It's a Life-Changing Super Upsetting Blog Thing...

Dear America,

"Because your love 

is better than life, 

my lips will glorify you." 

Psalm 63:3

exactly.

when things get dicey politically, emotionally, internationally or domestic -- of course, after receiving delight and encouragement and inspiration and grace from the GOOD Book -- this girl cooks.

so picture me cooking everyday, right...

and in a perfect world, it would be all day long.

So it's no surprise that cookbooks bring me comfort and joy just by looking at them, and my favorite these days is something that jumped off the shelves, kicking and screaming, in an Urban Outfitters:  A Super Upsetting Cookbook About Sandwiches, by Tyler Kord...famous for the No.7 Sub chain of restaurants.

[GET ONE of your own, for you will be most pleased.]

Kord speaks to the avid lover of real food and sauce, often served straight up and dirty, and filled with all kinds of remarkable and splendid flavors that are sure to tantalize each and every taste-bud. And it's not just about the food, either.  He gives us a running dialogue on the side that is funny, sometimes vulnerable, sometimes bordering  TMI, with a splash of humility and a certain self-reflection that is like none other -- simply speaking in terms of the universe of cookbooks, anyway.

So allow me to share parts of a page -- pg. 32 to be exact -- just for starters....

THIS IS A CHICKEN SANDWICH

and he says,

"I don't eat a ton of meat, and I've thought about becoming a vegetarian many times.  But I don't ever want to give up eating chicken.  Not because I hate chickens and want to prove my dominance over them or anything (because they already know), but because they are the most delicious animals of all time, and if God didn't want me to eat them, he probably would have made them that way.  That said, a lot of people believe that, if you eat the wrong thing or think the wrong thing, God will make you spend eternity bathing in a lake of fire.  I'm not sure if I believe in God or not, but I definitely don't believe that God cares about the details of what I eat.  Actually, if God really does care about what we eat, then it is probably because God isn't super stoked about all the animals we abuse in factory farms every day, even when we don't have to and there is plenty of broccoli lying around.  But I doubt that I will be denied entry into heaven just for eating a few chickens.  Right, God?"

[Kord loves his broccoli.]

So the recipe itself, is a combination of roasted chicken (pg. 26), fried eggplant (pg 148), fresh mozzarella, arugula, and "special sauce" (pg. 163)...all stacked up scrumptiously on a kaiser roll. But, like I said, you will just have to GET YOUR OWN copy, in order to for you, too, to know, what he knows, what I already know, that you wanna know. 

Often, it has been said that the writing of legislation is much like the making of sausage.  This phase is where most of us conservatives go absolutely bonkers.  We can't even bear to watch, it's so bad.

This is one of those weeks, much like the editors of Cooking Light glorify the re-do of something that never should have made it our bellies, let alone the printer and 3000 pages later -- Obamacare wasn't, and still isn't, worth the paper it is written on, and hardly deserving to see the light of one more day. 

If memory serves me -- and it usually does with gusto and perfect timing -- good ole Joe called it a "big f@%&ing deal" --- and oh my how tasteful that little morsel is, right?  What a moment.  What a scam.  What a lie; for just look at us now.

While if I see one more re-run of Barack Obama telling us we can keep our doctor, keep our plan.....

surely, how could anyone on the left be satisfied with this?  It's vile.  

From pork butt to snout, it is a nauseating abomination against the health, wealth and happiness of the American people and OUR health care system; it's a purely reprehensible act, a corruption from the ground up, from root to tip.  In other words, it is a big f$@%*ing pile of slop underneath wispy curls of meringue and in the every day, it is being thrown in the face of all Americans through the wayward and wanton and weaselly acts of Congress.  A pie chart of disastrous proportions.

Considering this girl is celebrating a birthday this week -- and a f@%&ing big one at that -- it seems to run like clockwork with an annual mental health check...asking things like, how was your last year, G?  What are your goals for the brand new one on the horizon?  Is there anything you need to work on, anything you wish you did, but didn't...what were your favorite things you ate, who were you with, and what's on your wish list for next year?

And given it has coincided with another good read, a little book on keeping neat, by Mari Kondo:  "the life-changing magic of tidying up."    [title was written in all lowercase, just fyi]....

....you throw these two reads together amidst the ghastly state of the Union, and what do you get?

exactly.

It WAS an age of eating what we sow; but NOW,  it's the age of clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere, clean up, clean up, everybody do your share...And if you sing that last bit, it not only helps the medicine go down, we might actually sit back at the end of the day feeling suddenly free!

Over the weekend, twenty two bags of clothes, housewares, odds and ends were sent on their way to Goodwill.  And talk about a big f$%^^ing deal, oh man....there are not words.  Liberation and freedom live inside and outside and everywhere I go.  I breathe better; sleep better; love better; and give better....and it feels good.  [You should try it, too.] [just sayin']

Just take a little bit off to chew at first, and then, you will know.

Suddenly the understanding of less is more, cries out for seconds, and the realization that we just might have way too much -- more or less -- brings us to our knees.   When we have too much, we have no idea of the value of anything.  Naturally, our perspective gets twisted like little garlic knots with shrimp phyllo purses; spring rolls, cinnamon rolls, lobster rolls, and profiteroles all roll into one. [think Nancy Pelosi when she said, we have to pass to pass the bill so that you can know what is in it....right...]   [yum, love that kind of sausage]

It's time to clean up our mess -- throw out what doesn't belong, keep only the things we can honestly proclaim our love for, and do no further harm.  And suddenly, this isn't about Obamacare at all, it's about ALL of government.   At twenty trillion dollars in debt, that luxury -- of growing fat, in body and mind and bureaucracy that doesn't serve us well -- is not ours to have to hold any longer.

