Monthly Archives: November 2008

Our family has been so busy already that it is difficult for me to believe that we are just now starting the “busiest” time of the year! So, let me catch up with everyone a bit with what’s going on in our world.

Back in October, Biltmore Farms Homes laid even more people off, and Gaylon was among them. It didn’t take long to realize that in Western North Carolina, there are no jobs here to be had, at least in anything that’s even remotely related to the construction business. We started praying, and trying to figure out what we should do.

So this past week, Gaylon flew out to Texas to meet with his nephew, James, who took over Gaylon’s dad’s business after he died.  James had a Project Estimator position he had been needing to fill, and offered it to Gaylon, and Gaylon accepted.  We are very excited that Gaylon is going to have a good job, making good money, doing something that he enjoys.  We are thrilled that we will be in closer contact with family, both his and mine.  The only thing we aren’t nuts about is that it is located just outside of Abilene.  None of us wants to live in West Texas.  We love the people there, just not the landscape.  I hated growing up out there and used to fantasize about what it would be like to grow up somewhere with trees!

Riverwalk - San Antonio, Texas

So, we are moving to San Antonio!  Yes, I know it’s hot there, and yes, I can speak Spanish. And yes, we all are aware that it is four hours south of Abilene.  Gaylon plans to commute on weekends, and possibly do some telecommuting.   We love south Texas, and we have even more family and friends down there. (And as my friend, Joanne, immediately observed, Texas is a “red state”!) Mom is thrilled, and will be moving with us.  All we have to do now is sell our house here in North Carolina.  As soon as that happens, we’re headed west!

Now, I would be terribly remiss if I didn’t say how very much we are going to miss our friends here in North Carolina.  How much we are going to miss our home, and these heavenly mountains.  To be brutally honest, I never wanted to leave this area.  I love it here, like I have loved no other place I have ever been.  And I love my friends here even more.  Without question, the hardest part of all of this is that Kendall will not be moving with us.  He is really enjoying UNC-A, and this is his home.  This is where he grew up, and all of his friends are here.  Most significantly, his girlfriend is here!  So, it’s not like I won’t be back to North Carolina on a regular basis.

Alexander will miss his friends, too, but he smells an adventure, and is very excited about it.  Faith is already grieving, but is hopeful (and so am I) that some of her friends will be able to come out to visit us.  I know this will be really tough on her.  However, her attitude is good, and she is being very accepting and understanding.  God has given me a peace about all of this, and although I know it’s going to be amazingly difficult, He will take care of all of us.

In other news. . . Gaylon and I celebrated 22 years of marriage last Saturday!  We didn’t do a whole lot, but we did go to Mass as a family, and the Mass was said for our intentions.  I couldn’t think of a better time for a Mass to be said for our family!  Then we all went out to dinner.  The only hiccup in the entire evening was when we found out that Carrabba’s no longer serves Tiramisu!!!  Wow. . . what a huge disappointment.  Other than that, the evening was wonderful.

Alex finished his stint with the Orphan Train on Sunday.  The play was a HUGE success, drawing sellout crowds and standing ovations every time.  Fortunately, somebody video recorded it, so we will have it on DVD!

Well, today is Thanksgiving, and I do have a meal to prepare.  I will say this, though.  This year, more so than in many, many, many years, our family has so very much to be thankful for.  In spite of the constant stream of discouraging and downright bad news from the media, I can see God’s hand so clearly in our lives, and feel His guidance and protection more now than ever before, I think.  Thanks be to God!

Wow.  I get so sick of the media lying, but I suppose it’s not going to get any better.  Here is just another example:

This is from the “It Doesn’t Take Much to Make Me Happy Department” – I was about to head up the stairs to bed tonight when I heard guitar music.  Now, that’s not unusual.  Alex plays guitar a lot, and he’s getting really good at it.  He usually writes his own stuff.  But tonight, I recognized the notes! He was learning to play Stairway To Heaven!!  I ran up the stairs and burst into his room, thrilled!

