Sometimes I Write

This was taken while they were on their road trip in Texas. I told Benny I really liked the picture and he said with a laugh, “Me too, and I’m glad you like it, cause it cost like $20.00.” I hope he was kidding…lol

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I’ve calmed down a bit since lastnight, but I still feel just as passionately as I did then about what I said. I was surprised to travel to my friend Larry’s blog and read what he had to say about all of this. I really respect this man, but I had to disagree with some of what he said.

I wanted to have a good day with my family today so I didn’t even turn on the TV. Little did I know the adventure I was in for…

Our friends Mark and Katrina Willis are here in Denver for the House2House conference, so we got to meet them for lunch downtown. We rode the Free Ride bus that travels up and down the 16th Street Mall to meet them. Benny and I each had a stroller, so when we got to our stop we were struggling to get off the bus when the bus driver closed the doors and started to pull away. I had told Max that this was our stop, so he had hopped off the bus already to stay out of my way. As soon as the doors started closing I started yelling “STOP!!!” but the driver either didn’t hear me or was ignoring me. Benny didn’t know Max had already gotten off and was being left behind, so he was trying to get me to calm down and telling me that we’d just get off at the next stop. He must have seen the panic in my eyes as I screamed that Max was off the bus because he transformed into scary authority mode! He yelled at the driver loud enough that everyone on the bus (which was packed) went silent, and people on the streets stopped to watch. ( I knew it would be o.k. when he took over the yelling – he’s louder and scarier than I am. lol) We got about a half a block away before the driver stopped. My heart was pounding through my chest. Mark and Katrina were standing there when we jumped off the bus, and I just shoved Pete’s stroller at them and ran for Max. Thankfully, one of the couples that had been on the bus with us saw the whole thing and had gotten off the bus when Max did. The lady was holding his hand and was headed straight for me. I have never been so thankful for the kindness of a stranger!!! In today’s world, even that freaked me out a bit. As a mother, I was fearing the worst. Some wacko could have grabbed him and I wouldn’t have been able to do a thing because I was stuck on the bus! I had to physically calm myself down in less than 15 seconds because I didn’t want to scare Max to death. Did I mention that we were meeting Katrina for the first time? My husband is AWESOME! He makes me feel protected and safe. His loud voice was so comforting to me, though it probably scared the bus driver.

It took me about 15 minutes to be completely calm again, and now as I’m retelling the story I’m feeling a bit shaky. I am not one of those moms that overreacts to everything, but let me tell you – NOBODY messes with my kids!!! So, I guess I’m still calming down.

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I’ve avoided posting on my own blog for the past few days because I didn’t want to share my boiling emotions with the world. But enough is enough. I can’t hold it back anymore. I hate the freakin media. I watch very little TV – not for moral reasons – I just don’t have time.

So I didn’t know how bad the hurricane devastation was until I watched Good Morning America on Tuesday. Right in the middle of the show I remembered our friends, the Martins, lived in Ocean Springs, MS, just north of Biloxi. Before even thinking about it we grabbed the phone to call them. Ofcourse there is no power in the area and no cell service either. We shot off an email in the hopes they were o.k. and would check it from their place of safety. We have prayed and prayed for them and everyone else in the south as they deal with this disaster. We heard back from the Martin’s lastnight. They did evacuate in time and are staying with family members. Their house now has three feet of water in it. Steven was headed back today with his brother-in-law to survey the damage and see what is salvageable. At this point they are unsure if their house will be livable again. And they are the lucky ones. Praise God for their safety!

Here’s the anger part: MOST of the reports I’ve seen of the disaster are pointing fingers at president Bush and the government. If you’re a Bush hater you might want to click to another site now. I don’t know the whole story of the delays in relief arriving in LA & MS. I DON’T believe everything the media is feeding me. I understand that when you’re in the middle of a crisis you are desperate for help and getting it yesterday would be too late for you. I think that’s what is happening in New Orleans. A situation of this magnitude takes time to respond to even though there is no time to waste. The situation is dire, but would seeing the President of the U.S. sand bagging the levee himself, or pulling people off roofs make you feel better??? I shouldn’t be surprised, he’s been getting crap from everyone about everything else going on in the world. Let’s just blame him for causing the hurricane too while we’re at it! It has been reported over and over again that even the police weren’t safe from the violence and the looters – so let’s send our President there so we can see that he’s doing something. Good grief people!

My heart is so heavy with grief for Hardy Jackson and the rest of the people that lost, or are still missing their family members. That is awful!! I can’t imagine what it would be like to live in those conditions not knowing when or if life would ever get back to “normal”. I am doing my part by sending money and I hope you are too!