No amount of secret sauce will fix what WE have allowed to happen to ourselves; nor can we throw on a muumuu and think we look good.

Stop.
Pick things up one at a time and ask yourself, do you LOVE it?  Like LOVE it love it love it? Or is it just a thing that has come to the end of it's day, with you?  Give it away, give it away.

And if it's something nobody deserves -- broken, worn, full of holes, etc. -- throw it away, throw it away.

First, The Holy Bible; then, the life-changing magic of tidying up belongs on the desks of every civil servant and countryman; and to lay it beside A Super Upsetting Cookbook About Sandwiches, we got ourselves a perfect combo; both offering plenty of manna for thought, food for living and loving what we put in our mouth, and pure sustenance for creating a brand new day tomorrow and thereby leading to a tidy, meaningful, delightful future.   Ah lass, sometimes things can be so simple to solve.

Bone Appetit, every one.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a Beautiful Thing...Hindsight

Dear America,

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?...You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."  Matthew 7:3-5

we are really good at judging what other people do or say, no?

perhaps because we get a kick out of it, we take dominion over another's actions or words, and in some twisted way it makes us feel better, smarter, we just point the finger and click...especially these days, when our responses can almost be instantaneously binged across the globe.  take that.

While the ability to ban together -- in protest on city streets....or on-line, taking the term pile on to a whole 'nother level...and even divided by common interests: political party, political correctness, political propaganda -- allows great judgmental power to ebb and flow freely.

All this blog does, really, is judge one thing or another -- so believe me when I say, I get it.  And more than that, this girl believes wholeheartedly, that if we are respectful of all sides and all opinions and all beliefs and all possible answers to the questions we face, there is a place for it.  Matter of fact, it MUST be done as our civic duty;  it  MUST be said, as to live in integrity makes it so; it MUST be judged, in order for us to discern and learn of our mistakes and our successes.  And besides, to do so otherwise, we become deaf, dumb and blind tools of a vicious trade and wind up under the unwieldy, unyielding, unrelenting oppression of a tyrannical big government.

That being said, hindsight is something to behold, eh?

In hindsight, we can say things like, should've have taken that turn... 

In hindsight, we can say things like, probably shouldn't have eaten the whole thing...

In hindsight, we can say things like, should have listened to my mother...

Hindsight can be rough territory, for it casts a spotlight on that which, more often than not, on the things we wudda, shudda cudda done instead, and didn't.

And let the judgment begin, right?

Like this whole business with the Russian hacking and the Clinton loss and the Trump win.

In hindsight -- and under the glaring light of no evidence today -- there was no direct influence to the outcome of the 2016 presidential election by the Russians.  The Left is only holding onto this lie, because, in hindsight, they cannot believe Hillary lost to the Donald, and at the same time, wish to de-legitimize his presidency.

What they should be considering -- in hindsight -- is that their candidate sucked.  

She lied under oath, she manipulated the truth in Benghazi, she lied about her private server, she lied about sending TOP SECRET confidential correspondence on her personal email, she manipulated the truth about the Clinton Foundation and funds received from various countries of oh, how shall we say, with rather sordid diplomatic histories with the United States...does this girl really need to go on?  Because I can.  My judgment on this runs wide and deep; not to be confused with deep state territory, but it could be, if you give me enough time.

Oh sure, the Democrats sure picked a good one, indeed and thank you.

And no, this doesn't mean that Republicans are off the hindsight hook, not on your life....

In both hindsight and under the old G thing microscope, the GOP has a House full of issues, and a Senate nearly not worth a darn, let alone the debt they make.  Just how on earth could this congressional moment be left in the hands of such weenies?   Which is funny,  for a number of reasons, not precluding the obvious (teehee); but breaking out the root of the word, from my handy dandy American Heritage Dictionary:  ween means: "To think it possible."  And yet, a weeny, is defined as tiny, a wee bit as often said here...

Oh the irony.

The case in point is what is happening, an exhausting seven years later, in the Obamacare Repeal.

In hindsight, looking simply at what we pay these yahoos for -- how come the GOP is not ready and waiting to pounce on this opportunity, like yesterday, like January 22nd?  This girl stands with every gripe-y whine-y grimace of disgust on the American people's faces (at least, the half that voted Trump into office for this reason and many more...)

In hindsight, this reaction should not be something that catches any of you in Congress by surprise, right?   You guys knew this is what we wanted; you guys knew we wouldn't except anything less, and yet you play this pathetic game with the other side as if we owe them some kind of reciprocal courtesy?   Can I just remind you all how we felt when they stuffed this tongue depressing legislation down our throats without one republican vote?????????

It should be all for one and one for all right now -- speaking to you, John McCain...speaking to you Lindsey Graham...speaking to you Paul Ryan...speaking to you Mitch McConnell....speaking to you Mike Lee....speaking to you Rand Paul....and if I had the time and space, this girl would just be rattling everybody's name off, one after the other....

THIS IS THE TIME not to judge one another, but to judge and criticize the legislation. 

In the first stroke, simply take it away (Obamacare).  And in the second stroke, replace it with the things that work -- the things of agreement and  consensus -- for these are the things that should stay (and, you would think, seven years of hindsight should tells us everything we need to know!) and then promptly, burn the memory of Obamacare from your minds.  And then!  Bring confidence back to the American people by communicating directly, and clearly, and to the point of drowning out the other side -- how the stages of returning this abomination of legislation back to zero and starting over, was the only way to begin, even if we must go through a little rough territory to see it through.  

Hindsight tells us so; for this is about saving lives, an industry, and quite possibly, our future.

