It's Just that Julie is no longer with us Thing

Dear America,

you know that feeling when you lose someone really special in your life, suddenly and unexpectedly, and it feels as if  your whole world came crashing to a complete stop...yeah, yeah, it's like that.

death is like that.

it's so permanent.

no time, or space, or opportunity, to say even one more thing to this really special someone.

never mind that mind blowing conclusions have been made on the Russian-Collusion (hoax) investigation.  that conclusion heads straight to the bottom of the pile of priorities.

the task of making phone calls to people who need to know begins,

the ebb and flow of tears begin to make their way into our schedule, abruptly replacing whatever else we had planned,

the cry out to God for answers, a little comfort, in the midst of unimaginable grief, reaches a whole 'nother level of concerns and rambling thoughts, one after the other

Julie is no longer with us

Of course, you all have no idea, nor really care, or feel, even in the least bit, attached to my Julie...it doesn't matter.  This day belongs to Julie, anyway.

Perhaps -- if you will indulge me a wee bit -- close your eyes.... and picture the person in your life, right now, who just exudes joy from the moment you say hello along with a smile a mile wide.  Picture this same person, perhaps someone who selflessly gives, everything she's got, to a certain cause, maybe in community service, and maybe even in the mailing of care packages to our troops, and organizing what may look to outsiders as herding cats, otherwise recognized as a team of women, to continually support Julie's efforts and passion for doing this one thing...and doing it really well.

well, it's this kind of person who is no longer with us.

Now perhaps -- close your eyes and picture this person -- baking pumpkin bread into the wee hours of the morning the night before an annual fundraiser...the very same fundraiser she has chaired for years in a row, and wakes up in the morning ready to host this holiday silent auction like there is no tomorrow, and realize there really is no tomorrow for our Julie.  

Julie is no longer with us.

This Julie watched her your grandchildren during the week to help her daughter; this Julie managed the books of the family business; this Julie donated more time and energy to making sure everyone around her were happy, secure, all the while battling a slew of minor health concerns that, together, amounted to a major worry, every day. Julie no longer needs to worry.

Julie is no longer with us.

This Julie just had a way of capturing hearts --  through hugs and friendship, the sharing of family stories, the showing of sincere interest, no matter what ever else was troubling her.  She just gave and gave and gave...like a saint.  seriously.  like a saint.

It is this Julie who is no longer with us.

Why is it that the saints of this planet go so terribly soon? 

It was an accident, a total freak accident, too.  That face with a smile a mile wide met with the brute force of a counter top, causing her to fall all the way to the bathroom floor, never to wake up again.  Something that, for me, hits home... and hard.  [my mama can tell you the story]

Life is so precious.

In an instant, life can change -- in in turn, after turn, after turn, a ripple of change extends to a whole host of family, friends, to even acquaintances, like the Post Office lady.   It's like, Julie?  no, no, you must have the wrong person, where did you hear that?

No, it's true, Julie is no longer with us.

How could we be celebrating her birthday one day, and a week later she is gone?  

Julie was 53.

Julie was.

Julie was.

Julie was.

Just doesn't even sound right; it has to be a mistake.

The thing is -- Julie WAS here -- and a few of us lucky people got to know her, got to break bread with her, got to share life with her, got to witness Julie in her finest and greatest moments of joy in the service to God, Home, and Country.  (Just thought I would throw in a nod to the Daughters...it's only fitting; for The DAR was truly Julie's happy place...xoxo)

Not only did we get to know her,  this Julie --  we got to love her.

And on that note, we will end the day, making blog #990 in honor of my Julie.

the very same Julie  who is no longer with us...lucky God gets her, to have and to hold.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's Reflections on the Ridiculous Thing

Dear America,

"I think it's really tragic 

when people get serious about stuff.  

It's such an absurdity 

to take anything really seriously...

I make an honest attempt  

not to take anything seriously; 

I worked that attitude out

 about the time I was eighteen, 

I mean, what does it all mean 

when you get right down to it, 

what's the story here?  

Being alive is so weird."  

Frank Zappa

seriously.

and for starters, this girl is having such a hard time getting her head around the headlines these days.  It's as if it's all ridiculous; what do we care about Kellyanne Conway's husband opinion about anything?   Like, seriously?  

