Worthiness

What makes your life worth something? It doesn't matter what I think. What do you think makes your life worthy? There are many things that people use to prop up their worth. There are many ways to measure up a human's days to see if life is worth living. I don't pretend to have all the answers to the meaning of life, but I want you to understand a few things.

First, let me make it clear what does not make you worthless. Suffering does not make your life worthless. Poverty can't take away your life's meaning. Nothing about the shape of your body or brain capacity makes you unworthy of living. Your belief system, religious or political, is valuable because it is an expression of what you think has influence and importance in the world. Your worth is not about what others call important.

But it is also not only about what you think makes you important. There are a few values in the world that cannot be changed. They cannot be manipulated for very long and they stand, eternal and steadfast because every generation can see their worth, and throughout history worthy things have been agreed upon by men and women who take the time to evaluate it.

No one may ever talk about you or I in the future. Our names may be limited to our tombstones, if we are blessed with one. After our parents and our children die, no one may ever speak my name or your name again, but if someone wrote down your story, what would the story be? Or even better, if someone could play a video of your life, what would others see?

There are a few things that people treat as important, every day of their lives. What do you do for money? Money is needed in our society. It isn't evil, and there is nothing wrong with having money, but everything about your money says something about you. What activities are you willing to do for money? Where your boundaries lie says more about you than how much you have. Besides that, where does your money go? Will the things that you use your money for last? Does it contribute to your health or your death?

People use their time and resources for obtaining and maintaining power. How much is your power worth? Will you keep it after you die or even for that long? Power always crumbles and is given to other people. It cycles through your hands into another's hands because you can't hold onto power. It just doesn't work that way. If you have power, you must use it to maintain it, and in showing it off and in using it to keep it, you take a risk of losing it, but trying to hide it and store it means it disappears under your nose, so living for power is like living year-round for one season of the year. It comes around to you, but you cannot keep it if it is time for it to leave. What makes power praiseworthy is how you obtain it and what you do with it. That's the only thing that will last. If history exclaims about how much power you had, will it praise you for it?

Glory seems like a good thing to live for. It makes others praise you, but if they saw the tape of your or my life, would they still praise it? No person can stand the weight on their souls of obtaining glory. The only way to have true glory that you can keep is to do things in your life that honor other people. Honor yourself and you will do it alone. And human glory is not eternal. The value of glory fades in your mind, so that it is not an eternal thing, it becomes just a memory.

Perhaps you live for honor. Maybe it is important to you or I to have others esteem us. But living for the praise of people will make you crazy. One person cannot make even one other person happy, so the esteem of others is out of your control a majority of the time. Better to be yourself and live your simple life and let praise, honor, glory and power go or come to you, according to the season. Any of these things might be seem desirable, but once you die they lie on the ground like a pile of dead leaves and are only good to noursish the soil. Some things you just can't take with you.

Before you condemn me for making others feel like what they value isn't important, perhaps you should consider yourself. You must think it is ok for them to continue to devalue their lives by pursuing worthless things, whereas I at least have the compassion to tell them they are making themselves worth nothing.

But keep reading, because there are a few things worth pursuing and living your life for. The test of their value is how long they last. And if you are conscious after death, what will still be there when you wake up?

Many people live or die for freedom. This is a worthy cause and something that you can share with others when you pay for it. But it doesn't have the lasting value of some other things. You may die for freedom, but your son or daughter may still give theirs away. Your death for the sake of freedom teaches others it is important, though, so the pursuit of freedom is valuable.

Many people focus their entire resources on faith. What they believe - talking about it, teaching it, or sifting through it becomes everything to them. This is a valuable thing. What you believe in can share good things or bad with others. But its value is in it's shareability, and only if what you share will improve with age and not deteriorate. Is it a seed of health and life or a seed of death for other people? Only time can tell if a belief brings good things or bad. Theories don't make the cut for good faith. Beliefs have to be practical - able to be used for something good- in some way. Faith/belief is one of the three most powerful things on earth, more powerful than power or money or even glory, which are the three most desired things on earth.

Hope is priceless and somewhat eternal. It can heal the body and soul and mind. It can be shared with others, and it is contagious like a nice fresh breeze from the ocean. Almost nothing else can challenge the value of hope. The greatest hope is a sure one that lasts for eternity. And the only hope that meets that criteria is the hope found in Jesus Christ. His death paid a price for something... And his resurrection guarantees it will be given as promised.