Remind the American people -- over and over and over again -- that it was the Left, Obama and the democrats, who created this mess; remind them --- over and over and over again -- that there was not one republican in agreement with this legislation.  And ask the American people, if perhaps hindsight offers us an opportunity to glean just why that was.  It was because the legislation (not the actual people... the countrymen and women and think tanks and community organizers...who wrote it)  -- sucked.

This is about restoring the health care industry once again, and allowing a free enterprising, competitive marketplace that manages one-sixth of the American economy to judge what works and what doesn't, what survives and what dies.    The government does not belong in the middle of it.

------------------------------------------------

And speaking of meddling in the middle of things....somebody please tell me why one man, an activist judge, can directly decide what is best for homeland security over and above another man, and the president, the one who actually has the authority and LAW on his side?  Obama did just this and nobody said a thing.

From The National Review: 

Section 212(f) of the INA is arguably the broadest and best known of these authorities. It provides, in relevant part, that “Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.”

In other words, this is why we are a REPUBLIC and not a democracy; we follow Rule of Law for a reason  (for from law, we retain true order of things), otherwise we become manipulated and violated by the folly of mankind.  We can't run a country on the whims of political correctness or personal bias, and this decision made in Hawaii (hilarious) is proof.  It could almost  be thrown into the category of another absurdity:  as in, California deciding the popular vote, and thereby deciding who should be the next president...hilariously good idea....okay....God Bless the Electoral college, but I digress.

So in hindsight today, what do I know...I'm just a girl, her name is Gretchen and this is just a day in the life of an American girl.   But this I do know:  the day after nearly anything and everything offers us the possibility to learn something.  Hindsight graces us with greater understanding in order to move forward with authority and confidence in the future, and sheds a glimmer of hope of not making the same mistakes again.

This would be good, right?  Never mind that much of history just might repeat itself,  think about it: not making the same mistakes again --  how wonderful a world would that be?

True wisdom asks each and every one of us to learn from our mistakes, make course corrections, master our responses, and aim for being a people that become more respectful of others in our daily dialogue, NOT LESS (which very much includes how our mainstream media respects the office of the president); grow more intelligent from the availability of volumes of experiences from those who have preceded us, and offer great incite of the reasons civilizations rise and fall, NOT LESS; and last, but certainly not least, devote more time and honor in communion with the Almighty,  Creator of all things seen and unseen, and not to mention, the final Judge and jury of all things large and small, and with the utmost confidence can add, NOT LESS.

This is what I know to be true, in hindsight.  Take it or leave it.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's an Unfinished Business Thing

Dear America,

"The Lord God said, 'it is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make a helper suitable for him.' Now the Lord Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air.  He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each creature, that was its name..."  Genesis 2:18-19

oh about twelve years ago, this girl was in the midst of a transition, so to speak.  And when I say transition, for an Aries such as I am, it usually comes fast and furious and without any looking back.

Hindsight being what it is -- it's now rather amusing how one thing might end, suddenly, sadly, and with all the emotional somersaults that come with -- and then in a flash, realize oh how great, oh how great thou art, for that path was not mine.  

This is my path.  

This.  

The place where little old gthing finds herself today.  And is it still a work in progress?  you bet, for I am unfinished.

What brought this on?  Where are you going with this G? 

Well, to go back to the origins, it all began with a blank canvas received from a guy I'm no longer with (that was where the fast and furious, referenced above, comes in, right?).  It was part of a birthday present...just before we split in pieces.

And at the time, my immediate response was to just let my little girl paint them all (for he gave me nearly a half dozen in various sizes)...for I wasn't going to even touch them.  So she painted an elephant on one (16 X 20), a mama duck and her ducklings on another (24 X 36!), and that was that for awhile.

Then one day, long after the break up, after the moon and stars realigned in my world, and eventually finding myself coming back around and with my creative spirit rushing up to the surface -- there I was, determined to totally "move on." My thoughts quickened, gathering enough courage to resume dominion over my life once more.  This girl was going to paint something. 

And she did.

It was rather simple, nothing earth shattering; it was a big shell, with a little shell right beside her, against the most beautiful cerulean blue background.  And while this 20 X 24 inch masterpiece bounced from one part of the house to another, depending on my mood, one day a couple years later, my little girl and me found ourselves all packed up with somewhere else to go.  

From there, this picture -- with a name of it's own, if only in my own mind -- was now across town, placed in the entry way, under a small table, almost hidden from view.

Of course, I knew it was there.  And often it would catch my eye, like a sparkly, shiny thing, and it would make me smile...for I knew it's name.  And I knew what happened inside me on the day it was born.

On the day it was born, it signified significant change in me.  But even so, there it sat, nearly out of sight and under a table,  for years and years...until about two weeks ago.

In the midst of developing a picture wall -- beginning with the placement of three framed photos of my girl, choosing some gorgeous snapshots of her trip to Salta, Argentina -- the instant messaging from the universe told me to put up the shells.  

And I did.

And it was good.

But not good enough.

Looking around, all of a sudden an ah-ha moment ambushed me from out of nowhere.  There it was.  Sitting under another tabletop, in the accompaniment of a bunch of antique books, was a little something I framed for sentimental reasons.  When we had to put our Boston down, BooBoo, in 2015, one of the condolences received was this beautiful card.  In splashes of pink and gold and jade, posies framed a few words from Ecclesiastes, "there is a time for everything under heaven." 

So the wall continued to build, organically and wonderfully; first a row of three black framed prints, then the 20 X 24 shells, then the itty bitty 5 X 7 humdinger at the top, reigning supreme an idea worthy of screaming from the mountaintops -- prescribing taking life as it comes!  For until we are finished, we are all unfinished and a work in progress, good, bad or indifferent.  There truly is a time for everything under heaven.

