Month: March 2016

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Keep Lookin’ Up

Easter was the first time ever, that I had all of my children on a holiday, it was nice, the only one missing in the family was Tessa. It was her mom’s turn for Easter.

I would like to make it clear I don’t consider myself Stacy’s mom, she is my daughter, but I am not her mother. She has a mother, she has a father, and they have and continue to be good parents to her.

I haven’t written in a while because my thoughts are scrambled, there is too much going on in the world, in the United States, in Texas and in McKinney. It’s insanity I tell ya, the world is totally going to hell in a hand basket faster than we can imagine.

So, the Irishman has decided we are married, he told me that we were, I scoffed, he said look it up. Sure enough, in Texas, we meet the requirements of common law marriage. AS a matter of fact, if we broke up, we would have to divorce.

Now he has it in his head that we need wedding rings and has changed his status on Facebook to married.

I really don’t know how I feel about this, in his mind I think he sees it as a renewed commitment to me. To our relationship, to let others know he will not entertain interference from outside forces. Maybe this is more of a reminder for him, than I, that he is in a relationship, that we do live together and have since 2010. I don’t know, it’s just kind of unsettling to come home to ring size papers everywhere.

The days are getting longer, there is no chance of me getting snow this year, I am sad, I didn’t get it once this year. Not one single time, it is disheartening, when there is no snow I believe God is angry with me, that there is something I was supposed to do for him and didn’t.

I’ll have to figure it out before next year, as I want snow, desperately want snow, it is the great equalizer of the world. The way it blankets the earth in pure, sparkly whiteness, making even the ugliest of landscapes beautiful. There is something magical, pure, a giant blanket giving the earth warmth. I miss it, I crave it, I need it and it renews my soul, my soul is hurting this year from the lack of snow.

Yes, I now it sounds crazy and no, I do not care, you have your thing, I have mine.

I do look forward to summer, to being able to have Tess more, to take her to the pool, skating, bowling and maybe a trip to the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum. That would be incredible.

That is a trip my mother always wanted to take, so me taking Tessa would be honoring her memory. Then maybe a side trip to Silver Dollar City, how fun would that be! I’ll have to map it out and see how far it is and see if there are hotels near these places.

I know there is around Silver Dollar City, the other is in question.

TTFN, see ya soon, and remember keep lookin’ up, cause that’s where it all is! (Yes a Kidd Kraddick quote to end this)

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United We Stand

So much horror in the world, brutal, horrible, terrible things happening and yet people still find time to be petty, small minded and mean-spirited. It’s horrifying really, the small things that I witness, women who can’t seem to understand that they should find a man that is free and clear instead of choosing ones that are taken.

Backbiting, backstabbing, being just ugly towards one another, it is rampant, only we can turn the tide. Politicians can’t do it, world leaders can’t do it, even church leaders can’t do it, only the people can.

Us, we are the people, we are the ones that can change this world, we don’t have to wait for an election, we don’t have to wait for Jesus to come back. Do we, as Christians, seriously want him to come back and find us like this?

I, myself, have been judged (by me) and the jury has come back and I have been found guilty of doing some of these things. Not the man thing, that is just not coded into my DNA, but the pettiness, the judging people on outward appearances. Judging people on speech patterns, no not speech patterns, that’s wrong, grammar, that one stays. We have all gone to school, we have all had the same elementary to high school opportunities in this country. I will especially judge if you are a college graduate and it will be brutal if you are a teacher and make these common mistakes.

I cannot seem to change that about myself, I believe that is coded into my DNA as well, my mom told me once that during the sermon she would take apart the preachers grammar. She said that she was shocked by the lack of grammatical skills he had. She said she happily did this every Sunday, until one-day God hit her on the head. She realized she was missing what he was saying, she was so busy being judgmental she missed the message.

Man this is a hard one, I so want to be a grammar policewoman, but on the other hand, my mothers lesson stays with me. Am I missing what people are trying to impart by being so judgmental?