And for Trump to even respond....it's like, with all due respect, Mr. President -- you are the president of the United States of America!  --  just leave it alone!

And the president gets my same response about all his chatter about John McCain.  Just leave it be; don't feed the fire; don't fight for the last word; don't give the media something to talk about when the subject matter goes petty, or simply trades insults with the dead or his entourage.  That trade war will never be won, as it lives so deep down in the mire, all that survives is a mouth full of muck and a reputation lost in the tangling web of nonsense, barbs and slurs, and suffocating any chance of any good to come of it, and shamefully reducing the statehood of the office to nothing more than tabloid warfare.  

Seriously, this life and these times are just so weird.

We get it, Mr. President; this is how you role; this is how you play the game.

And just maybe, your survival in office to date, has mandated this rapid fire response day in and day out....you know, given your history, your long list of haters, your modus operandi, along with your stubbornness and natural penchant to win at all costs....there is that.

But, seriously, Mr. President -- you no longer have to go there.  In simple terms, the more you choose to take the high road --  above the sea of petty, peaty, marshy, quagmire of all things down and dirty -- the greater the prospect of truly Making America Great Again.  (In everything, it's about America and what is best for her.... and pretty sure, she can take you, so don't even try.)   There is a trade deficit in this country, if not the world, in the nature of kindness, mutual respect, and holding ourselves accountable to everything we say, everything we do, and everything filling up our hearts and minds.

The thing is -- there is opportunity here to lead this campaign from the top down.

“The greatest leader 

is not necessarily the one 

who does the greatest things. 

He is the one 

that gets the people to do 

the greatest things.” 

― Ronald Reagan

The thing is -- you, dear sir, have ample proof now of your administration's successes... Unemployment is at the lowest level in decades, people are seeing wages rise, optimism is making gains; and all the opposition has to combat your accomplishments is denial,  politically motivated smears, and the good favor of an obstructive, biased, mainstream media that feeds irresponsible and reckless ideas into the heads of the American people, headlining candidates selling nothing but snake oil.  

Like, seriously?

These "phenoms and political hacks" monopolize the media with false claims and projections based upon ridiculous socialist policies, when history proves, these illogical attempts to dictate winners and losers through the controls of an elitist government are untenable, defective, and have NEVER worked anywhere around the world, like, ever!  Ultimately, if allowed to take hold, this massive, invasive, root system -- deceptively based upon leveling the hills and valleys of a life sustained in liberty and freedom and opportunity -- will destroy our foundation, squelch ambition, and reduce America to ruins.

Must appreciate the use of the word invasive, right?

By definition -- "An invasive species is an organism that causes ecological or economic harm in a new environment where it is not native. ... Invasive species are capable of causing extinctions of native plants and animals, reducing biodiversity, competing with native organisms for limited resources, and altering habitats."

Need I say more?

Socialist ideas are NOT NATIVE to America!  The harsh truth is, giving breath, life, oxygen to policy rooted in the delusion of equal distribution of wealth, even in part -- even Social Security -- have only adversely effected our way of life, accumulation of wealth, continuing to risk our future health and welfare, as a whole.   

And The Left wants more of this?

Everything can't be free.

Like, seriously, Ms. AOC?

But I digress.

I'm getting lost in the weeds; allow me to detangle and get back on point, if you will.

Mr. President -- Rise and Shine

“There is no limit 

to the amount of good 

you can do if you don't care 

who gets the credit.” 

― Ronald Reagan

Elevate your every move, every word, every deed and don't look back. don't do it.

Lead, by example,Mr. President. 
yes.  it is cliche.  it's just what I do here...shoot me. and on that note, here's more -- 

Mr. President -- You have nothing to lose, nothing; while you have everything to gain -- maybe even another four years.   And, you know, the right wins on ideas and its results every time, because they are anything but ridiculous; let's emphasize our winning ideas and why they work; and while we're at it, let's emphasize rising above the fray (love it). 

Let's give the media nothing to talk about, but the GOOD!