And it was good.

But not good enough.

It was time...

So sitting under the wall of pictures, the snapshots of life and times and memories and magnificence, my urge to finish something started twelve years ago came over me.  

The shells needed a name, the name that was locked inside my head since the very first brushstroke.

"mother and child"

And in the process of painting its name, the finishing touches of puff-paint, in glorious swooshes of curly q's and swirls, began to twirl on top of the shells in free abandon.  My hand and eye were bouncing from one edge of the canvas to another so fast and furious, it was a wonder this girl could even find the self control to stop.

But she did.

And it was good.

And I'm pretty sure, it's finished -- this blank canvas has met it's maker and it is done. (I think)

And in this moment, I must thank a guy named John Gray, of John Gray's World, for the inspiration back behind this day; you, my dear soul, are a Godsend.  For yesterday, I sat there listening to John Gray and his message -- just one within a series of messages that he has named, "Dominion" -- with my mind blown.  For in no uncertain terms -- no gray to be seen nor found -- John Gray explains in black and white our essential birthright, given to us by God.  (And referring to the very verse in Genesis found up top, at the start of this day...)

In order to live a solid, secure, life under God, and in the way the world made expressly by God was designed -- a world that flourishes in goodness, and charity, and blessings, and anchored with hard work and diligence and activity -- we must come out from under the table and take dominion over our life.  

In the beginning, man -- as in mankind -- was given the power to name things, to take dominion over the animals of the earth, giving each one a name.  And as Gray points out, while honoring God in every word, each of us was given our own garden to plant, to create, to build, to name, by the power of the Holy Spirit.   

We were not born to be placed under a table, sub-par and out of sight; we were made in God's image to take dominion over our lives...not from a place of arrogance, but from a place of gratitude and grace, knowing we are children of the Almighty, Omniscient,  Creator of all things Divine.  We ARE one of those things.  This earth, this country, is a gathering place of cerulean souls and opalescent dreams; a place where heaven and earth meet and find a way to come to life, individually and collectively, over time and generations.

On a larger canvas, America is the creation of Divine Intelligence meeting up with the unique divinity within our founders.  At one time, the canvas was blank, empty, ready for the revolution to march across the vast landscape of things to be and not to be; every generation comes chock full of seasons which come and go and have their way with us under the light of day or the cover of night.

So be it.

In the last twelve years -- 

in the time it took for me to gain the courage, to meet my obstacle of a broken spirit, and see it come back to life right before my very eyes, although not all at once; and now, being at this place, that purposely elevates it to such heights on my living room wall, and thereby, making the things that matter, the things that give meaning and relevance to everything under heaven for me, so clear, and not only that, my own personal centerpiece --  surely, I am not the only one experiencing a transformation of transition....

America has come through the second administration of Bush, an entire eight years of Obama, and is beginning a brand new season with Trump.   

The irony is, the revolution, the changes, the evolution of a living masterpiece in America, will live to see another day and in all the days to come, until such time it is finished -- not according to mankind -- but according to the Lord.  This is a given.  It is settled science.   And God already knows how and when it ends.

The thing that rings most loud and true, is our unique ability to become something. As individuals and as countrymen, we seem to meet crossroads of where we go from here every single day.  The canvas keeps building upon an idea, and another, and another.

This can be overwhelming, this power to name who we are, deciding where we go and what we stand for in every moment, and becoming a choice that lives and breathes and carries its own life force all its own.  It is a great responsibility.  

IT is our duty and delight, really. 

" a time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot...a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them....a time to keep and a time to throw away...a time to be silent and a time to speak...a time for war and a time for peace."   

Just a spattering of seedlings from Ecclesiastes 3

Long, long time ago, my parents gave me a name....Gretchen.  

I gave my girl a name, on the day she was born, too.

I gave my love for her a name, on the day when the shells eventually came out from under the table and displayed in the center of our home..."mother and child."

I gave my creative spirit a name, upon this blog, proclaiming the day in the life of this American girl, ain't nothing but a gthang, baby...

And from this day forward, my aim is to continue to create the things worthy of giving it a name; for God gave each and every one of us a unique ability, the abundance of resources (even if unseen to the naked eye), and an enterprising spirit inside us, to take dominion over our life and make it good.

 

Emphasis on good.

Even though this blog has come to the end of the day, the day has only just begun and is yet unfinished --  just as I am unfinished [to the extent of that, only God knows how far this girl has to go from here...teehee).  Just as there is a time to write and a time to play, there is a time to work; and surely as the day is long, the time to work must come before the time to wine.   Besides, the work must get finished before we can call it done and give it a name...

Make it a Good Day, G

It's About Tranquilizers and Seeking True Tranquility, a Precious Thing

Dear America,

"Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.  She is more precious than rubies, nothing you desire can compare with her.  Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.  Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.  She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who hold of her will be blessed.
By wisdom the Lord laid the earth's foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew." Proverbs 3:13-20

beautiful.

happy friday, everyone

and oh thank God, FOX Breaking News just now:  Richard Simmons is alive and well, so says the LAPD.  We can all relax.   Phew, that was a close one.

Not even sure where all that panic originated... for by golly, it was as if, all of a sudden, there was an all points bulletin to find him.  So happy day, rest assured, he is "perfectly fine."  

And all I can add to that, is that that claim of being "perfectly fine" is perfectly debatable.  teehee...

when has the guy been perfectly fine?  

