Let's Move On, Already

Is anybody else sick of the politics already? 

I can't wait until BOTH conventions are out of the way and we can be a little less politcally inundated.  Let's just go ahead and have the election already so we can be done with all of this!

Your Praise Will Always Be On My Lips

2 Samuel 22:50-51 - ...Therefore I will praise you, O LORD , among the nations; I will sing praises to your name.  He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.

Thank you, Lord, for helping me to see the blessings even in my sorrow.

Rosemary Pridemore Hughes, 1945-2004: A Tribute

What can I say about my mom?
 
That she was brilliant with word games… sharp-witted… the first to offer comfort in a time of need… awesome in the kitchen… handy with shears.  Mom never met a stranger or a crossword puzzle she didn’t like.  She was unbelievably spontaneous.  She loved bright colors… and she did sparkle.
 
Mom was a selfless giver.  We’d try to tell her we could do things on our own, but she would insist, saying, “that’s what a mother is for.”
 
Mom took a special delight in helping others outside the family, too.  She’d give time, energy and love without a second thought.  She had a knack for making even the most casual acquaintance feel like a life-long friend.  It wasn’t just an act.  She wasn’t just being polite.  That was genuine.
 
She loved malted milk balls and she loved to shop.
 
She never left the house without lipstick or jewelry.
 
She could hear a tune just once, and play it on the piano, complete with chords.  I never knew anyone else who could do that.
 
She was deathly afraid of bugs, but when she and I were living on our own, she was the slayer of many a rogue spider on my behalf.
 
Mom always held my hand whenever I was too scared.  I will never forget her talent for making me laugh, just when I was most likely to cry.  When I was about eleven years old, facing surgery for the first time, Mom had me laughing all the way to the operating room.  She held my hand until they made her quit.
 
What can I say about my mom?  Mom was my hero.  She was also my best friend.  I owe her a debt I can never repay, but she wouldn’t want to let me.  She'd tell me, “that’s what a mother is for.”

Freedom Isn't Free

This July 4th was especially poignant for me as I looked back on what I was doing a year ago... or more importantly, what DH was doing. He spent the last year away from our son and I, on active duty for homeland defense. Now that he's back, I can really appreciate what he was doing. It's so easy to forget what our troops are doing overseas and at home, but this holiday reminded me that we can't take them for granted. DH and others like him were working hard to keep the rest of us safe and secure in the promises of the Declaration of Independence... that all of us are created equal. Isn't it wonderful to know that we are free to worship our Maker without repercussion?

Small-town Politics

Sometimes I can't believe my local government. Yesterday, our brand new mayor - actually, not officially mayor yet until today(!) - made an announcement that I personally found appalling, because of the lack of public input in the decision.

His becoming mayor left a vacancy on the council (his old seat) that had to be filled. Our city law requires council to appoint someone to fill a vacancy, rather than a special election.

So yesterday, without any public input, and notably - in the absence of two council members - the new mayor and the three remaining council members announced their pick.

Here she is, here's the woman we're putting into a public office. I know technically we all promised in our campaigns to do a better job listening to the people and everything, but we decided we didn't need to consult with the public this time around.

Now, they held public hearings before appointing the new members to the school board a month ago. Why not consult the public now? Or at least say, here's the person we're considering putting on council... what do you think about that?

That's not how it was done. But that's OK... if the "old guard" on my small city's council wants to do things this way, that's fine. When they want to know what happened come the next election day, I'll know exactly what to tell them.