Careful Who You Vote For

I think any presidential hopeful should be required to read the Constitution. Just maybe Donald Trump and Ben Carson will understand that we are a nation of laws established by the people and for the people.

Try reading Article 6 of the Constitution before you decide to impose religious restrictions that eliminate all but Christians from becoming president. Though you may agree with these narrow assertions, you do so in violation of said Constitution.

Article VI
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

Let's be sure to separate fact from opinion and reality from imagination. This country was not, and historical facts prove, founded as a Christian nation.

If you want to see what a country ruled by the religious (theocracy) looks like I suggest you investigate life in Iran and several other countries governed by a theocracy.

We can all agree that we live in a great country because of religious liberty not in spite of it. Diversity of thought, race, creed, culture, and faith are the components of the great chord of strength that connects us as a nation. Sever that chord and you undo everything the framers, who designed our historic constitution believed, and you nullify the ratification votes of the people who's vote ordained and established it.

Jesus Was A Feminist, Why Aren't You?

Jesus understood they way of man. I believe this is why he violated social norms by involving women prominently in his ministry and spoke out against the unjust treatment of women.

His message of equality was not only relevant in the first century but for our time also. He sought to teach, explain and exclaim that women in God's creation were and are and will always be equal to men.

I'm an admitted feminist and quite frankly don't understand why everyone isn't. Justice for all should be the pursuit of the many. Women are our mothers, wife's, daughters, teachers, and coworkers. They Have contributed equally to men throughout human history yet still are not treated equally in many countries including the United States. They are abducted and sold in markets as sex slaves by men for men's purposes. This isn't a current human rights issue. This has been going on since the history of humankind.

We have religious people claiming to serve a righteous God yet have no problem with the subjugation of women and apparently see no conflict with their belief that God is righteous.

I simply don't understand the disconnect with the religious community when it comes to the equality of women. How do you serve a righteous God and then behave in an unrighteous manner?

No Words

Sometimes there are no words that can express the conflicted feelings that are deep within the soul. Any attempt to express these feelings are done so feebly.

As I ponder these feelings, I can hear the words from a proverb and a song.

When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but the prudent are restrained in speech.

Nothing's gonna hurt you the way that words do
When they settle 'neath your skin
Kept on the inside and no sunlight
Sometimes a shadow wins
But I wonder what would happen if you
Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly

And so I choose to restrain the words that want to be heard for fear that they will not be thoughtful or be understood by others.

My soul remains conflicted.

If Not Facebook Then Where, If Not Now Then When?

It's been a very interesting and historic last two weeks. I'm sad to see the polarization between family and friends as people have expressed their feelings about the events that have unfolded in America.

Here are my thoughts about Facebook. Facebook is a social forum not a photo album. It's an ongoing conversation; a place for people to share more than family pictures and things you like. If that's all you want to do that's okay but please don't place your expectations of what Facebook should be on others. You can always hide posts you don’t like, ignore, or unfriend people, or join in on the conversation and by doing so you might learn something about the world around us, others, and even yourself. God forbid if we should learn something about you and get beyond the surface. The more we know about each other the more we can understand each other. If you don't agree with me or others, then express why you don't agree without being negative and hateful.

If you don't like what I think and believe and ultimately post, feel free to unfriend me. I won’t be offended. I've done it myself. But in retrospect, I could've just ignored the post and respected others right to express themselves. Free speech isn't an easy concept. It's easier to surround ourselves with people who believe like us, it's more comfortable and provides a false sense of reality that what we believe is right and others are wrong. It's a challenge to listen to someone screaming at the top of their lungs in support what they believe and that you totally disagree with.

I think what society is in desperate need of is civil disagreements (debates) where people can be confronted with different ideas, thoughts, and values to ponder and consider. To challenge and stretch our understanding of others and the issues that confront us everyday. You know the iron sharpens iron concept.