But the greatest and most lasting and most powerful thing known to men, alive and dead is Love. Like the universal solvent is water, love is the universal carrier of everything good. Love means you can't let others suffer for very long. Love means you look for the good in a person, and if you see bad, you suffer with that person in that way. Love is an eternal list of powerful activities a human does with compassion that are positive forces in his or her own life and in the lives of others. You can take Love with you forever. It is placed in your mind and it cannot ever be taken away. Human love alone is limited, but the love of God is invincible. Mere human love can be changed or subverted, but that's not the same as the unchanging love God has given us in Jesus Christ.

KEEP YOUR COOL!

When you answer the call for a wreck or domestic situation, how do you manage the high stress situation you find yourself in? Take supplements daily to manage the never ending cycle of law enforcement. Officers are faced with difficult choices every day and must make judgments on volatile situations and ascertain the truth of matters on the street quickly and fairly. So here are the supplements I recommend you keep on hand in a safe location for use every single day.

The first supplement you should take without fail is the water soluble B-complex vitamins. They are the ultimate Keep-Your-Cool vitamin. The first symptom of a deficiency is anxiety and lethargy and a long list of other symptoms, including most mental health issues. The B-vitamins protect and repair the nervous system and support your metabolism. They keep cravings to a minimum and help you remain even and balanced when others around you are losing control.

Another supplement, this time an herb that supports good adrenal function is ginseng. If you start to feel worn down, it aids your adrenal gland to respond to your body's needs. Calcium, vitamin D and magnesium are also important to help repair bones, joints, cells and provide for good brain function.

The digestive enzyme bromelain is also the top remedy to reduce pain, especially lower back and joint pain. It helps break down the cycle of toxin-producing imbalances in your body, and if you take it with turmeric to fight inflammation, your joints and organs will thank you. Also keep peppermint and lavender oils on hand in a diffuser or spray bottle with water to reduce stress headaches and clear the air.

Every day a person is exposed to different harmful substances in the environment, and when your body is overwhelmed, these substances can slow down your brain function and contaminate your circulatory system. Super greens like chlorophyll and spirulina can help eliminate toxins and supply needed minerals and vitamins, including vitamins A and E, as well as essential fatty acids.

There are other remedies that can help detoxify your system when you are getting hit hard. Drink a round of noni juice to help reduce pain, eliminate parasites and detoxify the nervous system. Detox tea will aid your elimination through your kidneys and support good liver function.

Keep packets of an electrolyte mixture with a high dose of vitamin C, since it is essential for over 500 metabolic processes, and it is your first remedy when you have gotten underneath the job. When you don't feel like taking care of yourself, make a cup of this solution, which includes calcium and magnesium and other minerals, as well as b-vitamins.

Use a tincture of wormwood, black walnut and cloves to fight parasites and disinfect your body, skin and environment. Keep a four ounce spray bottle with about 7 or 8 drops diluted with water. The alcohol in the tincture can make an effective hand sanitizer. Mix it with a drop or two of the essential oils from the formula traditionally called thieves oil, including eucalyptus and tea tree oil, sage or thyme and oils from citrus fruits.

Lavender is also an important oil for the protection of the skin and its detoxification. Add all the ingredients above with 10 or 20 drops of essence of peppermint to almond oil to make an effective muscle rub for your skin to help reduce toxic buildup, as well. If you have a biodegradable cleaner based on coconut oil or other natural product, mix a few drops into your sanitizing spray bottle with the other ingredients. Use it to clean your steering wheel and radio and anything else you touch frequently.

Arnica is the top remedy for sprains and bruises, but take this with caution, because it is homeopathic, which means it induces the symptom when taken before symptoms arise. I suggest you use it topically, and minimize its oral use.

All of these items are perishable if exposed to extreme temperatures, left in your car or a damp place, so keep them fresh and use them up within six months. You will feel better and more protected, and don't forget the fresh batteries in your microrecorder.

The Great Emancipator

(This post is from my homework for American History 2)

Although his overall stance might be characterized as a bit compromising by some standards, in 1837 Mr. Lincoln spoke publicly of the "injustice and bad policy" of the slave trade. Mr. Lincoln was part of the Whig party. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in the election of 1848. Congressman Lincoln was a politician, without a doubt, but in his law practice, he took the part of advocate for slaves, which is where he absolutely earned the title the "Great Emancipator." While more radical abolitionists advocated succession from the Union because of slavery, Mr. Lincoln understood he was attempting to challenge some of the most powerful lobbyists in the history of the United States, and he was determined to fight that battle.

