STAND!

  For once, this blog isn't going to have anything to do with my life or my children. I was scrolling through my facebook news feed this morning; and it was totally blown up with the NFL and the kneeling for the anthem. And as I started reading the comments, there were people defending it; saying things like: "you know that they aren't protesting the military, they are protesting Trump", "they're protesting the government" or "it's an equality issue". You know what? I really don't care. Do you think that my 92-year old WWII veteran neighbor cares?  All he sees is people in a position to be such great role models for kids disrespecting a flag that represents a country that he fought to protect.  Do you think that any war veteran cares about their protests? These veterans put their lives on hold to fight for our freedom. Sometimes at the expense of their family, their home, their lives as they knew it. They PROTECTED this country! There were dads that didn't meet their babies until they were almost a year old, families that lost their homes because their mortgage company wasn't sympathetic to the fact that they were overseas fighting for our freedom, families that were separated because they couldn't make their marriage work after so much time apart.  The REASON we stand for the anthem is out of respect for those who were willing to put their lives on hold, possibly to die, for us to have the CHOICE to sit or stand for the anthem. No one is making you do anything...But for me, I honor those people by standing.

Just My Honest Opinion

     Yesterday a large and very colorful part of my childhood went to heaven. A man that I loved like my own family. Days like that I wish that Minnesota was just a short drive away. It seems that there is so much loss in life. Two years ago around Christmas the same thing happened, a man that I had been fond of my entire life passed unexpectedly. Thank God that I was up there visiting; and was able to attend his wake. The very next year that man's wife passed right around Thanksgiving, and I was again visiting family; but weather made attending the services impossible.  It makes a person wonder... God is supposed to be Omnipotent and Omnipresent...Does He engineer these things to happen when they are convenient? In the last 2 situations I mentioned, I would say yes. But there are others that were so inconvenient... I'm not quite understanding the lesson to be learned there yet. 
       Second-guessing things is in my nature...It took me a very long time to figure out that I need to filter what I say sometimes...Now I realize that stopping and thinking about what I say is probably better than blurting out the first thing that is on my mind. This practice has helped with my temper, as well. I don't like confrontation; but if I am pushed, and pushed, etc; and frustration is allowed to build, I will react; and it more than likely will not be what is expected from me. I don't like this part of myself; but it's what happens. 
       Another thing that has been on my mind in the last couple of days is social media. I don't understand how a person can be a warrior when they are in front of a keyboard; but a mouse when they are spoken to publicly.   I have seen it more and more since the presidential election. I'm all for people having their own opinion and sharing such opinion; but there is no reason to degrade another person for the beliefs that they have. I do not care if you are black, white, purple, red, blue, or whatever. I believe that we would be better served to start talking to each other in person again. Just my Honest opinion!