I tried to stay away from politics and world events as long as I could. Honestly, I don’t know where to begin. I could start with the day-to-day eroding of the private sector by an administration that is clearly bent on destroying American prosperity. Or how about the embarrassing gaffes committed by BO and his lovely wife in England during the G20 summit? As if touching the Queen uninvited wasn’t bad enough, BO had to go and bow to a Saudi prince - something no American president has done, ever. Did you catch BO’s offhand remark about trying to stay awake in meetings with world leaders who were so alike he “couldn’t tell the difference” between them? BO apologized to the world for America’s behavior then he threw away our sovereignty to win the favor of similarly-minded Marxist world leaders. And while BO’s propaganda machine had us distracted by the buffoonery going on over seas, congress passed a budget with so many dollar signs and zeros I can’t keep them all straight.
I don’t even… I can’t… It’s just… The emotions come so fast they are hard to sort out. Every day in every way I am amazed at the speed with which prophesy is played out before my very eyes. I am profoundly awed by the systematic decay of our culture and the media’s duplicity in promoting that decay. I am dumb-struck by a population which chooses to blindly dismiss warnings of dire consequences for the future. I’m angered over the arrogance with which world leaders worm their way into our private lives.
The United States has a long history of generously helping countries struck by war and disaster. Over the decades we have paid dearly to help less fortunate countries. We have paid with the blood of our beloved sons and fathers. Even in our debt, America is the first to arrive with aid when disaster hits and the last to leave. We are the most prosperous, generous country on earth.
So you can understand why I am aghast every time BO forgets what country he was elected to lead and trashes America before the world. I am infuriated with the flippant way he treats his position. He is seemingly oblivious to the enormous privilege attached to the title ‘President of the United States’. I don’t think my thesaurus has enough adjectives to adequately describe my feelings.
Right about now you are probably wondering if I am capable of seeing the beauty in this world. Of course I am! I know the creator. Everything God made in this world is good. I remind myself that everything happening right now is known to Him and is part of his sovereign plan. How can I not marvel at a wonderful God who gave his Son for us? Oh yes, there is good in this world – as long as the church remains. And while we are still here, I will continue to write about BO as I see fit. Oh! And I will pray for him too. God still works miracles.
4/2/09
Year of Eating Dangerously
As you know, I am on a quest to improve my health and self esteem through diet and exercise. The exercise part is going pretty well because I actually enjoy moving around, especially outdoors. Eating right is tougher for me. I have found there are eating “seasons” which derail my best laid diet plans. I divide the year into seasons based on what kinds of sweets are available.
The first season of the year is the Valentine candy season. Now, I’m also cheap so I usually wait until the day after the holiday when all the candy is 50 percent off. That way, I reason, I can get twice as much for the same price. A good deal, right? The fun part about buying Valentine candy is getting the really enormous heart-shaped box of chocolates. The not so fun part is downing the entire box in a frenzied attempt to destroy the evidence. (Good thing I don’t do that very often.)
Right after that comes Girl Scout cookie season. Curse those diabolical minions of fund raising! If I happen to be lucky enough to escape their door-to-door pitch, they entrap me at the grocery store entrance. “Hi! Would you like to buy a box of Girl Scout cookies?” Who can resist their chirping little voices and their chipper little attitudes? They put the Thin Mints up front on purpose. Like a magnet the box pulls me in a sweeping arc from the grocery store door right up to their little table. I know I shouldn’t blame the little darlings for my own lack of will power. But couldn’t they sell something less detrimental to our health? Like pencils?
The next season is Easter candy season. I love marshmallow Peeps. I am a bit of a Peep snob. To me, a REAL Peep is yellow and bird-shaped. They should not be allowed at any other time of year. And the only other color they should come in is pink. I refuse to eat pumpkin Peeps or Christmas tree Peeps or purple Peeps or any other type of Peep. The original is best. Again, I wait for the candy sale. Last year I found a store selling a box of four for 10 cents. Peep season is right around the corner. (Just say no. Just say no.)