He later attempted to unite the Whig party regarding the slavery issue, but he did not go unchallenged. In 1849, newly elected Congressman Lincoln penned a bill to abolish slavery in the city limits of Washington D.C. in response to a livery stable that was a holding location for slaves who were being shipped to the South. Prominent southerners visited his backers and persuaded them to abandon the bill. It seems to me that Mr. Lincoln was a strategist, and the provisions of the bill shed light on his long term plan as an abolitionist Whig. It included the following:

1. Abolish slavery in D.C. (free all slaves existing there and prohibit any new slaves)
2. Temporary apprenticeship for newborn children of slaves.
3. Cash value from the US Gov't treasury for applicable slaves
4. Prohibiting all slave trade in the city limits
5. Existing Fugitive Slave law remains in force
6. Provision for a local popular vote by all males to see if the bill would be passed.

There is no doubt that various interpretations about Lincoln, slavery, the Civil war and the Reconstruction range according to the radically different conceptual lenses of the historians and observers who comment on them. I would submit that the current accepted interpretation of the 1860 Slavery and Reconstruction issue lacks the passion of the day and a complete grasp of the southern situation for blacks and whites, alike.

A good sampling of the bias in interpretations about Reconstruction, specifically, are the writings of William Dunning contrasted with WEB DuBois. The popularity of the film "Birth of a Nation" is another good example of the way a society looks at history through a variety of cultural norms, and reevaluating those norms is appropriate, and it can improve where the moderate perspective lay on the gradient. But we are in danger of forgetting what a system of terror looks like, and if we do not learn from our mistakes quickly, this lack of perspective threatens to overwhelm us on the two plus fronts of the war we fight today.

I grew up in the south, and perhaps I have a different perspective on the whole thing, but having spent so many years in the southern culture, I've spent a lot of time in personal reflection about this issue. My great grandfather owned a plantation, complete with slaves, and my grandmother was reared by a slave woman who stayed with my great-grandfather until her dying days. My grandmother was a gentle woman who faced many hardships, and she always addressed this issue with respect and a disposition of equality for blacks, although the culture she grew up in interpreted that equality in a way I do not agree with.

Reconstruction in the South

(This post is part of my homework from American History 2)

Sometimes it seems as if American history is still being defined and influenced by the issue of trafficking humans for monetary profit. It still makes the news in South Carolina, and the authorities have become vigilant against the industry. There are segments of the American society who will do anything for money, and they find it useful to maintain their supremacy against whomever might challenge their economic status. The proponents of the slave trade in the 19th century did not have any qualms about utilizing a system of terror to maintain the status quo. The slave industry was not only about the utilization of slaves in the south, but also about the supply of humans, which included enterprises in the North and UK. This became a factor in the abolitionist's movement and the Civil War.

When William Lloyd Garrison, editor of "The Liberator" in Boston, Massechusetts who was considered the most radical abolitionist, advocated succession from the union on the basis of its acceptance of the slave trade and those who utilized slaves, he faced physical abuse along with other whites who challenged the industry. Mr. Garrison said in 1831, "I do not wish to think, or speak, or write, with moderation. . . . I am in earnest -- I will not equivocate -- I will not excuse -- I will not retreat a single inch -- AND I WILL BE HEARD." He was a catalyst in the movement that transpired over the next 30 years to utilize government to bring equality to the slaves, although he himself did not believe the government was capable of it.

Angelina Grimke from Charleston, South Carolina became the first American woman to address a legislature, besides being one of the first Southerners to speak out against slavery, perhaps because of the organized intimidation against them. This was an extension of the lynching that blacks received on a regular basis in order to maintain the status quo.

The Republican party of the time, still considered and widely accepted as "radical," adopted the philosophy that the slave trade must be abandoned and equality granted to every male in America. Although Lincoln took a more tolerant view of the slave trade, after the war the push for more radical reform of the agriculture industry in the south and the utilization of humans won out, and sweeping measures were adopted and enforced by the federal government with the presence of troops to provide stability. (question #2)

The Wade Davis bill, submitted by Benjamin Wade and Henry Winter Davis required states to renounce slavery and succession from the union, to grant blacks citizenship and the right to vote, and to accept a provisional governor and essentially a complete provisional government, in effect. It also required an "Ironclad Oath" --more than 50% of white males in a state that had succeeded had to affirm that they had never supported the confederacy, in effect keeping states as territories until that number could be met. Historically, this has been seen as outrageous, although the 14th amendment is in keeping with the spirit of these measures. (Question #2)