I just finished watching 20/20, a special hurricane report and it lit my fire all over again. Now there’s a cry that racism has had an effect on the relief being delayed. Give me a freakin break!!! Ofcourse it’s mostly black people who are in the greatest need. It’s no secret that New Orleans and in fact all of southern Louisiana are atleast 2/3 black Americans. It was the POOR, not the BLACKS that were forced to stay behind when everyone started evacuating. A lot of them either had no transportation, no money to travel, or no other place to go since several generations of family lived in the same area. Many chose to stay and wait out the storm, not taking the warnings seriously. One black woman said that her family had faced many hurricanes before and figured this one would be the same. A racism problem? I don’t think so. If disaster struck Arizona would we call it age discrimination if relief didn’t arrive to help the thousands of retirees that would be affected? I don’t think so. Why does the RACE card have to come into play? One female black senator was pissed because all of the people fleeing were being called refugees. She said, “They are NOT refugees, they’re American citizens and taxpayers!” Excuse me, but the dictionary at my house defines refugee as a person who flees invasion, oppression, or persecution – in this case -devastation. That’s not some nasty, derogatory label being slapped on these people! One citizen even said the media was being biased and only showing black looters!

Maybe I shouldn’t be as angry as I am. Desperate people say and do things they wouldn’t normally say and do. But where are the reports about the THOUSANDS of churches that are there helping, housing, feeding, and comforting these people??? Why is it the media is showing us pictures of dead people covered with sheets, but avoiding the large groups of people gathered around makeshift kitchens that have shown up to feed people? Why aren’t there more stories of hope and help? Why do we have to keep seeing the same footage of Hardy Jackson talking to the compassionate reporter?

Speaking of compassion – where is it for the thousands of children that die EVERY DAY from disease and starvation in Countries all over Africa. We have to hold summits, and relief concerts, and raise funds to help them while it’s too late for the little bloated stomached, bones protruding, crippled children. Where is the compassion for those that are homeless and hungry EVERY DAY on our AMERICAN streets? Too often people are judgmental about them saying and maybe even believing that they are all drug addicts and deserve their lot in life. There are BABIES AND CHILDREN sleeping on the streets of Denver tonight. Where is the compassion for children and elderly that are dying in hospitals around the country right now. They may be completely unaffected by the hurricane devastation, does that make them any less needy of our love and financial support?

I don’t want to hear one more person spout off about us sending “our young men and women” to fight someone else’s war in another country when they could be here aiding with the rescue operations. I don’t want to hear about racism. It is not just the black Americans coming to the aid of the hurricane victims. It is not just black Americans giving blood and sending $200 million dollars to the Red Cross, and opening up their homes to strangers. It is not Republicans or Democrats choosing who gets the immediate help and who is further back in the line. This is an opportunity for EVERYONE to chip in and help. This is an opportunity to UNITE for the common good of all victims. This will last for months – plan ahead. Why does there have to be someone to blame?

PLEASE JUST DO YOUR PART AND DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU SEE ON TV!!!

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I suppose this post will ruffle some feathers. It has been copied from my friend Jeff’s blog. I appreciate him sharing it. I welcome feedback, but please be respectful. I’ve read way too many overheated comments this week on other blogs. Here it is:

A Different Take on the War on Terror

Melanie Morgan, a radio talk show host on San Francisco’s KSFO, visited Iraq recently, conducting interviews and talking with the troops. The San Francisco Chronicle had promised to run her written account of the experience upon her return. The paper reneged (I suppose her article didn’t fit their agenda). Melanie’s take is quite different from what you hear day-to-day in the Mainstream Media. After reading this, it really angers me when I hear Cindy Sheehan say that the deaths of our brave soldiers over there are “meaningless.” Is she not spitting on her own son’s grave when she says that? Read the article here.

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We watched The Justice League Unlimited with Max lastnight. What a show! Good guys joining together to defeat the bad guys. (Isn’t that always the plot?) There was Wonder Woman, The Flash, Batman, Green Lantern, and many others. I’m a sucker for a good story about good vs. evil whether it’s in animation or not. One of the characters asked, “What are you supposed to do when you have the weight of the world on your shoulders?”, and another one said, “Plant your feet!” That’s good stuff.

I know I could take this and make a spiritual lesson about how we don’t have to plant our feet because we have a God to cast our burdens upon, but I’m not going to. I think sometimes you just have to see things for their face value. These heroes were saving the world. They were concerned what it would mean for evil to triumph. Life as they knew it would be doomed, not just for them, but for their loved ones and even those who were indifferent to their help. They “planted their feet” because SOMEONE had to. They risked themselves (as they do in every episode) to save others. THAT is true heroism. Do you know any heroes? I know I do! 🙂

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