Yes, yes I am, it will still bother me, a lot, but I am going to try and look past the grammatical errors and really see and hear what the other person is trying to impart to me. They might have real words of wisdom, God might even be trying to tell me something through someone else, I have been so busy being superior that I have missed it. Shame on me. I should have learned my mothers lesson long ago.

In this world of terror, we seem to live in, let us, the people, really listen to one another, not rhetoric, not double-speak, but each other. We have so much more in common than we do differences. Let’s not be divided as a people by rabble-rousers, let’s not judge on speech patterns, idiosyncrasies or by regional division. Divided we fall, United we stand. The UNITED States of America. That is what we are, as one, as a people, no matter our skin tone, no matter our way of speaking, no matter our accents, no matter our manner of dressing and no matter which part of the country we live in.

United we Stand. So, let’s stop the judging, start the healing and start some conversations about where we want to go as one.

 

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Discombobulated 

The world has collectively lost its mind. Everything is upside down, I feel discombobulated, disheartened and at times disgusted. So I decided I needed something simple, something true and earnest in its belief that America is the best country in the world. 

Yes, I am re-reading the Little House books, for the millionth time. At the same time I’m listening to the BeeGees. It just takes me back to a much simpler time. 

A time before cell phones, Internet, Facebook and insanity. There are times, while reading the series, I wish I had lived in that era. Then Laura talks about bathing once a week and I’m out. Hygiene is important. 

There is one thing that has me, very literally shaking my head. I have seen it several times and this is not the first election I have seen it. 

If you are voting for (fill in the blank) delete me from your friend list. More than once I have seen a person say ok. I admit, out of sheer curiosity I have gone to their friend list. Sure enough, the person that said ok is gone. 

Let me tell you something, if the way I am voting defines our friendship, please feel free to not be my friend. But I have to tell you this, I don’t base my friendships on political affiliations. 

I base friendship on kindness, humor, addictions (coffee, reading and shoes) and other commonalities. Seriously, with the majority of my friends, politics only comes up every four years. And if we don’t agree, well we agree to disagree. 

Also, in this country, my ballot is a secret, my business. Not yours. And yours is not mine. 

I do love a good political debate, however in this climate one cannot be had. 

So, from this point forward, I will refrain from discussing politics with almost everyone. 

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Be a Ruth

So, ok, today on Facebook, I saw a post from a friend asking married men to stop poking her. for those not familiar, it is a feature within Facebook that you can send a virtual poke. Back in the day, like 6, 7 years ago, it was meaningless, now it has taken on a different meaning.

I weighed in with women need to stop as well sending these virtual pokes to married men or men they know are seeing someone.

Now, before I go further, I want you to know my friend, she is a total Ruth, she means it when she says no. she is loyal, loving, kind, beyond beautiful and completely dedicated to the Lord.

I have talked about this before, being a Ruth while waiting on your Boaz, for those of you not familiar with the story, please allow me to direct you to the book Ruth in the Bible.

In case you are wondering were to read this amazing story: http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Ruth-Chapter-1/ you can go here and read the entire book.

Ruth is a wonderful example of how we all should be, loyal, kind, loving and willing to work hard to provide for one’s family. She also shows us that family comes in all forms, her husband dies and instead of going back to her people, as was the custom of that day. Ruth stays with her mother-in-law to make sure she is provided for; in fact, she follows her to her homeland. She goes to work in the fields to make sure they both have enough to eat.

Which is where Boaz notices her, he doesn’t notice her beauty, he notices her hard work and asks about her. Why is she working so hard, who is she providing for? When he finds out it is her mother-in-law and she is widowed he is intrigued.

What kind of woman does this? When she could have gone back to her own people, she would have been provided for, instead, she works in the field.

It’s an amazing story, most people read it as Boaz is the hero of that story, rescuing Ruth and Naomi, but really, Ruth is the hero. With hard work, perseverance and loyalty, she carves a life out for her and her mother-in-law. Unheard of in that day and age, unheard of now.