[But what do I know; I'm just a girl, and this is just my day in the life #989]

And isn't "being alive is so weird... 
isn't it?   
Like, seriously, it is.

the end. 

Make it a Good Day, G

It's Another Day to Pray Thing

Dear America,

"The awareness of God's presence 

energizes us for our work."  

Charles F. Stanley

Life Principle #4

amen

just finished four days away, attending the annual conference of the California State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

we prayed before every business session

we prayed before every meal

invocations and benedictions marked every beginning and every end.

we sang God Bless America

we recited The American's Creed

we voiced, in unison, the Pledge of the Allegiance to the Flag, at the very beginning of everything

we sang The National Anthem...even the fourth stanza

point is, the entire conference was immersed in praise and thanksgiving to God, to Home, to Country, all the live long day, first and foremost, unceasing.

Multiply this hundreds of thousands of times over, given every DAR gathering throughout the state -- throughout the nation -- begins and ends every activity celebrating our connection to Spirit with the same ritual, needless to say,  "the awareness of God's presence energizes us for our work."

indeed, 

translation -- we get it done by the grace of God and we make a difference over and over and over again!  

Whether in areas of Historic Preservation, Education, or Patriotism -- day in and day out, our DAR light shines bright.

from our California website:  

As a member of our non-profit, non-political women's service organization, you enter a network of over 185,000 women around the world who form lifelong bonds; honor their revolutionary ancestors; and promote historic preservation, education and patriotism in their communities. DAR members nationwide volunteer more than 250,000 hours annually in veterans programs, award thousands of dollars in scholarships and financial aid to students, and support schools for under-served children with annual donations exceeding one million dollars. 

The thing is, we know where our energy comes.

We consciously invoke God into every activity we do under heaven, and God gives us the stamina, the enthusiasm, the ability, the talent, to make whatever it is we strive to do happen.

It is all about beginning every committee meeting, every brainstorming session, truly masterminding with the Master of All Things, the Creator of All Good, recognizing the we are merely stewards of God's Great Earth, doing our work as God's people, and honoring where it all comes, in the responsible care of all God's things.  It all belongs to God; we are His stewards and caretakers; we are nothing without God.

And it may very well explain the level of success of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution; we are guided and blessed by God in all our endeavors because we make contact with God!  And our results reflect this connection in a very big way.

This is just a day feeling rather proud of my forefathers, my ancestors, my patriot, who made it possible for me to connect with such a remarkable organization and such a beautiful, spirit-full group of women.  It is truly unique...and special.

One of my favorite moments over the entire four days was attending the American Indian breakfast.  I was the only member from my chapter attending -- perhaps the 7:00 am start time had something to do with it...in any event, I was there, looking forward to the speaker, Dr. Paul Apodaca, PhD, professor at Chapman University, Irvine, presenting a program on "Navajo Code Talkers of WWII." 

[It was fabulous, by the way...I regret that I can't take the time to tell you all about, but real quick, something learned was a new perspective on the level of service these code talkers extended to the military, and in turn, America, on behalf of the safety and security for all Americans.  According to their religion and ritual, anytime a member of the tribe left the reservation, left their land, they became disconnected to not only their tribe, but to their God and heaven itself; by volunteering for the U.S. Military, they were risking their actual soul!  If they died in the line of duty, they believed their soul would not find its way to heaven, that it would be lost in darkness, in oblivion, forever and ever.

never heard that before... and so appreciate this expansion of understanding, don't you?

At the start of the day of this early morning session, we recited an American Indian interpretation of The Lord's Prayer, and I think it's only fitting that it ends mine:

Great Spirit Whose Teepee is the Sky 

and whose hunting is the earth,  

Mighty fearful you are called;  

Ruler over storms, over men, and birds and beasts. 

 Have Your Way over all... 

Over earth ways as over skyways.  

Find us this day our meat and corn that we 

may be strong an brave, 

And put aside from us our wicked ways  

As we put aside the bad works of them who 

do us wrong.  

And let us not have such troubles as lead us 

into crooked roads, 

But keep us from all evil, For Yours is All that Is....

the earth the sky, the streams and the hills, 

and the valleys, and stars, the moon, and the sun, 

and all that lives and breathes....