The situation was temporarily improved for the black man in the south, although it was only the presence of troops that had improved them. Ultimately, the conflict between white southerners who advocated the use of slaves and the federal government was ended in certain states, such as South Carolina, when the troops left and the provisional government collapsed to the factions that would later become the KKK. In 1876, the democrats gained control over the U.S. legislature and Rutherford B. Hayes, a republican, was voted POTUS. The pressure to end occupation was great, which would also effectively end the effort to reconstruct the south. The Compromise of 1877 was an informal agreement reached in order to stop the contesting of Haye's election over Samuel Tilden. U.S. Congressional Democrats threatened to fillibuster until after inauguration day, which is required in the Constitution, in order to leave the country with no president and no clear leadership of the military, perhaps opening it to the threat of a coup. Slaves had been granted their freedom, so to maintain order and avoid what appeared to be a threat of war, General Grant withdrew, leaving democrats who advocated white control and the oppression of blacks to continue their control of the southern states. (Question #4, 7)

The reign of terror on the southern states would continue for a hundred years. All sorts of tactics to control became the experience and culture of blacks in America across the nation, including the use of sharecropping and separate public facilities. In Plessy Vs. Ferguson, a man (who actually had no physical resemblance to a black) was barred from using a railroad car. The court upheld the use of separate, but equal facilities for blacks, and this ruling would be used to maintain their oppression until 1954 when it was overturned. (Question #5)

In 1915, "The Birth of a Nation" became a film of great renown because it is considered the first modern movie. It was essentially propoganda to clean up the reputation of the Ku Klux Klan. Perhaps the publicity over the system of terror that the KKK was using caused the public to move to a more moderate position, but the locus of power remained with those who committed acts of domestic terror. In my opinion, the culture of blacks has been dominated by the use of a system of terror, and the statistics that appear to prejudiced men to affirm their beliefs about the black race have been skewed to predispose blacks to an experience that is more criminal. (Question #3, 7)

Receipts

Last night I was doing homework for my Greek mythology class when a receipt tumbled out of the book and onto the floor. I picked it up, and it made me smile because that little book by Edith Hamilton has been one of the highlights of my week.

You see, I have had gross delays in getting my financial aid straightened out. First one thing and another has kept me from assurance that my college bill will be covered this semester. So I spent a considerable part of yesterday afternoon researching my classes to see which ones had required books that cost less so that I could get them in time to keep up with the work. When I came across the class for Greek and Roman mythology, I threw my head back and laughed, because the only requirement was a little $5 book. Unbelievable! Some of the books I have been required to purchase have cost $100 USED, and no bookstore was allowed to sell them any lower because of the deals that had been cut with the publisher.

Even better, this little book had a receipt from my sister's college days. She had used the book for her Greek mythology class, and she paid the bill with the funding she had received for her education. The bill had been paid, and here was this receipt letting me know that my sister had taken care of it. Someone else had helped me a little in my education, and I am very, very grateful. Thank you, sis.

There are many things that work that way. The democracy and the freedoms that we enjoy here in America are a lot like that little book. When our freedoms are threatened and we have to work a little harder to maintain the free society that has been established, a little receipt might fall out of the social studies book or the US government book that we are studying. It says - Deposit paid... by untold heroes who have given their lives and sacrificed many comforts to pay the price to keep our land free. Any one of us might be required to make a payment, but isn't the freedom of our children and their children's children worth suffering a little bit for a little while?

Love Is...

After thinking a lot about what it means to be committed in a relationship, I realized that my ideas can be stated simply with the words, Faith, Hope and Love. My profile points out that these are the most powerful forces on earth, even greater than money or power, and I want to show you why in this note. Perhaps it is an overstatement, but many men and women seem to become more commitment-phobic the older they get. Thinking through it helps you pinpoint what makes commitment most difficult for you.

First, consider the word HOPE. I'm not talking about the English definition of the word, but a more meaningful idea that looks more like a soccer goal or homeplate in baseball than a subjective feeling. And it isn't just any goal you choose, but rather its THE hope you hold out for your friendship, which is the hope of always being a benefit to your relationship partner. Can you promise to only do good to that person, and never evil? Even if you have to part ways, you can part knowing that your thoughts and speech about each other will always be gracious. This is your hope for the relationship. It may seem like a unobtainable dream, but it is up to you to make it a reality. The peace this promise can create in a relationship is astounding, and worthy of consideration.

The second facet to committing to a relationship is to have FAITH in the hope you have between you. You have to believe the person extends the same hope to you. Can you expect your relationship partner to promise the same thing you have, that is to only benefit each other? This is definitive trust, and in return you have to be trustworthy, as well. Certainly this is the most difficult part of a relationship for some of us. People have a tendency to hurt and betray each other, so we become less trustful and thereby less trustworthy. If you make the commitment to trust your relationship partner, it can keep you focused when it is not clear what you should do in a given situation. Your heart can then consider what is wise, which is not really possible when fear or jealousy skew your thinking. It is always best to know yourself well enough to know what clouds your thinking in many situations.

