Immigration: The Debate and the Moral High Ground

Since 911 we have become a country that no longer believes itself to be safe from international violence. We have experienced first hand the devastation of loss on our soil. Our immigration system is broken and now consumed by fear as well as ineptitude, we struggle to move forward. 

We are a nation of immigrants. The only true natives are the American Indians, everyone else is an immigrant. Our boarders both north and south are pretty loose verses those who come into our country by plane or boat. We are a large country and the length of our boarders are long and have many miles covered by uninhabited land and wilderness. In short we do have to tighten up the loose ends. In the meantime we have people who are seeking asylum from persecution from violent gangs and corrupt governments. People who are looking just to live their lives without fear. I heard on Face the Nation this morning that at least 80% of all people coming into the United States are fleeing for personal safety for themselves and their families. So what are we to do?

Well I cannot write what we can do, we have experts that should be working on that. We do need to curtail people coming into our country illegally, we are a nation that has a rule of law. Sometimes though there are special circumstances.

I cannot remember where in Central America this large group of immigrants came from, but they came in a caravan headed for the US. We knew they were coming, we should have prepared to process them instead of seeking to ban them. The news gets confusing to me after that. One day I am listening to the news and this group of people are camped along our boarder and the next time I am hearing about children being taken from their parents.

President Trump has this zero tolerance policy for illegal immigration, which in effect means that the immigrants that come in illegally are jailed immediately and the children taken from them because they are not to be incarcerated with them. Obviously this was a heartless and extreme measure to a group of people who have already been extremely traumatized by events that led to their exodus.  Thank God that those closest to Trump were able to convince him that taking the children from their families was extreme and unusual punishment. In short a cold hearted act that served no reasonable purpose for the country nor the families involved.

What happens next is yet to be seen. But kudos to those who have been fighting for the human treatment of the immigrants coming in. We are a nation of laws, but we are also a nation of compassion and humanity. We are the standard bearers of freedom and human rights. This has been our nation's drive since World War II when we found out about the exterminations of Europe's Jews. We as a nation have held the moral high ground, we must not decide to waver from that now. We are the land of the free, the dream of the weary and safeguard for those who seek justice and peace.

We need to protect ourselves from those who seek to harm us, but we cannot call everyone the enemy or we will lose our identity and our grace.

A Mother's Day Reflection

It happened a couple of days ago as we were celebrating my father's 95th birthday. My son got into the driver's seat and I in the back directly behind him. I see a small spider on his headrest and before I get the panicked words, "there's a spider", I open my car door and quickly swish the spider out the door. For those who know me that was an unbelievable act of courage, for I have a undeniable fear of spiders and all bugs for that mater.

Love trumps fear, and my instincts were to protect my child, even if my child will soon be 44 years old.

I am so proud to be a mom. I raised two children and I would give my life for either of them. To be a mother is the greatest blessing a woman can have. I look back on the childhood of my children. I worried about them, cared for their activities (I hate sports, but I was there), shared their joys and their sorrows. Love is what binds us, even today. I pray for them and their families daily. I still worry for them too. I have found that I never stop being a mom. The children grow up, but you love them and worry about them long after they have left the nest. Being proud of them when they are young and even (if it were possible) prouder of them as adults.

I reflect back to my own childhood, I had three moms, my mother, my grandmother and my great aunt. (my grandmother and her sister lived with us. My mother had ill health for many years.) I loved all three of them so very much. though all three of them have left this earth, my love for them has not ceased.

To all the mothers reading this, know that your sacrifices, worry, joy and prayers will never be in vain. You are cultivating a community of love that will last through your children, your grandchildren and yes even your great grandchildren. Those who come to know you will love you and love never dies.

Have a very blessed and joyous Mother's Day!

The bits and pieces of life

This is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry. It contains every gemstone imaginable. It cost me only $35. I can wear this piece with just about any outfit, whether it be casual or dressy.  If you take a closer look you would see that it is made up of scrap pieces of gems. The cast offs, the insignificant pieces that were meant to be thrown in the garbage. Yet I own this beautiful piece. I bought it with the idea of owning so many gems. I have never been disappointed with this purchase. It is a mirror of real life.