Um. . . okay, I get that most parents want more out of their children than for them to grow up and be able to play guitar.  I trust that this will not be Alex’s biggest accomplishment ever!  But ah. . . what sweet music! How awesome that he is learning to play one of the all-time greatest songs, just for me!  Rock on, Alex!!!

Thanksgiving is next week.  Based on the results of the recent presidential election, most Americans have nothing to be thankful for.  Over fifty percent of us voted for Obama, because he promised change.  I keep wondering, and indeed, have wondered all along, what “change” it is that everyone is so desperately seeking.

Well, my friend, Angela, sent me a link to an article that was written two years ago, but still applies today.  A few statistics are off, but the point is well made.  Even in this shaky economy, Americans have more tangible blessings than they can count.  And that, I believe, is what is wrong with most of us.  We are spoiled rotten.  And like all spoiled rotten brats, we always think we need “more”.   I think Craig R. Smith of WorldNetDaily says it far better than I could, so I am quoting his article below, in full.  To view the site, visit: Made in the USA: Spoiled Brats.

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right? The same magazine that employs Michael (Qurans in the toilets at Gitmo) Isikoff. Here I promised myself this week I would be nice and I start off in this way. Oh what a mean man I am.

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the citizenry just ain’t happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I starting thinking, ”What we are so unhappy about?”

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home, you may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of having a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes; an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don’t have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn’t have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ”general” discharge, an ”other than honorable” discharge or, worst case scenario, a ”dishonorable” discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells. Just ask why they are going to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book and do a TV special about how he didn’t kill his wife but if he did … insane!

Stop buying the negative venom you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

I close with one of my favorite quotes from B.C. Forbes in 1953:

‘‘What have Americans to be thankful for? More than any other people on the earth, we enjoy complete religious freedom, political freedom, social freedom. Our liberties are sacredly safeguarded by the Constitution of the United States, ‘the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man.’ Yes, we Americans of today have been bequeathed a noble heritage. Let us pray that we may hand it down unsullied to our children and theirs.”

I suggest this Thanksgiving we sit back and count our blessings for all we have. If we don’t, what we have will be taken away. Then we will have to explain to future generations why we squandered such blessing and abundance. If we are not careful this generation will be known as the ”greediest and most ungrateful generation.” A far cry from the proud Americans of the ”greatest generation” who left us an untarnished legacy.

I do not believe that Global Warming is “manmade”.  I believe that our planet’s climate is cyclical, and always has been.  It is really narcissistic for us to think we can control the climate.  That makes as much sense as controlling earthquakes or tornadoes.  We can barely put out a forest fire!  So, I was quite amused by a recent London Telegraph article. Nope, it’s not from some Christian, Conservative or Republican point of view.  It’s not even from an American point of view!!

What I don’t understand is why people are so determined to try and carry out this global hoax.  Are they that desperate for media attention?  Why not just juggle knives or something?  Global warming is garbage, popular science, and I am sick of hearing about it.  Of course, in just a few years, Mother Earth will prove them all wrong herself, when she decides to turn on the AC.

Just a few points from the article (in light of the Global Warming Quacks’ report that it was the “hottest October on record”):

• “Across the world there were reports of unseasonal snow and plummeting temperatures last month, from the American Great Plains to China, and from the Alps to New Zealand. China’s official news agency reported that Tibet had suffered its “worst snowstorm ever”. In the US, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration registered 63 local snowfall records and 115 lowest-ever temperatures for the month, and ranked it as only the 70th-warmest October in 114 years.”
• Global warming alarmists “claimed to have discovered a new “hotspot” in the Arctic – in a month when satellite images were showing Arctic sea-ice recovering so fast from its summer melt that three weeks ago it was 30 per cent more extensive than at the same time last year.” (You mean it’s GROWING???)
• Another Global Warming Guru “recently startled a university audience in Australia by claiming that global temperatures have recently been rising “very much faster” than ever, in front of a graph showing them rising sharply in the past decade. In fact, as many of his audience were aware, they have not been rising in recent years and since 2007 have dropped.”