I truly long for thoughtful discussions with others that are not laced with emotions and that dissolve into idealogical arguments that further dissolve into shouting matches.I long for conversation with thoughtful people who want to listen to other points of view, who aren't defensive of their believe system. I've experienced this a few times and I can tell you that it's an edifying experience and that I want more conversations like this. There is nothing like the feeling when people understand and affirm you even though they may disagree. I want to stretch my thinking and to grow. It's arrogant of me to think I know everything or have arrived as an adult and that my thinking and even my values can't evolve as my world view is expanded by others.

So may be Facebook isn't the town square for social discourse on the issues of the day. If not, then where is that place? If not now, then when?

Act Your Age

Well I'm now 57. For as long as I can remember I could look in the mirror and see a little boy looking back at me. Now I see a middle aged man looking back at me with lots of lines in my face and silver in my hair.

I do sense the existence of that little boy. He now inhabits my soul and not my body. He is my muse that fills me with awe and wonder of the world around me.

He is still excited about what each day will bring and full of hope for the future. He reminds me to smile, laugh and play...to enjoy the gift of life, family and friends.

He tells me to follow my heart each and every day . He reminds me all the time not to take myself and life so seriously and most importantly to not act my age.

Every man my age and older still has a little boy inside his soul telling him to have fun and to keep exploring life. The difference is that some believe the lie that we should act our age and they choose to stop listening to the voice of the little boy and can only see the aging body in the mirror.

I will ignore the image in the mirror and resist the pressure my body places on me to act my age. I will continue to fantasize about being batman and acting stupid.

If I start acting my age I have lots of grandkids that still see me as a little boy...asking me to wear my batman suit or play ball or games with them just like a little boy.

Patriotism or Nationalism?

I hear the word "patriotic" used a lot in political discourse, especially from the right who claim anyone who criticizes America isn't a patriot. Let's not confuse patriotism with nationalism. "Nationalism and patriotism both show the relationship of an individual towards his or her nation. The two are often confused and frequently believed to mean the same thing. However, there is a vast difference between nationalism and patriotism."

Webster's Dictionary
Nationalism: loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially : a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups

Patriotism: love for or devotion to one's country

"Nationalism means to give more importance to unity by way of a cultural background, including language and heritage. Patriotism pertains to the love for a nation, with more emphasis on values and beliefs.

When talking about nationalism and patriotism, one cannot avoid the famous quotation by George Orwell, who said that nationalism is ‘the worst enemy of peace’. According to him, nationalism is a feeling that one’s country is superior to another in all respects, while patriotism is merely a feeling of admiration for a way of life. These concepts show that patriotism is passive by nature and nationalism can be a little aggressive.

Most nationalists assume that their country is better than any other, whereas patriots believe that their country is one of the best and can be improved in many ways. Patriots tend to believe in friendly relations with other countries while some nationalists don’t.

In patriotism, people all over the world are considered equal but nationalism implies that only the people belonging to one’s own country should be considered one’s equal.

A patriotic person tends to tolerate criticism and tries to learn something new from it, but a nationalist cannot tolerate any criticism and considers it an insult.”

zengardner.com

The very essence and spirit of our constitution preserves our right of free speech. Just because my opinion is different from yours and I'm critical of America doesn't mean I hate America.

It seems today that anyone who has a difference of opinion or is critical of America is quickly labeled as anti-american or a socialist. The very fact that I'm critical of the policies of our country is an indicator my love of country. I have a love for all peoples that supersedes my love of country.

I shudder when I hear the term American Exceptionalism...thoughts of Nazi Germany flood my mind. I simply don't believe in the ideal of American Exceptionalism. Does this mean I'm not patriotic and not appreciative of being born in a country I didn't choose to be born in? Certainly I'm blessed to live in America but it doesn't mean I wouldn't be equally blessed living in another country.

Philippians 3:20 Says we are citizens of heaven. When we start behaving like this, then our national and foreign polices will change and just maybe we can become an exceptional nation of people not because of our words, money or military, but because of our love for all people and all nations.

“Nationalism is an infantile thing. It is the measles of mankind.”
― Albert Einstein

Laugh, Love and Live

In the beginning God called everything in his creation good. From the genesis of man, he began drawing boundries around the things he thinks are good and called everything outside those boundaries evil. Thus was the birth of religion (the concept of good and evil) designed by man to control and to deprive man from all of the good God had created.

