Playing Nice In The Wednesday Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post then leave a comment for the blogger linking before you. Or all the bloggers linking here today.  Let's go-

1. What's one part of your everyday routine you'd be better off without? 

Facebook. It used to be a much looked forward to part of my everyday routine, but other than linking my blog and sending birthday greetings I am rarely there these days. I won't yammer on about why because surely everyone can agree it's not the congenial little corner of the Internet it once was. 

2. October 5th is/was National Do Something Nice Day. So what did you/will you do? 

I baked peanut butter cookies. Does that count? Hubs would say yes. He brought his mom over from Tennessee yesterday (Monday) and what should have been a 3-hour drive took them five. Ugh! Peanut butter cookies fresh from the oven made his day. 

3. What question do you hate to answer? 

These days pretty much anything relating to politics. So much hate and judgement out there. 

4. Do we have control over technology or does it have control over us. In that same vein, have you watched The Social Dilemma (available on Netflix) and if so what did you think? 

Y'all.  If you have not watched this documentary you need to, particularly if you're a parent. Prior to watching it I might have answered this question differently, but since I have seen the program I'm going to say technology does control us, and it controls us in ways we might not have considered. Unless you're off the grid, but of course if you're here reading this blog I suspect you're not off the grid. teehee. 

5. What are three small things that make your day better? 

that first cup of steaming hot coffee, a cloudless blue sky, dinner plans

6. Insert your own random thought here.

As much as I hated to say farewell to my beautiful geraniums that bloomed all summer long, these huge mums were too pretty not to buy.

And if you give a porch a mum you need to add a pumpkin. And a pansy. And maybe a baby pumpkin and also a white pumpkin and then another mum in a different color. Did I tell you I love fall? 

Still 2020

Hello. It's Monday, and the world is still a bit too loud. A bit too 2020. What's a blogger to do? I like my quiet cozy space here, but a part of me would love to throw down some words too. Literally throw.them.down. because everything feels pretty ugly online and words are thrown now instead of thoughtfully set in place.

We have a couple of big fat crows that swoop into the tall trees at the edge of our property now and then and they make so much racket you cannot possibly ignore them. When I hear them I step outside and clap my hands as loud as I can and yell shoo! shoo! because their CAW-CAW-CAWing makes my ears bleed. 

That's what the world sounds like right now. 

A bunch of crows. 

And I hear all the noise and I think of my beautiful grandboys living half a world away with their innocent eyes and their curious minds and I pray for healing and peace, for a return to common courtesy, and a kinder, more gentle world. 

Dear Mancub and Darling Baby Brother, 

It's 2020 and I wonder what you'll be told about this year one day. I wonder what your history books will record or if you'll even have a history book? Will there be any words on a page or any visible reminders of all this country has gone through to get to whatever year it is now? 

There are some things I want to tell you that might not make it into your 'history book'. 

I want you to know that God is God. That nothing we humans do in the year 2020 or since the dawn of time has ever surprisd Him. I'm sure we've caused Him sorrow the likes of which we cannot fathom, yet still He created and loves every single person on planet Earth. 

I used to sing a song to your mama and your aunt when they were young, one my mama (your great grandmother Mema) used to sing to me...'Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.'...and He does.

He loves the big ones too

I want you to know little men, that you're smart. That God gives us brains so we can think for ourselves, and while jumping on bandwagons is a very popular thing to do in 2020 I hope you'll always use your brain before deciding which side of a line you want to plant your words and actions on. 

I hope you know it's okay to have opinions and it's also okay not to share all of them with everybody everywhere. 

It's not okay not to vote, but it is okay not to tell people how you voted. 

It's never okay to be disrespectful. I want to go on a little rant here but then I remembered I don't want to be a crow so will leave it at that. 

Nobody likes a whiner and in 2020 people whine like it's their job. Judgey judgeyness is off the charts but what people need now and what they will always need are grace, compassion, and second chances. Be the one who gives that. 

Be kind in word and deed. 

One of my most referred to verses in all of the Bible is found in Proverbs 10:19 "When words are many transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent." 

