***Please Read***

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Advice to a Teen


Susannah over at Get the Big Idea inspired this post. I consider her a friend, a great blogger and an inspiration. Thank you, Susannah, for all that you do and for all that you ARE.

It’s called the 10 x 10 and the scenario goes:

*You’re a woman on a bus, riding comfortably, when a young teen gets on, taking the empty seat beside you. She introduces herself & tells you where her stop is. You know that 10 minutes hence, she’ll get off & you won’t see her again. For whatever reason, you feel an urgency to impart the 10 most important things that you believe she’ll need to know, to carry her through the rest of her life. You don’t have time to plan & you don’t have time to poll your friends. When this girl gets off the bus, she’ll be gone forever. You will either have used the opportunity of 10 minutes, or you’ll have lost it.As a woman, what will you tell her? What 10 essentials can you absolutely NOT let her get off that bus without hearing? What really matters, to you, in life? *

My answer:

You don’t know me and you’ll probably think I’m a crazy lady. But I can assure you, I am not. I’m a wife and a mom and I want to give you some advice that I wish someone would’ve given me when I was your age.

I want to tell you that Respect is very important. Not just for others, but especially for yourself. For if you don’t respect yourself, you won’t think twice before doing something that could harm you or your reputation.

Be True to yourself and to others. Honesty is justice. If you are always honest you will never have to try to remember what you’ve said or the stories you’ve told.

Noble Character is determined by what you’ll do when no one is looking.

Personal Responsibility is challenging, but it builds character and that is something no one can ever take from you. Only you can destroy your character.

Forgiveness is a gift. Forgive yourself and others. Just remember that when you forgive another it doesn’t mean you have forgotten the bad deed or that you have accepted it. It just means you have forgiven them and you aren’t bitter. Bitterness will eat you alive from the inside out.

Be compassionate. Compassion expands our heart and guides us to love.

Patience truly is a virtue. Remember, sometimes it’s the anticipation of the reward rather than the reward itself.

Never stop seeking knowledge. Once your eyes and ears are closed, you become dead to everything around you.

Learn to accept yourself. You are perfect just the way you are. There is no other human like you and there never will be.

Find your purpose. Life has no meaning without a purpose.

You’ll remember my words one day, sweetling, and when you do, think about me with kindness. I wish you well. Now go and live your life to the fullest. Have fun and be safe.

My 10 X 10 may not be as spiritual as Susannah’s, but these are the truths I’ve found that have helped me throughout my life. I have spoken them to my sons. And I reiterate them here and there. I know they will make mistakes…that’s how they will learn. But I am hopeful they will remember my “nagging” or my “getting on their nerves” and it will help guide them when they need it the most.

What would be your 10 x 10? Have you ever thought of it? If not, maybe think of it now. It could change your outlook on life. And THAT could be a really good thing!


*Copied from Get the Big Idea*

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

America the Ugly


STOP THE PLANET!
I WANT TO GET OFF!

The Left say the Right are idiots.
The Right say the Left are idiots.

The Left say that Republican Presidents are morons. The Right say that Democratic Presidents are morons.

So, WE’RE SURROUNDED BY IDIOTS AND MORONS!

Who is running this country and how did we get this far if we’re ALL idiots and morons?

Not EVERYONE can be an idiot. And NOT EVERY President can be a moron.

Lately America has become a very ugly place. Not our scenery. She’s still beautiful. America is ugly because we Americans have turned her into a war zone. All our infighting is repulsive. We are ALL Americans, yet we can’t get past our political differences and join together in the fight toward a better Health Care System. It’s just pathetic and we should all be ashamed of ourselves.

What I don’t understand is WHY any American would consider another American his enemy. Political differences have been in existence since the beginning of our democracy, but I don’t believe I’ve ever read that our ancestors called one another “enemy” for having different views. (Excluding Britain) It’s quite disturbing.

It is even more disconcerting when one cannot befriend someone of a different political affiliation without being attacked. Or when someone from the opposite side of the aisle is considered responsible for the actions of the President just because they voted for him. They voted for Obama because they felt he was the best man for the job. Just as we Conservatives felt GW was the best man a few years ago.