How many times do we feel insignificant and that we don't matter. In a world where there is so much emphasis on fame and power, we need to remember that in life the small and the humble are important too.

It isn't Gun Control, It should be Gun Common Sense

After this past week's horrible school shooting in Florida, the 18th since the beginning of this year, the gun control debate is flourishing again. My confusion is with people siting the 2nd Amendment. Really. This isn't a 2nd Amendment issue. No one wants to ban guns, we just want to take the semi automatic and automatic guns out of circulation.

The AR-15 is easier to purchase than a regular handgun. You cannot go hunting with this rifle, if you did you won't be able to eat the kill. In an article written by the Toledo Blade Editorial Board and I quote; "It is easier to buy an AR-15 - now the weapon of choice for copycat mass killers - than a handgun in Florida and Ohio. You must be 21 to buy a handgun, but you can buy this weapon of war at 18, and with no waiting period in Ohio."

To me this is very scary that this horrible weapon, which is much more damaging than a handgun, can be gotten so easily.

Why are some gun owner so hell bent on keeping this gun. It is a weapon of war. It was designed for one purpose, to kill as many as possible in a short period of time. If collectors want this gun, fine, don't sell the ammunition and have the gun for show.

People, we need to compromise here. Don't give me the malarkey about guns don't kill, people do. Yes, people can still kill with a knife or a rock. But you cannot take out a dozen people in a minute with a rock or a knife. And yes, mental illness is a problem here, but obviously with being able to buy the AR-15 so easily even the mentally ill can buy this gun.

We need to respect our 2nd Amendment right, but we also need to make sure innocent people aren't dying because we cannot compromise for the common good.

I am neither a liberal or a conservative. I am someone who lives in balance. Living in the middle allows me to be able to compromise when things need to be corrected. Our country cannot continue to have the right and the left constantly having to have their own way. We need to come together for the common good of the entire country. That is what our founders had in mind when they drew up the Constitution.   

Election Day is finally in site. Praise God!

I don't know about how any of you are voting, and that is okay. Voting is a very personal thing and we are so blessed in this country to be able to have free and open elections. I hope that if you haven't voted yet that you will do so on Tuesday. It doesn't truly matter who you vote for, neither of the two major candidates are virtuous, or without blemish. I can honestly say I am disgusted by both of those two choices. I have heard some say they are going to vote; not voting isn't the answer.

We need to choose the person who we feel best suits out political and religious views. Between Clinton and Trump there is no cut and dry solution for me. Both candidates, for me are flawed and self involved. Hilary is totally trying to become president to forever remain in the history books; and I have come to believe that she will do so at any cost. She is totally in this for herself. Whatever good and noble intentions she had, left her long ago, that is why her popularity is so low. Donald, well I am not sure I have him figured out. He is definitely a narcissist, and definitely vulgar, loud mouthed and makes fun of people; all of these things are truly despicable and not very presidential. However I have come away with the feeling that he does really care about people, he is very unpolished, but then he is not a politician. I believe that is why he has such a following. People are tired and frustrated. We do not have the level of jobs that we once had, a $15 mandatory minimum wage won't change that. Flipping hamburgers at a fast food restaurant is not a career, jobs like that were at one time for school kids wanting to make a little extra money, $15 an hour for them will only make the food more costly and less people doing more work. I don't make $15 an hour and I am an administrative assistant. I live pay day to pay day like most people these days. I once made over $40,000 a year, but the auto industry went bust and being over 50 it was hard to find another high paying job again. I have no regrets, I live a modest life and I love what I do. The only point I am trying to make is that our economy has changed so very much. We no longer have the volume of high paying jobs that we once had. With the new "Obama Care" insurance rates have become astronomical. Our economy is out of control and so is our world. People are afraid.

This new movement will continue no matter who wins. The people of this great country want to be heard and they will be heard. No matter who wins this election people will demand change.

Voting is the beginning of instituting this change. Please vote and make your voice heard. We are a nation of hard working, generous people. Everything will fall into place as long as we demand that the people we elect are truly working for the people and not themselves.

Please vote, make a difference, and be involved. Complacency is what has brought us to this point in the history of our great nation. Only personal involvement and political transparency can heal us again. We must make our elected officials do the job we elected them to do. That is why I believe in term limits for all elected jobs, city, state or federal.

