careful on how much we elevate a fallible man. 

So we’ll see what we decide about Tuesday.  I imagine we’ll send Sloan to school and allow him to see the broadcast.  I am trusting that the teachers at the kindergarten level won’t being facilitating any kind of political discussion.  And I will watch the broadcast at home so that later, in the safety of our home, Lee and I can openly discuss with Sloan his dreams, goals and passions for his education.

I realize that there are many who don’t agree with my concern on this matter and I’m okay with that.  I’m glad we can have differing opinions and I don’t stand in judgement on those who choose to think differently.  But I do take my job as Sloan’s mother seriously, and I have to do what I feel is best for MY child.  And each of you has to do what you feel is best for your children.  We all share that responsilibity and acountability.  And that’s something I know we can agree on.

Filed Under: Family, Motherhood, politics Tagged With:

The Health Care Debate

August 7, 2009 by

For those of you who read my blog regularly, you know that I rarely dive into politics.  There are two reasons I avoid political posts:

1.) I’m not the most articulate when it comes to expounding upon my political beliefs.  I know how I feel and I believe in my convictions, but I don’t always articulate them well.

2.) This blog was not and is not a forum for me to talk about politics.  It’s a forum for me to talk about my family and about motherhood.  Sometimes, however, politics and motherhood intersect.

Yesterday, Obama’s proposed health care plan hit a little closer to home for our family.  A report came out calling into question the effectiveness of a common medical procedure used to treat those with osteoporosis and compression fractures.  This procedure is called Vertebroplasty and it is the main product that my husband sells.

So yesterday was a stressful day for Lee, to say the least.

The study was apparently conducted in America and in Australia.  Using a group of patients who were all candidates for Vertebroplasty (a procedure in which doctors inject bone cement into the spine to relieve pain from compression), some of the group received the Vertebroplasty injection and the others received a placebo.

According to the study, those who received the placebo had the same measure of pain relief as those who received the cement.  This, they say, reveals that the Vertebroplasty procedure is ineffective and unnecessary.

There are some major flaws in this study, however, and many of those are being revealed today.  First, using the group in America, only 131 patients were willing to even take part in this study.  Out of 1800 people eiligible for Vertebroplasty, only 131 were willing to take their chances on the study.

Second, 6 months after the procedures, the patients, who were still unaware of whether or not they were given the placebo or the Vertebroplasty, were given the opportunity to have the opposite procedure done if they still experienced back pain.  Of the placebo group, 40% opted to have the procedure redone.  Of the Vertebroplasty group only 11% opted to have the procedure redone.

This fits perfectly with Vertebroplasty statistics, which say that the Vertebroplasty procedure has roughly an 89% effectiveness rate.

Finally, as stated in this rebuttal of the study, 131 people is a very small control group.  Even those conducting the study admitted that they had hoped for a group of at least 250.  The fact that so few people were willing to even take their chances on such a study is telling.  Also, not all the facts on the results of the study were given in the report (surprise, surprise):

Per the above cited rebuttal: Pain is often measured on a 0 to 10 scale, with higher numbers indicating greater pain. The studies demonstrate that patients who received the vertebroplasty procedure had reductions in pain of 2.3 and 3.0 points in the two studies, compared to reductions of 1.7 and 2.6 for the facet injection procedure.

So one must ask the question – were the findings of the study really accurate?  Vertebroplasty has helped countless individuals who suffered from severe and chronic back pain.  To say that the mere injection of a placebo, which as the article points out, was not really a placebo but rather a facet injection – a different but still effective treatment (which did not have the same lasting results), is all it took to make these patients feel better is to call all those who experienced relief from Vertebroplasty liars.

What disturbed me most about the Katie Couric piece, however, was this quote regarding the potential to cut medical costs:

These results point to the kind of savings President Obama has said can be achieved, when there are well-designed studies on whether expensive treatments really work.

President Obama’s proposed health care plan has many dangerous facets.  One of them being that the government would get to decide what kind of procedure someone should or shouldn’t receive based on studies that are not accurate or complete.

The government has no business taking control in such an arrogant and presupposing manner.  President Obama is taking our country in a direction that I find frightening and disturbing.  I don’t want the government taking over the private sector.  I don’t want them dictating how I receive medical care, or how my children receive medical care.  It’s dangerous, it’s socialist (and I do not use that term lightly, I guarantee you) and it’s not what many, many Americans want – not just me.

I have a very high and deep respect for the office of President.  Therefore, I try hard to not speak ill of the man who was elected leader.  Though I did not vote for him, I believe that he was placed in his position not by the American people, but by God Himself.  That does not mean, however, that I will silently watch him take my country in a place that I find disturbing.

My respect for the quality of leadership that President Obama is exhibiting, however, is waning fast.  I am proud of the many, many Americans who are standing up for what is right through grassroots movements like the Tea Party movement. I have desired to participate in the St. Louis tea parties, but have not wanted to expose my kids to that so I’ve stayed home.

(It’s not that I don’t want my kids exposed to partiotism, but I want to teach them to respect the office of President as well and find it difficult to do that at a protest rally.  It’s just my personal opinion.)

I urge those of you who are participating in the tea party protests to continue to lift up the desires and concerns of the American people.  Political office is not about exerting power.  It’s not about getting your way or laughing in the face of the constituents.  It’s about listening to the desires of those you lead and in wisdom and humility being willing to take their concerns into consideration and truly do what’s best for the whole of your country.

I know President Obama will never read my blog – but if he did, I would urge and implore him to open his eyes to the conerns of America.  Do not placate us with political rhetoric.  Don’t talk down to us as though we are selfish children in need of reprimanding.  We love our country and all we want is for our leaders to listen to us.

I also urge those who are protesting to do so respectfully and civilly.  Angry riots and aggression will not accomplish our goals.  We cannot stoop to that which they are trying to push us – namely fighting , yelling, screaming and rioting.  We must show them that a civilized America respects one another.

Obviously this Vertebroplasty study hits me a little differently than it would most people.  But it is one more example, in my opinion, of how the government is losing sight of what’s in the best interest of the people.

And that, my friends, is the end of my soap box.  I shall not climb up again, at least for a little while.

Filed Under: Family, Life, politics Tagged With: , ,
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