I also find it unsettling when some Liberals don’t agree with my views so they call me stupid or accuse me of lacking moral character. Since when do political views equate to integrity? I am honest, loyal and benevolent. Just because my beliefs don’t match theirs doesn’t give them the right to twist it to equate that I’m the devil incarnate. Or because I don’t post about the town hall meetings or Michelle Obama, somehow that equates to me lacking sincerity or maybe I’m Satan in disguise…yes, that MUST be it! I can see the horns now –I better hide my pitch fork!

But seriously, what is going on? We DISAGREE. What is the big friggin’ deal? I debate with people all the time, but I do NOT insult them. I do NOT insult their integrity or their intelligence. I allow them to speak their peace and I speak mine. We may never see eye to eye and that’s OKAY, because we ALWAYS respect one another.

Here in the blogosphere it’s worse than a playground. Because on a playground the kids aren’t as mean to one another and there is a patrol if things get out of hand. I have NEVER heard such vile things said to and about people. I also have never seen more grown people acting like a bunch of big babies. It’s shameful.

We are on the SAME side here people. We are AMERICANS!

And for US to win, America HAS to win; because if she doesn’t, we ALL lose.


Monday, August 17, 2009

Show us The Way Oh Wise Left Ones

The Health Care reform debate has risen to heights of such ridiculous proportions that people, mostly on the Right, are being accused of such dreadful, repulsive adjectives they are stupefying. This list isn’t all inclusive and isn’t in any particular order: Nazi’s, Liars, Racists, Devils, Right-Wing Extremists, Domestic Terrorists, Mobsters, and Thugs…to name some.

I’ve been reading more blogs than I can count- Left AND Right. What I’ve encountered is this: The Right seems to be reading HR 3200 and stating numerous concerns with the language used in the bill. Some of the terminology can be interpreted in more than one way; which causes fear; which then leads to anger, because many of the questions people have aren’t being answered. When this anger and/or fear is expressed via blogs, many on the Left come out with statements of their own condemning the Right and/or the blogger and/or the blog. These criticisms include fear-mongering, lying, utilizing scare-tactics and rabble-rousing, to name a few.

What I have NOT seen is the Left blogging about how GOOD the Health Care bill IS. They are very quick to criticize anyone who is against it for ANY reason; even going as far as saying we are against it just because it’s a Democrat bill or just because it’s Obama’s bill. Now THOSE are allegations without substantiation if ever I heard any. They are statements based on how particular individuals think; therefore THOSE people believe everyone else sees the world through the same cynical lenses. Assigning one's own undesirable traits to other people is no way to go through life.

Some on the Left have also accused us on the Right of purposely misreading the bill, deliberately translating it or trying to pull the wool over their eyes, because we protest against it in all its superb legalese. I suppose if we all used colossal words or Latin quotes in our daily vocabulary, we’d be oh so much more reputable and be considered oh so much more intellectual. I don’t place a lot of stock in people who act like walking-talking dictionaries; because that never proved how intelligent, ethical or kind a person is, especially when they are using those words to condemn, insult and infer that we are less than we are by THEIR definition of moral character.

My suggestion, to those on the Left, who have an overabundant vocabulary and a surplus of knowledge and supposed moral integrity, is this:

Since this bill is SO very easy to comprehend—TELL the rest of us “learning impaired” what is FAVORABLE about it. Tell us WHY we SHOULD LIKE it. Give us “Uneducated Righties” the POSTIVE facts to refute our fears and negatives assertions. Show us the Way so that we can repent all our evil, vile ways and See the Light.

In short, instead of blogging about how evil, stupid and incompetent we on the Right are, the Scholarly Left should blog about the beneficial features of this bill… unless there aren’t any…

Monday, August 10, 2009

Reality Check Needed: But Not by Americans

This should make everyone rest easier, feel better and all of you can stop reading the health care bill, because The White House is on the job!

The White House launched an online web-site, called "Reality Check" to “debunk” charges of rationing, forced euthanasia, hurting small businesses and harming veterans and seniors.

Yep, you read that right.

The White House, the very place where President Obama resides; who approves of this monstrous bill; which practically takes a legal degree to interpret, has created their very own site to refute myths about the very bill HE wanted passed lickety-split!

Let me ask this. If you are already a little pessimistic about the government and are questioning the health care bill, why in the heck would you go to a web-site that is created and run by the very people who wrote the bill that you are skeptical about in the first place?


Do these people possess an ounce of common sense?
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