Life is so fleeting, it’s a lesson I learned well before you were born. I loved you before I met you face to face, you were this amazing miracle that happened.
I’m so proud to be your mom, I seriously cannot imagine a better 1st son than you.
You were an incredibly bright, funny, thoughtful little boy that grew up to be an incredibly intelligent, wickedly funny and beyond thoughtful.
On this day, your birthday, I get to gush about how proud I am of you and how much I love you.
I can hardly believe it’s been 31 years since you were born. It feels like it was just a minute ago you were asking me to play with you in your box. Telling me you wanted to grow up to work on fire trucks because firemen needed them to work all the time.
I have always been and continue to be amazed by you.
You might want to buckle up, it’s going to be awfully bumpy in a just a few words.
August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on Louisiana, President George W. Bush waited two days before leaving his vacation after. He then flew over to access the damage by air. He was vilified in the paper, the main stream media, Kanye West infamously said “George Bush hates black people.”
Flash forward, August 15, 2016, massive flash flooding, thousands of people displaced, so far 13 lives lost, loss of home, possessions, clothes and basic necessities of everyday life.
Current, sitting President Barack Obama, still vacationing, playing golf daily with celebrities and other wealthy people. Oh, except when he takes time off to do fund raising for the DNC and Hillary Clinton.
Main stream media, crickets, silence, I have in fact seen people defending his behavior, the very people who vilified President Bush.
There have been no visits, not even a plan to visit until AFTER GOP Nominee Donald J. Trump went to Louisiana. Not only went but took a semi-trailer full of relief items, basic necessity items and even put in school supplies for children. The news media on that, oh look he did a 49 seconds worth of work taking things off the truck.
However, after a little digging, he paid for the truck, he paid for what was in the truck and he did help unload. The time amount I am unsure of, however, if it was 49 seconds, I’m guessing he left as not to cause any delays in unloading the truck. He didn’t announce his arrival, he didn’t demand roads be closed, he didn’t demand local police escort him. He used his own security, and yes, we, the people, are paying for the Secret Service coverage for him, however he has his own private security as well.
He then met with people who have been hit hard by the flooding, in private, no press, not a photo opportunity as the Governor sarcastically said it was. He showed caring, in a time of need, he showed empathy, he showed that he is the man his children and close friends have been saying he is.
I have said it all along, I have never been a huge fan of Donald Trump, however, when one does the research and one looks back at interviews he has given since the 1980’s, his political views and his views of this country have never changed.
I saw Hillary Clinton’s commercial where she says children are listening to him, I am going to take umbrage to that, children learn by example.
Hillary’s example has been abysmal at best, at worst horrifying, and yes Mr. Trump is bombastic in nature, he is crude at times, he has a tendency to say what he thinks, however, he is not wrong about a lot of things.
He did not say that he was going to send all Mexicans back to Mexico, what he said is he would send ILLEGAL ALIENS back to their home countries, no matter where they are from. As for the infamous “wall” on the border of here and Mexico, do you not realize who is coming in through those areas? It is not just poor people from Mexico, people go to Mexico to specifically sneak into the U.S. Because that is the place that lacks the funds to catch everyone coming into the country ILLEGALLY. I feel the need to shout that word as everyone gets it wrong.
He wants to do away with giving handouts, I’m all for that, I want handups, he wants to put people back to work.
Let’s take a look at some of the most poverty stricken cities in the United States of America and who runs them:
Number 1, Detroit, Michigan, ran by Democrats since 1961.
Number 2, Buffalo, New York, ran by Democrats since 1954.
Number 3, Cincinnati, Ohio, ran by Democrats since 1984.
Number 4, Cleveland, Ohio, ran by Democrats since 1989
Number 5, Miami, Florida, ran by Democrats since, well forever.
Those are the top 5 in the country, I could go on, but I believe my point has been made. We need to create jobs, real jobs, that will enable people to work themselves out of poverty.
Hillary Clinton has flat out said she will raise taxes on the middle class, don’t believe me, have a look:
I am considered middle class; I can’t afford another tax increase.
Let’s take a look at the difference in refugee policies, Mr. Trump wants to put a halt to it until we can come up with a better vetting system, to date the DOD admits that they have no system to vet these people properly. They couldn’t even properly vet a woman coming over on a fiancé visa, she flat out lied on her application and no one checked it out. She put a false address, her Facebook was filled with declarations of allegiance to ISIS and what did we do? Rolled out the welcome matt. What did she do? She, along with her husband killed 14 people and seriously injured 22, it was not a violence in the workplace incident as our current president would have you believe. It was a terrorist attack acted out by two people who had pledged allegiance to ISIS. On our home soil.
