The Pledge

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO EVERYONE.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation under God, indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

In 1892, 1923, 1924 and 1954 the American people demonstrated enough concern about the actual words in the Pledge to make some necessary changes. Today there may be a tendency among many Americans to recite “by rote” with little thought for the words themselves. Before continuing with our tour, let’s examine these 31 words a little more thoroughly.

I Pledge Allegiance—– I Promise to be faithful and true (Promise my loyalty)
to the flag to the emblem that stands for and represents
of the United States—- all 50 states, each of them individual, and individually represented on the flag
of America yet formed into a UNION of one Nation.
and to the Republic—- And I also pledge my loyalty to the Government that is itself a Republic, a form of government where the PEOPLE are sovereign,
for which it stands,—- this government also being represented by the Flag to which I promise loyalty.
one Nation under God,—– These 50 individual states are united as a single Republic under the Divine providence of God, “our most powerful resource” (according to the words of President Eisenhower)
Indivisible,—- and can not be separated. (This part of the original version of the pledge was written just 50 years after the beginning of the Civil War and demonstrates the unity sought in the years after that divisive period in our history)
with Liberty—- The people of this Nation being afforded the freedom to pursue “life, liberty, and happiness”,
and Justice—– And each person entitled to be treated justly, fairly, and according to proper law and principle,
for All.—– And these principles afforded to EVERY AMERICAN, regardless of race, religion, color, creed, or any other criteria. Just as the flag represents 50 individual states that can not be divided or separated, this Nation represents millions of people who can not be separated or divided.

Thus it is that when you Pledge Allegiance to the United States Flag, You:
*Promise your loyalty to the Flag itself.
*Promise your loyalty to your own and the other 49 States.
*Promise your loyalty to the Government that unites us all,
Recognizing that we are ONE Nation under God,
That we can not or should not be divided or alone,
And understanding the right to Liberty and Justice belongs to ALL of us.

For more about the Pledge go to this page.: http://www.homeofheroes.com/hallofheroes/1st_floor/flag/1bfc_pledge.html

The Great Equalizer

Death truly is the great equalizer.
That fact hit home this week.
This past week Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson all died. Their celebrity and fame could not save them from old age, heart conditions, cancer, overdoses… or from themselves. All the popularity in the world doesn’t matter in those last moments. It doesn’t matter how much money is in the bank, whether people want your autograph, or if your albums or poster sales set world records. Death still comes.
Many of these celebrities seemed so unhappy, even when they had the world at their feet…even when they had all the things that the world deems as “success”.
It makes many people uncomfortable to talk about death…to think about their own death is scary. Asking about their relationship with the Lord and where they will spend eternity is something people shy away from discussing.
“Oh, I don’t know if I even believe in the ‘Big Guy Upstairs’.”
“I’m a good person, surely God will want me in Heaven.”
“I’ll take care of getting right with God later. Right now I’m having to much fun to worry about it.”
“I don’t want to be told what I CAN’T do. I’m living life for me.”
“Show me the money!”

Not to be overtly scary, but I’ve just been pondering these celebrity deaths this week. Wondering where they are spending their eternity. Fame and fortune don’t matter in this case….only a real relationship with the Lord counts. All of us will have to come face to face with the Lord one day. It is not “if”…it is only “when”. The thing about it is, none of us knows the future….so that meeting could be today or tomorrow. People don’t wake up in the morning saying, “Hey, I think I’m going to die today.” So, there isn’t usually a lot of preparation in most cases. That is why it is important to be ready. Be honest with yourself. Really honest. If your day were today, would you be ready? Would you be meeting a dear friend and savior who welcomes you home? Or a complete stranger who you never bothered to get to know, because of the choices you made?

Matthew 16:26
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Like A Train Wreck

I didn’t hear the South Carolina governor yesterday as he gave his “tell all” confession. I heard about it later on the news. I just think it is sad. He had the affair. Whether he is truly sorry or not, only he knows for sure….but do we really need to know all the details? Let’s not rehash it forever.
The media has been all over Jon and Kate and their filing for divorce. It’s his fault. It’s her fault. Oh, the poor children!
I don’t get it. Why would the media be like piranhas when it comes to people’s pain? What reason is there for anyone to have to know all the details? There isn’t a valid reason.
Yes, these people are in the public eye….but in my opinion that does not mean that “we” need to know every gory detail. Regardless of a person’s fame, he/she is still a person with feelings.
What is even more concerning then these people’s indescretions is that the public eats it up like it is the latest script from an afternoon soap opera.
This is someone’s life. Let’s not treat it like an episode of reality TV. In my opinion, don’t look…..don’t stare….turn away. Even if it looks like a train wreck.