When I'm tempted to rant at the universe I try to remember this verse. It's something I'm still working on, but I'm telling you now so you'll have a head start. 

Kindness and compassion are what change hearts and minds, not sanctimonious Facebook postings, burning down cities you have to work and live in, or hurling insults and slapping labels on people you know next to nothing about. Pretty sure this will always be true. 

In 2020 it feels like we're expected to be serious every minute of every day, but the world is heavy and we all need relief. It's good to find humor where humor can be found, to have an honest to goodness belly laugh now and then, to smile and discover people smile back. Or not, but smile anyway.  

Keep your hearts merry and know you are not living in this time and this place by happenstance. 

Know too that in 2020 your Nana loves you as deep as the ocean and as big as the sky.

Turbulent Waters

Does anyone else feel like the alphabet is about 500 letters long? On the bright side, we've passed the halfway point as of today so whoohoo!

Today's word comes to you courtesy of my sister-in-law,  and I know some of you are thinking 'wow, she's got a lot of family.' You're right. I do, and it's been fun in this season of distance to feel a connection to each one through this little writing exercise on my blog.

Also, every day before I tackle the writing I tell myself I am not going to mention the Corona and then every day it seems I do. It's hard to avoid and while it wasn't my intended theme, its turned out most days to be at least an undercurrent.

Day 14-N is for Navigate

Since this letter happens to land on a Thursday I think I'm going with an old fashioned list, which is how almost all bloggers used to blog on Thursdays, aka The Thursday Thirteen. 

The word navigate is most commonly used in reference to the water, but it can also mean to make one's way over or through. Since our boat is still under cover until the pollen subsides and we're all trying to navigate through life in these uncertain times, let's go with definition #2. 

What are you doing that you're finding helps you on a daily basis to stay positive in your outlook, connected to family and friends, and not crazy-bored-fearful-restless? 

Perhaps you are all of those things at various times, which I think is normal, but in general what are you doing to navigate the choppy waters of 2020?  I read something on a friend's FB page that said while we're all in the same boat, we're not all in the same storm and that resonated with me. 

I don't have little ones at home who need to be fed/bathed/loved/entertained 24/7. I don't have teenagers at home, filled with 1000 disappointments about the life they are missing, we're retired so there are not the job stressors or lack of job stressors so many are feeling, but still everyone is navigating their own life's boat right now and how we stay afloat is worth some thought. 

Here's my list of 13...there might be more but these are some of the things helping me navigate the turbulent waters we find ourselves in today-

1. Prayer, which may sound cliche to some, but is a true lifeline for me. 

2. Maintain a routine. We've learned the importance of this since hubs retired, and have had a few years to practice. I know I need a bit of structure to my days, that a blank canvas all day every day is not for me. I need some to-do's to complete and some things on the calendar to look forward to. 

I'm an early riser, and while there's no real reason to be these days I still get up early. Same goes for getting dressed in real clothes and doing the weekly mundane chores that need doing. I guess it's different for everyone, but I know I cannot stay in pajamas for days at a time, unless I'm truly sick. It's depressing. I make my bed every single day and doing that one simple task somehow makes life feel more normal.  

3. FaceTime with my daughter and grandsons in South Korea. They are such sweet happy boys and it's obvious they're well loved and cared for. Seeing them on the screen doing all the things little boys love to do makes my heart and mind feel ten pounds lighter.

4. Cards with friends and my mom each week via Zoom feels almost normal too. We chat and laugh and catch up just like we do when we play cards in person. 

5. Keeping up with friends and family also via a Zoom call keeps them close, maybe not physically but at least in spirit. Also, scheduling calls in advance gives us something to add to the calendar and look forward to. It might be small in the scheme of things, but having something to look forward to later in the week adds a bright spot to a mostly blank slate. 

6. 'Attending' Sunday School and my Women's Bible Study each week (again via Zoom) keeps life moving forward when it quite often seems like we're all at a standstill. We carry on from week to week, moving through our studies as if we're all in the same building. This helps give the days some much appreciated forward momentum. 