It is the blessing of God for humankind to eat, drink and enjoy the fruit of their labor, to enjoy this short life he has given us. God has called us not to think too much (worry) but instead, to enjoy the present because he has given us joy as an antidote for our cares. Life is but a gift and who can't enjoy a gift? Those who think and worry to much about whether they are being good or bad based on the boundries of men not of God.

God created everything and called it good and gifted us with life and the hope that we will chose to enjoy the gift of life, though short and tragic, and to find contentment.

Laugh, love and live, that is the desire of God.

All Men are Created Equal

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

This statement is the heart of the Declaration of Independence. This transformational thought changed world history. No longer did men believe that they they must be governed by kings and be forced to live a life of servitude. No longer did men need be ruled by kings, religious dogma or the cultural confines of birth.
This thought originated from 17th century Europe during the "Age of Enlightenment" which was an intellectual revolution that challenged tradition and emphasized reason and individualism.
The American Revolution was first an intellectual revolution that gave birth to a military conflict. 
I celebrate the "Fourth of July"  tradition like many of you with family and friends.  However, I struggle with reconciling the idea of Jefferson's elegant prose with  the reality then and today. Like the era when this idea was postulated, today we still have too many brothers and sisters who don't live the reality of equality.  I see traditional and cultural limitations like soldiers fighting against the soldiers of reason and understanding.  The war for equality never ended.
Today in honor of Independence Day I stand in solidarity with all people in this country that have not yet realized the American Dream of equality and the pursuit of happiness espoused by our Founders and Framers of our constitution.
The Revolutionary War with Britain may have ended in 1783 but the war for equality rages on in our hearts NS minds and will continue to as long as American citizens are marginalized, discriminated against, and denied their constitutional rights that many brave Americans died for.
We owe it to posterity to live up to the ideas they fought for and to realize the dream of equality for all Americans not just a select few.
- God Bless America

I Will Say This About That

"America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You've gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say, 'You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours."

The above quote is from the movie The American President in which Michael Douglas portrays the president of the United States.

Freedom of speech in America is a cherished right that we all share and should all guard with diligence and fervor. I will defend anyones right to express their thoughts or beliefs be they political, religious, or any origin of their opinion even if I don't agree.

In light of what one of the members of Duck Dynasty said this past week I feel the quote above is appropriate for us all to remember. I will defend his right to free speech, In fact I  think we all should. I may not agree with his religious beliefs and I might not like the tone of his comments but I will defend his right to express it. I don't know this man and I will not sit in judgment of him.

On the other hand, I see people divided over what was said and the issue of freedom of speech, which is interesting to say the least. However, many of the people that are coming to his defense are blaming liberals and the liberal press for A&E's decision to suspend him from the show. 

Let's get one thing straight, the liberal community and the so called "Political Correctness Police" did not remove this man. These same people who are often heralds of capitalism fail to understand the bedrock of capitalism is the free-market. Consumers drive the free-market and since A&E has sponsors who are concerned about losing business because of this mans view, they can pull their sponsorship of the show. The show makes everyone a lot of money and that is now at risk. Consumers drive the free-market with the power to buy or not buy and watch or not watch the show. This isn't liberalism this is a business decision "aka" capitalism at work.

When you are a celebrity everything you say is printed or captured in a sound-byte or video. Celebrities are equally entitled to their opinion the same as us. The difference is there is more at risk for them because of the exposure. They can be misquoted or taken out of context resulting in a public relations disaster. Journalist integrity in America doesn't exist anymore it seems. 

This man must understand that he arrived at the place in the spotlight as a result of this show. He had a decision to make, he could express his inner thoughts in this interview with great risk or he could decline to answer the question, or, he could have been more thoughtful with his response so as not to offend anyone and place the show and its sponsors at risk. The perception is that he felt compelled to speak his beliefs in a magazine interview in a rather tactless manner. 

He is the author of this problem for he made a decision to make his personal thoughts public in a thoughtless manner. Blame the liberal community all you want but remember that the conservative community responded in outrage when one of the Dixie Chicks expressed her views about then President Bush. In fact, the country music community disowned them and the country music channels quit playing their music and consumers quite buying their music.