But, read the article for yourselves.  It is a glowing testimony to the ridiculousness of popular science and how gullible people are.  The Telegraph leaves us with a chilling question:

. . . on the basis of such evidence, it is wise for the world’s governments to embark on some of the most costly economic measures ever proposed, to remedy a problem which may actually not exist, is a question which should give us all pause for thought.

I believe that the Republican Party has failed us royally.  I am not alone in my belief, but alone I cannot do anything about it.  Michael Reagan, Ronald Reagan’s son, is starting up a ‘grassroots’ movement to take the Republican party back.  I was sickened and disheartened that there was not a candidate who I could vote FOR in this past election.  I had to vote AGAINST Obama.

I am still in shock that the Republican Party gave us a 72 year-old candidate, and then tried to make up for it by bringing in (as one of my son’s friends referred to her) a “hot hockey mom”.  Sorry. . . neither McCain nor Palin stood for the values that I hold dear, or that the Republican Party is SUPPOSED to stand for.  We need to start working NOW to find a candidate who will, in four years, stand tall and make us proud.  A candidate that we are willing to WORK for, to help him get elected.  Yes, a candidate like Ronald Reagan.  I don’t know how many of you remember when Reagan took the oath of office.  I remember it very well, because I WAS THERE.  I was sitting on the White House lawn, freezing my rear off in the January weather, applauding wildly.  And here is what I remember most:  the minute Reagan took office, Iran released our hostages!!  Why?  Because they knew they were dealing with a powerful, committed leader who would not put up with their crap.  Our country stood tall and proud during the Reagan years.  We need to find our way back to that level of pride and commitment.

So, please take a moment to hear what Michael Reagan has to say.  Share this information with anyone you think might be interested.  I am not willing to say “Oh, well” and wake up in ten years and find that the greatest country ever on the face of this planet has become no better than socialist Germany or France.  Or worse.  We have rested on our laurels for far too long.  Our public schools are a mess, handing out condoms and obtaining abortions without parental consent.  And that’s just a small part of the indoctrination those kids are exposed to on a daily basis.  If it isn’t happening in your local public school yet, IT WILL.  People never believed that prayer would be removed from the public schools, either.  Yet now, even in small-town-down-home America, public schools ban prayer.  The “We still pray” bumper stickers are a pathetic reminder of this chilling fact.

Please, please, do not sit back and wish for better times.  I leave you with a link to Michael Reagan’s website, and some famous words from Patrick Henry, and American Patriot, from his famous speech in 1775.  I believe today our “call to arms” is a call to activism and accountability. Patrick Henry spoke eloquently and from his heart.  His speech rings as true today, I believe, as it did then.

First, the website:  ReaganAction.com

Now, the speech:

“No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve. This is no time for ceremony. The questing before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.

Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.

I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the House. Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with those warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled that force must be called in to win back our love? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation; the last arguments to which kings resort. I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it? Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us: they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging. And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves. Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne! In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free– if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending–if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained–we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us!

They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable–and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come.

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace– but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

Patrick Henry
23 March 1775

I have been hearing a lot about “change”.  Seemingly, everyone wants change, but they want someone else to make the change for them.  And, it seems to me that the folks making the most noise about wanting change are the ones who have never had any real need for it.

So, I’ve been wondering what sort of change people are hoping for, and why.  It’s obvious that the majority of Americans believe they want change, but what does that mean?  I would be willing to bet that if I did an informal survey, it would mean something different for every one of us.  But why?  In the greatest country in the world, why are so many people dissatisfied, disillusioned, angry and bitter?

