Censored

I am a little embarrassed to admit that I did not think through the potentially unfortunate descriptive manner of my last blog entry, so I have deleted it entirely. I really did not want my blog to show up as a result of a Google search for "woman in hot shower." So now that search will bring them to THIS post. (Serves you right! Now, go take a cold one and call your mother!)

Let us simply state that a warm shower is much better enjoyed if one remembers to bring her towel into the warm bathroom ahead of time.

That being said, the other night my mother brought me Godiva chocolates as a special treat after a hard day. She said that there is nothing like good chocolate while soaking in a bath to cheer someone up. I had just finished brushing my teeth. Why do these shining examples of the worst timing always happen to me? (I ate the chocolate anyways - I'm not stupid.)

In other news, I have lost my camera again. I am having a great week, can't you tell? No, it is not under the couch cushions like last time; I already checked. I even resorted to asking Bella to help me look, knowing full well the risk I was taking. Still didn't help.

How is everyone else enjoying their week?

Inauguration

Last Tuesday our country witnessed yet another historical moment for our Nation. If I take a moment to cut through my own cynicism I am happy to say that once more I am proud of our country's democracy.

We saw once again a peaceful transfer of power. How many countries of the world can only dream of a government in which there is such respect for the outgoing administration? I was proud to see 4 former Presidents present at the ceremony to swear-in the people's choice for Commander in Chief. This is the beauty of democracy - no bloodshed, no disgrace, no use of force. Regardless of personal feelings, they shake hands as former President Bush leaves for home, and President Obama stays.

As I watched the excitement enveloping the crowd, I thought about how far our country has come and how quickly - it was a great triumph over injustice, a great testament to the triumph of human dignity. I thought about the hope that comes with each change of administration, for both those that support the incoming administration, as well as the hope of those who face a great challenge with the change of ideals.

I did not support Barack Obama in the election. I certainly do NOT agree with his policies, priorities, or moral programs. I have my concerns about the direction our Nation is heading, especially with him at the helm. Nevertheless, when I watched him emerge from the building I saw... a man. Not a savior, not even a powerful leader. He will never be the former and he will have to prove himself the latter. But what I did see was a man who believes that he is doing what is right; he believes he is fulfilling a need for the American people. And I respect him as President of the United States.

More than anything we must pray for him. President Obama faces great challenges, as do his wife and daughters. One look at any former President after their term will tell you that this is a draining, difficult job, and that they need our prayers. Our Country faces a great deal of "change" - let us all pray that it is for the advancement of the dignity of each and every human being, and that our new President leads our country with wisdom, fortitude, and respect.

No One is Immune to...

A Bad Hair Day

Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland

It snowed! After several days of complaining about the bitter weather (single digit temperatures!) with nothing to show for it, God took pity on my grumbling self and it was beautiful! (or, "boOOful", as Bella says.)

When I told Patrick how she was standing at the window watching it, he says "you should take her out! She won't need the [warmer] hat [we can't find], she'll only want to be out a minute and she'll love it." So I donned some slip-on shoes and armed myself with a camera for this fun, brief outing.

Thank you Patrick. He was right on one point... she loved it! The pictures belie her excitement, as she had just stepped out and was more in awe than anything else. When we started walking she was in heaven, listening to the crunch of the snow, watching it fall all around her, making footprints. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her reflection - all bundled up in "jacket! hat! puppets!" (That's what she calls her gloves.)

Patrick was wrong on one point, though... I had to drag her back inside when my feet were going numb.

To LIFE

"We ourselves feel what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. "
-Mother Teresa

""Each time someone stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope."
-Robert Kennedy

"This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in."
-Theodore Roosevelt

"The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion because if a mother can kill her own child, what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between."
-Mother Teresa

The annual March for Life reminds us to pray. Thousands of people gathered in D.C. today to stand up for the souls who cannot speak, and yet because of the society in which we live their voices will go unheard. Thousands of men and women, children and elderly marched in a peaceful, prayerful demonstration protesting the greatest injustice of all time, fighting a monumental uphill battle against hope. With the change of Administration we witnessed just 2 days ago in Washington, it may seem like a losing battle, and yet there they were.

Mother Teresa's words echo in my mind today, behind the sound of my own voice as I joined my prayers with those walking warriors. Warriors of justice and love, warriors against deception and lies. "We can do no great things, only small things with great love."

We continue to hope, and mostly to PRAY. What else can we do? Each year we stand up for LIFE, and we will continue to do so. I prayed specifically for the conversion of the politicians who do have the power to save lives; healing for the women who have been wounded and suffered the loss of their child; for the doctors and nurses who participate in this violent act; for those who stand up for life in whatever capacity they can; that science further the fight for life rather than destroy. Mostly I prayed for the truth to shine; there is a great deception in the world about abortion. People have been led to believe that this cannot be murder, since the fetus is not a person. You could liken it to the way Jews were perceived in Germany; if you can convince enough people that others are not really people, not really equal then there is no evil in killing them. I pray that the truth be revealed, and that "The Truth will set them free" (John 8:32).

Our country has a history of fighting against injustice, fighting for equal rights and fair treatment. We have fought against prejudice before, and have seen the triumph of those efforts. Those battles, too, began with the small voices of those who believed strong enough to stand up for those discriminated against. Let's hope that this is the same battle.

For a triumph of the Culture of Life over the culture of death...