Memorial Day & Freedom

As the son, nephew and friend of veterans, i am blessed to never have lost one in combat service. I lift prayers for those who have... But today, we salute sacrifices made on behalf of others by military service members. But let's not confuse peace and security with freedom. peace and security are all that are ever achieved through military actions. my freedom is achieved first and foremost in a made up mind that Abba YHWH is my all in all. no matter our physical limitations, our freedom is not synonymous with an ability to wage war against an antagonist who prefers our submission to their "authority". i am imbued with inalienable rights that NO earthly "authority" can subjugate nor oppress. so please be mindful to know that if your peace and security through military means are synonymous with your freedom, then your freedom has already been given away... #thinkaboutit ~Shalom Aleichem

Letter from school...

Dear Dad

Letter home from school...

Dear Dad,

$chool i$ really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying very hard. With all my $tuff, I $imply can't think of anything I need, $o if you would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would love to hear from you.

Love,
Your $on.


A week later..... a letter from "home"

Dear Son,

I kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmics, and oceaNOgraphy are eNOugh to keep even an hoNOr student busy. Do NOt forget that the pursuit of kNOwledge is a NOble task, and you can never study eNOugh.

Love,
Dad

enterprising wife, business-challenged husband...

On their wedding night, the young bride approached her new husband and asked for $20.00 for their first lovemaking encounter. In his highly aroused state, her husband readily agreed.

This scenario was repeated each time they made love, for more than 40 years, with him thinking that it was a cute way for her to afford new clothes and other incidentals that she needed.

Arriving home around noon one day, she was surprised to find her husband in a very drunken state.

During the next few minutes, he explained that his employer was going through a process of corporate downsizing, and he had been let go.

It was unlikely that, at the age of 59, he'd be able to find another position that paid anywhere near what he’d been earning, and therefore, they were financially ruined.

Calmly, his wife handed him a bank book which showed more than forty years of steady deposits and interest totaling nearly $1 million. Then she showed him certificates of deposits issued by the bank which were worth over $2 million, and informed him that they were one of the largest depositors in the bank.

She explained that for more than three decades she had 'charged' him for sex, these holdings had multiplied and these were the results of her savings and investments.

Faced with evidence of cash and investments worth over $3 million, her husband was so astounded he could barely speak, but finally he found his voice and blurted out,

'If I'd had any idea what you were doing, I would have given you all my business!'

That's when she shot him!

You know, sometimes, men just don't know when to keep their mouths shut! :>)

the education "choice" in sc

my thoughts... providing a choice through vouchers in primary educational levels will only benefit the ENTIRE state when EVERY SINGLE CHILD will be able to exercise his or her choice without encumbrances. unless the private schools who accept the vouchers will be willing to accept any and all who apply. but we all know that the "choices" will continue to be limited to the “best and the brightest” being accepted at the private institutions, which is currently left to and will continue to be left to the discretion of school administration. in too many counties like fairfield, jasper, lee, allendale, etc where there is only one consolidated school system, choices are going to limited by the simple math because there is usually only one private school in the county as well. until at least the hindrances of true choice for EVERY SINGLE STUDENT are addressed, the "choice" choice is not yet a viable choice; it won’t even be a lesser evil than what we already have. there are viable alternatives and ways to mesh the best of various ideas to really do what is best for our children. but as adults have proven over and over again in this state, they handle education much like they handle their flabby bellies; they lie to themselves while looking in the mirror at the evidence that shows that hard work must be done before any progress is going to be made.

yeah yeah yeah, i know; i didn't provide the proper captilization and meticulous display of thought, but you get the point...

y r we here?

...to serve a purpose that is far and away bigger than us. a purpose so divine that our fallen state cannot comprehend the fullness of its scope, and makes us dependent on the Most High and Creator of heaven, earth, and all that dwells therein to guide each and every step that we take to fulfill that purpose whether we agree or willingly participate in it or not.

i choose agreement to willingly participate...

words...

i learned some years back how important the words that we speak really are. i don't call my children or any children "kids" because our words attribute the characteristics of young goats to our (human) offspring. i learned also that the word challenge(s) is a much better use of vocabulary than problem(s). i understand the difference between challenge(s) and problem(s) is the difference between a pause or stopping point in our progress. the connotation of one versus the other is the mental ascent that we give either, depending on our understanding or viewpoint. i thank the late Pastor Dr. Cynthia DeBerry-Freeman for the lesson.

i am learning to speak the words that will always inspire positive outcomes as opposed to the words that will create a negative atmosphere. the Bible is clear in several instances where it inspires positive outcomes such as "called those things that be not, as though they were", "death and life are in the power of the tongue", and "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; choose life, that you and your seed will live".

i am encouraged no matter the challenge(s) i face to speak of them only as challenge(s) because they are only a temporary distraction to the purpose and destination that is set before me. if my choice of words and the diligence i take with them are a pain, a problem or a hinderance, please extend to me the grace that i have already extended to you in love...

civility

i just read a tweet from the whirling dervish known as anton j. gunn where he notes that civility reigns in the townhall meetings regarding health care reform in south carolina. we have seen the uncivil and relentless bluster of people, certain people i might add, that primarily oppose the legislation simply because it is an initiative of President Obama. i won't get into the merits, loopholes or pitfalls of this legislation because i simply want to address anton's comment.

so here it goes...

i believe we in south carolina are witnessing less contention than some other areas of the country simply because the people in these meetings in south carolina realize that being blustery here just might set off a series of events that will real ugly, real fast. my response in responding to anton's tweet was this:

"when numbers are balanced, people maintain decorum that will surprise you; but a perception of safety in numbers bloats egos..."

my meaning to all this is simple but longer than the 140 characters on twitter: when the room is balanced with people of different cultures, races, etc., only the TRULY ignorant will proceed to behave as we have seen lately in the news. most behavior does remain civil because the equality of the room causes one to assess the ramifications of one's actions more carefully. but when people get a sense of being a part of the dominant group, their ego bloats and fills their psyche with feelings of "i can say and act however i want because i know all these peeps got my back".

but we know that south carolina has a better balance of people than some of the communities that have held raucous townhall meetings. besides, anton j. gunn is a 6'3", 270lb black man and a former starting D-1 offensive lineman. there are not a lot of people who are going to initiate a shouting match with him... LOL