Sunday, March 16, 2008

Excellent Article I Received via Email Entitled: "YOU AIN'T GONNA LIKE LOSING"

'You Ain't Gonna Like Losing!'
Author unknown

President Bush did make a bad mistake in the war on terrorism. But the mistake was not his decision to go to war in Iraq. Bush's mistake came in his belief that this country is the same one his father fought for in WWII. It is not.

Back then, they had just come out of a vicious depression. The country was steeled by the hardship of that depression, but they still believed fervently in this country. They knew that the people had elected their leaders, so it was the people's duty to back those leaders.

Therefore, when the war broke out the people came together, rallied behind, and stuck with their leaders, whether they had voted for them or not or whether the war was going badly or not.

And war was just as distasteful and the anguish just as great then as it is today. Often there were more casualties in one day in WWII than we have had in the entire Iraq war. But that did not matter The people stuck with the President because it was their patriotic duty Americans put aside their differences in WWII and worked together to win that war.

Everyone from every strata of society, from young to old pitched in. Small children pulled little wagons around to gather scrap metal for the war effort. Grade school students saved their pennies to buy stamps for war bonds to help the effort.

Men who were too old or medically 4F lied about their age or condition trying their best to join the military. Women doubled their work to keep things going at home. Harsh rationing of everything from gasoline to soap, to butter was imposed, yet there was very little complaining.

You never heard prominent people on the radio belittling the President. Interestingly enough in those days there were no fat cat actors and entertainers who ran off to visit and fawn over dictators of hostile countries and complain to them about our President. Instead, they made upbeat films and entertained our troops to help the troops' morale. And a bunch even enlisted.

And imagine this: Teachers in schools actually started the day off with a Pledge of Allegiance, and with prayers for our country and our troops!

Back then, no newspaper would have dared point out certain weak spots in our cities where bombs could be set off to cause the maximum damage. No newspaper would have dared complain about what we were doing to catch spies.

A newspaper would have been laughed out of existence if it had complained that German or Japanese soldiers were being 'tortured' by being forced to wear women's underwear, or subjected to interrogation by a woman, or being scared by a dog or did not have air conditioning.

There were a lot of things different back then. We were not subjected to a constant bombardment of pornography, perversion and promiscuity in movies or on radio. We did not have legions of crack heads, dope pushers and armed gangs roaming our streets.

No, President Bush did not make a mistake in his handling of terrorism. He made the mistake of believing that we still had the courage and fortitude of our fathers. He believed that this was still the country that our fathers fought so dearly to preserve.

It is not the same country. It is now a cross between Sodom and Gomorrah and the land of Oz. We did unite for a short while after 9/11, but our attitude changed when we found out that defending our country would require some sacrifices.

We are in great danger. The terrorists are fanatic Muslims. They believe that it is okay, even their duty to kill anyone who will not convert to Islam. It has been estimated that about one third or over three hundred million Muslims are sympathetic to the terrorists cause...Hitler and Tojo combined did not have nearly that many potential recruits.

So...we either win it - or lose it - and you ain't gonna like losing.

America is not at war.
The military is at war.
America is at the mall.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Goldie is celebrating birthday #92!

Amy married into a wonderful family. We enjoy a sweet friendship with Brian's parents (Jim and Carol)and his Grandma (Goldie). Goldie will celebrate her 92nd birthday on Saturday, March 15. Nine-two years. Unbelievable. I can't help but think of my own dear dad when I am with Goldie for he was born the same year as her (1916) but died as a young 70-year-old. Goldie has been a faithful Christian for many years. She enjoys telling stories of growing up, marrying her dear Norman, and raising her two children (one of which is my son-in-law's mother!). One of these days, Goldie will "fly away" to her heavenly home, but for now she is abiding and continues to love the Lord, pray for her family and friends, and encourage the rest of us to keep on keeping on.

Today, I was privileged to have a day-early birthday lunch with Goldie. I captured her telling a bit about her self. Happy Birthday, Goldie!!



Thursday, March 13, 2008

Jaden's Day of Fun and Play!