Please vote and make a difference!

October is respect for Life Month-What It Truly Means to be Pro Life

October is the month dedicated to the Respect for Life movement. During this month we pray for an end of abortion and an end to this culture of death in our society.

I hear a lot of people say they are pro life. I am pro life too. When most people hear that phrase they think of those people being anti abortion, and that is certainly true, but it is so much more than that.

To be Pro Life means that you believe that all life is sacred from conception to natural death. So obviously abortions, mercy killings, murders, and the death penalty are things that we are against. Even though pro life is all those things it is also much more than this. Pro life celebrates all life, it desires to protect all life. It realizes that all life is a gift from God.

To respect life also means to respect the people we meet everyday, to have empathy for those who are hurting from violence or escaping war, or poverty. Respecting those people who are marginalized and mistreated and threatened because of race, color, or religion.

Because respecting life is all these things, we should be inclusive of this when we debate the abortion issue. I hate abortion, I also hate seeing Muslims being harassed and vilified because of the atrocities of the Islamic Jihads. I hate seeing the disabled made fun of, I hate crude remarks about how someone looks. I hate the violence that exist in our streets. I hate the violence between black and white.

I love all life. God has given us our lives, this good earth and all our individual talents. God is life, God is love. We are called to love each other no matter what. Yes, even those we do not like, or do not understand.

So when you are talking to me and telling me not to vote for someone because they are not pro life, keep in mind that I am looking at the whole picture. I want to see an individual run for office who encompasses all the criteria that I mentioned above.

Unfortunately, there is no one running for president with the above attributes, so I must make my decision using a different yardstick.

I don't know what the future holds, who the next  president will be. I do know this. Unless we become a society that once again treats all people with a least a small degree of respect, that we become a little more compassionate to our neighbors, or take responsibility for the children that we conceive in moments of passion; unless we become life giving in our individual actions toward all people, we will never truly be a people who actually are respectful of life.

It's Mom's Day!

What a beautiful day here in Maumee, Ohio! The sun is shining and the temperature is a beautiful 78 degrees. I started the day with going to Mass and thanking God for the many blessings that He has bestowed on me. Then I heard from my children and grandchildren. The day is just plain precious.

There was one person whom I could not hug today. My dear mom. Momma died nineteen years ago on May 1st. I'd like to dedicate this to her.

Momma, I missed you again this morning. I think of you everyday. We didn't have a 1950's TV life, but it was certainly a good life. I remember the time we were little and you were sick. The trips we took to Cleveland so that you could see your doctor. We would walk to a church in downtown Cleveland and go to visit Jesus in the tabernacle and light a few candles. I don't know how old I was, I was just old enough to remember I guess. Funny how I think of those times so long ago.

Momma, I love you. You weren't Mrs. Cleaver or Harriet Nelson, but you were perfect for me. God bless you momma, I know you are keeping the angels in stitches.

Why we should care about Benghazi

Here we go again! Politics, as usual. Benghazi is not a political issue, it is an American diplomatic issue that needs to be explained. If my loved one was killed over in that attack I would want answers too. So far the politicians are making this some sort of game. We, as American citizens have a right to know what went wrong over there; and definitely something did go wrong.

Four American lives were lost that day, and so far this has been a travesty! I was amazed when Hilary Clinton, then secretary of state, blew off the attempts to find the truth,by claiming it was over and lets move on. I wonder if her daughter or her husband had been one of the victims, would she have responded the same way?  President Obama has promised transparency in his administration. Mr. President, please be transparent in this. Obviously someone dropped the ball. I would think his administration would want to know more than anyone else, then maybe they do and they don't want to share.

People are hurting here! Families need to know so that they can have closure. I say lets not be Democrats or Republicans, let's just be Americans and search for the truth. After that, then we can "move on".

Pondering thoughts

Maybe it's just my age, but from time to time I find myself drifting back to the past. Tonight I gave some thought to my early years on the job. I have been working most of my life. Most of that time in factories. I held myself in moderate esteem as far as what I was able to do. So most of my jobs were fairly unskilled. Then one day I applied for a skilled job (I was about 35). I, along with about a dozen other people from the factory had to take tests at the employment agency for motor skills, problem solving, logic, math, and a few other similar exercises. A miracle happened for me that day. My scores exceeded everyone else  that day; but that wasn't the miracle. This counselor told me that with my scores I could do anything I wanted. Wow! I was dumbfounded! All my life I considered myself stupid. This woman opened up a door for me that changed my life.