His line of crazy is perfect for him; he made a career at being anything but perfectly fine; he is off the charts nutty, and quite possibly, damn proud of it.  But of course, what do I know -- as I do not know Simmons; this girl is one clown short of a circus, herself, and really has no way of truly knowing and understanding the man.  All I really know is what he chooses to show to the world, right.  And who could not understand the inclination to retreat for a wee bit -- just imagine the kind of energy that guy had to manufacture day after day...that was testosterone/progesterone/macaroon laced circuit training, infiltrating living rooms and escalating heart beats, of a whole 'nother level. 

Which reminds me of a stat I heard from Joel Osteen's sermon, just last weekend:  America holds about 6% of the world's population, and yet we consume nearly 90% of the world's tranquilizers.  

Isn't that astounding?!

How sad, right?!

And taking an immediate segway to things Trump related -- the naysayers and objectors and leftist far and wide predicted total chaos with a Trump administration; calling the guy a nutcase, wondering if he even had the wisdom to be president and even further, be the guy in control of, you know, the button to go nuclear.    

The guy doesn't drink alcohol or coffee, let alone need to pop a pill just to get his day started. It's also been said, he requires very little sleep.  

And perhaps, some might even say -- and that some being just me, right now -- that his body and mind are more pure than the rest of us.  Just sayin'.  Speaking for G, this girl enjoys her Makers Mark, and can't wake up until two cups of joe are sipped.   And even though this sipping and savoring in the quiet morning hours is devoted to saying my prayers, reading anything that lifts and fills my spirit, and turning my day over to God in a "do what you will with me"  kind of way. if being truthful, it sheds a shady light on a vicious cycle that goes up/down, up/down, up/down...where she stops nobody knows :)

At least Americans can be rest assured, Trump is normally on the level, chemically speaking, all the live long day.   And I for one, am not only pleased to recognize that, but shamefully can't give you that same assurance, k.    and when I say shamefully, that isn't entirely the truth.  teehee

On another note, and reaching back to the top of this post, this verse found in Proverbs just makes my heart go pitter patter...Isn't it marvelous that this thing called wisdom is referred to in the feminine?

 "...She is more precious than rubies, nothing you desire can compare with her.  Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.  Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.  She is a tree of life to those who embrace her..."

True wisdom requires us to know thy self; it requires a receptive heart, open to being in relationship with our one true path as designed by the Creator of all living things and the Divine Providence from which this understanding comes and moves and has It's way with us.  It never truly is about our way of doing things, unless of course, we want to march down the path alone and aerobically challenged.

This morning I am reminded of America's beautiful beginning, as written in the very first words of our Declaration of Independence:

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

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..."

Our RIGHTS and our liberties come from Nature's God, the CREATOR.  Boom.

This is the foundation; this is where wisdom lives and where understanding flourishes.

Oh how I wish the "DAY WITHOUT WOMEN" crowd simply started their day, and their cause, simply reciting America's Declaration of Independence!    The truth is, this -- and the Book of Proverbs -- is almost all anyone ever really needs in the pursuit of Happiness. 

 [Notice, happiness is not a guarantee; that result is tied directly to the individual's methods and means in the pursuit of it, to reach nirvana, to get to this place called Happiness].   

Siddhartha found one way; just as each one of us born into this world must do the same.   God, as Creator of all, loves creativity -- which only means, there is no ONE way to do it.  There is like hundreds of billions of ways -- just look at the life and times of Richard Simmons....

However, wisdom and understanding of Nature's Laws and Nature's God, would conclude a certain amount of devotion to the Source, and the wealth waiting for each and every one of us while sitting under God, under the righteous limbs of the tree of life, seeking first HER wisdom.  Can you just imagine if all the world took this stance in finding remedy for the world's material, spiritual, physical, painful woes?   The disenfranchised, the gender-oppressed and oppression itself, men and women alike, being young and old, and from one continent to another.... all things fallen of this world can be course corrected.  Seek and ye shall find.

Humanity falters under the weight of humanity itself; and the only Thing that puts us back together, and keeps us together, is a life centered around the All-Knowing Grace of God, Truth and the Wisdom of the ages... for Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.

Our Founders recognized this truth;  decidedly and with full confidence, our essential liberties and freedoms and duties -- endowed by our Creator, that which do not come from government -- is written into our foundation.  

Our founders never said it would be easy, they never promised us a rose garden, and we can only assume they never saw a time in America when we consumed 90% of the world's tranquilizers just to make it through the day (especially, if we are to add in the mother lode of modern day conveniences....like washing machines, telephones, blogs, instant messaging, indoor plumbing, refrigeration, the light bulb, aerobics by Richard Simmons and brought to you by the miracle of T.V.....all these things AND the Bible?  It's almost like we have heaven on earth, heaven on earth.  But I digress).

One last thing before I go -- feel free to feast your eyes upon a wonderful answer to the Day Without Women Charade and on parade yesterday.   It comes from Lifezette.  Nina May responds with this: "A Day Without Whiny Women." -- think of it as a natural elixir to lift you out of the political doldrums of our days; it's like a peach Bellini with an extra splash of sass.  

Gotta go now, for this girl has a lunch date with a lady more precious than rubies.

True tranquility is in the eyes of the beholder, in the arms of the Almighty, and lives within us, no matter what corner of the world we live in, in the pursuit of our Happiness.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a Thoroughly Shaken and Stirred Thing

Dear America,

"Truthful lips endure forever, 

but a lying tongue lasts only a 

moment.

There is deceit in the hearts of those

who plot evil,

but joy for those who promote peace.

No harm befalls the righteous,

but the wicked have their fill of

trouble." 

Proverbs 12:19-21

such is the day in the life of America...

for the substance with which we actually live by, and prosper in both wisdom and grace, is not of a fleeting matter! and yet we rebuke its essential value every single day, men and women alike. 

