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The World at War

3/18/2022

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On February 24, 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine.  This is all over the media.  I pray for the innocents in all wars.  Conveniently, the president of Russia waited until after the peaceful celebration of sport in China at the Olympic Games.  Sadly, he did not wait until the Paralympic Games were even started.  The injured of his war in Ukraine will yield more qualified for the Paralympics in the future. 
For this post, I will spare you my theories on this war and past wars.  Suffice it to say, the innocent suffer, the rich get richer, and no one ultimately wins.  Truly, what does conquering land and buildings yield?  When we die, we cannot take earthly riches with us.  It is a waste of time and human life.
On another note, NATO and supporting countries are condemning the actions of Russia and 'helping' Ukraine by sending weapons, medical supplies, and food.  Some are offering homes for those escaping the war.  They are not sending their own warriors.  The world 'stands with Ukraine' in photos, memes, flag-waving, but we are not there fighting with them.  Not really.  Don't kid yourselves. 
Food and medicine are important.  Weapons are important. 
I see people on social media scoffing when someone offers prayers and thoughts during a tragedy in our own country (e.g. a school shooting), as if prayers and thoughts do nothing.  Yet, here we are with an entire country being besieged and we are offering prayers and thoughts.
Ironic, isn't it. 
It's not acceptable in our own country, but it's perfectly fine when it's for someone in another country.
Why don't we put our money where our mouths are? 
Why?
I applaud the rescue workers of Samaritan's Purse and other such organizations who go in, regardless of location, to render aid to those in need, be it from natural disaster or war. 
I applaud anyone who renders assistance and aid.
I grew up in the era of Vietnam, the war no one wanted, everyone protested, and the government dragged out, leaving the country of Vietnam in worse shape than when we arrived.  My big brother was there.  My future husband was there.  Many friends and other family were there.  I was a toddler.  I remember seeing the protests on the television (and shocked when color television replaced the black & white pictures in our home). 
My dad fought in WWII and was wounded in action.  He finished his time in the military by guarding German Prisoners of War (POWs).  One of those soldiers knew some English and spoke with my dad, expressing that the war hadn't been between them, just their governments; that they were both soldiers doing their jobs as ordered. 
Indeed, Germany had tried to take over the planet, led by an intelligent madman.  But the soldiers, were real people, like you and me.  They had families and they didn't play in politics.  They did their best to support their families and their countries.  Sadly, many didn't know the full extent of the atrocities forced on the Jewish population in Europe until after the fact.  By the time some knew during the war, the machine was in place, and those who were not Jewish feared rocking the boat and their families' lives if they spoke out.
When I studied in Europe decades ago, I invited my parents to join me.  My dad declined since he'd been there.  I tried to assure him, it would be beautiful, no longer war-torn.  He still declined and I respect his decision.  I wish he could have seen the places he'd been, where shelling was daily, and he dug into foxholes.  I wish he could have seen beauty and peaces in the places where he'd seen too many innocents die. 
But, it was not something he could face.  And that is the point. 
None of us want to face the ugly, we do not want to revisit horror.  Even worse, we don't want to learn from the past.  We don't want to learn from someone like my dad, who lived through it.  We don't want to hear from the survivors of concentration camps.  We don't want to think of our own prison camps for those from the wars.  We don't want to admit that there are no real rules in war, that it is survival of the fittest, just like in the animal kingdom for all eternity.  True, countries and nations right treaties and rules of engagement on paper.  But when you're in the war itself and on the battlefields (in the streets, in the forests, in the dessert, on the ocean), you, as a human, will do what you must to survive.  That is true for any soldier. 
Until you risk your life for your fellow soldiers.  That is when heroes are born.  They forget themselves in that moment, not having planned since childhood who they may save.  They simply do.  They jump on grenades.  They run in front of tanks.  They shove a buddy into a foxhole.  They stay with the ship to make sure others escape.  They take the bullet.  They take multiple bullets and keep fighting, living on adrenaline only as the blood spurts from holes torn in their limbs. 
We call them heroes.  They, if they survive, simply reply that they were doing their jobs.
War is ugly.  It is never pretty.  Never.  It may be glorified in song or by some award-winning journalist, but the truth is that war is ugly, forever and always.
Politicians may wax poetic and tell us how their hearts break for the families of the fallen, but until they lose someone in battle or someone to long-term battle illness (e.g. Agent Orange from Vietnam is still killing 50+ years later, slowly and insidiously), until they lose someone they love more than life itself, they truly cannot hurt for the wars they wage.
Presidents in the USA typically call families of fallen.  Those calls must be bone-chilling for the person in the presidential office.  There are no words they can say to a mother or father that will ever compensate for the loss of the son or daughter who died in battle the President ordered.  Nothing will bring back their children. 
Have you ever noticed that when a person takes the oath of office of President of the United States the demeanor is determined, focused, and proud?  Have you noticed by the time the President leaves office, their hair is much gray-er, their shoulders are less straight, their gaze is more somber?  A true leader wears the weight of the country on their shoulders and has learned much from carrying the responsibility of sending someone else's children to war and possible death. 
Not all countries' leaders seem to age like the presidents of the USA.  I would like to think that is because our country was founded on the belief of individual freedoms, freedoms worth fighting for, and not just being a sovereign country.  I do not know the answer.
Look at the current President of Russia.  He is not showing his age thus far.  Why is that?  I will leave that answer up to you, dear reader, and to him.
All I can do from my current keyboard is share thoughts and pray for the innocents of all wars.  I ask you to do the same and try to do better.  All nations need to pray for the innocent and to guide/elect leaders who will do better for humankind and our planet. 
Pray.  Lead.  Educate.  Encourage.  Render aid.  Pray.

