Living a Good Life

I recently attended a service for my late stepfather. It was the first time I'd been in his church since his funeral last summer. It was good to see his family again. Everyone was there. I saw his children and grandchildren, his nieces and nephews, and great-nieces and nephews (not a bratty, snotty-nosed kid in the bunch!) and visited with his brothers and parents.

The point of the service was to present and bless a railing that had been added to the balcony with memorial funds given to the church.

My pictures didn't come out well but let me describe it.









The rail resembles the shape of a suspension bridge, made with wooden posts instead of wire. Only the rail is about 2/3rds of the bridge. A short ascent up to the longest pole and then a sloping down and away to the other side.

The architect explained his vision to my mom. The longest pole represented Dicky and the poles on the ascending side represented all the people Dicky helped before he was a doctor and the long expanse of poles on the descending side are all the people Dicky helped after he became a doctor.

A very nice, simple concept and very fitting.

I thought that day about the last time I'd been there. We'd had a private family funeral in his church, which is fairly small and a public service in a much larger church down the street.

We had to have the public service in a larger church because of all the people that Dicky touched in his life. And that church was full to the rafters. I don't remember seeing too many available seats.

It has made me stop and wonder - am I living a good life? What kind of attendance would my funeral draw? Am I making a difference in the lives of people around me?

My cousin's blog posed a similar question recently - based on a book she had read. I think the focus was a little different, but the concept was the same.

All I can say is that I try. I try to treat people well. I try to help when I can. I try to follow the Golden Rule and do unto others.

I believe in my heart that you do good and right things because it is what you are supposed to do, not because you seek any type of recognition. You do it because you should.

And, ultimately, that is all I can control.

My actions.

How they are perceived by others isn't really something I have much say over.

But I'll never stop trying - to be the best "me" I can be.

What If.....

What if the Founding Fathers could come back and see what a mess we've made of this democracy/republic they developed and entrusted to future generations?

I personally think they would be shocked and appalled.

What if I could create a new system of government? What would I do differently?

I have given this a lot of thought. I have been watching a lot of the Congressional hearings on health care reform.

I am sick of seeing these adults behave like petulant children on an elementary school playground.

No one seems to have an original thought, and, if they do, the other side refuses to listen to it. I was disgusted at watching one hearing in particular. Every time one of the Republican members tried to present an idea for a vote the Democratic chair would cut them off and say "It isn't going to pass, do you still want to vote?"

And I'd be just as angry if the roles were reversed. How dare anyone assume to know how the other committee members will vote. Unless, of course, we've sunk so low that we will only vote along party lines with absolutely no consideration whatsoever of the actual ideas on the table.

Horrible!

These men and women are elected to do a job, which entails actually working, and they are doing no more than playing politics.

So, back to my original question.

What would I do differently if I could revamp the system?

Two words:

TERM LIMITS!

There should be no such thing as a career politician. The members of Congress should be subject to term limits same as the President and a lot of elected officials on lower levels.

Maybe then they'd spend their time in office truly serving their constituents. They wouldn't have time to try and broker deals and so on. They wouldn't be spending their time campaigning for the next term since they would only have a limited time to be there.

Maybe they would do some good.

Especially if they realized that all the policies they were trying to implement would affect them also. They would no longer be protected from the health care system they want to force on the rest of us. They'd actually have to participate in Social Security so maybe they'd pay more attention to making it work and ensuring its longevity. They might change some of the IRA and 401(k) rules if they knew they weren't going to draw their salaries until their deaths at taxpayer expense.

Maybe they would actually do some good, for a change.

Which brings me to my second idea: SECRET BALLOTS

I know that we, the people, should have the right to know how our representatives vote on issues. And that access should be retained. But some of these folks might actually vote their conscience instead of the established party line if everyone else in the room wasn't staring at them.

I know they should do that anyway, but they don't. I've watched both sides just ignore perfectly good topics of discussion for no reason other than it wasn't their party who brought it up.

Pathetic, really.

I know, I live in a fantasy world.

But at least in my world there is order.

My Rock

The greatest gift I have ever received arrived 45 years ago today.