Summertime offers no reprieve from the sweet season diet destroyer. My birthday is in the summer so every year I insist on an ice cream cake. It must have lots of flowers on it in the kind of icing that stains your teeth blue, or purple, or whatever color the flowers are. The saving grace about ice cream cakes is they are usually expensive so we get a small one.
Autumn brings Halloween. While I don’t usually participate in this so-called holiday (my husband’s birthday is on Halloween) I do participate in the after Halloween candy sale. I’m not the only one on a feeding frenzy during this time either. Plenty of other women my age (why is it always women?) are gathered around that display at the grocery store. My favorite sweet is Autumn Mix. I love those little candy pumpkins. I eat them the same way every time – bit off the green stem first then finish off the rest. As with Peeps I’m loyal to one specific brand of this candy.
Christmas brings cookies of every kind which are appropriate to eat only during this time of year. The one cookie no one makes any more are the press cookies, I think they are called “Spritz” cookies. My mom made these a lot and I just loved them. Just about any Christmas cookie is great except for the uninspired varieties like chocolate chip or brownies. Why bother with a cookie you can have any time of year?
There you have my year of eating seasons. I should call it my “year of eating dangerously.” Somehow “year of eating fruits, vegetables, and lean protein” doesn’t appeal to my sense of adventure.
The first season of the year is the Valentine candy season. Now, I’m also cheap so I usually wait until the day after the holiday when all the candy is 50 percent off. That way, I reason, I can get twice as much for the same price. A good deal, right? The fun part about buying Valentine candy is getting the really enormous heart-shaped box of chocolates. The not so fun part is downing the entire box in a frenzied attempt to destroy the evidence. (Good thing I don’t do that very often.)
Right after that comes Girl Scout cookie season. Curse those diabolical minions of fund raising! If I happen to be lucky enough to escape their door-to-door pitch, they entrap me at the grocery store entrance. “Hi! Would you like to buy a box of Girl Scout cookies?” Who can resist their chirping little voices and their chipper little attitudes? They put the Thin Mints up front on purpose. Like a magnet the box pulls me in a sweeping arc from the grocery store door right up to their little table. I know I shouldn’t blame the little darlings for my own lack of will power. But couldn’t they sell something less detrimental to our health? Like pencils?
The next season is Easter candy season. I love marshmallow Peeps. I am a bit of a Peep snob. To me, a REAL Peep is yellow and bird-shaped. They should not be allowed at any other time of year. And the only other color they should come in is pink. I refuse to eat pumpkin Peeps or Christmas tree Peeps or purple Peeps or any other type of Peep. The original is best. Again, I wait for the candy sale. Last year I found a store selling a box of four for 10 cents. Peep season is right around the corner. (Just say no. Just say no.)
Summertime offers no reprieve from the sweet season diet destroyer. My birthday is in the summer so every year I insist on an ice cream cake. It must have lots of flowers on it in the kind of icing that stains your teeth blue, or purple, or whatever color the flowers are. The saving grace about ice cream cakes is they are usually expensive so we get a small one.
Autumn brings Halloween. While I don’t usually participate in this so-called holiday (my husband’s birthday is on Halloween) I do participate in the after Halloween candy sale. I’m not the only one on a feeding frenzy during this time either. Plenty of other women my age (why is it always women?) are gathered around that display at the grocery store. My favorite sweet is Autumn Mix. I love those little candy pumpkins. I eat them the same way every time – bit off the green stem first then finish off the rest. As with Peeps I’m loyal to one specific brand of this candy.
Christmas brings cookies of every kind which are appropriate to eat only during this time of year. The one cookie no one makes any more are the press cookies, I think they are called “Spritz” cookies. My mom made these a lot and I just loved them. Just about any Christmas cookie is great except for the uninspired varieties like chocolate chip or brownies. Why bother with a cookie you can have any time of year?
There you have my year of eating seasons. I should call it my “year of eating dangerously.” Somehow “year of eating fruits, vegetables, and lean protein” doesn’t appeal to my sense of adventure.
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