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2022, Round Three or a Fresh Start?

1/10/2022

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Greetings, Dear Readers!
Long time, no write.  My apologies for that. 
I must confess.  I have felt pulled in far too many directions between my 'day job' of almost 32 years, my modeling, my Avon and DōTerra, my volunteer work, and my family for far too long.   A couple of my relatives have said that I need to cut back, especially since my fibromyalgia diagnosis some years ago.  When I broke a hip in 2018, the world would have gone on, but I kept trying to do the bare minimum of everything, eventually returning to full-tilt trying to do it all. 
Then, 2020 and the pandemic arrived.
The world shut down.  Sort of.  Kind of.  Well not really.  I will be forever amazed at the businesses that were classified as essential.  Reminds me of when my late mum would ask me if I really needed a particular toy, or if I just wanted the toy. 
Some countries shut down.  Others sort of shut down.  All made their best efforts in their own ways with the information they had on hand at the time.
Here in the USA, I was requested to stay home in the beginning because of my lifelong asthmatic lungs.  This was days after we'd joked about those hoarding toilet paper.  All of a sudden, I was one of millions.  At home.  An unknown tick on the list of statistics for an entire globe.  Wow.
I couldn't sit around and I truly deplore housework (dusting makes me sneeze anyway).  On a lark, I signed up for an online writing course, deeply discounted because of the pandemic.  I loved it (the writing course, not the pandemic)! 
Childhood dreams of becoming a writer filled my middle-aged noggin.  An opportunity appeared on my social media news feed -- a dear friend, a writer herself, made invitation for a collaborative book.  I said, "YES!"  The adventure was truly underway. 
I returned to my day job after a couple months with all of humanity trying to social distance, wear masks, and not catch any covid germs.  That winter I heard of no one having a cold or the flu.  Seriously?  (But that's a topic for another day.)
Through the end of 2020 and into the year of 2021, I kept writing, and going to work, and writing.  By the end of 2021, I am proud to say I've been published in four (4) collaborative books!!  I've been blessed to have 3 articles published in a global magazine, published out of England!   And, I'm now an official 'calendar girl'!  My month is April in a digital 2022 calendar with 365 days of tips!  (Link on LINKS page also,)
(I'll post a link to all 4 books on the LINKS page of this site.)
Staffing changes at my day job caused me to look at my life and my long-term goals.  I have worked in that office for almost 32 years with one of my dearest friends.  I have made new friends there, in our small office, over the decades, and I have seen some leave for amazing opportunities and/or retirement.  Deep in my soul, I think I believed I would work in that office until the owner retired someday, that I would be there until the very end. 
As I watched changes in the world around me, in our very commonwealth/state, and in our little town, I realized it was time for me to leave and cut a new path for myself.  I wish my colleagues nothing but the very best, but my time to exit had arrived.  So, in October, I had 'the talk' with my friend and she couldn't have been more supportive!  I said I would be available until year-end if she needed my help in transition. 
I got sick Christmas weekend in 2o21 (3 covid tests, all Negative thankfully) and didn't get the last of 'my things' sorted before year-end.  Being the good person she is, I let my 'boss lady' know and I will be in one more day in the near future, just to tidy up my leftovers. 
I am blessed abundantly with the 32 years, having watched the business grow to the point of relocating to our own building.  I am blessed for the invaluable continuing education, professional associations, friends made, work experience, new technologies learned, and so much more. 
With the advent of 2022, there are new projects in the works!  New books, new articles, volunteer work, and more time with my beloved husband. 
Did I mention my husband retired almost 10 years ago at the behest of his medical professionals?  Agent Orange continues to slowly beat up all our Vietnam Veterans, and now is the time for me to work more for myself and my family. 
I hear people and see memes in social media that say, "God, why didn't you give me a sign?"  That questions is usually posed After the questioner has missed a big opportunity.  Seeing the changes over the past years of global pandemic, I am confident that I saw the sign. 
The sign is telling me to go, to write, not to be silent, to share words of wit, words of God, words of humanity, words of creativity.  I shall do my very best.  I shall write.  I pray I write the right words that others need to read.
Join me on this new journey.
--Rita