The greatest part of a commitment to love someone is the LOVE part. It's not emotion based, but another, different promise to accept someone as they are. Genuine love for a friend does not require that person to change in order to obtain your generosity and peace. This part of the commitment is a balance to people's inevitable untrustworthiness, and this type of love is agape. The cost of agape love is self-sacrifice. There are not immediate warm fuzzies to making sacrifices for others, but it does reap physiological benefits which you have to experience to understand.

These are not the only types of love you can experience in a committed relationship. Some types of love are contingent on certain behaviors. Such as PHILEO, which is dependent on a feeling of unity with another person, and this can only be obtained through a little communication and relating to each other. Another type is EROS, which is sexual love. Pure eros is dependent on fidelity, otherwise a chemical reaction of this sort of attraction is only biological, which isn't the same as eros in the spiritual sense. Unlike agape, both of these types of love require interaction with each other.

Human tendency is to make a committed relationship a standard for everyone, but that wouldn't be biblically or psychologically wise. It is up to each person to determine if another person is capable of a commitment like this, and to draw appropriate boundaries for themselves. These are just principle guidelines, but the practical application of it is something that has to be considered carefully and determined individually. The power of these three dispositions in your life and in the world to affect change is immeasurable. If every person made this sort of commitment to one other person in their life, it could change the whole dynamic of a society, and without a doubt it would change history.

I mention in my profile that I am a follower of Jesus Christ, and that I believe he is the greatest story of compassion that has ever been told, if you understand the story thoroughly. Compassion is part of the hope you have established between you and your relationship partner. It is difficult to trust people for compassion once you have been hurt a few times. Trusting Jesus can be an effective path to the ability to trust another person, and it gives you a safety net when others are not trustworthy. No matter what humans may do, Jesus Christ can always be trusted to protect you from the worst of things. Grasping this type of peace with Christ is an extremely powerful tool to use in your most intimate relationships.

Loving the Aliens Within Your Borders

Ferocious debate instead of reason rules today's discussion on the issue of immigration. Heated opinions have replaced good listening skills in these discussions and divided the parties. The participants of the debate seem to be divided from logical solutions, and we must find those solutions. America is at war on 2 plus fronts. We want peace with the whole world, but mistakes about immigrants may cost us dearly if we forget those who are ignorant of the components of democracy.

America is an egalitarian system, which goes against the grain of most cultures in the world. Certain components of other societies, such as differing economic systems and local governments, religion and even family structure may include a system of terror that the people accept and adhere to. In some other countries, drugs and weapons cartels and other entities often rule communities with an iron fist, and these types of networks automatically accompany many immigrants.

It is most often those who are most oppressed who want to migrate to America to enjoy the freedom and safety they have lacked, but their privileged elite also often come as students and apprentices to learn about our free society and economy. Future leaders are attracted to American institutions, but embracing freedom may not seem imperative to the middle class of a foreign society, and the upper elite may even oppose it. Not grasping the democratic rights of the individual and its integration with a free economy gradually weakens and destroys them both. Whether out of personal irrelevance, ignorance or fear, people from these cultures may unwittingly give away their new found freedom.

Americans love our democracy, and we have a difficult time understanding why everyone would not value the same freedom we enjoy. We forget that many cultures are not accustomed to the rights afforded a citizen of the United States, that is, the Bill of Rights, so we make assumptions about the alien's understanding of our culture. We know that no person in America should submit to a system of terror, and aliens who reside in our borders must value our democracy. We realize participants in a free society must stand up to intimidation, and our law enforcement community daily fights systems of terror to maintain the public safety. But we forget some people won't stand up to the threat.

Christians have been cultivating our own heated debate about what this means. How should we respond to the aliens living within our borders? God doesn't allow people to live within his kingdom without laying down some very strict guidelines, and yet we are admonished to love the alien. In the law, God laid out requirements for the admission or expulsion of foreigners. The Bible also maintains in the New Testament that in order to live in the Kingdom of God, you have to believe its main tenets and demonstrate that belief. Those who do not love the Kingdom of God will be cast out in the end. Christians cannot ignore God's model and the picture it paints about the priority of education yet simultaneously claim to love the immigrant.