The job I signed up for I got, but it  wasn't what I wanted, it was too physical for me. However I did move up to a position that was less physically challenging. Then one day a supervisor's  position came up. In the past I would never have considered such a position, but the counselor's comments rang in my head, so I decided to look into the possibility and I applied and I was picked to do the job. From then on I never questioned my ability to seek and find any opportunity that I wanted to pursue.

So what is my point of this story; our successes and failures start in the mind first. All those years that I felt inferior to do more was a self made problem. What we perceive ourselves to be is what we are.

I have always let my children know that they could do anything. They are both successful in their vocations. I am older now, but I live by the rule that I can do it, no matter what "it" might be. "No" is just not in my vocabulary any more, and I am glad. Life is an adventure and all of us should push ourselves to the best we can be.

Thanks for listening and remember, success begins in the mind first.

Why I love Pope Francis

Since Pope Francis became pope this year, he has been a breath of fresh air. He, by example, reminds us what true followers of Christ should do. The media tries to exploit him, as though he were a political person. Pope Francis is the furthest thing from a political person. With Pope Francis what you see is what you get. He has no agenda, other than bringing Christ back into our lives. 

In the past few days the pope has made headlines again. His call for Catholics to respond with love and mercy on the issues that divide the church. The issues he mentioned were same sex marriage and contraception. Depending if you are a conservative or a liberal you may have read into this as the pope redesigning the church dogma. Both sides can relax, the pope isn't going to rewrite the  bible or church dogma; but he is readjusting the attitude of the church, and that is something long over due.

I believe that Pope Francis is trying to tell us not to focus on the negative, not to be judgmental. As Christ had taught us, we should reach out to those in love and mercy. For we will be 'judged as we judge'. Only God has the right to judge, only God is perfect, only God can see inside the human heart.

Yes, I love Pope Francis, he isn't telling us that he is rewriting, he is telling us to revive Christ in our lives. God bless you Pope Francis. We give you our love and our prayers!

Set up to be Disillusioned

I woke up this morning, as I do every morning. Of course I turned on the TV.  Like most people I believe I have it on for sound, more so now that I am older than I did when I was younger. Whatever was said triggered my brain to think about television in the past, when I was growing up.

Such shows as I love Lucy, Ozzie and Harriet, Leave it to Beaver; these were all family oriented shows. We all loved them.

Television in the 50's and 60's was very happy and pleasant, or about WWII or Korea, or westerns. Now I didn't worry too much about the war shows or the western, for they were not in my period of living. In the 50's and 60's  we played games, some of the games we played in my neighborhood was making movies. It was fun. After playing outside all day (or after school) we would go in for supper and then watch TV. 

I think the adults saw the diversion of real life in these shows, while we as kids saw this is how real people live. Everyone was happy. Every problem solvable. Everyone would have a house and money. The woman would take care of the house and the husband would have a nice office job; and so on.

I'm not sure when it happened, I am guessing I was in my teens, when I realized there was only a semblance of the truth in these shows. The shows did not show the ugliness of the times, only the happy and acceptable version, which was probably why the adults found them to be a diversion from reality. When I was growing up, I lived through the Kennedy assassination, the race riots, drugs, the war in Viet Nam, the counter social revolution. These were the ugliness that shaped my world.

Cruel reality set in when I found out that marriages don't always, "live happily ever after" and getting a job and raising a family often caused chaos in the family. Money problems, school problems, job problems, all made living a journey of joy and tears. Yes joy. Sometimes through these problems the family grows and admiration for one another emerges. Faith in God, family and Country become a mainstay of existence, giving us the courage to look ahead to the future.

The next time we all worry about video games, television and movies destroying our young people, we need to look back on our era too. Too much utopia isn't any better than violence. However as a family unit we must instill in one another the respect for life and faith in God .