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Pandemics, new years, people, life, and nothing normal

3/9/2021

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President Biden, sworn into office in January.
President Trump, impeached and acquitted for the 2nd time before mid-February.
Violence in DC at the chambers of the legislature on January 6, evidence showed pre-planning.
President Biden says he took office with no vaccine in place.  Vaccine was first released December 14, 2020. 
President Biden signing more executive orders in his first months in office than several presidents put together.
Gasoline prices at the pumps are increasing.
Keystone pipeline shutdown due to President Biden's executive order.
Borders opening up due to President Biden's executive order.
American citizens remain homeless.
The National Guard remains in Washington DC over a month after the inauguration, but why?
Travelers required to have a negative Covid test prior to entering USA, but we're opening up borders.
Some are pushing to change the 2nd Amendment.
Social media sites dropping accounts of various people, some famous, mostly conservative. 
Social media sites censoring content that contradicts the accepted beliefs of the liberal media, whether factual or not.
"Fact-checkers" censoring items with which they do not agree.
Social media platforms losing hosts (e.g. Parler kicked off Amazon, but has since found a new host).
Huge push to vaccinate millions of people, a push that was started under the previous (45th) presidential administration.
Republicans in some states censuring, re-evaluating their state elected representatives who voted to convict 45th president.
Americans want to go back to work.
Americans want to go on social outings.
Americans want good food to eat.
Americans want decent housing.
Americans want decent healthcare.
Americans want clothes to wear.
Americans want to live like the rich and famous, without always putting in the work to be the rich and famous. 
Americans don't always realize that someone, somewhere, sometime, worked hard for the money that the rich and famous have, even if the current generation inherited it.
Texans are without heat and electricity in the midst of a severe winter storm, and some blame it on the oil and gas industry.  What about frozen windmills and snow/ice-covered solar panels?
We need to work toward greener renewable energy, but it must be viable in all weathers, all climates, and be prepared for weather anomalies.
We must keep the public healthy.  How about promoting good diets, less preservatives, and organics, rather than modifying foods and adding chemicals?
We must provide decent healthcare for everyone.  How about reining in the insurance industry profits and price-gouging of pharmaceutical companies?
We must provide housing, shelter.  What about converting now-closed down factories into some pretty cool trendy apartments for those in need?
We need clothes to wear.  How about we quit mass-producing some of the ugly things that are on the market and put that money into feeding our homeless?  Sorry folks, some of the stuff that is out there in stores, is just ugly, I don't care to which generation you belong!
We must provide food.  How about we go about taking good care of crops the way we used to?  Genetically modified foods are not what our bodies are designed to digest.  (e.g. I never had a wheat/gluten problem until wheat was genetically modified.)  Why don't we work to feed our people healthy food instead of chemicals?!  Genetically modified crops do not have the insanely high-yields they were supposed to, when first promoted.  Let's eliminate corporate farms that don't look at animals as animals, but rather just as numbers and lines on their profit margins.  We need to farm responsibly, healthy, and yes, medicate animals when they are sick.  (Those that are sick and given medication have to be monitored before they can be released to produce milk etc as is.)
Americans need jobs.  Too many states have closed small businesses while catering to big-box stores under the guise of monitoring numbers.  Americans who are used to working need and want to support their families need jobs, they do not want more unemployment compensation.  They want gainful employment that allows them to feel accomplished.
Americans want to go on social outings.  Humans are social creatures and imprisoning us in our own homes makes us cranky and does nothing to build up our own immunity to any viruses.  We need to interact with other human beings.  Our children need to play with other children.  And, our overworked essential workers need a break.  Their primary interaction is with the sick or those picking up essential store items.  What about our essential workers?  They need vacations even more than the rest of us.
I cannot address the entire human population across the globe, but I can tell you that if we continue, we will slowly die off, kill off humanity by hiding from the problems of the world, be it viruses or other social-political crises. 
Our state governors, under the Trump administration didn't want the federal government controlling how their states handled the global pandemic.  Now that it is the Biden administration, there is noise in the media for the feds to do their part and take control.  Somehow they blame former President Trump.  That's just silly.  He allowed the governors to 'govern' their states.  Some did well, others did not.  Pennsylvania, New York, and California are three examples of states in which the governors botched things.  Just do some internet searches and you'll find their gaffes that have brutally affected their populations. 