Wonderful, Shining Mighty Spirit.  

Amen

Make it a Good Day, G

"Let us walk softly 

on the earth 

with all living things 

Great and small 

remembering as go 

that one God, 

kind and wise, created all."

praying for New Zealand, the Netherlands, and this land, this morning

It's in the Defense of Pure Liberty Thing

Dear America,

yesteryear...

"I disapprove of what you say, 

but I will defend to the death

 your right to say it." 

today...

"I disapprove of what you say, 

thereby you have no right to say it,

 and I will shut you down."

The Left's dictate speaks for itself.

For starters, you should read February's Imprimis, 'Shall We Defend Our Common History?' -- an adaptation of a presentation for Hillsdale College, by Roger Kimball; it's my muse on the day.

The thing is, we are presently erasing history -- in art, statues, books -- through censorship.

Why?  Because some of it, if not most of it, is offensive to some of us, if not all of us.  Some of it hurts to see it; some of it makes us emotional; some of it makes us question our humanity -- or at the very least, the humans who came before us.

To his credit, Trump has thrown out the question, where does it stop?  

Indeed, where does it stop?

But it doesn't stop there, does it?  What about the blatant censorship of the present?

Case in point, Apple deciding to block an app -- that was just approved only a couple of weeks ago --  simply because it doesn't align with its science?

Taking a signal from The Daily Signal's post, 

Geologist Accuses Apple of Political Bias in Removing App Countering Climate Alarmism

There seems to be so many inconvenient facts about the truth surrounding global warming, and someone, a Gregory Whitestone, thought it to be prudent, and perhaps his civic duty, to alarm the public....as in, not so fast Al Gore, et. al... 

and this is interesting, going to the link of Whitestone's book: Inconvenient Facts: The science that Al Gore doesn't want you to know, you come to find out, it's currently out of stock.  right.  Did Amazon just block the book, too?

as the Signal duly notes, wonder if the app was blocked had anything to do with Al Gore being a member of the board, Apple's board?

Guts vs. Gore -- understandably, this girl's on the side of guts.

[And don't be shy, you, too, can join in on the discussion, here.]

Returning to the good read from Roger Kimball in Imprimis, he says, "the more expensive education becomes the more it seems to lead, not to broader understanding, but to narrower horizons."

And isn't that the truth?   

[And on a side-note, 

this is shocking; 

granted, we have only seen 

the tip of the iceberg 

as far as the ramifications 

are concerned on this fraud. 

It's gonna get ugly,  

just sayin']

We are being so politically correct these days, that in an arena once all about questioning bloody everything, partaking in fierce debate,  and open, mindful, critical study, has grown to be nothing more than liberal petri dishes, producing droves of rather hostile, ignorant, political activists hellbent on destroying any and all opposition, like a bad plague.  Shameful.  And pretty sure this nonsense is the cause of a whole lot of global warming. tee hee

but seriously, since when did censorship become cool?

“How do you tell a Communist? 

Well, it’s someone who reads Marx and Lenin. 

And how do you tell an anti-Communist? 

It’s someone who understands

 Marx and Lenin.”  

Ronald Reagan

As Kimball says, "welcome to the new Orwellian world where censorship is free speech and we respect the past by attempting to elide it."

exactly.

The thing is, we should all know by now, that as controls creep in, as opposing opinion is vilified and even restricted, as government expands,  -- liberty contracts; eventually, liberty ceases to exist and the lights never come on again.  (See Venezuela) 

It's just more evidence of how the Law of Cause and Effect, in governance, works (or doesn't work); it happens whether or not you agree with it or not.  It's kinda, like, totally natural, if you think about it, similar to climate change.

Even some on the left can grasp the gravity of our decisions --

from The Washington Examiner: 

The "Green New Deal" is “not achievable or realistic," read a letter from AFL-CIO energy committee heads Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America, and Lonnie Stephenson, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. 

"We will not accept proposals that could cause immediate harm to millions of our members and their families," the union bosses wrote.

indeed; thank God someone on their side is keeping their wits about them.

Unlike these stupid girls.