America was made by the ideas and the very works and the constant striving of men -- men of the age of enlightenment and profound understanding of truth.  Encouraged by a deep faith in Divine Providence, our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution were written, nearly in stone, and laying the foundation of these great United States.  And now look at us.

What we have in government today, is a great mockery of such a state of reverence and austerity of long ago; while every intention to keep WE the PEOPLE protected of such evil corruption has been torn asunder, now finding ourselves fully under the power and oppression generated at the state.  And a great example of such a fraud against the American people, is quickly found within the GOP response to Obamacare.

How the GOP is so unprepared for this very moment is beyond words, really.  

For goodness sake, man, we've had seven years to get at the ready; not to mention, the many concerns and questions of Obamacare have been answered nearly completely by organizations and conservative think tanks, places like The Heritage Foundation, and one currently led by a good and decent countryman, Jim DeMint.

Health care must be placed back in the hands of the free market, and the free market only.  For all it's done so far --  this abomination called Obamacare --  is tie an iron chain around the neck of the American livelihood and economy, cementing another entitlement upon the backs of the hardworking Middle Class (for the wealthy are basically unaffected, and the poor carry no responsibility whatsoever).

Allow me to share Ben Shapiro's thoughts, HERE.

"A wicked man accepts a bribe in secret 

to pervert the course of justice." 

Proverbs 17:23

If Obamacare was wrong under Obama, it is still wrong under a man of another name.  (That's just a GTHING proverb of the modern age...)

This morning -- in the wake of all the mystery and mayhem of the wiretapping and the mounting troubles dealing with the hold over Obama Administration people, the clear and present danger of insubordination on steroids -- my American spirit feels violated.   

I can only imagine what the president is thinking, but perhaps he will continue to cling to his ability to tweet and tell us exactly that.  I've been trying not to pay any attention to it, thinking it will just go away.  But this is some kind of serious mischief within, and my cries of what to do, what to do, has evolved into a call out to the heavens for some undeserved assistance.  Any guidance right now, whether from King Solomon or beyond... America needs all the help she can get.

If I were president, this girl would go office by office and root out the evil and say, you're fired.  You're fired.  And you're fired, too.  Cleaning house comes naturally, you know what I mean.

And speaking of which -- gotta love what we are celebrating today:  women.   Although, for some reason, the "Day without Women" march is designed to include the "gender oppressed" too.   It's like, what?  why?  Who decided to throw upon the shoulders of every woman one more thing?   I mean -- I'm a girl -- why can't women just have our day, right?  What a corruption of the overarching message of raising awareness of the essential roles WOMEN play in society, right?  But this is the Home Page:

 On International Women's Day, March 8th, 

women and our allies will act together 

for equity, justice and the human rights of women 

and all gender-oppressed people, 

through a one-day demonstration 

of economic solidarity.

ARE YOU IN?

This is nothing more than leftist March Madness, and just another version of what happened in January...remember this?

And seriously, women -- are you really feeling oppressed in this day and age?  Seriously, little miss CEO, little miss small business owner, little miss congresswoman, little miss talk show icon, little miss facebook high ranking officer, little miss doctor, attorney, professor, pastor?  After all we've been through, and given the aspirations of girls far and wide are being realized in the every day -- how can we gather together like this, if not for simply making a whole lot of political hay after taking all the live long day to sow the very seeds that further divide us?  [And even little g recognizes her limitations on getting her point across, so by all means,  go here for more on this from The Patriot Post]

This method of marching is simply solidifying the objectifying of women; turning us into a cause instead elevating the pure, God given life force we women truly are, a freeking awesome life force capable of being the sole provider of all the world's naturally born children, too.  Can I get an amen?

Although all in favor of human rights, equity and justice for all, the organizers might as well have made it clear that girls like me need not apply either; for it is my belief, in the spirit of equality for all, that men are just as essential to the life and times as women -- and upon equal footing, too!  (yes, and isn't that just crazy....teehee)   A day without men would be just as empty.

MEN and WOMEN are equally precious, equally worthy, and to actually know this knowledge, and recognize it, and appreciate both in equal portion -- in both work and play -- then you would also have to know God.  For these are the basic teachings found in the Bible.

And, as a matter of record, this girl doesn't need a man or society to validate her own self-worth, just sayin'.  For that, sisters and brothers, comes from a higher plane, and a gender of It's Very Own....yay God x   

And finally, and most certainly, without a shred of doubt,  I believe it is the ying and yang of everything, large and small,  that makes everything work; one thing is not greater than another. 

Oh this day,

this day finds me simply shaken AND stirred, with not an olive in sight. 

Whether it's the men or the women -- we all carry the equal potential to suck from time to time; that being said, we the people are turning ourselves, and our body politic,  into something unrecognizable.  Only a loving God knows who we truly are and where we go from here, for my meek and troubled mind fails to see the good that all this brings today.  

Fortunately, we who call ourselves believers know this simple truth:  "there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven."  

Rumor has it, we get one more try at this thing called life tomorrow.

Make it a Good Day, G

  

It's a One Blood, One Love In America Thing

Dear America,

'something measured, something great'

or what this girl likes to call, the next level after 'nothing ventured, nothing gained' in the natural order of a Trump public relations peaceful takeover.

what a night, what a night for America. psalm 2/28/2017 [and you'll just have to read back a few blogs, if you have no idea what I just did there....enjoy,]

And in case you missed the night...let me send you over to CNN (of all places...) to get the full text.  

love how he begins...