Now, the feds want to control everything again.  Totalitarianism is not the way to go, folks.  We need to be free people, whose elected officials actually remember they represent the citizens who elected them, not wherein they think they are smarter and elected to lead us down ridiculous paths of disaster.  (I actually heard one elected official on the television discuss how it was his/their job(s) to lead the people, as if we are all stupid.  I think he forgot who elected him.  His job is to represent the will of those who elected him.)
As for the election last November, I am weary of people saying it was fully legitimate, especially when four years ago those same people whined that that election couldn't have been legitimate.  If they truly believe the 2020 election was without mishap, then let each of them send me $100 cash in the mail to my address.  Will they trust the postal mail that far?  If they truly believe 2020 was a perfect election, then they must agree that President Trump and his administration did things exactly right and ran the agencies better than President Obama's administration did in 2016.  Do see where this goes? 
You can't have it both ways, folks.  Either both elections were spot on, or they both could have had issues.
If you want to push the thought that 2020 was a perfect election, then you must agree that the agencies, governed by the outgoing administration (45th) had things in better order than occurred in 2016.  It's comical.  It's sad.  It's pathetic. Either 2016 and 2020 elections were both perfect, or both were flawed.  You can't flip-flop when it suits your agenda.
We need term limits for our legislators.  Even for the ones we like.  If our presidents have term limits, so should our legislators.  It's that simple.
Those who preach unity need to practice unity. 
Those who preach peace must exhibit peace.
Those who throw stones must learn forgiveness.
American citizens need sanity, jobs, social interaction, freedom of speech, freedom to bear arms, freedom to live, freedom to vote with legal identification (like driving a car or buying alcohol), to maintain our country.
Those who seek asylum in our country, need to have the protections afforded them of any victim, but they need to go through due process like those before them and with the intent of becoming productive citizens.  Those who send children through dangerous travel zones alone should be reprimanded.  Those who come here to have anchor babies should be reprimanded. 
Our country cannot afford to give millions upon millions of us free rides.  Someone somewhere pays for handout benefits.  Those who are working and paying for the benefits through taxes, will wear out, collapse, and give up, and quit at some point.  At that point, we will all wish we'd worked harder together, because, by then, no one will take care of any of us.  And, we will starve, be homeless, and lack simple amenities in our lives.  And we'll be glad of rags to wear and not worry about the ugly clothes in the big-box stores of the past.
Go ahead, preach peace.
Live it.  Be it. 
but Do Not preach it and exhibit the opposite.
Some of us know the difference.  Some of us think for ourselves.  Some are not turning a blind eye.
As time passes, more will see the truth when they are hungry, losing homes, losing jobs, and being left in the dirt. 
We are a country for all people to be equal.  Being equal means we all carry the load.  Right now, there are those who want the 'peasant' and middle-class folks to carry the load for those who want the free ride, who feel 'entitled' to special privileges and exemptions. 
My fellow American CITIZENS, we need to work, to do our jobs, and to expect others to do the same.  We must hold accountable those we elect.  If they are not representing us, we must vote them out of office, vote to recall them from office, impeach and convict them if necessary.  Those who seek to do harm to our country, must not be permitted to hold office whether they win legitimately or through ill-gotten votes.  We must follow legal channels and vote them out, recall them, and remove them from office.  We must not break our own laws, for that destroys who we are as Americans.  We must hold ourselves to our own laws and show the world that we are who our founders knew we could be.  We must follow due course and stand up for our country, through all legal and proper channels.
We must not bury our heads in the sand, but face the music.  We have allowed these travesties to occur.  We have allowed our minds to be convinced we must live in fear of a virus, when we and our medical community have tools at hand to fight many viruses.  We must not live in fear, but rather fight, fight the virus, fight intimidation of communities and those who seek to serve.  We must stand up for the oppressed and those who truly seek asylum from persecution.  We must stand up for our own farmers, our local business people, and our very selves.  We must stand up for the right of every legal citizen to vote.
We, as American citizens, must stand together, not in unity, but as Americans. 