Extending compassion means taking the risk to be willing to teach others how to understand and adhere to the rules, or they must be sent to live in another place. An unchecked system of terror undermines the orderliness a democratic society requires. Tactics of terror include incarcerating its victims and snatching the freedom of its targets. Compassionate followers of Christ cannot leave a person captive to such fear. Compassion compels us to teach others about freedom and a better life.

Churches are often the first resource an immigrant looks to for education in English. Sometimes such ministries will also teach American Civics, but not usually. Why don't we believers advocate for a better tomorrow for all of American society by encouraging our guests to learn civics and the democratic way? Although foreign immigrants and those with permanent work visas bring many good things from their culture, we must also keep our eyes open for things from other cultures that undermine freedom. Compassion requires teaching them to adhere to our laws and to say no to any system of terror.

Contrast of 3 Belief Systems with the Philosophy of Domination

You can tell a lot about a person by what they think of the weak and powerless person. I have edited this half a dozen times already, but I think it will be a work in progress for a long time yet. I really want each one of us to consider how we think the lower strata of society should be treated, and I hope thinking through it will open all our eyes to blind spots in our belief system. I talk a lot in my writings about the philosophy of domination and coersion. It is an attitude that is gaining momentum in the world today, but I don't think it will have the final say in history.

People who believe in domination use power and money to push down against those who threaten their ability to obtain more power and money. You can note their belief in domination by their attitude that says "The bottom class of society deserve what they get so they should be used as slaves and guinea pigs. They are expendable by-products of our economic system, and it is unfortunate that their demise makes us look so bad." This philosophy isn't based on any reasonable belief system, and I am not sure it is compatible with practical ethics, although you hear American's parrot these ideas all too often.

Humanists or Agnostics believe that the weak may have hidden or latent benefits to society and are slow to marginalize them because our society is founded on compassion. America is all about second chances, so relegating the lower class to slavery is anathema to most people here, whether they have a firmly established belief system or not.

In a similar fashion, Christians believe the weakest members of society have intrinsic and extrinsic value because their existence brings out the best in human beings. Christian belief in an upside down kingdom includes the protection of the innocent and weak, who often have hidden strengths. If you look at what feeds the strict philosophy of domination and coersion in this present world, it is never a desire to protect the innocent and weak.

With a little consideration, it can be proven that an atheistic belief and confidence in natural selection/survival of the fittest is diametrically opposed to the philosophy of domination, which is survival of those in power by use of the biggest weapon. An atheist believes that there are natural principles that weed out the weakest member of a given group, and domination by those with power and money would thwart the natural selection process because those who obtain power and money are not those most capable of handling it appropriately. The current global economic condition has already proven this true.

Another reason the philosophy of domination and coersion is contrary to atheism is because atheistic thought often uses the rule, "Do to others as you would have them do to you." Domination of others contradicts this rule, which is the basis of many religious belief systems, as well.

To clarify further, survival of the biggest weapon does not speak to the process of legitimate discipline or self-defense, which fits well with any other belief system. But is a philosophy of domination and coersion capable of such coexistence? I say it clashes with any belief other than exalting power and money as God, and the current descent into a totally counter-productive anarchy with domination as the ruling philosophy is foreign to us Americans and an offensive to our democratic principles. If your belief system is healthy, you will protect the innocent and weak from domination and coersion, which is what makes the United States of America, and our democratic republic worthy of fierce loyalty; and makes terrorism and fascism the enemies of every one of our citizens.

Wave bye bye...

Have you ever thought to try to record your microwave? Theoretically any electro-magnetic wave can be recorded in a digital file with a digital recording device you can get from the store. Ultra sonic waves, supersonic waves... It depends on the software to be able to interpret the recording into readable histographs, and the you may even be able to tell what type of wave it is, but at least you can know what part of the wave falls on your device's ability to record it.

Fifty Percent Off

Ok, how do women our age get by these days? I remember my life when I graduated from high school, and it is strange to me how foreign a grown ups life was to me back then. I never really grasped what they did with their time. Here I am, just a little over forty, and I just bought this nifty planner from the bookstore. I sat down to start planning, but I realized about 6 months worth of planner pages are missing from my 18 month planner.

That's a little how I feel about the last eighteen months. It sure seems like I missed about 6 months of it. It's sort of like I hit the pause button and went back in time to about 20 years ago. I look around me at the grown up women and wonder, what is their life like? Then something reminds me I'm supposed to know the answer to that question.

Hug a Cop today

Probably more than half of my friends don't know that I was married to a police officer for fourteen years until six years ago, and even now I still have a lot of friends and their family who are in public safety. Being in law enforcement changes some things about your personal relationships, and I thought I would write a little about it here.

