A Nation of Hope, Part 3

Well, I have to admit, I am disappointed in the outcome of the Presidential elections.  I was at mutual on Tuesday night when it became pretty apparent that Obama had won, and I was kind of surprised at the emotions the youth had--there were quite a few teary eyed, kids who expressed fear for the future of our country, and many of them were ready to move to Canada right then and there!

While I will certainly have hope for our country, and will be praying for our elected President, I, too, am fearful in part for this reason:



(~Ezra Taft Benson, President and Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1985-1994)

Here is why I have hope, though, in the eventual outcome of our country's future:



The part that makes me nervous, though, is what comes between here and there.  As President Benson said in the above clip--"it may yet cost us blood."

However, as John Quincy Adams said, "Duty is ours, result's are God's."  As stated in a previous post, it is my firm belief that God does indeed, have his hand over our nation to the extent that our people honor and believe in Him.  Perhaps whatever happens during the next four years with this presidency will serve to bring people closer to Christ.  And isn't that His ultimate purpose?  To bring people to Him?  In the meantime, I will do my best to do whatever my patriotic duty may be, and teach my children to do the same.

Time will tell...

A Nation of Hope, Pt. 2

...America's greatness has been tied to its citizens' hard work and industry, acceptance of personal responsibility, a sense of community, its free markets and the entrepreneurial spirit of its people, and its generosity to those in need both at home and abroad. ~from Seven Miracles that Saved America

Earlier in the evening, before I sat down to finish the book that I drew the above quote from, I thought I would get caught up a little with the news, especially considering there are some pretty significant weather challenges going on on the East Coast, not to mention the upcoming elections. I happened across a posting, I think from MSNBC (sorry, I would post it but I can't find it again!). It basically showed the President over on the East Coast, going around shaking the hands of Red Cross workers, and assuring the American people that FEMA and the Red Cross had everything under control, and all that was really needed was money and blood donations.

 Then the camera switched to the presidential contender, Mitt Romney. There he was in Ohio, where he was scheduled to do a debate or a rally or something, out in his shirt sleeves, working along with the community, and rallying the people for donations of supplies to truck into the areas in need on the East Coast. Building a sense of community...encouraging the generosity of the people, not relying on FEMA or government to do everything, but taking personal responsibility for doing what needs to be done. Because that is what we do as Americans.

 The contrast between the men was so great, I would have decided based on that clip alone, who I wanted to be the next president of the United States.  I almost choked when MSNBC suggested that Mitt Romney was was only doing this for publicity and "going directly against what the Red Cross had said." There's liberal media for you.  Trying to turn a good deed into a political maneuver.

  For one thing, I've read enough about Romney to know that that is just who he is. So many people have come out of the woodwork and shared stories of how he touched their lives in some way, but he is not one to flaunt his own goodness. For another thing, there are so many intangibles to pulling together as a community, and I think Romney understands that. We need to get back to the virtues and values that make us a nation that can be a beacon of hope, love, and peace to other nations around the world.  I have learned that it truly is in service to others that we come to love them.  We need that right now. The more we help, serve, and reach out to each other, the more we will love each other.

Rock on, Romney. You've got my vote.

A Nation of Hope, Pt.1

For some time, I have felt a despondency when I think about the state our country is in. Things just seem to be getting worse; Moral decay rampant all over the place, hidden agendas in the upper reaches of government, blatant lies from those in high office, economic woes, the highest unemployment rates in years, gas prices nearing five dollars a gallon (at least here in California!)...the list goes on. What a legacy to leave to our children. It can be depressing, and it is hard to see a way out of it. Because of these things, when I happened upon this book on Amazon, I was immediately intrigued by the title, and decided to purchase it, in hopes that, well, there really is hope for my beloved United States of America! "

I was not disappointed. There are very few books that move me to tears, because I generally avoid such books, but this was one of them. They were happy tears, tears of gratitude for our country, and for a loving God who cares about America. The book went through seven miracles, indicating that God's hand has, indeed been manifest in the creation and preservation of our country. The stories portrayed were truly...amazing. That's all I can say about them. My favorite part, though, was the conclusion; why we really can have hope. I don't really want to give too much of a spoiler, but this is one of my favorite parts of the conclusion.

A person might ask, by what right do any people claim that God would select a particular people or country for special blessing? It is important to understand that He accomplishes this not my diminishing other nations, but by lifting a nation up. And if He raises up a nation, it is with the expectation that that nation will then lift up others.

In other words, we have a duty and responsibility to be a light to the world, and bring help and hope to those in need. I have many pages turned down at the corners, indicating places of quotes I liked, but one other emphasis I appreciated in the concluding chapter was that on virtue. The authors had quotes from James Madison, John Adams, Ben Franklin, and George Washington, among others, that basically all said the same thing;

Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other...to suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people is a chimerical idea.