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30 days

12/1/2020

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How did we get here?  It's the first of December 2020.  How in the heck did we get here?  Where has this year gone?
It started out okay, I think.  January 1, 2020 seems like a lifetime ago, doesn't it? 
We had a death in our family in January so things focused on that the early part of the year for us. 
Then, out of the blue, there was a global pandemic.  True, we'd heard bits about it going on in other countries, like it having started in China -- and there was a fuss when President Trump was closing borders from Asian countries during the impeachment, but the media didn't talk about that.  Next thing you know, the media was blaming Mr Trump!  Go figure.
Guess what, folks?  It's a virus that spreads rapidly, a new virus, in the same family as the common cold.  Go figure.  There is no 'cure.'  By the way, we STILL don't have a cure for the common cold, so get a grip. 
To be sure, if you get a bad case of COVID-19, it can be life-threatening.  BUT, there are thousands more who don't suffer from a severe case of it and go on with their lives. 
Have you checked the numbers of deaths from the flu/influenza every year, it can be pretty deadly too if you get complications.  Sure, they have a vaccine for the flu, but I've never taken the flu shot, and never will per the advice of a medical doctor regarding my many allergic reactions in the past.  In fact, I avoid vaccines like the plague, because in my case, the side effects could be deadly.  Better for me to risk battling the disease than risk death trying to prevent it.
But, I digress.
I live in a state, a commonwealth to be exact, that has a governor who's edicts regarding the pandemic vary day to day and week to week.  The edicts conflict with one another and the ability to keep our livelihoods in business and our families afloat.  We have a secretary of health whose degree is not in medicine and infectious diseases, but rather in mental health.  This secretary and governor seem to think their words are akin to those of God Himself.  (For the record, they aren't.)  I worry about my fellow residents in this beautiful state, but I am only one to try and change things.  I do my best to support our congressmen and women, our senators and let them know I support their efforts to keep our great state treading water.  Are you in touch with your representatives?  You should be!
I live in the greatest country on earth.  (It must be great or so many wouldn't still try to sneak into it illegally.)  And yet, there are those crowds who want to change our country to be something less than it is, to someplace wherein competition dies, the ability to dream and excel is stifled, the ability to protect one's home and family is denied.  I worry about my country and her citizens (the legal citizens, not the illegal squatters who sneak in).  Now before you say I'm heartless or not a Christian, let me assure you, I can love all of God's children.  I can donate to agencies to help the homeless.  I can care for those who've suffered from oppression and violence who seek a better way of life.  BUT, I will not support those who arrive here illegally looking for another handout from our government. 
That's not the way this works, folks.  There are those who are even legal citizens who want the free handouts and look for every opportunity to suck them up.  Shucks, I've even been told by some that I should look into disability because of my Fibromyalgia diagnosis.  I will not do so until the time comes when I can no longer function.  Sure, sometimes I have a bad day or series of days, but I'll still get to work and get the job done at some point.  I like my job, my colleagues, and to be active.  I like knowing I was productive, that I have created something of value and earned an honest wage for it.  I am blessed with an employer who is a Christian and is extremely understanding of my health and my personal commitments to help others.  (I remain involved with area veterans, local agricultural organizations, and a few other things.) 
I'll be darned if I'm going to contribute to the drain of the USA's bank account.  Not if I can help it!  Just because you may be entitled to something doesn't mean you need to take advantage of it.