Tonight, as we mark the conclusion of our celebration of Black History Month, we are reminded of our Nation's path toward civil rights and the work that still remains. Recent threats targeting Jewish Community Centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, as well as last week's shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a Nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms.
Each American generation passes the torch of truth, liberty and justice --- in an unbroken chain all the way down to the present.
That torch is now in our hands. And we will use it to light up the world. I am here tonight to deliver a message of unity and strength, and it is a message deeply delivered from my heart.

and loved his redirection to what's ahead in America's near future, the context all Americans should be keeping in their hearts and minds, really:

In 9 years, the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding -- 250 years since the day we declared our Independence.
It will be one of the great milestones in the history of the world.
But what will America look like as we reach our 250th year? What kind of country will we leave for our children?

loved the imagery and illustration as to how we, America, got here:

Then, in 2016, the earth shifted beneath our feet. The rebellion started as a quiet protest, spoken by families of all colors and creeds --- families who just wanted a fair shot for their children, and a fair hearing for their concerns.
But then the quiet voices became a loud chorus -- as thousands of citizens now spoke out together, from cities small and large, all across our country.
Finally, the chorus became an earthquake -- and the people turned out by the tens of millions, and they were all united by one very simple, but crucial demand, that America must put its own citizens first ... because only then, can we truly MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.

loved this lead in...reflecting upon the promises made to America:

 Above all else, we will keep our promises to the American people.
It's been a little over a month since my inauguration, and I want to take this moment to update the Nation on the progress I've made in keeping those promises.

and all of it is really good....you will just have to go to the CNN link for more, as this girl can't do all the work, you know.

and of course, this reality check was well placed, and really, really huge:

 According to data provided by the Department of Justice, the vast majority of individuals convicted for terrorism-related offenses since 9/11 came here from outside of our country. We have seen the attacks at home --- from Boston to San Bernardino to the Pentagon and yes, even the World Trade Center.
We have seen the attacks in France, in Belgium, in Germany and all over the world.
It is not compassionate, but reckless, to allow uncontrolled entry from places where proper vetting cannot occur. Those given the high honor of admission to the United States should support this country and love its people and its values.
We cannot allow a beachhead of terrorism to form inside America -- we cannot allow our Nation to become a sanctuary for extremists.
That is why my Administration has been working on improved vetting procedures, and we will shortly take new steps to keep our Nation safe -- and to keep out those who would do us harm.

and umpteen standing O's later... he pointed out this lovely lady in the crowd:

 Finally, I have kept my promise to appoint a Justice to the United States Supreme Court -- from my list of 20 judges -- who will defend our Constitution. I am honored to have Maureen Scalia with us in the gallery tonight. Her late, great husband, Antonin Scalia, will forever be a symbol of American justice. To fill his seat, we have chosen Judge Neil Gorsuch, a man of incredible skill, and deep devotion to the law. He was confirmed unanimously to the Court of Appeals, and I am asking the Senate to swiftly approve his nomination.

moving immediately into this reminder of what HE INHERITED from the Obama Administration:

 Tonight, as I outline the next steps we must take as a country, we must honestly acknowledge the circumstances we inherited.
Ninety-four million Americans are out of the labor force.
Over 43 million people are now living in poverty, and over 43 million Americans are on food stamps.
More than 1 in 5 people in their prime working years are not working.
We have the worst financial recovery in 65 years.
In the last 8 years, the past Administration has put on more new debt than nearly all other Presidents combined.

anyone remember what Barack Obama campaigned on in 2008?  When he was in someone's backyard, saying it was UN-Patriotic for President Bush to double the debt during his eight years...and guess what happened during Obama's eight...DOUBLED THE DEBT of ALL 44 presidents to date, leading AMERICA into unsustainable economic territory totaling 20 TRILLION dollars in debt!   So if A equals B and B equals C, then C equals A -- making Barack Obama the most UN-patriotic president ever.

and this was a good line...but again, you will need to refer to the CNN link for the context, as it's really pretty great...teehee:

They weren't even asking for change. But I am.

skip through a wee bit, and of course, more standing O's, we come to this:

Nations around the world, like Canada, Australia and many others --- have a merit-based immigration system. It is a basic principle that those seeking to enter a country ought to be able to support themselves financially. Yet, in America, we do not enforce this rule, straining the very public resources that our poorest citizens rely upon. According to the National Academy of Sciences, our current immigration system costs America's taxpayers many billions of dollars a year.
Switching away from this current system of lower-skilled immigration, and instead adopting a merit-based system, will have many benefits: it will save countless dollars, raise workers' wages, and help struggling families --- including immigrant families --- enter the middle class.
I believe that real and positive immigration reform is possible, as long as we focus on the following goals: to improve jobs and wages for Americans, to strengthen our nation's security, and to restore respect for our laws.

THANK YOU.

And then came this:

Tonight, I am also calling on this Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare with reforms that expand choice, increase access, lower costs, and at the same time, provide better Healthcare.
Mandating every American to buy government-approved health insurance was never the right solution for America. The way to make health insurance available to everyone is to lower the cost of health insurance, and that is what we will do.

bada-bing bada-boom

Our citizens deserve this, and so much more --- so why not join forces to finally get it done? On this and so many other things, Democrats and Republicans should get together and unite for the good of our country, and for the good of the American people.

riiiiight?

and then, directing the audience to a young woman seated at the left hand of God and at the top of the chamber, a Megan Crowley... go T:

Today is Rare Disease day, and joining us in the gallery is a Rare Disease Survivor, Megan Crowley. Megan was diagnosed with Pompe Disease, a rare and serious illness, when she was 15 months old. She was not expected to live past 5.On receiving this news, Megan's dad, John, fought with everything he had to save the life of his precious child. He founded a company to look for a cure, and helped develop the drug that saved Megan's life. Today she is 20 years old -- and a sophomore at Notre Dame.Megan's story is about the unbounded power of a father's love for a daughter.But our slow and burdensome approval process at the Food and Drug Administration keeps too many advances, like the one that saved Megan's life, from reaching those in need.If we slash the restraints, not just at the FDA but across our Government, then we will be blessed with far more miracles like Megan.