It's a heavy price to pay to be a celebrity when it comes to expressing your views in public. Celebrities have the same freedom of speech all of us do but subject themselves to the condemnation of consumers and place their celebrity status and possibly their careers at risk.

Same Old Lang Syne

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I always dream of a white Christmas but seldom see one. It was Christmas Eve a few years back and the snow began to fall while I was at work. I was already excited because it was Christmas Eve and to see snow falling just excited me all the more. When I left work around 3PM there was a light layer of snow on the ground. I needed to pickup a few last gifts so off I went in my Mustang with the snow falling listening to Christmas music...perfect. 

I didn't call Lisa to tell her I was off. I headed straight to Target to pickup some movies and music to give as gifts. Once I was done making my selections I headed up the isle toward the long line of cash registers. In the distance I saw a strikingly beautiful woman with a big warm smile coming my way and she took my breath away. Then I realized it was Lisa and I experienced that warm "falling in love" feeling.

For a moment the song by Dan Fogelberg called Same Old Lang Syne began to play in my mind. "Met my old lover in the grocery store, the snow was falling Christmas Eve" are the opening lines to the song. I thought "what if we were no longer together" and as quickly as the thought crossed my mind I realized just how much I love her and that I would never want her to be my old lover that I met in a grocery store.

Time Cannot Heal All Wounds

The truth is time cannot heal all wounds. What time does provide is perspective. When our body is wounded, it can heal but a scar is left behind as a reminder.

When our soul is wounded, the scar is not evident to anyone but you. A scar on the soul is the emotional trauma in the form of a memory of what happened. This leaves us with the dilemma of choosing how we react to the memory.

Perspective... introduces reason informed by understanding that allows us to comprehend the circumstances surrounding the wound. Choosing to forgive and to forget requires an active choice each time the memory surfaces. Sometimes we become stuck in the moment and cannot move forward. Sometimes the perspective that time provides allows us to reason and move forward.

The depth of the wound determines the thickness of the scar and we may never totally recover regardless of the amount of time.

The soul is as complex as it is delicate

Time cannot heal all wounds.

The Ongoing American Revolution

Revolution is described as an overthrow or repudiation and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed.

John Adams said the "Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people . . . . This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people was the real American Revolution." He went on to say that this revolutionary thinking began 15 years before the first shot was fired.

Did the American Revolution end? The answer is yes and no. Yes, the war with the British ended in 1783. No, the American Revolution did not end. In fact, it is more an evolution (Evolution: any process of formation or growth; development) today then a revolution.

Are we currently experiencing a revolution without a physical war? Are we on the verge of the slow evolution of our society speeding headlong into a second great revolution unlike the Revolution of 1776?  According to eminent historian Gordon S. Wood, we are experiencing the common characteristics of most historic revolutions. “The American Revolution does not seem to have the same kinds of causes – the social wrongs, the class conflict, the impoverishment, the grossly inequitable distributions of wealth-that presumably lie behind other revolutions” Woods explains. Woods is describing the historical motivation (seeds) of every revolution except the American Revolution of 1776.  Look again at the characteristics “social wrongs, the class conflict, the impoverishment, the grossly inequitable distributions of wealth”.

Are these not the socioeconomic characteristics of our country today? We see more social legislation bills today presented by the minority party than ever before (mostly involving the rights of women and Gays). We hear of class warfare from our elected leaders and the media. We see a declining middle-class and a growing need for government assistance at a record pace and a corresponding historically inequitable distribution of wealth.

The minority party has gerrymandered in an attempt to swing congressional districts in their favor successfully evidenced by the last election where the majority party received 1 million more votes but have less representation than the minority party. In addition, we see the minority party imposing state voter legislation focused at minimizing the vote of citizens who now make up the majority party.  

In my opinion we are experiencing a slow nonviolent (so far) racial revolution perpetrated by the new minority on the new majority (the combined racial and social minorities who together represent the new majority). In the minds of the new minority the first shot of this war was fired with the election and subsequent reelection of Barak Obama. The new minority’s tactics are legislative obstructionism, talk of secession, anti-religion and socialistic rhetoric, and political attacks on the economy, women and minorities.