I watched the most recent presidential election with interest.  I watched people bicker and call names.  I watched candidates in many political races berate their opponents, yet never providing their own concrete solutions.  Where's the resume of the candidates?  I don't need someone telling me what's wrong with someone else.  I can see those flaws on my own, thank you.  Tell me what you can do for my state, my country, my local government, my people!  Too many candidates fail on that score alone. 
Our election system should function well, but truly, when you have more votes counted than registered voters, or votes by dead people, that should sound the alarm.  I am very concerned by whom the Associated Press has declared the president and vice-president elects.  The AP is not part of the electoral system; they really have no say whatsoever.  It comes down to the legitimate counting of legally cast ballots, certified, and the electoral college.  For four (4) years I've watch the Democratic Party berate and cry over the 2016 presidential results, looking for someone to 'blame.'  Now this year, I'm watching the Republican Party berate and cry over the supposed results announced by the press, not the electoral college.  Full circle. 
I will continue to stay in touch with my representatives at federal, state, and local levels and discuss my concerns and ideas for our great land.  I'm not going to stop communicating because I do (or do not) like the outcome of any political races.  I am going to call for careful checks and balances when I believe there are flaws in the system. 
In the 2020 races, I think it was a great folly to have mail-in ballots for just anyone.  In previous years, for the military and citizens abroad, for those who travel for a living, for those with medically incapacitating issues, I believe the absentee ballot was a great idea.  For the entire populous, I view it as a disaster, and I don't care who won.  The entire process was not well-thought out by whoever implemented it.  I, personally, know several people who received mail-in ballots when never requested, threw them out because it seemed bogus, then had to cast provisional ballots as a result.  I know some who received multiple ballots; How do you get more than one?  I even checked the online systems to make sure my dead family members weren't listed as having cast votes.  (Thankfully, none of my deceased relatives were listed!  Score one for that!)
I hear people wishing for 2021 because 'it has to be better than 2020.'  Don't hold your breath, folks.  I wished a year away once after watching several people I loved die.  The next year was worse!  Yes, worse.  Don't wish your life away.  Live today.  Let's march through this weird year together, supporting our weird neighbors, enlightening our adversaries to the best of our abilities, taking care of ourselves (why do we need to start washing our hands this year, who really wasn't doing that before the pandemic, seriously?), looking out for fellow humans, guiding people to do things legally with respect for our laws and constitution, giving of ourselves to charities that help homeless, veterans, disabled, and so many more groups.  That should be our job as individual humans, not the job of the government!  We should help our neighbors so that they never feel they have to ask the government for a single dime!  When did common kindness go out of style?
When did excelling in a job, a foot race, a spelling bee, a political debate (an actual debate, look up the definition), a volunteer organization go out of style?  If you excel, and are taught to strive for your individual fullest potential, then you are better equipped to help others.  When we are taught to be mediocre, then there is no incentive to help others because there is no point to helping. 
Our great country needs friendly competition, healthy goals to achieve more than we did the day before, the spirit of doing good for ourselves and others in due course.  If we don't do well for ourselves, then how can we be expected to do anything for anyone else?  
As I sit here on Eastern Standard Time looking out my window at pitch black at almost 5:30pm, I realize the utter beauty of the current winter storm is hated, ignored, and discounted by many.  The truth of it is though, it's been an absolutely gorgeous day, perfect for postcards and calendars.  Many complain about the treacherous roads and plows that don't arrive to suit our individual schedules.  Guess what, folks?  It's a climate that has snowstorms every winter!  We get snow.  The government agencies declare Daylight Savings and Daylight Standard Time.  The time change has served its time, but gosh, they can't mandate when it snows!  Indeed, I drove in today's weather, on some very bad roads, slid a little sideways once, but I know it's part of life if you live in this climate.  I could choose to move somewhere it doesn't snow, but that is my choice.  If I choose to live here, than I accept that snow comes with the territory. 