Civilization ends due to global warming vs. civilization ends due to the extinction of procreation.

hilarious.  And if you read that post, linked to stupid, you will find findings from a study that says,

"even imposing one-child policies worldwide and 'catastrophic mortality events' would not significantly reduce the global population by 2100. It proposes instead that 'more immediate results for sustainability would emerge from policies and technologies that reverse rising consumption of natural resources'. 

'Even with drastic, draconian, eugenic policies of population reduction – which are completely immoral,' says Pepino, 'we wouldn’t save ourselves. We have to change the way we live'."

and we're baaaaack.

Cue Whitestone: 

—Inconvenient Fact No. 12: “Modern warming began long before SUVs or coal-fired plants.”

— Inconvenient Fact No. 21: “The current warming trend is neither unusual nor unprecedented.”

It's not about the facts.

It never is.

Just look at the Mueller investigation.

“Government does not solve problems. It subsidizes them.” 

― Ronald Reagan

There is a political agenda, with fresh rhetoric applied liberally, literally, day in and day out, and it spans decades.

Here's a clip of one more good read for today:  It comes from The Patriot Post, Jordan Candler:  Debunking Decades of Climate Alarmism:

In June 1989, the Associated Press stated, “A senior U.N. environmental official says entire nations could be wiped off the face of the Earth by rising sea levels if the global warming trend is not reversed by the year 2000. … He said governments have a 10-year window of opportunity to solve the greenhouse effect before it goes beyond human control.” Today, it’s Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s turn to wave the dozen-years-left-to-live placard.

In similar fashion, Al Gore in 2009 prophesied, “Some of the models suggest … that there is a 75% chance that the entire polar ice cap during some of summer months could be completely ice free within five to seven years.” As Stepman notes, “In 2014, the ice caps were still there. In fact, it’s 2019 and the ice caps are still there.”

Encore:  Gore vs Guts:

—Inconvenient Fact No. 53: “There are more polar bears now than we’ve had for 50 years.”

and moreover, ice caps are not static!  They move, grow, alter shape and size; it's almost like they evolve.  And that's not rocket science, it's just called common sense.  According to google and people who appreciate history, did you know that the earth was once covered in water!?  Say it isn't so.

We used to teach common sense; we used to teach history, science, literature,  from all points of view.

It's called discussion; nobody gets shushed and everybody gets a chance to speak.  What a concept.  More important, what is Apple so afraid of, for example, when shutting down a silly little app?

I am in favor of everyone having a voice and I will defend, to the death, your right to say it

These days, this great and wondrous liberty is becoming more and more a freedom and luxury of the select Left, while at the same time, imprisoning any, and all, opposition; and everybody should be raising an eyeball questioning the logic back behind the flawed, pseudo-intellectual, elitist, cultural scientific experiment afoot. 

onemorereaganquote!

“They tell us we must learn to live with less, and teach our children that their lives will be less full and prosperous than ours have been; that the America of the coming years will be a place where — because of our past excesses — it will be impossible to dream and make those dreams come true. I don't believe that. And, I don't believe you do either. That is why I am seeking the presidency. I cannot and will not stand by and see this great country destroy itself. Our leaders attempt to blame their failures on circumstances beyond their control, on false estimates by unknown, unidentifiable experts who rewrite modern history in an attempt to convince us our high standard of living, the result of thrift and hard work, is somehow selfish extravagance which we must renounce as we join in sharing scarcity. I don't agree that our nation must resign itself to inevitable decline, yielding its proud position to other hands. I am totally unwilling to see this country fail in its obligation to itself and to the other free peoples of the world.” 

― Ronald Reagan

amen to that, amen to that.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's Just a Girl Responding to a Past President Punk Thing

Dear America,

thank you, Daily Mail:

'So much of what is trotted out as leadership 

is old-style beating your chest, 

being louder, being noisier, 

being more self-centered, 

being greedier and being more aggressive,' 

he said. 

'That can work for a short period of time, 

but it tends not to get the job done – 

not the complex modern society problems seen today.

'John McCain's decision 

to nominate Sarah Palin as his running mate 

will be seen as an important point 

in American politics,' 

he said.