We The People Are Coming…

I don’t know if you’ve heard of this letter. A lady in Arizona is fed up with all the craziness of our current government. She wrote a letter to Washington D.C., to be honest with you she said just exactly what I’m thinking….and I believe what MANY Americans are feeling. She was honest and blunt.
Take a few minutes to read what she had to say. How do you feel about it?

Life’s Journey

PAIN. Life is full of it.
DISTRESS. DOUBT. ANGER. HURT.
These are feelings most of us, that are members of the human race, have had to come to terms with at some point in our lives. If you haven’t yet. You will. It’s not a matter of if…..just a matter of when.
We all struggle….but with Christ we can have hope.
Hope… when things otherwise would seem hopeless.
There have been times in my own life when I’ve struggled to overcome hopelessness. Even now in my life with job loss, the housing market nose diving when we are trying to sell, and a car accident that has left me without a vehicle—I wonder what is God’s plan in all of this for me? I have wondered if God has forgotten me? I’ve asked lots of “why” questions (why me? why now? why this?) …but God has chosen to be silent. It is sometimes in that silence that I can finally hear what He is saying. When so much of my “comfort” is gone I have no choice but to turn to God…which is what I should have done in the first place.
I’m currently reading a book by David Jeremiah called A Bend In The Road. In the book Mr. Jeremiah discusses exactly what it is I am feeling. I am not abnormal. I’m not crazy. I’m only human.
David through the Psalms lets us know that he had times such as these also.
In Psalm 139 David says, “Where shall I go from thy spirit? Where shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into Heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in Hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost pasts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”
That is comforting. I cannot be in a situation that God does not know about or intimately care about.

Dr. Jeremiah quotes Alan Redpath in his book saying, “There is nothing, no circumstance, no trouble, no testing that can ever touch me until, first of all, it has come past God and past Christ, right through to me. If it has come that far, it has come with great purpose.”
I’ve mulled that quote over in my mind. God understands the big picture, while I, quite frankly know very little. I do not pretend to understand all the reasons for why things happen the way they do. I just know that God knows. I dare say He is probably trying to teach me something…..something that I’ve been to stubborn or preoccupied to pay attention to without some divine intervention.

Hazy, Lazy Days Of Summer…

First of all whoever came up with that little phrase does not know MY summer. No laziness for me. Moving,back and forth between states, packing, building a house, year round school for the kiddos, and all the other things in life that get squeezed into the cracks. I’m tired most of the time. Down right exhausted on some days….

In my “perfect” world the days of summer would go like this:
Wake up when I felt like it.
Put on shorts, T-shirt, and flip flops. Flip flops are a must for summer.
Sit out on the deck or lay in the hammock while sipping sweet tea by the gallon.
Listen to a little Beach Boys or Jan and Dean.
Call some friends to see if they want to go to the lake.
Go swimming and get a tan.
Read some good books.
Go star gazing after dark.
Eat watermelon.
Drink lemonade.
Eat an ice cream cone.
Have cookouts with family and friends.
Spray each other with the water hose.
Watch fireworks.
Go to some local ball games.
and catch fireflies at night.

That’s the dream anyway………

Back From Hiatus…

To all my blog reading peeps…I owe you an apology. I left you hanging…probably wondering where I was at? Had I keeled over? Boycotted blogging? Became an international spy? Working undercover for the FBI? Traveled to the four corners of the world? (does the world even have corners?) So sorry, not nearly that exciting. The past two weeks have just been insanely crazy (and yes that is a double helping of crazy–which for me, unfortunately, is not so unusual).
I have missed the blogging, but have been so busy and then so tired from all my busyness that I surely would have fallen asleep in mid blog…..then I would have had to deal with drool on my keyboard and the keyboard design imprinted on my face. It would not have been pretty. So, I thought it best to just take a short hiatus from all of blogdom for awhile.
I’m back. Still tired….and could still possibly drool on the keyboard, but I’m willing to make that sacrifice.
As many of you already know my husband and I (and our 3 kids who are pretty much along for the ride) are in the process of building a house in rural Ohio. We are nearing the end of our year long insanity adventure. We’ve been back and forth from Tennessee to Ohio. Packing stuff in the trailer…hauling it up to Ohio. Working at the house in Ohio. Just tired exhausted. So ready to be done with this house and not living like vagabonds settled. It started out as exciting to build our own house, then it was tiring, now it is just “slap it up there–I just want to be done with it!” (not really…well, okay maybe really)
Then to top it all off I wrecked my car last Wednesday. Yeah, that’s right. Wrecked it. Wrecked it good. Just call me Daytona Dawn.
Okay, I’m just gonna lay it out short and sweet. Here goes.
On I-75 headed north to Ohio.
BAD Noah’s ark flooding rain rainstorm.
Hydroplaned.
Slid across interstate lanes sideways. This is never a good thing.
Tires then decided to grab pavement, spun us backwards and sling shotted us back across the interstate. Kind of like a bad amusement park ride.
Down an embankment….slammed into trees and rock. Resting in a swamp ditch, filling with rain water.
Three tires blown out, messed up undercarriage, bent axel, bent door frame.
Car totaled. Like unable to drive–like flat bed tow truck material.
I’m sad bawled like a baby…….but am so glad that the kids and I are still alive.
Life goes on.
Toyota Camry R.I.P