So, too, does my choice to live in the USA.  I know we have a great tricameral form of government in our republic.  (We are a republic, not a democracy in case you slept through that in your history class.)  We have to option to move somewhere else.  Our executive branches must respect the laws made by the legislative branches and both must respect the governing of our laws by the judiciary branch, whether at the federal, state, or local levels.  More and more frequently, those in the judicial system seem to forget that they are not lawmakers and our legislators forget that they are not judges.  And, our executives also seem to miss the memo that they do not legislate, but are there to execute the laws of the land.  (I blame all political parties for this, not just the two largest parties.) 
Our country has great potential:  to grow even greater or to create our own demise.  The choice is ours. 
As 2020 winds down and many of us celebrate various religious holidays, let us not wish away this year, let us strive to be better humans, to pay attention to the details so that we can hold all branches of government accountable, to support our leaders, and even to pray for them.  Pray for our country, her citizens, the residents of planet earth, and our planet since it is, in the end, just a speck in the universe, a dot and a minuscule dot at that.  God knows every single one of us, but we don't and that's ok.  The choice is ours to be tenders of our government, tenders of our fellow humans and animals, tenders of our planet, tenders of ourselves. 
The choice is ours.  Every.  Single.  Day.  Choose wisely.  2021 is on the horizon, don't rush it.  Get your act together, today, tomorrow, and every day to come.  Excel.  Do your best.  Be the best you can be, not the best your neighbor is, but the best you can be.  Then help your neighbor if you can. 
The choice is yours.  The choice is ours. 
Thirty (30) days left to make a change, make a difference, excel, set your goals, build up yourself, and build up your neighbor.  30 days.  A lot can happen in 30 days.  Someone may die.  It could be me.  It could be you.  If it is you, will someone say you lived to your potential?  If I die, will someone say I was too stubborn for my own good?  Will we swallow our pride and do better?  Are you with me?   Are you getting it? 
We choose to live in this great country.  We can minister to the needs of our fractured government, support our leaders, and work our derrieres off to make our system good again, while making our own lives better in the process.  We choose to live here.  We choose every day not to leave.
Since we've made that choice already, let's do better.  The choice is ours.
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Vote, Please.

11/3/2020

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Vote today. Please.
Vote your conscience, not what mass media and your neighbors tell you.
Vote with your intellect, not with what skewed polls and tricksters might have you believe.
Vote with a love of the United States of America in your heart, not a hatred of a neighbor who believes differently than you.
Vote with integrity, not with what you think the status quo mandates.
Vote with love for your God, your family, your neighbors, your country, not with any contempt in your heart.
Vote. Please. Today, and in every election as each one matters and your vote makes a difference.
Vote.
Please.
Thank you.

On a very personal note, I have my preferred candidate for whom I will vote for President of the United States of America.  I have preferred candidates for federal senators/congressmen, state senators/congressmen, local officials.  I have witnessed their actions in the past, I have listened to what they promise, I have seen the results good and bad of all those competing for their respective positions.  I will vote for those who deliver results, not those who berate their competition and who have spent decades as professional politicians without results.  I will vote for those who actually get things done. 
In my view, if you have spent 40+ years as a professional politician and haven't corrected the problems for which you blame the other candidate, you need a new job and to bow out of the race. 

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