I have come to the conclusion that the reason so many Americans are screaming for change is because they are unhappy with themselves, and are unwilling to do what it takes to change themselves.  Whether people like it or not, truth is not negotiable or relative.  As Flannery O’Connor said, “The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.” However, when people become unwilling to accept truth, then they start making their own rules.  And, because misery loves company, they recruit as many people as they can to agree with them.  It doesn’t matter, by the way, how many people agree with something that is not true.  It’s still not Truth.

Some things are absolutes.  Murder is wrong.  Stealing is wrong.  Lying is wrong.  Adultery and fornication are wrong.  Apostasy, heresy, disordered passions.  It’s all wrong.  It doesn’t matter if we like it or not.  All of us have committed some form of “wrongness”, and some of us are up to our necks in it.  (Back in the day we called those “wrongnesses” s-i-n-s.)  If we live in sin, we separate ourselves from God.  If we separate ourselves from God, then we will be unhappy.  The only way to feel good about ourselves again is to get our lives together, from the inside out, and reconcile with God.

Now, I’m not referring to condemnation.  Too many people have been fatally wounded (in a spiritual sense) by the threat of a condemning, hellfire and brimstone god.  They’ve been told that they are hellbound rotten sinners, and insulted to the point that they really would rather burn in hell than accept the god that’s being shown to them.  Christianity is supposed to be a religion of love and mercy, of forgiveness. If we could only grasp a tiny understanding of how very much God loves all of us, we would be blown away.  We would want to change ourselves to make Him happy!  Somehow, the message is not getting through!

I’m talking about a healing, freeing, reconciliation with God. It really is that simple, but it ain’t easy. It is however, worth the effort.  Accepting that if we live according to His requirements, we will be happy, joyous and free. Things might be really bad in this life, but as long as we can keep our eyes on the big picture, on eternity, it makes it all worthwhile.  If we don’t live according to His requirements, well, we’re gonna be really, really unhappy, and we’re gonna start screaming for change.

The Democrats have nobody to blame now but themselves.  If things don’t get better, or, God forbid, they get worse, they no longer have Bush as their scapegoat.  They can no longer blame the Republicans at all.

Of course, they will try.  They will say that Bush and his Republicans messed things up so much that there was no way that they could fix any of it.  Never mind the fact that they economy was well on its way down the tubes before Bush got to DC.  Never mind the fact that it was a Democrat controlled Congress that voted to allow the sub-prime loans to poor people who would never be able to repay them.

But the bottom line is that it’s all on their shoulders now, and the rest of us will suffer for it.  God help us!!

In reviewing the various candidates positions this morning, I have become extremely discouraged.  Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians. . . none of them seems to have any moral convictions or values.  I cannot in good conscience vote for someone who thinks it’s a good idea for taxpayer dollars to pay for abortion or that embryonic stem cell research is a good option!  I think Yeats’ poem, The Second Coming, is becoming more prophetic each passing day.

THE SECOND COMING

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand;
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

They told me this would happen.  The older I get, the more things I don’t understand.  On the eve of this historic election, there are so many things I don’t understand, it makes my head spin.

For example, I don’t understand how anybody could even consider voting for Obama.  It’s not about his proposed policies.  I don’t like most of them, but that’s really not it.  How could you vote for someone who refuses to salute the American flag?  Someone who admits that he has attended flag burnings?????  This is America!!!  How in the world can a man who has no respect for the United States be running for the office of President??  Somebody please help me understand!!!

How can voters ignore the fact that Obama himself has repeatedly stated that he is willing to meet with the leaders of countries like Cuba and Venezuela, to name just two, whose leaders HATE the United States?  They have openly expressed their hatred, and their desire to annihilate us!  Yet Obama wants to meet with them?  To what end?  No good can come from such a meeting.  Yet people are pounding the pavement in support of this man.  I don’t get it!!!