6. Menu planning. Trying new recipes and pulling out some old favorites. There are not a lot of things we can plan for right now, but what we'll eat for dinner these next two weeks is something that requires thought and planning and helps me feel productive. 

7. Knowing it's okay not to be productive right now. Embracing this season of stillness and figuring out what I want to take away from it once we're all free to move about and interact with one another in person. Being grateful for time and space to think. 

8. Writing. Moving my observations, feelings, and concerns from the top of my brain into my journal or onto this blog clears my head and helps me see things differently. 

9. Turn off the news. Or at least don't watch a lot of news. This is an absolute key to good mental health right now. 

10. Same goes for how I handle social media these days. If you're posting funny memes, sharing recipes, cute pictures of your children, your mother, or your pet I'm all in. I hide any and all posts where someone is ranting about the government, the President, or the upcoming election. 

I'm not saying these things don't matter, but now is not the time. I won't allow myself to be sucked in to the arguing and the scolding and the finger pointing. It's a mood killer and I'm navigating around those hazards whenever I can. 

11. Read books, work puzzles, solve a crossword, play a board game...keep your mind busy. 

12. Get outside. Fresh air and sunshine do wonders for the soul. 

13. This is a season where navigating our life boats is difficult, treacherous even for some. But even in more ordinary times we are always making choices as to how we see our lives, and whether we're going to allow the challenges we encounter to sink us. My joy does not depend on my circumstances and for that I am eternally grateful. 

Five Minutes of Breathe

Linking with Five Minute Friday today. Here's the drill-write for five minutes flat for pure unedited love of the written word. Link back to Five Minute Friday and invite others to join in too. Consider yourselves invited. Finally, be generous and leave an encouraging comment for the person who linked up before you. Here we go-

Today's prompt-Breathe

I haven't written much of substance on my blog lately, mostly because we've been going at mach speed round here since November, but also because everybody is so dang cranky all the time about all the things. Have mercy it is ex.haus.ting. Does anybody have the patience or stamina or time in their day for all the endless whining and complaining and judgy judgmental judgment we're living with right now?

Breathe. 

The online world that once upon a time connected us in so many fun and positive ways feels downright ugly. The real world feels that way too and it breaks my heart a little. A lot if I'm being honest. I don't want to dip so much as my pinky toe into the sea of nastiness that's out there right now and I honestly don't know how to navigate social media anymore. If the Internet were my child I would send her to her room.

Breathe. 

I was talking with friends recently (in person and face to face which is how ideas are best shared), and we all agreed you can't go to even the simplest of social gatherings anymore without considering what you're walking in to. Will anyone be there who doesn't demand you explain and defend your position on a whole laundry list of sizzling hot topics that you'd rather not get into with casual acquaintances? Can't we just talk about what's in the delicious chicken salad or some other equally inoffensive subject matter?

Breathe. 

I don't want my blog to be a place of controversy and I work hard to keep it a welcoming little corner of the Internet. It's just that anymore it's hard to know what in the world is going to set people off. And by set people off I mean what is going to cause someone to insult my intelligence, my thinking, my education, my part of the country, my belief system and more.

Recently I replied to a comment on Twitter and a woman who doesn't know me, who knows nothing about me, called me a liar. She also identified herself in her profile as a 'Christ follower'. Okay. Somehow that didn't feel very Christ-like to me. I let it go with a polite 'we disagree', because she doesn't know me and I don't know her and we're not going to know one another communicating 140 characters at a time.

Sometimes it's hard to breathe.

I think our parents generation got it right in their efforts not to bring politics into polite conversation. And Facebook? Facebook is just a mess, and because in real life I do have people I love and who are dear to me on all ends of the political spectrum, well it's a mess. It's not a place I want to be anymore.

I want to extend birthday wishes, learn about your travels, see your babies and your grandchildren, find out about great places to dine or hike or vacation, discover new music, hear about random acts of kindness encountered throughout your day, but that's such a small part of my news feed now it's almost not worth checking in.

So how do we blog when the air is thick with smoke and opinion? When voices thunder in ways that make you want to pull the covers over you head? How do we breathe?