The minority party leadership would rather see our economy falter and our country decline so as to advance their political ideology (sacrifice of the majority for the minority) at the potential cost of the nation.  The will of the majority has spoken with the reelection of Barak Obama and yet the minority leaders resist the will of the people.

Unfortunately for the minority party, we have reached the point of critical mass with regards to our changing socioeconomic makeup and public opinion. Their attempt to ignore, block, and obstruct the power of change is like the well-known paradox of what happens when an irresistible force (change) meets an immovable object (resistance to change). Either the immovable object will be crushed by the irresistible force or cause it to deflect in a new direction. I hope its the latter and not the former.

We need both parties to be strong but both parties must be pliable or risk misrepresenting the will of the people and possible annihilation of their party.

Such a Time as This

I know not why you came like the passing of the wind
I will never understand the happenings in the womb
I may not ever discern what the meaning of your birth was nor comprehend the purpose of your death

But you were born for such a time as this

In birth our souls are perfected and our spirits are whole
None of us really know the purpose of our birth or know the length of our days
None of us understand the meaning of death

But you were born for such a time as this

There is only birth and death and it is called life
We all share the same beginning and end

For we were all born for such a time as this

In Memory of Wyatt and Brody

The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, As it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever.

Amen.

We are here today as family and friends of Gabe, Katy, Carson, Wyatt and Brody. We gather now with desolate hearts; tear stained cheeks, and unanswered questions. I have neither answers nor words of wisdom of why these little souls were taken from us.

I say to you that there are no words of encouragement for the grieving
There are no words of consolation
There are no thoughts or prayers that can sooth and mend our wounded hearts
There is only silence and emptiness that emanates from the shattered pieces of our souls
Time doesn’t heal all wounds
We are left only with the sound of silence and wailing in the same moment
An ocean of tears fill our eyes
And a great hole in our hearts that not cannot be filled

As I held each of my grand babies in my arms and gazed upon their tiny innocent bodies I was reminded of a short bible verse, Jesus Wept.  I thought to myself that the sight of these tiny bodies brings tears not just to our eyes but our Heavenly Father too. To know that Jesus, who was both God and man, wept for the family at the passing of a dear friend lets us know that he is acquainted with our pain and suffering today, for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life; for it is not the will of our Heavenly Father that any of his little ones should perish. This is our hope, the foundation of our faith.

Gabe and Katy, I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of Wyatt and Brody. I am forever humbled by your strength and grace.

Wyatt and Brody, how very quietly you tiptoed into our world, silently, only a moment you stayed. But what an imprint your footprints have left upon our hearts and they are forever embedded there. Sometimes love is for a moment. Sometimes love is for a lifetime. Sometimes a moment is a lifetime. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away and oh did you take our breath away. 

As time passes, we will struggle for more to hold on to, asking God again and again why did this happen? Maybe all we will ever know is that Wyatt and Brody were brothers and like a shooting star were here one moment and gone in another and that they were beautiful. We knew just as surely, just as clearly, that life is not a work of art, and that the moment could not last.

The Invisible Cord
We are connected,
Our children, we sigh,
by An invisible cord
Not seen by the eye.
It’s not like the cord
That connects us ’til birth
This cord can’t been seen
By any on Earth.
This cord does its work
Right from the start.
It binds us together
Attached to our hearts.
We know that it’s there
Though no one can see
The invisible cord
From our children to daddy and me.
The strength of this cord
Is hard to describe.
It can’t be destroyed
It can’t be denied.
It’s stronger than any cord
Man could create
It withstands the test
Can hold any weight.
And though you are gone,
Though you’re not here with us,
The cord is still there
But no one can see.
It pulls at our hearts
we are bruised…
We are sore,
But this cord is our lifeline
As never before.
We are thankful that God
Connects us this way
Parents to child
Death can’t take it away!