In fact, our children will grow up in a Nation of miracles.
But to achieve this future, we must enrich the mind --- and the souls --- of every American child.

 great story, and it made a perfect lead in to education..."Education is the civil rights issue of our time," he said, and more.

And quickly pointing out Denisha Merriweather, a young woman who is well on her way to getting her Master's with the help of being able to choose her school with the help of a tax credit scholarship program!   This stuff could happen every day, folks, every single day.

and it was quite entertaining when the president turned toward recognizing our men and women in uniform who protect our cities every single day, leading him into announcing a new program -- and half the chamber making the roar of boo's....and it wasn't from the right...

Police and sheriffs are members of our community. They are friends and neighbors, they are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters -- and they leave behind loved ones every day who worry whether or not they'll come home safe and sound.
We must support the incredible men and women of law enforcement.
And we must support the victims of crime.
I have ordered the Department of Homeland Security to create an office to serve American Victims. The office is called VOICE --- Victims Of Immigration Crime Engagement. We are providing a voice to those who have been ignored by our media, and silenced by special interests.

to where he added another redirection of our eyes....saying:

Joining us in the audience tonight are four very brave Americans whose government failed them.
Their names are Jamiel Shaw, Susan Oliver, Jenna Oliver, and Jessica Davis.

and briefly telling us about a day in the life of these four Americans.

THEN came the moment of the night, it was HUUUUUUGE...bigger than big, larger than life, even in death:

Finally, to keep America Safe we must provide the men and women of the United States military with the tools they need to prevent war and --- if they must --- to fight and to win.
I am sending the Congress a budget that rebuilds the military, eliminates the Defense sequester, and calls for one of the largest increases in national defense spending in American history.
My budget will also increase funding for our veterans.
Our veterans have delivered for this Nation --- and now we must deliver for them.
The challenges we face as a Nation are great. But our people are even greater.
And none are greater or braver than those who fight for America in uniform.
We are blessed to be joined tonight by Carryn Owens, the widow of a U.S. Navy Special Operator, Senior Chief William "Ryan" Owens. Ryan died as he lived: a warrior, and a hero --- battling against terrorism and securing our Nation.

but really, to understand what just happened, you really would have to be there.   Carryn Owens received the honor and the blessings and a ruckus applause for what may have been two minutes and a day, not kidding.  And my favorite moment, as many of you could well imagine, was probably this:

Ryan's legacy is etched into eternity. For as the Bible teaches us, there is no greater act of love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. Ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country, and for our freedom --- we will never forget him.

At this point, Carryn was standing, taking it all in, with tears streaming down her cheeks and the president looking up to her with his full attention and honor.  What a moment, what a moment it was to bear witness.

love this, too:

Free nations are the best vehicle for expressing the will of the people --- and America respects the right of all nations to chart their own path. My job is not to represent the world. My job is to represent the United States of America. But we know that America is better off, when there is less conflict -- not more.

and this:

America is willing to find new friends, and to forge new partnerships, where shared interests align. We want harmony and stability, not war and conflict.
We want peace, wherever peace can be found. America is friends today with former enemies. Some of our closest allies, decades ago, fought on the opposite side of these World Wars. This history should give us all faith in the possibilities for a better world.
Hopefully, the 250th year for America will see a world that is more peaceful, more just and more free.

and this: 

Imagine the wonders our country could know in America's 250th year.

Think of the marvels we can achieve if we simply set free the dreams of our people.

and this, leading us into the big finish, big finish indeed:

 ...When we have all of this, we will have made America greater than ever before. For all Americans.
This is our vision. This is our mission.
But we can only get there together.
We are one people, with one destiny.
We all bleed the same blood.
We all salute the same flag.
And we are all made by the same God.
And when we fulfill this vision; when we celebrate our 250 years of glorious freedom, we will look back on tonight as when this new chapter of American Greatness began.
The time for small thinking is over. The time for trivial fights is behind us...

 ...I am asking all citizens to embrace this Renewal of the American Spirit. I am asking all members of Congress to join me in dreaming big, and bold and daring things for our country. And I am asking everyone watching tonight to seize this moment and --
Believe in yourselves.
Believe in your future.
And believe, once more, in America.
Thank you, God bless you, and God Bless these United States.

"THE TIME FOR SMALL THINKING IS OVER.  THE TIME FOR TRIVIAL FIGHTS IS BEHIND US."

you can say that again, say that again.

We are all made by the same God, as one people, as individuals, as each and every one of us grows to being in alignment with whatever purpose God has graced us with.... "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." 

Note the context of these words, cemented into the very foundation of this nation.  

Generally speaking, our founders built our future -- the one also etched into eternity -- upon large ideas, ensuring the freedom for all, in the small, to figure it all out for ourselves with pure, unadulterated freedom.  The Constitution of the United States of America requires a duty; that being active duty, to steal a phrase and context of the military -- an active, faithful, enterprising, independent spirit and duty from all of us, in order for each generation to be guaranteed this level of greatness.  This is no small task, and yet, we have allowed the citizens of this great nation to become distracted.

Last night was entirely about re-direction for the nation; and oh, how splendid did it feel?!

"If the foundations are destroyed, 

what can the righteous do?"  

Psalm 11:3

I believe this president, President Trump, understands a thing or two about foundations.

And even though my trust is fully in God Almighty, above all things and everything -- day by day, this girl is surprisingly growing to love this president.   love love love

...And might I be so bold as to believe that every purpose under heaven is singing it's praises today.

Make it a Good Day, G