I believe the book of Ruth is a blueprint on how women should behave towards one another, we should be looking out for each other. Helping one another, not trying to take married men, or engaged men or even men who are dating another woman.

In all honesty I pity women who behave this way, they will never know the true kinship of womanhood.

We are all here together, behaving like a Ruth transcends just the aspect of men and women, it is the way we should treat everyone.

Unkindness is becoming a way of life in the world, not just the country, the world, Christians and Jews are under attack, being beheaded and it is still not being addressed. I am shocked and saddened with all of that going on, women still can’t get their acts together.

Just stop, stop encouraging the contact with the taken men, as soon as you find out there is someone at home waiting for them. Step away. Walk away. Run away.

Be faithful to not only other women, but to yourself, hold yourself higher, look to Ruth for a code of behavior that never goes out of style.

With those words I will leave you with an old segment of a radio show that doesn’t’ exist anymore.

http://www.convosate.com/2013/04/conversations-saturday-april-13th-2013/

Go in peace, remember, give a hand up to others, not a boot in the face.

 

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Saying Goodbye

Nancy Reagan will be laid to rest today next to her beloved husband President Ronald Reagan. Hearing of her passing hit me hard, I loved Ronald Reagan, that is no secret, I think he was a great American, an excellent president (although who wouldn’t have shined after the disaster that was Jimmy Carter) and together they were an amazing example of romantic love.

Ronald and Nancy Reagan reminded me of my parents in so many ways, they were happiest when they were together. They made each other laugh, they protected each other and they were perfectly happy alone.

When President Reagan died I watched his funeral and sat on the floor and bawled (no, not cried, yes, bawled) like a big fat baby. I was a blubbering mess, what pushed me over the edge was watching Nancy Reagan at his casket not wanting to leave him. She was genuinely bereft and the pain in her eyes was palpable.

I saw the same look in my mothers’ eyes 11 years before, when my dad passed away. The same pain, the same intense longing to go where he was.

My heart broke into a thousand pieces for her, not only for that moment but for the years leading to his death.

Alzheimer’s is not an easy disease to live with and I believe it is even harder on the caregivers. You have to watch your loved one sink slowly into an abyss where you cannot follow. She lost him a lot sooner than his physical body gave out, she never lost his soul.

When my mother was lucid she would tell me she wanted to go home and be with her daddio (her nickname for my dad). I knew what she meant, she wanted to go to heaven, home is our word for heaven. We don’t speak of death we speak of going home.

Nancy Reagan is finally home, with her beloved Ronald, what a great day it is for her. What a sad day for us, we have lost an icon of a generation that loved with their whole heart, that believed in the greatness of America and believed we truly are the greatest place in the entire world.

We lost someone that showed us what true love really looks like, although I had that example in my home, others were not so lucky. The Reagans showed us by example what loyalty looks like.

I am sad today with the laying of rest to a great woman, a great American and an excellent example of class, loyalty and perseverance.

 

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Election Rant

I make a really great cup of coffee, I use local honey, Nature Nate’s to be exact, organic cinnamon, coconut milk, the real stuff in the can that you buy in the Asian aisle at the grocery store, heated and foamy. First you put in the honey and cinnamon then the coffee, then the coconut milk. I have this on weekends, since I have stopped daily coffee I get to really feel the effect of the caffeine. I tell you all this to let you know it is Saturday, I have had and am having my incredible coffee and I must get something off of my chest. You are in for a rare, caffeine induced, old-fashioned Angie Rant. Buckle up.

This election, we are not even at the actual election yet and it is so nasty and so brutal to watch, there was only one true adult in the whole mix and he has suspended his campaign. Yes, that would be Dr. Ben Carson, the one true mature, grown up in the whole bunch. I am talking about both sides, Republican and Democrat.

