Sign of the Times

I was texting with some family members at lunch today.  We were expecting them from NY, through the snow storm.  "WRU?" and such.

Boo looked over at me and signed "I love you."

And I returned the sign.

Boo said, "Look, mom, I'm texting with my hand!"

To My Non-Christian Readers

This is one of Christianity's "high holy days."  I hope that you will look beyond the dilution and silliness and petty fighting and garbage that goes along with this season.  And forgive us.

Can you see the beauty of Buddhism and Islam and Judaism?  I hope you can see the beauty of Christianity: the earthly birth of Christendom's god.  A young man and a young woman being obedient and submissive to their God.  Our King of Kings being born in humility, in a dirty, smelly stable.  Blood.  Pain.  Followers of every kind - kings and herders.  Foreshadowing His death.

I wish for unity in diversity.  I wish to set aside our differences and love each other for the human beings that we all are.  No, not agree, but appreciate.

I hope for all of you, that Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control descend on you.

My Love to you all.

~O~

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast."

- Ephesians 2:8-9

What I Thought

Disagreeing with someone doesn't mean you hate them, right?  You can think of many people, many issues with which you disagree and hate is not a factor, right?  Right?

I don't need to give examples, right?

Ok, so there are people that I really, really dislike because of their views.  You know, that I disagree with.  But it's because I DISRESPECT them.  Like a local-yokel Communications major trying to run for president.  Of the United States.  Or that Big Fat Liar dude.  And that Glenny-come-lately.

These days, I hear proponents of homosexual marriage banty about the the terms "bigot" and "hate," when speaking of those of us who disagree with them.  The public stance is, "if you disagree with us, you hate us and you're a bigot."

Gosh, I didn't know I hated homosexuals.  I didn't know I was a bigot.  Sure I harbor prejudices like everyone.  But I am one to look deep into myself and really try to cleanse myself.

I thought I saw all people as being made in the image of God.  I thought I tried to respect people for all they are, not just a part.  I thought I vehemently disagreed with those who single out homosexuals as being worse sinners or perverts or blah blah.  I thought that I believed we were all sinners and that I am saved only by the Grace of God and not of my own doing.

That's what I thought I thought.

Not Too Hot

HH isn't feeling too hot.
Oma isn't either.

Boo made his daddy a cup of hot tea.
His daddy made him and his oma breakfast.


Me?  I'm sittin' on my a$$ blogging about it.

Gulag

North Korea, smaller than the size of the state of Mississippi, has the most political prisoners in the WORLD.  The genocide in Darfur, so tragic, has something like 400,000 victims.  Scholars guess that in the 90's in North Korea, 2 to 3 million people died from starvation.

The peak of the famine was around 1996.

Fifteen years ago.  I wonder if my uncles would have been alive then, and if they, in their seventies, already stooped over from decades of poor nutrition, in their sunset years, couldn't move south to the sunshine, but instead, if they starved to death.  My dad's big brothers.  I wonder if they married and had children.  They might have been grandfathers.  I wonder if they saw their grandbabies die, their ribs stretched over by grey skin

while Kim Jong-Il was drinking Hennessy cognac, watching DVDs, talking to his sons in Europe.  Maybe being driven around in his Mercedes, surveying his kingdom of starving children foraging for bugs and twigs.

Human Bein'

All those moppets have equal value: whether bein' white, beige, tan, brown, athletic, handicapped, mute, blind, deaf, happy, sad, made in China or Macao.  I need know only this, that they are all made in the image of their Maker.

Once they start walkin' and talkin' - it's a different matter.  Born that way or made that way, they're walkin' and talkin' now.

I have the right and the responsibility to judge whether the walkin' and talkin' is acceptable, or not.  Acceptable.  (Loaded!)  We all do it.  Judge: Decide.  I see other moppets doin and talkin things I find unAcceptable.   They - obviously - think it is Acceptable.  I have the right and responsibility to differ.  But some of them moppets are startin to insist that I accept what they walkn and talkin.  Not very liberal of them.

According to them moppets, me a bigot bein'.