It is difficult for a civilian to understand the life of a police officer or other types of law enforcement. The hours are tough, and your days begin to run together with the stress of going home and having to find a way to relax and rest before dressing and doing it all again. Your life becomes fully invested in your work.

Many cops don't have family at home to go to, and those that do have to face people at home who can't grasp how they feel, facing the type of danger they do. You never really leave the law enforcement mindset once you have lived in it for 14 years. I was fully immersed in it as a cop's wife, and there wasn't a single day that went by that I didn't stop and gasp to myself and think quickly to where he would be at that moment - was he at home sleeping, out for a run, or was he walking up to a car full of drug dealers with guns hidden under the seat? I was committed to him, and I made a conscious decision to sacrifice myself and the comforts of family for the sake of public safety.

When you have lived with that sort of stress, you always weigh the danger of a situation the people you love are faced with. You always consider what the possibilities are, but you stick with the probabilities. You can't afford to fear the worst. You have to stick with what is most likely. You also can't afford to delude yourself, either. You know what sort of temptations law enforcement officers face, if you are a smart person. You know that there are a lot of things he must deal with in his job that you don't want to know the details about.

You also learn how to give people space, and that space becomes a comfortable buffer zone between you and others, as well. It took me some time to learn to be reserved in my thinking and in my conversation. That is a requirement in Midwestern culture and in police work, too. It leaves a place holder between what you know, what you think, what you think might be and what could be the best and worst case in a situation, and you learn that deep conversation doesn't allow for all of the unknowns.

Law enforcement officers have an extremely high divorce rate compared to most other vocations. It takes a tremendous amount of encouragement and understanding to develop a good relationship with anyone who works on the street in this fashion, and cops typically cannot offer it back. So hug your police officer and spouse today, and tell him or her you read about the challenges they face. Trust me, they'll love you for it!

Rated G Shower Story

There is a music festival I used to attend in Willmar, Minnesota several years ago that hosts about 20,000 teenagers. The first time I went, I heard that it gets a little crazy on site, so I booked a campsite a few miles from the civic center. It was a great camping resort with kayaks, bicycles, etc… We all loved it. The shower was a small out-house type structure in the middle of the campground with exactly one toilet and one shower stall. Since there wasn't a lock on the door, I wasn't sure what would happen if anyone else in the campground had to use the bathroom, so I hurried in and started the water.

About the time I got my hair sudsed up, I heard a step behind me in the stall. I was already a little concerned about someone coming into the shower shack, so I jumped a little and looked around, but I didn't see anything or anyone, so I continued with my shower. Again I heard something like someone stepping in a puddle right behind me. I looked around more carefully this time and saw there was a HUGE ugly frog sitting right behind my heels. This thing was the size of a small chicken, and the stall was the size of a typical stand up shower stall. I resisted the urge to scream loudly. I was afraid of what the frog might do if I scared him, so instead I invented a nice little scream-song that went something like "help, help, help, omg, there's a frog taking a bath in here. Why me, God?"

Now since I was in the shower, I couldn't just run out the door, although I had to force myself to resist this natural tendency. I did a little hopping dance, kept my screaming down to squeaking with my little sing-song type prayer and expedited my shower. I was proud of my self-control. At some point during all of this the frog slipped out of the shower and back under the rock he called home.

Now it may seem like I don't like wild critters very well, especially after you read this story. I actually love being out in God's creation, and watching things in the wild is something I take great pleasure in, but as much as I like to be at one with nature, I don't very much appreciate the critters returning the favor.

Yes, the truth is I have a double standard. I can visit them, but I don't like it when they come to visit me. Maybe you read my story about my squirrel-house squatter. He was a lot of fun to watch in the tree by the deck, but I didn't care for him in my bathtub. I couldn't help but laugh when I realized he is not the only critter I know who decided to take a bath inside!

Squirrel Story

[previously posted elsewhere]

I have been thinking about writing this story down for a long time. Even before I turned on the computer, I asked my sister if it was too embarrassing. Of course she said no. So I'll start by telling you that every word of this is true. This really did happen.

It all started early one beautiful summer day at 6 am. The sun had been up an hour (it was Duluth, Minnesota, after all), and I was still dreaming about the fun I'd have sleeping late. But something woke me up. It was the clumsy sound of something in my bathtub. Through the open bathroom door I could see the plant I have sitting by the tub, but there was a furry animal head looking around the ivy leaves.

"That is not a furry animal head," I mumbled to myself, and I closed my eyes and started to doze off. Then I realized I don't have any stuffed animals by the bathtub, and no small children to leave stuffed animals lying around. I screamed very loudly, jumped up and ran around on top of my bed. He jumped when he saw me do this, and I ran screaming out of the room to the other end of the house to my living room.