Of course, I didn't get to see this gift until almost 23 years had passed.

Today's Thoughts will be brief.

Billy really doesn't like any attention.

But his birthday is today and I just want to wish him a wonderful day.

I take great pleasure in every minute we spend together and I delight in proving him wrong about one thing. Before we were married he was convinced he would never live to see 30. Some of his lifestyle choices at the time might have actually made that a reality. But I woke him up on his 30th birthday and said "See! You made it!"

He is the reason I get out of bed every day. Just to see what that day will hold for us.

So, congratulations Honey on making it another year. I've got a lot of things planned for you before your next birthday so you'd better rest up while you have the chance.

I love you with all my heart.

Love you more than Life.

Have a wonderful day!

Boys of Summer, Snowed Out

I just couldn't believe last weekend when the baseball game in Denver was postponed on account of snow.

Snow.

There just seems to be something wrong with that picture.

Baseball is supposed to be a summer sport. Summer to me is that time frame between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Then its done.

Simple.

I like baseball, sorta. I really used to love baseball. When Billy and I lived in Kansas City we would often take off work early and go catch a Royals game. Sometimes even a double header. So relaxing and fun and kind of peaceful.

A very nice afternoon.

But after a few players' strikes I put them on "The List".

You see I keep a mental list of things that I think are out of line - actors who get political for example - and then I stop supporting them.

I won't watch movies or television shows if one of the actors has made me mad with their views. (Yes, they are entitled to an opinion but they use their celebrity inappropriately to influence). I won't be flying Delta Airlines after this next trip because they charge for ANY checked bag. (It was Royal Dutch KLM when we bought the tickets but they merged with Delta. And how can you not check at least one bag? Toothpaste won't go through security!)

And I quit giving my hard earned dollars to a bunch of grown men playing a game for a living and having the nerve to complain about it.

Harsh? Maybe. But that's how I feel.

So when I saw the postponed game my first thought was that they shouldn't be playing this late in the year anyway.

Of course if they play longer than they get slightly closer to earning some of those millions they demand. Earning a million over 8 months is somehow marginally more palatable than earning a million over only 4 months.

Maybe there is an upside to the season.....

Is It Just Me?

I don't know about you, but I am so tired of hearing about the Gosselins I could just scream.

And I want to scoop up all 8 children and give them a hug.

Reality TV, not that it truly is reality, is one of my pet peeves. I cannot stand it. I realize that, unlike sitcoms, the night's situation doesn't necessarily get resolved and tied up in a nice neat little bow at the end of the show but really, is there anything even remotely "real" about television crews filming your every move?

And besides the fact that there is an inordinate number of children, how is their life any different from the rest of the world?

I guess that is why I don't see the appeal in these shows. Life goes on all around me. I don't need to watch anyone else's.

Both parents are behaving badly, in my opinion, and so far the only thing I've agreed with was when Jon said the children need to come off the show.

Like he was.

I say pull the plug.

Just a Reminder to Say Thanks

My cousin put together this video as a tribute to the outgoing commander of the Corp of Engineers in Afghanistan (in 2007). The video is from photos he took while serving there. I even see him in one!

It shows some really good stuff that we're doing over there. I also see a lot of happy soldiers and people making the best of a situation. With Veteran's Day coming up I think it is important to remember all who serve, in any capacity, living or deceased, and their families who give them up for a time for the rest of us. I have been extremely proud of all the family members, on both sides on my family, who have served - and there are many. I hope you enjoy the video.

I find this one in particular very special because of the location. While I am miles and miles away from what anyone would classify as a feminist, I do believe very strongly in the rights of women and the Afghan culture, prior to us helping them see the light, was not particularly strong on women's equality. The book "A Thousand Splendid Suns" shed a bright light on what I consider to be the problems with the Taliban leadership.

So, for us to be over there helping to build schools and infrastructure and support a government that recognizes that women are more than a man's possession is a wonderful thing in my eyes. Yes, I know we can't force someone to believe as we do, but we can absolutely support those who are trying.



P.S. He says it looks better when viewed at half screen or smaller.