So, that is just a short synopsis of my life over the past couple of weeks.
I’m back now. Let the blogging resume!!!

Let There Be Light

Today is a stormy Monday. I can hear the rain patter on the roof as I am typing. The house (which is almost complete… hopefully) was dark this morning, since there was no sun light coming from outside. Then I heard a crunch of gravel and looked outside and it was the electricians. They came to work on our outlets and to install our light fixtures. Woo hoo! The excitement to know we will have light! Isn’t it funny how much nicer things seem in the light? How less scary night time is when you don’t have to stand in the dark hallway? The warm glow of the kitchen light spilling across the floor….
It’s changed my mood just knowing that lights are being put in. So today I am feeling thankful for light.

A Comedy Of Errors

This morning was one of THOSE mornings. You know what I’m talking about.
First of all 5 a.m comes early. I don’t mind getting up early to get my walking/exercise in for the day, but I hate it when I wake up at like twenty minutes until 5. I would have liked those last twenty minutes to snooze. Instead I am wide awake. How annoying. The alarm goes off at 5, which since I was already awake you’d think I’d just easily turn off, right? Well, I got tangled in the blanket and almost took a header into the night stand. Yea.
Then when I go to take my medicine this morning…the pill falls, hits the floor and rolls away. At this point I am on my hands and knees searching for it…but it was a lost cause. Arrggh!
Finally, it is still dark outside and I was trying to leave the house quietly, so as not to disturb the rest of the world. I did not notice the mud pit next to my car. I stepped right in it with my right foot. So that shoe was completely covered in thick mud. How attractive. I slurp my way over to the car door, trying to rub off some mud on the driveway gravel. Not a smooth move–now I also had gravel stuck to the mud that was stuck to my shoe.
I probably have mud all over my car floor board too. Ugh.

Country At Heart

I grew up in a rural area of north central Maryland. My family and I lived down a gravel road, about a half mile off the main route. Excellent for long bike runs–sometimes if I could get the right speed I could even go airborne…for one brief moment I was flying like the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard. We had soybean and corn fields around us. The neighbors cows would sometimes escape and later be found munching on our yard,their hoof prints leaving evidence that they had indeed been there. Our neighbors had several fresh water ponds that we went swimming in. As a child it didn’t matter to me that I was swimming with snapping turtles, fish, and an occasional water snake….or that when I went to get out of my bathing suit I had about a pound of silt that I had to dump out of it. Aaahhh…..the pleasures of the country life. The summer I was 12 my cousin, Russ, spent time at my house with my family because his mom and dad worked and so during the day he and I hung out. I have a memory of the two of us (12 and 13 respectively) sitting cross legged on top of the backyard picnic table. We were discussing the neighbor’s big farm house….how wouldn’t it be cool if we could buy the house and both our families could live there and we’d have all that land and it would be fun? Planning our futures made us hungry so then we’d go inside and eat some Chef BoyRDee Raviolis. (I know it’s not great cuisine, but I have to admit, I still like them!) I also remember tramping through the woods and my sister and I and our next door neighbor friend making “forts” outside. We would play outside for hours. It was great being a kid!
After I graduated from college my first job was as a teacher in a rural, mountain area of Tennessee. Small town life….where everybody knew your name. Literally. There was a real sense of community and I enjoyed it. One of my favorite memories was a local talent show at the school I taught at. The whole community turned out and it was such fun!
After a 17 year sabbatical in the city, I am ready to be back in the country again. I feel like I’ve come full circle….and I have to say I’m glad.
The past couple of evenings I’ve enjoyed sitting out on the front porch watching the deer in the field, the ground hog scamper across the road. I watched the sun set and the sky darken as I listened to the birds singing in the grass and heard dogs barking in the distance. We don’t live very far from a rail road track and I heard the train as it went by too.
Sometimes folks who have lived in the country their whole life, take some of the “country living” beauty for granted…which is understandable…when you are in it everyday it might not seem all that special–it’s just life….But for this girl who longed to be back in the country….I don’t think it will ever get old. The people, the beauty, the peace and quiet. Aahhh…..