COMMON SENSE? NOT SO COMMON ANY MORE?

Okay.  I haven't written on my blog for months, and now all of a sudden I have a lot to say.  The more I watch the news, and then mesh that with my love of history, the more angry I get at the sheer disregard for ethics, hard work, personal responsibility and common sense.  The attitude of entitlement and the looking to government to solve problems are a pet peeve of mine.  We have the right to pursue a good life; we are not entitled to one.  

A friend sent me this link to You Tube featuring comedian Louis CK poking fun at people who might say, "Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what your country can do for you."  I had to laugh.  Yes!  I'm not the only one who sees this idiocy!   

Everything's Amazing... Nobody's Happy?

WE Surround Them

Did you know we are a republic, not a democracy?  A republic and a democracy are identical in every aspect except one. In a republic the sovereignty is in each individual person. In a democracy the sovereignty is in the group.

Politics is touchy, and I am not much for democrats or republicans or parties at all.  (Unless there are is food, cold beverages, and dancing.)  However, I AM for the principles that the American Constitution aims to protect.  As I watch things unfold in history and in America, I am torn between two sets of emotions.  (I find many things hold two sets of logic or emotion, etc. that co-exist to comprise a whole.  I call this 'duality'.  e.g. Grace/Truth, Love/Justice, Pain/Hope and so on.  

Let's see.  Where was I?  Oh yeah, my two sets of emotions.  i am not militant yet not naive.  So maybe vigilant and resting in Christ?  It is very easy to look at the current financial quagmire, and the moral decay of society and start to wonder if our America will survive.  The idea that America will last forever is just not consistent with the track record of world empires in history, nor with biblical prophesy for that matter.  To rest in the freedoms of the Constitution is naive.  The Constitution does not guarantee anything.  It is a frame work that gets its power through the tenacity, ethics and selflessness of the people who govern by it.  If those who are elected, and we who elect them cease to live with morals and strong character, the Constitution becomes a different document entirely. The history of many extinct empires proves that each government is only one generation away from destruction.  It happens a lot faster than people in comfortable lives think.

Nazi Germany was very attractive and readily embraced with open arms by people inside and out.   There were many, many attractive promises of what the government (Reich) would do for the people. If you think for one minute that could never happen here, then we've already lost. 

Now on the other hand, I have this emotion of peace.  It is not a peace that the government will figure it out, or the markets will correct, or that revival will happen in the land.  Those things may happen, but my peace is that I am not in control, and yet I am (more duality).  I cannot always control the government or the eroding of the Constitution, though I can try and have influence.  I cannot control all circumstances in the life of my family.  In the end, things may not go the way I want.  What then?  when my grandparents tell stories of growing up during the depression, there is a noticeable abscence of complaint, sadness, tales of woe and the like.  There is reality, but it is couched in an attitude of grit, survival, purpose and character.  All through history is darkness, and mothers and fathers and children who lived through it.  Not usually unscathed, and often at a brutal cost, but surviving.  And not just surviving, but living.  The business of living the day-to-day, and living it well, is always survival.

All that to say, I will seek to influence and pray and live with character.  Yet, if my life should become void of the freedoms i am accustomed to, I will see it as the pendulum of history swinging, and seek to still have life.  Sounds a lot like the gospel.  Jesus is ALWAYS relevant.    

Okay.  That introduction to this article was WAY longer than I intended, and a lot murkier than it is in my heart.  Nonetheless, I press on to the article.

This is an excerpt from Glenn Beck.  I have heard him speak about the 9 principles and 12 values, and as a citizen who loves the ideals of America, they resonated.  The following is from his site...  

"Do you watch the direction that America is being taken in and feel powerless to stop it? 

Do you believe that your voice isn’t loud enough to be heard above the noise anymore? 

Do you read the headlines everyday and feel an empty pit in your stomach…as if you’re completely alone? 

If so, then you’ve fallen for the Wizard of Oz lie. While the voices you hear in the distance may sound intimidating, as if they surround us from all sides—the reality is very different. Once you pull the curtain away you realize that there are only a few people pressing the buttons, and their voices are weak. The truth is that they don’t surround us at all.

We surround them. 

So, how do we show America what’s really behind the curtain? Below are nine simple principles. If you believe in at least seven of them, then we have something in common. I urge you to read the instructions at the end for how to help make your voice heard.

The Nine Principles

1. America is good. 

2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life. 

3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday. 

12 Values Honesty Reverence Hope Thrift Humility Charity Sincerity Moderation Hard Work Courage Personal Responsibility Friendship

4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government. 

5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it. 

6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results. 

7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable. 

8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion. 

9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me. 

You Are Not Alone 

If you agree with at least seven of those principles, then you are not alone. Please send a digital version of your picture to: wesurroundthem@foxnews.comand then stay tuned to the radio and television shows over the coming weeks to see how we intend to pull back the curtain."

