Birthdays

Yesterday was my birthday - my second favorite day of the year.  (Thanksgiving is my first, but then you know that if you've read my earlier blogs.) You know how greeting cards are written wishing you every good thing for your birthday and the coming year? And sometimes your dear friends or family will add a note further clarifying how much you deserve the very best day ever?  Well, I don't know if I did anything to deserve it or not, but absolutely every single birthday wish I received yesterday, through snail mail, email and Facebook, TOTALLY hit the mark! (OK - so Maxine's "slap-you-silly" reminder that I'm old might have been a little TOO on the mark, but my friend Maureen's quirky sense of humor is something I've come to expect and delight in!) And if yesterday's outcome was an indicator of the year, this is going to be one for the record books!

I was amazed at the response on Facebook. For a social medium that was basically set up to be "me, me, me, me", birthdays are definitely the exception. Everyone who's friended me gets to click a button and say...."today is all about you, you, you"! That's pretty cool! And very appreciated.  My wish for the coming year is that I can make those I've friended feel as special as they have made me.  And just so you don't have to wait until your birthday...

Happy All About YOU Day!



Term Limits for Congress!

How can I state what I feel is the obvious problem with our government structure without making it a political debate? Please humor me while I try.


The Legislative Branch has become totally ineffective, riddled with self-serving policy and law stalemates, as well as money-grubbing lobbyist strongholds.  it makes no difference what the policy is to be passed - if drafted by Republicans, Democrats won't vote it in, and if drafted by Dems, the Reps pass it by.  No way either will endorse something that might give the other kudos! Not to mention that if there is an important policy that all agree on, other pork or hidden agenda items are tacked to it so they are pushed through as well.


These long-term fat cat (mostly) lawyers and their lobbyist sidekicks need OUT of public office.  Off the government dole and away from what they say is in our best interest.  The only way to effectively change that is to impose term limits on the Senate and House, just like for the President.


There have been campaigns waged by voters to oust an incumbent.  But two years later the  tides have changed and impressionable voters go with whatever party hasn't made them angry lately.  Congress itself will never vote in term limits. They're not about to pull the plug on the gravy train they are riding. We must work to get term limits written on every ballot for every elected office in the country. Four 2-yr terms! No more! No palm-greasing.  No more using America as a platform for personal agendas. With few exceptions, these public servants should be ashamed of themselves! No more campaigning (politicking) (lying) that they will make things better!


Term limits will put the legislative job back in control of America - back where a broader spectrum of Americans can work to make a difference in public service.  Which brings me to the next area that must be reformed... campaign spending.  Most normal Americans wouldn't have a chance of being elected without huge special interest dollars (PAC money) endorsing them. The step from city council to senate is paved with campaign dollars. How ludicrous that $millions are spent on ads, flyers, signs and other promos to convince someone to vote for the perfect candidate. John Mayer said "Is there anyone who ever remembers changing their mind from the paint on a sign?" (Belief). The money spent on junk mail, TV slash ads, signs stuck in vacant lots and more could have gone so far at shelters, to aid those with no money for health care, to pay off the National debt! What a waste. I like to say I won't vote for anyone who litters the sides of the road with those "vote for me" signs.  But in reality, I'd not be able to vote at all!


Wouldn't it be great if the measure of a candidate was based on his track record in service to the public - funding a park or a library or a school activity? A demonstration of the commitment to the American people? Maybe the media, in its amazing ability to spin a story, could take up reporting the amounts spent on campaigning as a bad thing rather than boasting the opulence. We - the people - should place our donations into more responsible hands. The fact of the matter is, however, that public donations are but a drop in the bucket of the overall campaign budget. Corporations and lobbyists find ways to pay off politicians to sway votes in their favor. That shouldn't surprise you. It's been going on for a long time...and if we do nothing to stop it, nothing will change.

Pondering Peace

Carole with her many Santas, Sinatra Moose & Charlie

My friend Carole spends the holiday season visiting with her Christmas tree whom she lovingly calls "Charlie". In the wee hours of the morning, she can be found with her coffee and devotional, letting the glow of Christmas lights lull her into a peaceful mood while she ponders the many mysteries of the mind.  That morning time is something she carries with her throughout her busy days. I call this her time of Pondering Peace.  No matter what transpires during the day, she is grounded by those early morning musings near the branches of her Christmas tree. When Charlie has to leave, she longs for that time "together" and looks forward to next year when he will once again come to visit.


What do we use to bring us those peaceful moments? For me, a cup of Earl Grey and my basset buddies on the couch does much to see me through a hectic day. When I used to be in traffic, or waited at an airport, or stared bleary-eyed into pre-dawn reports, I'd pop onto a virtual couch trip and feel instantly at peace.


How incredible that the Lord gave us memories - playbacks of any moment in our lives we want to relive. Awesome!  And just as we can choose to watch a romantic comedy or a thriller/chiller, so too we have control over whether we want to remember our good times or bad. It's wonderful that we can ponder peaceful moments anytime we choose.

Here's to the peaceful moments of your life!

Radiating...

There's an office I visit in Brighton, CO that has radiator heat. The building is the old City Hall and still houses a few businesses. When you walk in the building, it has that old, musty oak smell. The boards creak a bit and it reminds me of my elementary school. Such a grand old building with so much to say. Coming in close contact with the radiators brought back such vivid memories of the radiators we had in some of our homes when I was a child. The only way you could describe it is really by its name... RADIATOR...


In our home, there was a big coal furnace in the depths of the basement. Something (maybe my Daddy) caused the coal to continually feed in so the fire never went out in the winter. The fire heated the water that bubbled into the pipes leading to a radiator in every room.  There was a knob on the radiator regulating how much steam was to course through the unit. Sometimes air collected in the radiators and needed "bled" off to release the pressure, a pssshhh sound. There was no fan distributing the heat throughout the room/house. The radiator "radiated" heat into the room, much as you might see little ripples in the sun/air on a very warm day.


Today everyone knows forced air heat. A thermostat clicks, a furnace turns on, and a fan blows the heat through air ducts into rooms of your home. Radiators weren't so "in your face"! There are electric baseboard heaters that have a similar concept to the radiator, in that they produce a heat source without air to blow it into the room. If compared, though, you'd find it a harsh, dry heat that tentatively fills the room rather than the radiating warmth in rooms with radiators.


In this building in Brighton, there is a radiator in the very small bathroom. When you walk in, you can feel the heat radiating across the room. It migrates and permeates down into your core.  It could be considered overly warm by some, but to me it is more like a huge bear hug surrounding me and cloaking my soul in warmth and love.

Much as God's Sun permeates our bodies and His Son permeates our souls.

Warm, rippling, comforting. I long for this radiating warmth each time our thermostat kicks on and we're blasted with forced air heat.