For me I go back to what is true. I spend less time reading Internet words and more time reading God's word. I pray for our nation and her leaders and a world gone mad, and when I want to make a point, let my feelings be known, fire off a response to an unkind word or misstatement of fact, I take a step back and I breathe.

I think our natural desire to be right, to be heard, to make our opinion known says go-hit send-now-immediately.

I'm learning to fight my natural instinct.

I'm learning to let my words sit on the page overnight and see if they look and feel the same in the bright light of a new day. I ask myself does this need to be said and most importantly, do I need to be the one to say it? We all think we need to be the one to say 'it' but really do we? Does everything need to be said?

My girls called yesterday. We talked about grandbabies, pregnancy, smocked rompers, car troubles and sick puppies that strain our nerves and our bank accounts, the triumphs and challenges facing a kindergarten teacher, and how God knows about all the things. All of them. Every last bit of our everything. He is the air I breathe.

When I remember that breathing is easy.

A Berry Nice Hodgepodge

We're kicking off this first day of June with another edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered this week's questions be sure to add your link at the end of my post. Then go say something nice to the blogger linking before you because today is National Say Something Nice Day.

Here we go-

1. Tell us about one fun thing on your June calendar.

We celebrate 32 years of married life this June, so there's that. Course it lands on a Thursday so hubs will be dining at a work event, and I'll be dining with friends on the other side of town. They tell me we can Skype him in-ha! 

2. How careful are you in the sun? Do you tan or burn? Do you make it a point to see the dermatologist every year?

Ah the sun. Why must it be so bad for you??? I used to only tan, but now I'll burn if I'm not covered in sunscreen so I wear the lotion and a hat, spend time in the shade, and yes I do visit the dermatologist once a year. 

3.  Describe a time when you wanted to 'throw in the towel'.

Not often because I'm quite stubborn, but in all likelihood it had something to do with a computer problem I couldn't solve on my own. Thankfully I birthed my very own I.T. department so the frustration doesn't ever last for long.  

4.  What's a song you love that has a day of the week in the title or lyrics? 

Again with the pick one? My favorite is probably Easy (Like Sunday Morning) by the Commodores with Saturday in the Park by Chicago coming in a close second. 

5.  Are you a fan of berries? Which one's your favorite? What's the most recent berry dish you've eaten? Which blueberry breakfast food appeals to you most-blueberry pancakes, blueberry yogurt, or a blueberry muffin? 

I love berries. Blueberries are my favorite, but when it comes to berries I'm really not picky. We had mixed berries for breakfast on Monday morning and they were delish. Of the breakfast foods listed blueberry pancakes appeal to me, but I almost never eat pancakes. I like hubs to order blueberry pancakes when we go out to breakfast and then I can have one bite which is enough. I'd choose the yogurt. 

6.  What's something you want to do before your next birthday?

Move into the new house! And on the off chance Bob the Builder is reading here, my birthday's mid-September. Maybe I should tell him it's in mid-July? 

7.  June 1st is National Say Something Nice Day, so let's all say something nice here. 

I was grocery shopping Tuesday morning and a man shopping near me gave me a coupon for $10 off a $50 order. Whoohoo! It was expiring that day and he said he wasn't going to have $50 worth of groceries so would be happy for me to use it. Small unexpected kindnesses make life so much sweeter, don't you think? 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

My nephew turns 10 today, and if you're related to me and your birthday falls on the Wednesday Hodgepodge you get a birthday shoutout. 

I thought it would be fun to see what else turns ten this year, and that list includes-Taylor Swift's first album, Twitter, High School Musical, and Nintendo Wii (anyone besides us still have one?). 

Oh, and also Facebook although it had been available to college students before then, but 2006 was the year your mama could finally see what you were up to online. Not this mama because I did not jump on the FB bandwagon until a few years later.  

Happy birthday A! I wish I were there to hold up two hands on your big day! 

Thursday Thirteen. Ish.

What does one do when one feels like blogging, but doesn't have much to say? They blog anyway. And a list is always a good idea, especially on a Thursday.