That, he said, was the moment 

'mainstream Republicans lost control 

of their party... Sarah Palin's 

nomination suddenly brought

 that populist energy to the fore 

in the Republican Party

 and helped pave the way 

for President Trump's presidency.'

obama also said something like, he was proud he left office without a scandal.

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

that is the funniest thing I have heard all day, and the day is just getting started.  yay me.

The only reason Obama escaped his eight years, apparently, according to his own great mind, without a trace of scandal was because the media protected him; acting more like Obama's drooling media entourage, the left-leaning, kool-aid sippin', partisan hacks, ignored the scandals! 

My gosh, he must have a huge pair. 

I mean, like, where do we begin? 

Moving On dot Org, just know that these are neither in chronological order, or in order of importance...it's just my own beautiful mind trippin' down memory lane:

1.  Fast and Furious gun running across southern border...thank you Eric Holder
2.  IRS discrimination against conservative groups....Lois Lerner et al
3.  BENGHAZI....right, like it was because of a video.  OH okay.   And what were you doing the night of the attack?  um, let me remind you...you were sleeping...getting your beauty rest before a big campaign stump in LA the next day.
4.  the passing of OBAMACARE -- a mandate, a tax, upending one-sixth of our economy and destroying the health care industry as we know it (used to know it) under the cover of darkness, without a single republican vote...."if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. period" 
5.  HILLARY's  illegal server ...and the transference of confidential information via email...
6.  Shovel ready jobs.........not, you just paid off your liberal friends/associates
7.  DOJ Spying on journalists...can you say James Rosen?
8. Solyndra
9. PRISM.   And NSA surveillance programs
10. The treasonous nuclear deal made with IRAN; Iran cash payments and the well timed release of political prisoners...
11.  VA Hospital Administration, long list of crimes and misdemeanors and veterans dying.
12.  Clinton Foundation, not to mention the Clinton connection with Uranium sales, Russian collusion, dossiers, etc.
13.  Voter intimidation by New Black Panther Party
14.  General Services Administration fraud.... going to Vegas, baby
15.  Pontificating about how UNPATRIOTIC it is to run a deficit, and be in debt to the tune of trillions, while campaigning circa 2008 -- and then, get in office, and double our national debt over eight years!  DOUBLED it!  It was nearly at ten trillion when you took over, and nearly at twenty when you finally left. HOW UNPATRIOTIC, you arrogant son of a bullshitter.

oh my, I gotta stop.   my heart is starting to race a wee bit.

and can you believe this --  the Daily Mail post also noted, "in contrast to showboating and hostility, Obama said listening to the advice of others and surrounding himself with people of integrity were the foundation of his leadership style." 

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

a little throw up in the mouth here is totally acceptable, and understandable, having witnessed the eight years of "I, I, I, I, and me, and my, and I, I, I, I".  What a punk he is.  I just wanna slap him and wake him up to the whole world, not just the one he finds himself center of the entire universe.

And if bringing up hostility, Barack, can we have an honest conversation of your hostility towards America, in general, and start with the great apology tour in the Middle East during the first year of office?  And from there, maybe, go to the return of the Winston Churchill bust?   And from there, discuss  your leadership style by way of divide and conquer --  creating cultural factions, manufacturing identity politics, and forming political alliances that undermine America's foundation and overall unity?

gosh I have missed talking about the things you say.

Guess what, Barack -- your pompous post-president ass was also created by way of John McCain nominating the honorable Sarah Palin as Vice President on the republican ticket, the one that would also set the stage for  new leadership under President Trump, enter stage right.

Wait.
Wait a minute.
Like what happened between Palin and during the eight years before Trump? 
hmmmmm, what was it?

Oh right, It was YOU! 
You happened! 

And you expect us to accept your latest hypothesis that Sarah did this, and that you had nothing to do with it?   Are you for real? 

America suffered through EIGHT years under your leadership; everything got worse....unemployment, people on food stamps, race relations, military preparedness, cost of living, loss of wages, cost of college, national debt, budget deficits, growth of bureaucracy and regulations....I mean, we the people got pretty depressed, like, we were in a recession.  A big one.  A vewy vewy big one.  You know what I mean?