I had Jaden on Wednesday for the first time in a week. It was a beautiful day. I was feeling much better after feeling so puny for so long, Jaden was feeling good, it was a gorgeous day weather-wise. We were "good to go!"

We did our "piddling" around until about 9:00. Grandma on her computer; Jaden playing with his toys here beside me. When it warmed up enough to go outside, we had a blast. Jaden loves to get the stones out of their palm-tree flower bed and throw them. He is a typical rock-throwing kind of kid. I don't mind him picking them up and tossing them back into the flower bed. He likes to try to hit the tree and has a good aim. We had fun outside.



We both needed haircuts, so I had asked Amy's permission to get his shaped up while I got my hair cut. She said that would be great. So, we headed off to the barber shop (yep, I get my cut by a real nice lady in our neighborhood barber shop!) and got our haircuts. From there, we went to our neighborhood McDonald's for lunch. We enjoyed our eats, the warm sunshine, and Jaden got lots and lots of exercise. There was a cute little girl out there. Her mom said her name was Isabella and she was about 2 years old. For some ODD reason, Jaden didn't want to have anything to do with her. He whispered to me that he didn't like her. I asked him to just be nice. He was. In a little bit, that lady and her child left. Jaden finished his playtime and we came home.

Bathtime. Jaden loves to take a bath. He got in the tub and I stepped out into the hall to get a towel. I heard him laughing like an idiot. I peeked around the corner and he was using his bathtub cup to THROW water into his face and then would laugh like crazy. I grabbed my camera and got a bit of video of him doing that:


After his "crazy" bath, he was ready to read his bed-time books and snuggle down for his nice afternoon nap. What a fun day with Jaden. I thank God for the innocence of little children.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Last Summer's "D" Family Reunion

I made this movie last June before I started my blog in July. I ran across this video this morning in my files and thought I would post it. It was with my old camera and therefore doesn't have any audio. :( We had such a fun day at Bill's and Darlene's house last year. All of their family was there: Bill, Darlene, Leslie and her Rob, and Micah. Diane's family was there except for her husband Mike who had to work: Diane, Rebecca, a very-pregnant Melinda and her Rob, and Joanna. Richard and I were the only ones from our branch as Chip was unable to come from Indiana and Brian, Amy, Jarrett, Isabella, Josh and Jaden were on vacation at the time as I recall. None of Larry's family was there so we greatly missed Larry, Genell, Yvonne, Tim, and Emily, Chris, Bonnie, Alex and Alyson, Kim, Tim, Jake and Colton, and Krystle. Whew!! I hope I didn't leave anyone out!!

This summer's reunion will be held on Saturday, July 12, and hosted by Richard and me as well as by Brian and Amy . We look forward to having our "D" family here for a day or for the weekend. We will house as many of them who would want to stay with us or there are lots of nice motels right here in our area.

Okay.... here is the video from last year with an invitation to everyone to plan to come here on July 12 for our 2008 "D" Family Summer Reunion. I'll "ID" for the visitors to the blog: Melinda in the rocking chair, Rob and Leslie on the couch, Richard in a chair, Bill in the recliner. Rebecca and Melinda at the table. Diane walks in to stand beside Bill. Melinda's Rob in the doorway, Darlene , Susan, Diane and her girls, and then another pan around the room. There's nothing like family!!! DISCLAIMER: I had to use youtube instead of my much-preferred GODTUBE because youtube can accommodate a longer video. I don't like it that all of the junkie vidoes are posted at the bottom of my video on my site and apologize for that. I have no notion what is on them. Beware!!

Josh in Third Grade Program Last Night

Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature...

Is it neat to think of Jesus as a boy who grew from a tiny newborn baby into a child. I think of how much our grandson Josh has grown since his adoption from Ukraine when he was 26 months old. The years have flown by, and Josh will celebrate his 9th birthday next month. He is truly an All-American kid who is thriving, growing, and learning.