How can anyone vote for someone who sat under the teaching of Jeremiah Wright for over twenty years?  Don’t they understand that Wright hates white people, and wants to kill all of us?  And if Obama was as close to this man as he says he was, doesn’t that mean he feels the same way about white people?  His wife, Michelle, makes no bones about her hatred and resentment of white people.  So can somebody please explain to me the thousands of white people who have donated millions of dollars to Obama?  Who are going door-to-door campaigning for him?

In fact, I don’t understand racism at all, from any angle.  There has never been any country in the history of the world that has had more opportunities for all people, white, black, brown, yellow, male, female, etc., than the United States of America has today.  Jeremiah Wright and Michelle Obama hate white people, and say that we have repressed them.  Yet, they are both very successful individuals.  Please don’t ever tell me that black people don’t have equal opportunity in this country!  If that were the case, we’d have never heard of Barack Obama, or Colin Powell, or Eddie Murphy or even Ludacris!  They are all millionaires, something this poor white girl will never be!!

Or how about this:  when our country was attacked on September 11, 2001, it unified us like nothing else since Pearl Harbor.  We collectively rose up against terrorism.  Yet, seven short years later, thousands of Americans are going to vote for a man who has extremely strong ties with William Ayers, a known terrorist?  Are their memories really that short?

And what about all the records about Obama that are being kept under lock and key, not the least of which is his birth certificate?  If he has nothing to hide, why in the world won’t he produce a legal birth certificate?  It sure seems to me that he doesn’t want the public to know the truth about it, and that’s a ‘red flag’ if I’ve ever seen one.

Barack Obama is the same extreme liberal who earned the distinction of having the most liberal voting record ever in the Senate.  He hasn’t changed; his “spin” has changed.  As campaigns draw closer to election days, all candidates move toward the middle of the political road, hoping to collect votes from those who just can’t swing to the far right or left.  But, fundamentally, they remain the same.

I will tell you what I do, however, understand very clearly:  if McCain is declared the winner, there will be riots.  Obama’s followers will not accept defeat gracefully.  They will riot, and it will be ugly.  I’m glad I don’t live in a big city.  My sleepy little town is full of retirees. But it will be very bad in the cities.  I hope I’m wrong.  We’ll see.

I also understand that if McCain wins, many “recounts” will be called.  It will be days before the final winner is decided.  And again, it will be ugly.

I am not voting for McCain. I must vote against Obama.  I don’t like McCain either, but at least he is an American.  And, no matter who wins this election, I will respect the Office of the President.  It doesn’t matter if you like the man or not.  You respect the Office.  Period.  And I will teach my children to do the same.  Back when Americans still had integrity and pride, that’s how it was done, and that is how my family will continue to do it.

I pray that, no matter who wins, he will be protected, and serve out his term in good health.  I pray that our country will find a way to restore some semblance of unity and balance, and that we will come out okay in the end.  I have to trust God, because I certainly can’t find anyone else worthy of my trust.

I will vote tomorrow, because I am an American.  Too many good men and women spilled their blood on this land for me to have the right to vote.  I will never dishonor them or their memory by not voting.  It is my duty and my honor.  And I will continue to pray.  God Bless America!

I was surprised to see Alex home by 6:30 tonight, when he was supposed to have play rehearsal from 6:00 til 9:00.  He said it had been cancelled, and nobody would talk about why.  I knew it must have been something bad, so I called a friend who usually knows more about what’s going on than I do.  She had indeed heard an awful rumor, so I checked it out online.  Tragically, the rumor was true:  Robin Farquhar, the Artistic and Executive Director of the Flat Rock Playhouse took his life this afternoon shortly before 5:00 p.m.

I hate it.  I really, really do.  I don’t understand suicide.  My mother always says it is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.  I suppose that’s true.  Anyway, I was reminded of a song by Queen, “The Show Must Go On”, as I was thinking of the fact that they have already rescheduled rehearsal for tomorrow, and how even in the midst of this great sadness, the show must, and will, go on.  I didn’t know Robin Farquhar, or anything about him, but somehow, it seems to fit, with the idea that the show must go on.