Scary Halloween Stories... Okay. Not Really

I forgot to mention a few of the stories that went along with the boys' halloween pictures. Now, Brit was a tornado, as you saw. We were with our good friends who now have SEVEN kids (they just adopted the two from Ghana). So we were a pretty boisterous group. As we were going around the neighborhood trick-or-treating, he had a little trouble being able to see anything peripherally-- just straight ahead. Some of the front stoops, he could barely fit, and hardly turn around to come back down the steps. As we are walking from house to house, he would drift into the yards. Some had their leaves all raked in a pile, and Brit would just walk right through them leaving a trail of "debris"-- just like a tornado. Then there's Jack. The day before Halloween, Cameron had mostly finished Jack's costume. After school, Jack wanted to go over to his friend, Brandon's, and show him his costume. Now, Brandon lives one street over, and a couple blocks down, right on main. I told Jack he could certainly go show Brandon. His costume didn't yet have the little "window" through the framing and the buttons to allow him to see. I simply thought he was just going to carry it over to Brandon's. Well, pretty soon he has the scissors and is cutting the tiny holes to see out. He did really well. From the outside, you can't even tell. He tells me he is going to WEAR it over to Brandon's. I hesitated, picturing this headless person walking down main, but I told him to go for it. Jack is usually very shy. He was showing such excitement and gumption, I thought we should run with it. Well, he goes and then comes back a while later all smiles. We joked about people staring and wondering and freaking out. I asked him if the police came because of all the 911 calls. It wasn't until later that night at supper, Jack commented to Cameron that he needed to help him make the eye holes bigger because it had been a little hard to see... while he was RIDING HIS BIKE to Brandon's. Yes. Can you picture it. This headless person riding a bike down main street, never mind that he can barely see! Cameron and I laughed and laughed.

Halloween

So, Cameron's philosophy on Halloween is the boys can be whatever they want, for a budget of $10. They have to take the initiative, and it needs to be homemade. Last year Jack was the headless horseman. He could not think of anything to trump that... so why mess with a good thing!

Last year, Brit was a kitty. He LOVES kittens. So this year he was torn. Be a kitten or be a tornado (his other current fascination). Tornado won out, and Cameron did a very good job of fabricating the frame, I think.

We went trick or treating with the boys' good friends, and came home with lots of candy. Brit had fun handing out candy at our house as well. We always run out of candy, as we get lots of kids every year. Brit eventually resorted to handing out his own candy... that's how much fun he was having.

Spokane

Many of you know we are considering an opportunity to move to Spokane. For those of you who live by us, this is still supposed to be a secret. We don't want to cause any undue concern at work for Cameron.

We got a great price on air and hotel, and so we flew commercial. The boys loved it. And Mommy did great! If you know me, you know my battle with fear and flying, and fear and... well lots of things. Cameron and I prayed fervently for a victory in this regard. We felt that God was asking us to use this time as a place to trust Him. To step out and JUMP. So we did. And He caught us.



The trip was wonderful, beautiful, and caused us to dream a lot. We shall see! Just because the business opportunities are good, doesn't mean it is THE decision for our family. We are talking a lot about our "family culture" and what we want that to be. SIMPLICITY is the word that comes up. INTENTIONAL. JOYFUL. INDUSTRIOUS. Does that fit in Spokane? I'm sure it could. But it could fit here too. Pray with us to make a good decision.

I am posting a few pics of the trip. It really is beautiful. Lots of sunshine, mountains, pine trees, skiing, no mosquitoes, no humidity. Ohhhh. Maybe I just made our decision!

CHEESY RIDERS

My dad recently came to visit. It had been some time since we had seen him, but we always enjoy visits with him. This time "Bumpa Kent" brought gifts for the boys. Not only did they get this cool 4-wheeler, he also brought a dirt bike. The bike is a something to grow into, so I guess Cameron will just have to make sure to use it for now.

Cameron had one growing up and has always wanted to get one... along with a windsurf, scuba gear, rock climbing paraphernalia, guns, bows and arrows, parachutes, spear guns, go-carts, jet skis, and a Nissan Titan. Oh, wait a minute. He already has several of those things. Now, we just need to find a place to live where we can store it all. I think he said the perfect location would have a HUGE workshop and a place for a ropes course and dirt-bike track. Oh, and the zip code would probably be in Man Town USA!

First Day of Pre-School 2008

Today, Brit entered his last year of pre-school. He is 5, and all boy. Just as we did with Jack, we are waiting another year to enter Brit into kindergarten. He is attending a program that has preschool in the morning, and then daycare as well. He goes @ 9am for school, and then gets to eat lunch at school, just like Jack. After lunch, we have him staying for another hour or so, in order to give him time to play. That was his biggest struggle last year. He put in the time at pre-school, and then never got to play and "wring out the sponge". To be himself, and engage himself in a setting outside of home, that he was invested in. To have play that is a reward and yet is also an opportunity to make choices that result in learning how to work with people, live in society, follow rules or not. Cause and effect. Responsibility. Consequences. For him, this is the biggest lesson he can learn. So we will try this option and see how it goes.

This pre-school is in the lower level of a neat, old church. Brit and Jack are very into tornadoes and hurricanes, so Brit's first comment was that even if there is a tornado, they could just keep on playing as they are already in the basement! SCORE!