It was a joy to attend Josh's 3rd Grade spring program last night. It was three of the several 3rd grade classes at the Academy who participated in this program. Of course, WE thought our GRANDson was the biggest and brightest star of them all. :) They did a lot of things as an entire group. Here is a picture of Josh in the group. I wasn't close enough to get a good picture so have circled Josh for better identification (you can double-click on the pic to enlarge it):



The program showcased contests where the three classes participated in spelling, math, and other drills. Josh participated in the spelling contest and did well. He also was part of a group which recited a poem about our American flag. I will close by saying that we were very proud of of Josh and what he has learned in 3rd grade. Here is the video of Josh saying the poem. I got a kick out of watching him exit the stage to return to the waiting area for his next appearance. Josh always has something to say! He is the in the striped shirt second from the right.


Monday, March 10, 2008

From Puny to Almost Sick!

I stayed pretty puny all weekend with the sore throat, ear-ache, and cough. I didn't go to church because of the cough AND being quite laid-out from the codeine cough syrup. YIPPEE.... that stuff makes you so that you don't care that you are coughing. I highly recommend it!!

My ear oozed all weekend so first thing this morning, I called my doctor's office and he saw me at 11:45. It turns out that I have an ear infection, throat infection, and sinus infection. I guess I really was on the verge of being sick!! I never developed a fever but had I seen a rise in my temp, I would have been certified sick for sure.

With the Z-Pack, Suspension Ear drops, Mucinex, and the Codeine Cough Medicine~~~ I figure I will be feeling much better real soon. I surely do thank God for doctors and for medicines in these times when we are sick.... or even just puny.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

"Puny"

I've been puny this week. Not sick for I haven't had a fever. In my book, having a fever is a prerequisite for my being truly sick. I've just been puny.

I had a busy day on Monday. I got out real early to go to Wal-Mart. Got that shopping done and came home to put those things away. I left again to go shopping in the other direction of town~~ still needing some items for our Alaskan trip. I shopped until the last minute and then picked up Josh and Jaden from school at 3:00. We went out to the track field and watched Jarrett and Belle run a bit and then came on home to fix supper for the family. I remember that I was unusually "snappy" at the dinner table with my husband, daughter, son-in-law, and the four GRANDkids. (Well, hopefully I didn't snap at Amy nor any of the GRANDkids, but I do remember snapping at both Brian and Richard. In fact, we had dinner at Amy's on Tuesday night, and the Lord prompted me to apologize to the family for my being grouchy the evening before.) But back to my feeling puny....

On Tuesday, I woke up with a sore throat and had developed a bad cough. I was scheduled to go to a "First Tuesday" ladies brunch. I so badly wanted to go but didn't want to go and spread what might be an illness so called Gail (this month's hostess) and let her know I wouldn't be able to attend. I laid low all day. Thankfully, I was reading a wonderful Historical Christian Fiction novel which was set in Alaska back the late 1800's during the gold rush, and it kept me royally entertained all day. On Tuesday, my voice became very raspy.

On Wednesday, I was still coughing and battling the sore throat. I didn't have a sniffle, didn't have a runny nose ~~ and certainly didn't have a fever. Just that incessant cough which brought on a headache and kept my throat sore. Since I didn't have a fever and figured it wasn't anything I could spread, I asked Brian and Amy if I could keep Jaden on Wednesday. He came and we had a wonderful day. I told him that Grandma wasn't feeling her best and that I needed for him to be a real good boy. He was so sweet and was a good boy. We don't often miss church; but when Richard came in from work, I told him that I just didn't feel like getting dressed and certainly didn't want to disrupt the service with my constant cough so we stayed home on Wednesday night. Amy and Brian picked up Jaden so they could grab a bite of dinner and head off to church.

On Thursday morning, I felt better! Yea! I was turning the corner on feeling so puny! I ginned around the house and did some things but stayed home. (I finished that novel!!) By Thursday evening, I was feeling bad again. I had a rough night and after the first coughing spell, I got up and went to the guest room to sleep as I knew my coughing had been keeping Richard awake all week. My dear hubby needed a good night's rest!!