But who knew; with the way you're carrying on, Barack   -- might I be so bold to point out that perhaps Palin deserves to be QUEEN for the day, given it's International Women's Day, and all!  I mean, c'mon, it's mind boggling, this power to effect change, such as she has....I mean, if it weren't for Sarah Palin...yeah, yeah.   She opened the door for this rash and raw run of populism, making way for this president. 

Are you serious?  Pick a side.

Forgive me, but this notion of Palin's so-called proprietary privilege of origin of this populist rise doesn't even make any sense --  you know, given how you, and every other leftists, along with the left-leaning media, incessantly poked fun at her.  How in the world could she be so influential, and pull off something so earth shattering as changing the course of politics in America, of all things, especially considering she is so intellectually lacking, uneducated, all talkin' in that certain way, doncha know?  If you recall, she didn't even read, like anything,  according to the press way back when.

Oh this is rich, this Barack commentary.

Now HE is still so relevant, isn't he?  Sitting there so smug.

He knows so much; he's so smart; he's so articulate, and bright, and nice looking  -- and clean, right Joe?

gosh it must be good to be Barack.  Oh, and dare I also observe that somebody -- somebody with the initials BHO -- continues to beat his own chest, right on cue; he just does it like the smarmy, intellectual, global -elitist that he is, that's all.  And he gets away with it, because he is just so loved by all the world, especially that press of ours.    Nothing's changed -- everyone just sits back and fawns. 

[yawn]

well, not exactly everyone....what ever.

It's crazy really; even after all the scandals nobody in the media seemed to care about....

Earth to Barack -- you may be under the influence of your own greatness and majesty, leaving the office of the president without so much as a trace of scandal, but that would also make you wholly delusional (which just so happens to be an attribute fully supported by the sycophants who adore you in every way).  Sorry to break it to you, Barack, but just being ignorant to the facts doesn't make them any less true, k?  Are we clear? are we clear?  But just to be clear -- one of your favorite phrases -- me thinks you are not thinking clearly...suggest you get that head checked.


Making a sharp turn in my own mind, and returning to an idea for a book:  The Audacity of Dope. It is gonna be the greatest book ever.   It's about a guy, with narcissistic tendencies, raised by a sea of Marxist mentors, family, confidantes, and community activists.... being representative of a life ripe with contradictions and fluctuating realities, depending upon the audience, and surely justifying how the end justifies the means, yadi yadi yada.  The guy somehow or other makes it to the highest office in all the land and just when we think he has gone away --  golfing and body surfing in Hawaii for the rest of his life -- he comes back.  Like a bad dream.  It's gonna be a page turner, mark my highfalutin' words as I beat my chest. teehee... I am woman, hear me roar....

yup on this International Women's Day, I revel in me! G!  just a girl and this blog....#986...and Barack; it's just like the olden days.

and here's to hope... and more change...for ALL women, by the way...not just the ones who gravitate to the left.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a First Fruits Phenomenon Thing

Dear America,

"Few people understand 

that abundance 

is a far tougher test 

of character 

than poverty,"

Pastor Robert Morris, from his book, 

Beyond Blessed

and it explains America today, in a nutshell; more like a nut safely stored away for future generations to enjoy and reap its benefits, as this new generation -- of the AOC -- are coming up totally oblivious of the efforts and prudence and suffering of all mankind to this point.

For further context, just before the good pastor says this, he notes, that there are "believers that God simply cannot bless with great wealth because he knows it would destroy them."   And basically giving us a wee bit of tough love, that if we are not good stewards with a little, there is not a chance in hell we would be good stewards with a lot.  And vice versa, if we start abusing the privileges of having a lot, it can be taken away, in an instant.

As a whole -- America has grown too big for her britches.  [that link there tells a good tale of this phrase and it's possible origins...And given my book club just finished Kilmeade's, Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans, I must say, I sorta take offense to Davy Crockett's jaded impression of the guy; me thinks he may have been a tad jealous?  who knows....right...but it sure makes for a good scenery turn of a phrase; plus, it's from a blog@ It's a Southern Thing!  Which kinda makes me kin.   teehee]. 

Anywho, back to reality, 

this courtship with socialism going on around here is enough to make this girl's head spin.