 
Heavenly Father, you know our hearts and share our sorrows. Please comfort us with the presence of your spirit and surround us with your never-ending compassion. Embrace us with your love and give us hope in our despair by showing us a glimpse of heaven and the light of eternity.

Amen

All Men are Created Equal

Today we find ourselves in a ‘struggle of the soul’ with the idea and principles of liberty and equality. It is both a moral and intellectual dilemma crowded my emotion, tradition, and rhetoric. However our emotions may deceive us or our traditions may guide us; our origins as a country provide us with a clear vision of truth starting with the Declaration of Independence.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. (A self-evident proposition is one that is known to be true by understanding its meaning without proof.)

During the most devastating conflict concerning liberty and equality in our nation’s history, which threatened our very existence, Abraham Lincoln reaffirms this ‘self-evident’ truth in his Gettysburg Address speech.

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

Further proof of this “self-evident’ truth can be found in scripture as God is described as righteous and impartial.

“For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.” (Deuteronomy 10:17)

“The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.”  (Job 37:23)

Furthermore, our Constitution, supported and protected by law, reinforce the natural and moral laws of equality.

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

The ‘Bill of Rights’ was added to the Constitution to further describe the protection of individual citizens under the law.

So what does liberty mean? From the dictionary, liberty has many meanings:

It can mean freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control, freedom from external or foreign rule; independence, freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to choice, and freedom from captivity, confinement, or physical restraint.

With this much wisdom in our history and culture, I am unable to reconcile the division in our country regarding the basic principle that all men are created equal.

John Adams said prior to the American Revolution that “We are a nation of laws not men”. This means that our liberty and equality is founded on self-evident truth and prescribed by law not on tradition, opinion or the dictates of one man or a bloc of citizens, be it a minority or majority.

The Constitution defines the individual as sovereign along with the federal and state government. The natural tension created by the determination of the rights of these three entities is what makes our country great and protects us from a despotic government, foreign rule, and the freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. It is the source of our political discourse as we seek to balance the demands of all three. In essence, it is the beating heart and the life blood of our common wealth.

When we accept the oppression and the obstruction of liberty of another or question their equality we violate the laws of nature, the laws of our own country, and universal wisdom. More importantly, I believe we violate our own conscious. I truly believe that liberty and justice are self-evident to us all. I believe this because every one of us recognizes when we are treated unjustly or when we see another treated in like manner.

It is not fickle emotion or some lifeless tradition that should inform our conscious when we experience or witness oppression, it should be the laws of our country and the love of a righteous God that compel us to act on the behalf of another. When one of us is oppressed, all of us are oppressed.

 

I am because we are.

In Unity we Advance and by Division we Fall

The challenges in America are numerous. Imagine a Rubik's cube if you will … they are like a three-dimensional puzzle. There are no simple fixes or panaceas. We arrived at this point in history after 250 years of good and bad policies. We can’t solve our problems over night. In our rush to solve the problems we must consider all dimensions of the challenges before us.

The history of governments tells us that their purpose is the well-being of the people. With that in mind, we must consider the entirety of our population when looking for solutions. We must find the common ground that unites us in our humanity not magnify the ideology's that divide us.

The way forward is not clear and the path is not fully illuminated. We must shine a light on the pages of our history to learn that a house divided cannot stand that in unity we advance and by division we fall. It is by the light of this knowledge and the power of unity that we can move this great nation forward and inspire the world by our humanity and ideals not our wealth and might.

Civil Wars

Two sides aligned against each other
One a sister, one a brother
One a son, one a father, and one a mother
A dividing of hearts, a severing of souls
Pain and sadness settles on us all
Tears and anger, wounds abound
Once small, now large
Once happy, now sad
Once friends, now enemies
Defenses up, words as weapons
Now separated, solutions debated
Resolution distant, misery constant
Healing is a desire, a dream
Lay down our defenses
Longing for the hearts embrace
Tears turn into laughter
Time can heal all wounds

Soul Craters

It feels as though my life has been placed on pause as I think through, ponder, and question my soul.

It’s as though a bomb exploded in my head and I’m left to pick up the fragments of memories. My feelings and thoughts are both fragmented and spread over the expanse of my soul.