I got up on Friday and felt quite miserable. But, it was Bible Study day at the Retirement Center and I really wanted to go, so I pushed myself. I took my cold and cough medicine and some Ibuprofen and then laid back down in my bed for an hour. I set a timer so that I would wake up on time to get up and get ready. When I woke up, my ears were feeling like there was some pressure in them so I thought I might as well go ahead and call my doctor and try to be seen on Friday afternoon ~~ before the weekend. I went to the Bible Study and then to lunch with the two ladies in our team of three. Richard and I were invited to a dinner party on Friday night and were to bring a salad so after lunch, I ran to Winn-Dixie to get what I needed for our salad. I got back home 30 minutes before doctor appointment time so spruced up and went to that appointment. Dr. V talked to me about my symptoms and then checked me over. He looked at my ears and my throat and said there was no infection in either. He said there was a lot of drainage in my throat so gave me a cough medicine with codeine and told me to keep on taking the Coricidin for the cold and cough as well. Easy fix. Thank You, Lord!!

I returned home, Richard got home, and in a bit we headed out for the dinner party. Actually, on the way out there, my right ear began to hurt. It felt like there was a stick poking in it. It hurt all evening and I wasn't hearing very well out of that ear, but we had a wonderful time and stayed at the party until it broke up at nearly 10 p.m. We got home and I dosed up with the Rx cough medicine and and my OTC cold medicine and went to bed. My right ear was really hurting and I tried to lay it on the warm waterbed mattress but that didn't seem to help. I woke up in the night with that ear making the wildest sounds. It was popping and making all kinds of whizzing noises. It sounded like a 4th of July fireworks show going off in my ear. I so badly wanted to rouse up Richard to see if he could hear what was going on in my ear, but decided that he needed the good deep sleep he was getting. In a few minutes, I remember thinking that my ear wasn't hurting as bad after the "show." Later in the night I was coughing terribly so got up and took my Rx, my cold pill, and 2 Ibuprofen. That was at 3:30 a.m. Sometime later, I woke up and thought my ear felt like it was draining. I rolled over and went right back to sleep, thanks to the Codeine.

When I woke up on this Saturday morning, the area right under my ear felt very tender to the touch and felt "gushy." Richard came in to check on me and got me a tissue. When I held it to my ear, all sorts of gunk came out. It feels much better now! But, my throat is still sore and I am still coughing. I guess I'm still puny on this cold but beautiful late winter morning in Northwest Florida!! At least my Sweetie is here to keep me company!!

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Josh Won a Contest In Trumpet Class Today...

Josh said his trumpet teacher conducted a contest in today's class. He wanted to see who could blow the "C" note for the longest time. Josh won and got a candy bar for his effort. He did it for us at dinner at Amy's and Brian's this evening. Josh has a real good embouchure and looks like a natural. I asked him to run over to my house so that I could make a movie of him blowing his "C" note, and here it is....

Belle "Running Fences" in Track Practice

As a 7th grader, granddaughter Isabella is on the track and field team this spring. She is working hard to participate and earn a spot to go to a track meet ~~ hopefully before the semester is over. Jarrett, our 8th grade grandson, is on the team this spring as well. They practice from 3-5 ever afternoon after school. Needless to say, Jarrett and Isabella are in great shape with all of the good athletic training and exercise they are getting. I made a video of Isabella running and will make one of Jarrett next time. Belle will be the pretty "shortie" in pink shorts.

Good News of a Baby on the Way!

Psalm 127:4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

It is always a joy when either of my sisters call or email with good news of things happening within their families. It is a blessing to rejoice with those sharing good news.


My sister, Nonie, called me yesterday from North Alabama to let me know that a granddaughter is on the way and will arrive this summer. Nonie's son and daughter-in-law have a precious little girl, Kayleigh. She will be three in November but will become a "big" sister in July. Won't that be sweet? As one of three girls, I know how close sisters are. Maybe "next time" will bring forth a son for I know that avid fisherman/hunter daddy would enjoy those past-times with a son. Anyway, I am thrilled for Nonie that she will soon welcome her 4th grandchild into this world. This is interesting: Nonie's daughter has 2 sons and soon Nonie's son will have 2 daughters. How about that!! God is good!