And besides all that, 

this thing...this great and magnificent thing that started here in America so long ago -- with Divine Providence guiding our every thought, word and deed, from one to another, in the macro and micro, from shining sea to shining sea and over the purple mountains majesty,  is somehow or other getting lost in the proverbial woods.  As a people, we are no longer being led in the direction and good council of recognizing one very essential doctrine: being of divine stewardship. 

Morris talks about this thing called stewardship right from the start, and boldly points out this ah-hum-ah-dinger:  "Stewardship is living with a heart recognition that your money, your possessions -- even your body -- do not belong to you."

He says this because, "Of course, God owns it all."

The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it. 

The world and all its people belong to him.  

(Psalm 24:1 NLT)

so there.

So the thing is, are we being good stewards of everything that belongs to God?   Are we being good stewards of the foundation laid by our founders?  Are we being such good stewards, we deserve even more?

No

No

and that would be another, big fat no.

every good course direction begins with a sound foundation...and then you must work at it, sticking to the principles that made it a sound foundation in the first place.

perhaps it's a pair of misguided loyalties that jeopardizes our being beyond blessed as a nation --  

1. idolizing things other than God

2. replacing God with government

As Morris says, "Materialism takes a good thing that God gives us and makes it the ultimate thing...[and a few pages later, adding] God's love, for example, doesn't feel valuable in a world that only measures what we can see and visibly measure."

wow.  mind.  blown.

And with the direction we are going with all this new found love for what is surely the mass corruption of American society under socialism, it's no wonder God is growing more and more irrelevant in the making of this brand new world.   

It isn't a great secret that both communism and socialism despise religion -- and especially the Judeo-Christian foundation laid down from America's beginning. As The Naked Communist explains, "the Communist intellectual believes that everything in existence came about as a result of ceaseless motion among the forces of nature.  Everything is a product of accumulated accident.  There is no design.  There is no law.  There is no God.  There is only matter and force in nature."  And in a paragraph later, quotes Ludwig Feuerbach: "The turning point of history will be the moment man becomes aware that the only God of man is man himself."

oh boy.

really, everything about socialism is ungodly:  it takes away the joy of good stewardship...the owning of property and the spending of our earnings wisely, the sharing of one's blessings with others by giving generously, the discipline of saving money and living within our means...all by virtue of everything being reduced and redistributed in order to create this uber-utopian even-steven playing field through the policies of an oppressive government which only aims to control every aspect of our lives.

Nothing is owned individually, nothing is owned by God, and everything is owned under the not-so-divine government... because anything other than that would just be unfair.   waaaaahhhh

um.  no, thank you.

you know, having read the entire book of Beyond Blessed just this past Sunday afternoon, fresh in my mind is perhaps a bold answer to where we go from here:  we all start tithing, like, yesterday, and see what happens.

And then there's this news, coming from the highest court in all the land; seems proper stewardship meeting up with historic preservation is crumbling our foundation on a couple of cornerstones.  

Beginning of the end anyone?

Back to how this day all began, being a wee bit too big for our britches, it would behoove us to pay attention to what we idolize and how we got here.  It wasn't just a flip of a switch, mind you; it was the slow plow through the field once covered with the Tree of Life, with roots that grew wide and long and strong and deep, in the company of productive, blossoming, seedlings, born in It's image,  and fully recognizing the glory of everlasting truth and the bounty of unwavering faith.

First fruits, people, first fruits.

I hope it's not too late.   

The tithing of first fruits will not only solve all our troubles individually, we will collectively grow to be the best and the brightest good stewards on God's Great Earth; because, in our heart of hearts, we all know, IT IS ALL GOD'S ANYWAY.  Let's get this first fruits phenomenon off the ground, shall we?

There is an absolute connection we make, or break, with God in our every day, from one moment to the next; how we choose to relate with God not only matters, it's the ONLY THING that matters.  The sooner we get that, the sooner we will live beyond blessed, once again, as a whole, as a nation, as a people who truly believe, In God We Trust.

blog #985, sealed and delivered with gratitude for one amazing gift of Spirit, Pastor Robert Morris.  

Make it a Good Day, G