May God help our congress with the Syria decision

In the upcoming days our congress will be deciding on whether or not to attack Syria. What happened in Syria is atrocious and morally sick. Yet if we attack Syria what do we hope to accomplish? Our country is not a super hero. We cannot right all the evils in the world. What do we hope to gain by attacking Syria? Showing Assad that what he did is despicable. I think he is already aware of that, and he doesn't care. Will our actions stop Assad? It is doubtful. If anything we become more of a target than we already are.

What our congress must do in these coming days is to look back at our history. In Korea in the 50's we did not win, the conflict is still there, just not violent any more (but still very volatile ). Viet Nam in the 60's. We lost that one, along with nearly 60,000 American soldiers. Our intentions were good with both of these involvements. The problem was that we forgot that these conflicts were not ours.

We have spent the last twelve years in a war in the Middle East. All of us are war weary. The most war weary are our service men and women. Some have done four tours of duty! How long are we going to stretch them to the limit? I don't want to say it, but I think we would be starting up the draft again if we were to be much longer in a war.

I hope our congress takes their time to weigh all the consequences of what attacking Syria would mean. I think it is a lose - lose situation. May God be with our leaders to make the right decision.
 

A TIME FOR PAUSE

A lot of things have been said in the days since the verdict on the death of Trayvon Martin. I don't think anyone has won this case. Least of all the parents of Trayvon. We all must reconcile ourselves that the jury found that George Zimmerman, was innocent of murder or manslaughter, according to Florida state laws. Like it or not, all of us need to abide by that decision. 

All of this being said, I would like to take a few moments to share my views on this subject. I am not going to question the verdict. I am not going to question the validity of the verdict. Anyone of us in that position of finding someone guilty or innocent would have to do what this jury did, and that was to look at the evidence and decide their decision on what they have before them. None of us should question their sincerity in trying to find the truth.

So many things in this case were blurred. The only two people who know what happened are Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman. However as I see it there were some terrible mistakes made by Mr. Zimmerman that I am sure he regrets today. The first mistake was following someone to see if that person was going to do something wrong. It's hard not to say that Trayvon Martin wasn't stereotyped, why else would George Zimmerman have followed a teenager with no apparent weapon. 

The second mistake I find to be the real zinger; after calling police to share his suspicions of Trayvon Martin's intentions, he should have let police follow up. George Zimmerman should not have kept following the young man. Zimmerman was found not guilty because he was defending himself from getting his skull bashed on the cement. I get that. Truly I do understand that. However I feel that if Zimmerman would not have followed him, Martin, who obviously was aware that he was being followed, apparently felt the need to protect himself. Thereby using the only weapon that he had, his own physical strength.

I can understand why so many people are so torn and divided in this case. The sad truth is, this is just a horrible tragedy, in which a black teenager was profiled by an over zealous Hispanic neighborhood watch person. End of story.

The Ideology of Hate

I was watching  Geraldo Rivera at Large tonight on FOX News. The topic tonight was hate groups in America. He had a white supremest and a Neo-Nazi on to give their views. Ironically both felt they were not hate groups. Both men felt that this country was founded by white men for white men; and that everyone else should go back from where their ancestors came from.I thought it was unbelievable that people in the 21st century could still be that stupid. First of all they all get an F in U.S. History; the American Indians were here before us. I'm sure some of them feel we should go back to our ancestral countries.

Why are these groups so dangerous? These two men may think that they are using their right of free speech, and unfortunately they do have that right; they are harmful because they go to areas that are economically depressed and tell anyone that will listen that the minority group is to blame for their predicament. We need to remember that Adolf Hitler used that same strategy to convince the people in Germany that all their financial and social issues were caused by Jews. It's hard to believe that he actually accomplished his message of hate. Yet if you look back at history you will see that at that time all of Europe and the United States were in an economic depression. When people are desperate for relief from their pain, they will believe and do anything; even if it defies logic.

Since these two men feel that they are not part of a hate group; it leads to the question; how do we define hate? It is my belief that hate is anything we do intentionally to hurt someone physically, mentally, or morally.If you deliberately seek to hurt another person, that is hate.

So how can we as ordinary people stop the hate? Well as I said above, these people have the right to say their garbage, but we can keep the hate and the violence from their message away from our communities by first teaching our children that this sort of ideology is false, and teach them as our fore fathers wrote in the constitution, "All men are created equal". We need to start with our children because they are our future. After our children we discuss among ourselves how detrimental their message really is and how it is in direct conflict with our constitution. Most important we must turn to God for guidance and strength, not just for our own, but that God may enlighten these misguided souls that nothing is ever  gained by preaching the lack of tolerance for those who live among us.