We need to be able to vet people coming from countries known to be hotbeds of terrorist activities until we can get a better vetting system in place.
This is not racist, it is not being a xenophobic, it is common sense.
Hillary Clinton has said that abortion is ok with her up until the moment of delivery. She has said that a woman can abort a child that is full term. She didn’t bat an eye and people cheered. Don’t believe me? Take a look:
Children learn by example, what are our children learning?
I am a Christian, I am educated, I am not a blue collar worker, I will be voting for Donald J. Trump simply because I cannot in good conscience vote in a woman like Hillary Clinton, our children deserve better.
As usual, I can be reached at angie@angieworld.com
Anyone who knows me well knows that I do not watch sports, so it should come as no surprise that I do not watch the Olympics. However, having said that, I do pay attention when our team (U.S.A.) wins medals. What caught my attention was Simone Biles, she defies gravity, she is graceful, athletic, amazing and dignified.
I say dignified, because what caught my attention about her at first was not her athleticism, it was the social media storm that involved a thoughtless comment from an announcer, Al Trautwig, he said on-air that Simone was raised by her grandfather and his wife and calls them mom and dad.
Well, it turns out while in truth her parents are biologically her grandfather and his wife, they are actually her parents due to a little thing known as legal adoption.
I have to tell ya my hackles were raised by this comment, being a fellow adoptee that was legally adopted by older relatives (my great aunt and uncle) this made my blood boil.
He then went on to make things worse when he tweeted “They may be mom and dad but they are NOT her parents,” the tweet has since been deleted.
This really made me want to find this guy and educate him on legal adoption.
My mom and dad may not have been my biological mother and father, but they were my mom and dad in the eyes of the law and I have to believe God.
Adoption is a covenant between an adult and a child that the adult will care for them, love them, put their well-being before their own, raise them, educate them and be there for the rest of their lives.
Sounds like parents to me, I read what Simone Biles had to say about the whole thing and this is where I am so impressed by this young lady, her only comment was “My parents are my parents and that’s it.”
I feel that way as well Simone, my parents are my parents and that’s it.
I decided to read up on her back story and it struck home how similar our stories are, her birth mother was incapable of taking care of her and her sister. They were shuffled around for a while, she to different foster homes, me to my grandparents and other places.
Then a family member stepped up and said I want them, she went on to say in the article I read that she remembered the first time she called Nellie Biles mom. The girls had been calling them grandpa and grandma, they told the girls they could call them mom and dad if they wanted to, it was their decision.
She went into her bedroom and practiced saying the words, mom, dad, over and over. Then she walked back into the kitchen and said “mom?” Her mother turned around and said “yes?”
And that was that.
Very much like my experience, I was calling mine Aunt Odela and Uncle Foy, after the adoption the scene in my home was very much the same.
They were my mom and dad, adoption is a real thing, it is a bond, a covenant between an adult and a child. I will be your guide through this world, I will teach you right from wrong, I will be there when you fail, I will be there when you succeed. You will not be able to shake me off.
What this reporter said was thoughtless and uneducated, I am going to assume he had great parents from birth and doesn’t understand what adoption is and what it means. I do hope he educates himself and feels bad for what he said.
After my adoption there were several people in my family, I will not say names, that would introduce me “this is Angie, she isn’t real”.
No one will ever know what that did to my psyche, it was already fragile and that fractured it further. Until, my mother, my amazingly beautiful mother, told me this: With the rest of them I got whatever God gave me, but you, you I got to choose.
I’ve never forgotten it, as I have never forgotten her final words to me: You have been the most pleasant surprise.
She got to choose me and it was a pleasant surprise, giving birth does not guarantee you will be a good parent. I hope my children think I am a good parent as I gave birth to them.
But I will tell you my mom, my mom was the best mom that God ever created, when He created her I believe He should have used her blueprints for all moms. But alas our world doesn’t work that way and not everyone gets to have a mom and dad like I had.
From the sounds of it, Simone Biles has gotten to have a mom and dad like I had. For that I am incredibly happy for her.
As always you can direct any comments or thoughts to angie@angieworld.com
This coming week is always a difficult one. Every year like clockwork it comes. August ninth then August eleventh. Both days, so close together.