The Show Must Go On
by: Queen

Empty spaces – what are we living for
Abandoned places – I guess we know the score
On and on
Does anybody know what we are looking for

Another hero another mindless crime
Behind the curtain in the pantomime
Hold the line
Does anybody want to take it anymore

The show must go on
The show must go on
Inside my heart is breaking
My make-up may be flaking
But my smile still stays on

Whatever happens I’ll leave it all to chance
Another heartache another failed romance
On and on
Does anybody know what we are living for
I guess I’m learning
I must be warmer now
I’ll soon be turning round the corner now
Outside the dawn is breaking
But inside in the dark I’m aching to be free

The show must go on
The show must go on – yeah
Ooh inside my heart is breaking
My make-up may be flaking
But my smile still stays on

Yeah, oh oh oh

My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies
Fairy tales of yesterday will grow but never die
I can fly – my friends

The show must go on – yeah
The show must go on
I’ll face it with a grin
I’m never giving in
On with the show

I’ll top the bill
I’ll overkill
I have to find the will to carry on
On with the
On with the show

The show must go on, go on, go on, go on, …

This has been one of the longest weeks I can ever remember.  Starting out any week with mourning is always tough.  But, to add to the mix, on Monday night, Alex wrecked his new car.  He is okay, but his car is not. He is not sure what happened, but thankfully nobody else was involved.  He lost control of his car just past the Green River Bridge on 176.  He said he wasn’t speeding, and I believe him.  That is a really winding road, and it was a really dark night.  Interestingly, just a few days later, a friend of his lost control of her vehicle in almost the same spot.  Only she was luckier than Alex, and didn’t hit anything.  He hit an embankment.  Thanks be to God, because he could have ended up going over the edge of the road into a ravine.  So, anyway, once he’s done with Orphan Train, he is planning on going back to work to pay for damages to his little car.

Tuesday found me doing laundry and a bit of cleaning for Bonnie’s family.  Mom went to help, and that was really nice.  We came home to find Faith with a 102.8 degree fever, and her upper lip really swollen.  Note to anyone who might need this info:  Alleve can cause swelling and hives.  So, no more Alleve for Faith!  Benadryl seemed to fix the swelling, but she ran fever for another day, and started finally feeling better by Thursday.

Thursday afternoon we attended Bonnie’s funeral.  She was buried in an absolutely beautiful location, high up, overlooking the mountains.  It was a glorious autumn day, and I am sure I felt her smiling at all of us.  Her service was short and very sweet. Her pastor talked about how Bonnie had kept a journal, and in part of it she had made a list of the things she wanted to do before she died.  One of those things was hiking up to the top of a mountain with her family and singing “How Great Thou Art”.  Although her children didn’t get to go along,  she and her husband did do just that.  And I thought about how all the things I seem to want to do cost a lot of money and involve so much time.  Like travelling to Greece or Europe.  I think I am going to make a conscious effort to want the things that God gives to us for free.  I think there’s some sort of great wisdom buried in that simplicity.  It seems even in death, Bonnie is still teaching me!

Last night we had our Halloween Party, and it was nice.  Almost all of Kendall’s friends were unable to come because of a football game at Appalachian State, so it seemed much quieter than last year!  However, we enjoyed the friends that did come, and the food and games.

Today, as you may have noticed, has been spent updating my blog again.  I never did really get used to the ‘theme’ I was using.  Even though it was very customizable, it just wasn’t ‘me’.  I found one I really liked a couple of weeks ago, but haven’t had time until today to play with it and make it work.  I am very happy that I’ve been able to tweak the code to make everything that I was having trouble with work for me.  Let me know if you find anything strange that I need to fix, such as broken links or missing images, or places where images just don’t seem to fit right.

So, that concludes our long week.  Next week, with the election, may feel even longer.  God Bless America.