WHO WILL WIN THE POPULAR VOTE?

I love Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer. Bob always has good questions and I love to hear the answers that his guests give. One topic came up this morning that I thought was thought provoking. One of the guests said that Romney wasn't popular but would win the election. Bob asked, well how can he win the popular vote if he isn't popular?

I don't remember what the guests reply was. Being a Romney fan I was a little upset. There is a lot of truth to that statement.

I got to thinking though about the last election and Baack Obama's "Yes we can" campaign. The economy was in the toilet and people wanted a change. He talked such a pretty picture of change that people voted for him, I believe, out of wishful thinking that he could  pull it off. After all it is no secret that Obama is a great orator. This time though is different. "Yes we can" has become no you didn't. I believe that there are people, even among republicans, that are not impressed with Romney; yet I believe Romney can and will win.

My thought is that many of the people who voted for Obama will not vote for anyone this year. Most of Baarack Obama's support from 2008 are now disillusioned with him, and because they don't care for Romney, they won't vote at all.

All the negative adds out there for both candidates are full of half truths, unless the voter really checks the facts on there own, will not know what either candidate's platform really is.

Checking out the facts and voting for the best candidate is so important to our freedom. We all should vote and vote wisely.

It give me gas!

Sunday I was driving to pick up some supper at the local fast food place. It is about three miles from my house. I passed six gas station in that short drive. Two of the stations had a price of $3.29. Three stations had a price of $3.39. One station had a price of $3.49. Ridiculous!

I don't play the stock market, but trying to find out where and when to buy gas, I can tell you I have some idea of what if might be like. I know I am not the only one frustrated. Everything is so expensive! High fuel prices make it expensive, and from the variety of gas prices, I can guess that it doesn't need to be this high. Come on people! Let's be reasonable. Lower the prices. Lets really get our economy moving again!

Aurora Colorado Shootings

I was outside earlier this evening and I heard a couple of firecrackers go off. It was a bit unnerving with the events of this past Friday. When I woke up on Friday morning I checked out my phone for the latest news. It is something I do every morning, it's quicker than TV and there are no commercial. As I looked at the Tweets from WTOL I was shocked by what I read. Once again massive violence has scarred our nation. Ironically and actually truly sad is the death of two soldiers. How horrible it is when you think they should have been safe here, at home, away from the ravages of war.

All day long we have heard the details of this tragedy, I found myself praying for the victims off and on many times today and yesterday. There are no words, and there is no comprehension. The twelve fatalities are heart wrenching. It should not have happened. So now we ask ourselves why did it happen and were there any warning signs?

From everything I have heard today, there is one huge warning sign that should have drawn the attention of someone to alert the ATF. Fed X delivered 150 pounds of ammunition to a private individual. Now that is what scares me. Fed X had no way of knowing what was in that package, but the company that sold it to Holmes, should have realized that was a bit extravagant for private use.

Today and every time there is a shooting, people start talking about gun control. Well I don't own a gun or anything, but I can logically tell you that guns don't kill people, people do. To me one person ordering a hundred and fifty pounds of ammunition is a red flag. Many people collect guns, so that would not have really been a red flag, but all that ammunition, really, wasn't anyone even slightly curious as to why someone would need that amount for hunting or target practice. I mean was that company running a midnight special. I don't think so.

We all need to be mindful of our surroundings. this guy wasn't a law breaker, he was an honor student. Yet  he did leave red flags, and if we as a nation are ever going to stop the violence, we need to be mindful of the ridiculous. 150 pounds of ammunition is ridiculous! If the ATF had been notified, maybe they could have kept an eye on him. I can hear some of you saying well that an infringement on a person's rights. Being in a movie theater, you should have the right of believing and trusting that you are safe. That is a citizen's right as well. If someone would have just looked at this one red flag, maybe, just maybe, this tragedy would not have happened.