I spent a few seconds trying to decide if I could manage to perch on the back of the couch or would I be as safe cowering in the seat cushions? Would that be good enough? I grabbed a pillow and decided I preferred to sleep. I was safe for the moment, but what could I do? Which of my friends should I call? My boss was out of town, although I knew he would have some way to trap the critter. As I ran down the list, I couldn't think of anyone. Then I looked back towards the kitchen and there he was!! He had followed me into the living room. OK, so maybe I can perch on the top of the couch. He began running around the couch, and I screamed loudly several times before throwing the pillow at him and running into the kitchen, but where should I go from here?

I decided to grab my phone from the table and run out the door onto the deck (in my pj's, of course). So there I was, sitting on the edge of my deck at 6:10 am. I thanked God that it was June since almost any other month could mean several feet of snow. I called a friend on the east coast. "I have a squirrel in my house!"

I could almost hear him rolling his eyes. "Um, I would love to chat, but I have a meeting with some architects, he told me in the most understanding way. Corey can probably help you." Well, what did I expect? He lives in Florida. He laughed loudly as I explained and he even shared it with his business partner.

I looked in the storm door and I couldn't believe it. The squirrel was sitting on his haunches looking at me through the window in the door. My friend laughed loudly and said he'd catch up with me later. I told him thanks for the moral support, anyway. Great. Very funny. Now what do I do? I decided to scream at the squirrel again to see if he would just run away. The neighbors can't sleep all day anyway. I guess he decided to stay away from me and ran further into the house. I got up my nerve and dashed into the kitchen and jumped up on the table.

By the time the kids got home that afternoon I had climbed down from the table, but the squirrel was still loose in the house. I told them the story and explained that they should look out for a small squirrel running around, but he didn't show up that evening.

The next morning we woke to hear something moving behind the clothesdryer, and my younger son, Stewart ran out of his room. He was twelve at the time and my older son was 14. The squirrel ran out from behind the dryer, jumped up on the hanging rack I had filled with damp clothes the day before and ran up to the top, where he stopped for a moment to get a good look at us. We were surprised and a little amused because we didn't know what to do. He was small and auburn colored - a red squirrel. They are infamously aggressive.

I had to go to work, and the boys went to school. When I got home from work a few hours after they arrived from school, they raced to tell me the story. Jeffry got home first and heard the squirrel under his dresser. He decided to try to get him out so he used different things including a piece of cheese on a string and a microphone stand. I commended him for his efforts but asked him "What would you have done if he ran out?"

"He did run out and into your room to hide in your closet," he told me.

Then Stewart told me the rest. Later he had arrived home and fixed a snack in the kitchen. When he walked down the hall he heard splashing in my bathroom. He looked in and there was the squirrel swimming in the toilet!

"Actually drowning is a better word. He was stuck," Stewart told me.

I was surprised he wasn't soaking in the tub with bubbles. When they saw the squirrel's predicament, my kindhearted young men ran for the broom and a bucket. They extended the broom to the little squirrel and he clutched it for his life. He climbed onto it and they put him in the bucket and covered it with a towel. They gave him some cheerios and took him outside. With the bucket on its side eventually the little squirrel crawled out and laid in the sun. After he rested a bit he ran off.

Bless the Earth

I know that many people scoff at the mere mention of Bible and science in the same sentence, but do you think the first people to write down Genesis knew about the importance of light to the rest of the world? Could they have guessed that space was a vacuum? I wonder if they did. Is it coincidence that the days of creation revealed the priority creation events?

The order of the events is one of the things that people scoff at more than any other, but look carefully - Day one is Light, which might also be considered the beginning of all energy. Day two is the dividing of the atmosphere, which is "the water above," and the earth, which is the "water below." Day three is the dry ground and plants. Day four is the sun, moon and stars. Day five is birds and the sea creatures. Day six the earth produced the animals, and God fashioned humans by his own hand out of the earth.

Not only are these days in the exact same order as evolution's representation of the events, each day's product is a necessary ingredient for the following days. I am not suggesting to you that we should push religious beliefs as science, but if you study the Bible at all, you will notice the people who wrote it were observant of the world around them, and they knew the significance of God's blessings on it. The earth is a rich and beautiful place, but we don't want to be the spoiled rich kids who won't clean up after they wreck the nice sports car and trash the nice apartment our Father gave us.

ok, here goes.

I am finally trying out blog utilities to use with my profile... Hmmm...