I was sitting here watching television, the Irishman listening to music in the other room. I hear it, I mute my television, it’s Eric Clapton, Tears in Heaven.
The song he wrote after his son died, the first time I listened to the lyrics it literally took my breath. He sang everything I have thought since losing Michael.
Would you know my name, would you take my hand, would it be the same. I think those thoughts and to this day I miss him so much. His birthday is August 9, 1984, he was beautiful and perfect.
His short life was filled with laughter and love, 12 weeks was just not enough time. I look forward to the day I get to see him again. I hope he knows me, I hope he takes my hand and that it will be the same.
August 11, 2003 is when my mom went home. The event was a mixture of loss, sadness and joy. Yes, joy, my mother longed to be with my dad. He was the love of her life, since she was five years old. She had missed him for 10 years before joining him. The last few of those years was spent with Alzheimer’s robing her of her memories.
She told me once she wanted to go home, I knew what she meant. I said you will, she looked at me with the saddest expression. She said I don’t know, they tell me I do things when I’m not in my right mind. I said it’s ok, God knows who you are and know Jesus is in your heart and soul. He’s ok with you in either mind. She smiled brightly and said alright then and we continued our conversation.
I asked her what she thought she would do first when she would finally get to go home. She said she imagined she’d have her meeting at the throne of God, then she would give her daddy-o a big hug.
I always imagine her doing just that, what a joyous day for her, getting to go home and be with the loves of her life. Jesus and my dad.
It doesn’t mean I miss her less, it just means I’m good with her no longer being in pain from her broken heart.
So, I was on Facebook, were we know all the best stuff is, sometimes I wonder if my sarcasm comes across in my writing. Anyway, that was sarcasm.
My favorite author, Jude Deveraux, has a fan page on Facebook, she interacts regularly, keeping all of her loyal fans updated on what she is working on and even sharing her travel adventures with us. She is very open on the page about her writing process and even her dealings with her publishing house and editors.
I find it fascinating, that look into the publishing world and how it works and how an editor has the power to just rip into someone’s artistic process and demand changes that are not within the storyline.
Reading her posts, I often wonder why E. L. James didn’t have such an editor, or even a grammar checker. I digress.
Recently Ms. Deveraux shared her frustrations with her new editor, valid frustrations, the new editor is either not familiar with her work, fan base or her status in the romance writing field, but she was way off base with the changes she wanted her to make.
I say this, as I have read every single book this woman has written and the changes would not have made sense, as the book is part of a series, and it would not have been anything that was a fun read.
Well, it seems the internet trolls had to rear their ugly heads and had harsh things to say to my favorite author. Instead of addressing them, I would like to write an open letter to my favorite author.
Dear Ms. Deveraux,
I want to tell you how much I love your writing, your books have transported me to the 1600’s and back again to modern times. I have time traveled, I have experienced opera singing in the 1800’s, I have gotten a glimpse into the rough and tumble world of gangster life in the 1920’s. I have lived vicariously through your writings for years.
I often wonder what has happened to the characters after the book ends, the mark of a truly good writer I might add. However, you have given us a look at certain characters and what happens to them, in Sweet Liar we saw Dougless from A Knight in Shining Armor was pregnant with her first child. In your latest book, The Girl from Summer Hill, we get to see more of Kit Montgomery, he’s one of my favorites and has made appearances in several of your books.
I love the interactions of the Taggert’s and Montgomery’s, the way the families intertwine and how it all started in The Raider.
I want to travel to Warbrooke, Maine to Chandler, Colorado and Lanconia, I want to go to all of the fictional homes, cities and countries where the characters are from that you write about.
Your works have gotten me through a divorce, the death of my father, my mother and through countless other happenings in my life.
I hope the thoughtless, rude words of a few will not outweigh the many who thoroughly enjoy your writings, your words, your characters.
As soon as one of your books hit the market I have to have it, I want it in hardback, I cannot wait for paperback and I do not enjoy an e-reader. I want to hold the book in my hand and turn the pages. When I first started reading you there was no Amazon or even a Barnes and Noble. I went to the local bookstore where I live and I would pre-order you. It got to the point to where the owner of the store would call me as soon as they got word of your drop date. And they would save my copy for me to come and pick it up. Alas that bookstore is no more, but I still have my fond memories of it.
There are only four authors that I buy in hard back, you are my number one.
Sincerely,
Angie (a major fan)
As usual, if anyone has any thoughts or comments they do not want to say on my site you can email me at angie@angieworld.com
Angie World 