A nation can not live in freedom and liberty unless it is populated by a moral and virtuous people.

I guess to tie this all together, we can have hope, because most of our neighbors, coworkers, and friends, are good, decent, God-fearing people, who are trying to do the right thing.  We can have hope because God still needs our country to be a blessing to other countries throughout the world, and as such, we can pray for and expect his hand to still be in our affairs.  From a gospel perspective, we can have hope because God has promised that his gospel will go throughout all the world, and America still provides the majority of missionaries to do that task.

God bless America!

Of One Good Mother

After yesterday's rant, I wanted to change gears a little and share a story I found to be deeply inspiring about the influence of a woman.

One of the most remarkable examples of the sphere and influence a mother has is the life of Sarah Edwards, the wife of Jonathan Edwards, a minister and early colonist. Sarah raised eleven children while her husband busied himself with writing and ecclesiastical duties, becoming the famous one of the family. She stayed in the background as a homemaker--valuing each child's individuality and intelligence, educating both sons and daughters, but also teaching them to work responsibly. A genealogical study later tracked down 1400 of the descendants and compared them to another family who were notorious for criminality and welfare dependency. The Jukes family cost the State of New York a total of $1,250,000 in welfare and custodial charges, while the Edwards descendants boasted the following: 13 college presidents, 65 professors, 100 lawyers and a dean of an outstanding law school, 80 holders of public office, 3 U.S. Senators, mayors of three large cities, governors of three states, a Vice President of the U.S. and a controller of the U.S. Treasury, not to mention the countless numbers who were successful in business and the arts. Only two of these 1,400 were 'black sheep,' which eloquently testifies to the power of one great women." (Elisabeth D. Dodds, Marriage to a Difficult Man: The "Uncommon Union" of Sarah and Jonathan Edwards)

Talk about validation of a mother! Here's my hats off to all good women out there, who are somehow able to see beyond the endless piles of laundry, who clean mess after mess, cook, manage finances, change diapers, read to and love their children, teach them, and are able to find deep meaning and joy in their role as a mother, despite motherhood often being looked down upon in society. Your contribution is immense, more then you may ever realize in your lifetime. Make no mistake, you good mothers change the world, one poopy diaper at a time. (-; Yeah, I know, way to end on an eloquent note--I just couldn't resist!

Grrrrr.....

Why do I feel like I am about to cry? I'll tell you why. Because I am tired of living in an apartment with (a) stupid nosy neighbor who writes us and all the other neighbors up for any infraction of the HOA rules, our most recent letter in this case being the storing of something other then our car in the garage. (Hello, where, exactly are we supposed to store bikes and strollers if not in our garage?) I am tired of being sent letters from the HOA about how I am not allowed to have my beautiful hanging planters up outside on my deck. I am tired of this same stupid neighbor writing us up for leaving our hose screwed in, especially considering we have no immediate next door neighbor, so NO ONE CARES! Except for said neighbor. I keep trying to talk myself into feeling sorry for her, since she obviously must have a miserable life, and all the rest of the neighbors share my feelings for her, but it is getting REALLY hard. I feel like crying because it just makes no economic sense for us to even move to a different rental. I feel like crying because I really want a house--I want someplace to call my own, and to paint, and plant a garden, and put in the kind of flooring I want...but again, with the outrageous price of housing here, and considering we will likely be here for less then three more years, that doesn't make sense, either. I am getting so tired of trying to be patient for everything. I feel guilty for writing this post, because there are so many in the world that have next to nothing, and here I am complaining. Which makes me feel even worse. I should go to bed.

Of Cheese Graters and Choices

"While we are free to use our agency to make our own choices, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions."

Of Sunday Snack Bags

I am constantly trying to come up with fun ideas to make our family just a little better, have a little more fun, and be a little more effective. My latest attempt at family betterment has been to make Sundays just a bit more spiritual and special for the kids.

I bought a bunch of fun little snacks that we don't normally have, and bagged them in "snack kits." We get home from church around noon, so everyone gets a snack kit and heads to their room for an hour, where they are supposed to quietly eat their snacks and read their scriptures. I am not sure how much scripture reading goes on, because I hear a lot of giggling and talking coming from their room, but at least they are contained long enough for the adults to catch a quick snooze. After the hour is up, everyone is allowed out of their rooms, and I have various stations set up around the living room; a Sunday book/magazine reading station, a letter writing station, a journaling station, etc. Eventually I will add a goal setting station, but baby steps, baby steps.

We are still refining this system, but it has great potential, and I like it! One thing we added today, was that Curtis and Arden cooked dinner. While I do love to cook, it was nice to have a little break from it! I spent the time helping the girls paint their nails. It was fun to just chill with them. (-:

Here's to fabulous Sundays, that start the week off right, and are spiritually uplifting for kids and adults alike!