There were other flags too. This was the creation of a diabolical and evil mind. A young woman who lived below Holmes apartment, went upstairs to tell him to turn down the music that started blaring at midnight. She found the door to be open, but decided not to go in. That saved her life. Had she opened that door this tragedy would have gotten a whole lot worse. The girl has a great guardian Angel!

You know, I was listening to Mike Huckabee tonight, and he said something on his show that we should all remember. Our government has in the last fifty years worked hard to keep God out of our schools and our public buildings, so why should we be surprised when all hell lets loose!

Let us all continue to pray for the victims and the survivors of this horrible event. Let each one of us make it our personal responsibility to be mindful of people doing unusual things. If it doesn't seem right, it very well might be that you could save lives. If someone would have paid attention to the flags here, the ATF maybe could have stopped him before he killed and injured so many innocent people.

DAY IS GONE

The above is a beautiful picture of the sun set off the shore of South Bass Island, near Put-In-Bay, Ohio. I recently spent three wonderful days and two nights at the Resort Hotel in Put-in Bay. The accommodations were wonderful, and the island was heavenly.  Most people associate the tiny town with bar hopping. I'd be lying if I said I didn't patronize the Round House Bar. Admittedly I always stop there with my friends and enjoy a long island ice tea and listen to a band that is usually always playing there.

I only get to Put-In-Bay about once the year. For me it is a little escape from the realities of life. I went with two very close friends, we rented a room and in the evening, the three of us, watched the moon rise on the lake. There are no words to describe that heavenly sight. As the three of us sat there on the patio listening to the sounds of the island, a sound that you can only hear in the off season, we felt one with the beautiful island.  The off season is a favorite for me. You can see everything without having a crowd pushing you on. We felt like we owned the island. We rented a golf cart and toured the whole island. We went to two museums and looked at the grand history of this fascinating place.

Before we left the island, we stopped in the small Catholic church on the island. Mother of Sorrows is a very small church that was started by German settlers in the 1800's I always stop there too an d pay Jesus a small visit. It seamed right to do so. After all we felt like we were touring the Garden of Eden.

I look forward to going there again, hopefully we can spend a couple of days there, we'll see.

Enjoy the sunsets of life, they are too beautiful to miss.

A Beautiful Time

Some of my most cherished memories occurred during the year and a half that I spent at St. Joseph Academy in Adrian Michigan. This weekend we held our last reunion. I am so honored to be considered an alum of SJA. Truly it was always what I hoped to do, but my family could no longer afford to send me there, so I came home midway through my Sophomore year.

The highlight of the weekend for me was the reunion Mass. Celebrating the liturgy in the Sisters' chapel brought back so many memories of liturgies past. The very first time I was ever in that chapel, I was fourteen years old. It was beautiful then and the sound of the nuns singing still echo peacefully in my mind. I tried to go to Mass every morning before classes began. So I would catch a Mass at a different location on campus nearly every day.

I remember sitting in the classroom in the fall and the spring and hear the postulants and novices singing at prayer. It was like being in heaven. I always felt so connected to God there. When I return I find that I still do.

Everyone was just fabulous this weekend. I consider my classmates as family even after these many years of separation. While I was there this weekend I felt fourteen again. It was nice. Those girls and the sisters mean more to me than words can possibly express.

This little essay is dedicated to my former classmates and teachers at St. Josep Academy.

Thank you for bringing such joy and fond memories to my life. I love you all. God bless you!

Can you hold a news network for murder?

It hasn't happened yet, and I hope to the good Lord that it doesn't. I used to watch HLN all the time to get a digested view of what was going on in the world. Lately the only thing they seem to talk about is Casey Anthony.  Well I guess they made her a celebrity they want to keep it going, but at what cost? It really doesn't matter anymore what anyone thinks. Our justice system found her not guilty...nothing more needs to be said. Our justice system may not be perfect, but it is the best in the world. We can call the jury stupid, or say the prosecution didn't present their case properly. Anyone of those things may or may not be true, but it is over...period. The only thing HLN is doing now is inciting at lot of angry people. If some angry individual takes Casey Anthony's life for the sake of "justice for Kalie", then I think that the media, in particular HLN should bear some moral responsibility for this. You cannot keep beating a dead horse. It's over. Let it be. We don't have to like the outcome of this verdict, but plain fact is, this was the verdict. Get over it and move on.