This past week Mitt Romney came out of wherever he has been (do we care?) to spew vitriol at Donald Trump. Interesting, because in 2012 he was praising Donald Trump, so which is it Mitt?

And another thing, where was that passion during the 2012 elections? With that kind of passion and hard hitting speech you might have actually won.

You need to simply stop, you are no longer relevant and all you have done is fuel Donald Trump’s supporters. No matter what people sling at him, he is coming out on top, and I have seriously never seen anything like this. Ever.

Here is a man who is just simply spouting rhetoric, and not very good rhetoric, but people are flocking to him. I can tell you why, you might not like it, but here goes

He thinks it, he says it, it is the way of his people, why do I know this, because I think it, I say it, it is the way of my people. Not that I am claiming we have the same people, we do not, but the things he is saying, the way he is just saying whatever pops into his head with no filter, well, in all honesty, it is refreshing.

We know what he is thinking, he says it, and he is saying what a lot of Americans are thinking. We are exhausted by politics as usual, it is a corrupt system in Washington and the people are tired. We are tired of funding it, we are tired of paying for illegal immigrants to have medical, educational opportunities and living expenses. Especially when we see the people of our country that actually deserve these benefits hurting. I am talking about veterans, the ones who go out and pledge to keep us safe, they fight for us, literally, physically, giving it their all. They come home to nothing, to a VA system that is broken, to waiting for much needed medical help, mental help and basic needs help.

Before you jump on top of me, I am not a Donald Trump supporter, even though he says what he thinks, he has no actual plan to fix these issues. But I will also say this, if it comes down to a match between him and Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, he has my vote.

The Republican party needs to get its act together, quit bad mouthing Donald Trump, just stop, put your heads together and figure out how to best work towards a common goal. Fixing systems that are broke, stop the bleeding of our money out of Washington.

We gave you the Senate!! We handed it to you, the Speaker of the House is a Republican and you have all betrayed us. That is how we see it, so when someone goes to the microphone and says he wants to protect us, to take care of our veterans, people are flocking.

I have actually paid attention, I have seen a few of his rallies, not in person, but on the internet and television. I look at the audience, it is mostly vets, have you noticed that Republican party?

The in fighting makes us all look bad, I am going to tell you something right here and now, you need to stop treating Donald Trump like a joke. That was your first mistake when he announced he was running. The GOP treated him like a joke, huge mistake, you said he was a reality TV star, another mistake.

The Donald (as he was really known in the 80’s and 90’s) was a real estate mogul, a best selling author, you should have read The Art of the Deal before ever attacking him. You would have learned a lot about your opponent, and I believe your strategy would be different.

Rubio, too little too late, you are behaving like a little boy, the whole small hands thing, juvenile at best. There was nothing but yelling on that last debate, have a real debate, get rid of Megyn Kelly, she is not a moderator, she is a rabble rouser.

Ted Cruz, he still just looks smarmy to me, however, I have seen videos of him speaking one on one to people and he is engaging and says intelligent things. The video of him dancing with his daughter, well, I don’t know if that was contrived or not, but the look of complete love when he looks at her, that was very real.

I have always loved the presidential elections, but no more, and it didn’t start with this one, it started in 2008, I am just disgusted by it all now.

Voting has always been special to me, I still remember the very first election I got to vote in, I did my research, no one influenced me, not family, not friends. I made up my own mind, I went to my polling place (the fire station in Owasso) and I cast my ballot. I felt pride, I felt patriotism, I felt American.

It is no secret I loved Ronald Regan, I still believe he was the best President of my life time, during his exit speech I couldn’t even speak I was crying so hard. I called my mom, I don’t think she knew it was me at first, then when she realized who it was she simply said “exit speech?”

I managed to say yes, she said “I know exactly how you feel Roosevelt was my first and I bawled like a baby when he left office.”

I want to take pride in my voting again, I want to go to my poling place and cast my ballot and feel patriotism, feel American.

 

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