My mind and heart seem to have been separated in the blast. I have disparate thoughts and feelings to reconcile somehow. As my mind feels as though it has exploded, my soul feels as though someone reached inside my body and strangled my heart.

I’m left to wrestle with these specters of memories. I can’t tell if I winning or losing the battle for my soul. The words spoken continue to collide with the shores of my soul like great emotional waves of anger and sadness, serving only to confuse.

Do I move or pause?

Can I forgive and forget?  

Let The Past Illuminate Our Future

'This is essentially a people's contest. It is a struggle for maintaining in the world that form and substance of government whose leading object is to elevate the condition of men; to lift artificial weights from all shoulders; to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all; to afford all an unfettered start and a fair chance in the race of life. Yielding to partial and temporary departures, from necessity, this is the leading object of the Government for whose existence we contend.'

This quote by from Abraham Lincoln sounds relevant to today’s political climate. We do well to study the past and harken to the wisdom of great people like Lincoln who struggled and overcame a far greater challenge then anything we've seen in our lifetime.

Where have all the great people gone today? Do we have a Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, Adams (John and Abigail), Madison (James and Dolly), a Roosevelt (Teddy and FDR), or a Martin Luther King, or Robert Kennedy for our time? Will we see the likes of people with great virtue, courage, and wisdom again? John Adams believed so. In fact, he was concerned that the great men of the American Revolution would be enshrined as legends and gods (see the Capitol Rotunda Painting of Washington ascending as a God) in the hearts of future generation, who, forgetting that these were mere men, believe that the people of our nation can never attain to their level of virtue. He believed that the times called for men to awake from their slumber and arise to the greatest challenge of their time.

The Founding Fathers didn’t know what they were doing exactly but they rose to the challenge. The one constant in the pathology of these “Great Revolutionary” men was education. All had been educated formerly or in formerly concerning history, philosophy and religion. Most if not all of the signers of the Declaration of Independence earned a Liberal Arts degree from the leading universities, many of which still exist today. The success of the American Revolution was largely based on educated men responding wisely and courageously. You could say “they were born for such a time as this”, but so are we.

Quoting Abigail Adams, “These are times in which a genius would wish to live. It is not in the still calm of life, or in the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues. When a mind is raised, and animated by the scenes that engage the heart, then those qualities which would otherwise lay dormant, wake into life and form the character of the hero and the statesman.”

We have the ability in this nation to deal with the issues affecting our country but must rid ourselves of the avarice of politicians who seek not the good of the country but their own ends.  We the people must stand against the subjugation of the weak and poor in this country. We must rise against special interests and organizations who seek their own good over the good of the common wealth of these United States. We do well to study history and listen to voices past about our future.

"Oh posterity, you will never know how much it cost us to preserve your freedom. I hope that you will make a good use of it, for if you do not, I shall repent in Heaven that I ever took half the pains to preserve it."

John Adams

"There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution. "

John Adams

First Lady Abigail Adams

‘I long to hear that you have declared an independency. And by the way, in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.

 That your Sex are Naturally Tyrannical is a Truth so thoroughly established as to admit of no dispute, but such of you as wish to be happy willingly give up the harsh title of Master for the more tender and endearing one of Friend. Why, then, not put it out of the power of the vicious and the Lawless to use us with cruelty and indignity with impunity? Men of Sense in all Ages abhor those customs which treat us only as the vassals of your sex; regard us then as Beings placed by Providence under your protection, and in imitation of the Supreme Being make use of that power only for our happiness.’

What a powerful stream of wisdom and conviction from the chief First Lady of our country, Abigail Adams. I so admire her intellect and vigor especially in a time that it wasn’t invited nor expected from women. She was the equal of John and any politician of her time. She was the burning conviction that played out in the soul of John Adams as he participated in the First Continental Congress and the establishment of our first Constitution (Articles of Confederation), and the disquieting issue of slavery. Our ‘Founding Fathers’ plea of ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ was exclusive of women and slaves. You can hear in her spirit the righteous indignation concerning liberty for all that only people who don’t have it can truly give voice to and thus, she embodies the true Spirit of Liberty!