Here's my thirteen somethings-

1. I've been browsing through my collection of scanned photographs for a little project here, and came across the absolute sweetest picture of my girlies when they were oh so small. I started to post it here, as a #hashtagthrowbackthursday #bestillmyheart, but they're in tiny swim suits and I started imagining the creepy crawlies all around the Internet and decided against it. Do you think about the creepy crawlies when you post pics online?

2.  I did find another swim related pic I can post, taken during this very same week in March, 2008-

Daughter2 and one of her best buds at a high school swim meet.

In Cairo.

I know! I love this last one...not a shot you see every day, and perhaps not what you imagine when you think Egyptian pyramids, but real life.

Pizza Hut and history.
High school swimmers need both.

6. Anyone notice what I did there? Totally legit.
Also, 2008 feels like a long time ago.

7.  Hubs is working from home today which is nice. A couple of weeks I ago I tagged along to NC with him, a quick couple of days on the tail end of our long weekend with friends. I met a blog friend for lunch one day, which was really fun. (Odom Party of Five) I think we started blogging about the same time, and we're both moms of adult daughters. So great to meet in person.

8. Here's a tip for making your Thursday more super than your Tuesday...steer clear of the news and social media. Other than my blog of course. You're safe reading here.

9.  I'm re-reading My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers this year, and every morning I remember how much I love this book. I bought the journal version since my copy is in storage and I like to journal in the morning. It's been in print since the early 30's, but is still relevant, convicting, and filled with wisdom for daily living in 2016.

10. What in the world am I making for dinner tonite???

11.  Tomorrow my son-in-law celebrates a birthday so whoohoo! I know my daughter will make him feel special and adored because he is. And she knows peanut butter is his love language so I'm sure she'll find a way to serve up some peanut butter in the form of cookies, cake, pie, or ice cream.

12.  This picture was taken the first time we met, August 2013. We spent the day in Annapolis and insisted the Army boy have his photo snapped in front of the Naval Academy. He agreed but under duress.

13. Also, it was the hottest day of the century and we were literally melting.  Well maybe not literally, but close to it.  My son-in-law is a good sport, and we capped off the day with a crab feast at our favorite spot-Cantlers.

Happy birthday dear Dr. Captain! I'm so glad you're family now, and I appreciate so very much the gentle love and care you show my girl. Your girl. Our girl.

 May the year ahead be filled with good health, lots of love, and all the joy your heart can hold.

On Being Present

Linking up with Five Minute Friday today. Easy peasy. Set the timer. Write. No editing, no second guessing. Just do it.

Today's prompt-present

I haven't participated in Five Minute Friday in several weeks mostly because it tends toward the deep and I've been swimming in the shallow end on my blog of late. I was scrolling through my dashboard earlier which led to the re-reading of some older posts, and I couldn't help but miss the writer I was. She's still around here somewhere, we just need to get reacquainted. I think that's where this word comes in.

As it happens I've had a post in my draft file labeled Present for some time now. The post was blank, but I'd scribbled the word down almost a month ago with every intention of someday getting back to it. And every week I'd open my dashboard, see it sitting there, and think not today.

So why then did I ever put pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard) and spell out the word present? Here's the short version...

You know how it's kind of become a thing to have a word for the year? I've done it myself the past four years, when a particular word seemed to be everywhere I turned and felt like it had my name on it...joy, love, fearless, seek...

This year though? This year I just wasn't feeling it. I'd see people talking about their 'one word' and I'd scratch my head and say hmmm...what's going to be my word? And then nothing.

Blank space.

Empty air.

I think sometimes we force this kind of thing and I determined not to do that. Not to pluck a word out of thin air and wear it like a badge and call it mine.

We have a lot going on here at the moment, and I know if you read here you're saying 'doesn't she always???', but really, we have a lot going on here at the moment. And without over thinking it I've just let some of the online stuff go in order to be here. In the middle of my life.

Then there's the fact that recently I've become quite disillusioned with social media. Or maybe it's people I'm weary of. People spouting off and taking offense at every little thing under the sun, desperate to convince me their opinion is the right opinion. I might be late to that party, but Facebook for sure has lost some of it's appeal, both in tone and content. I started skimming more, commenting less, reading less, stepping away.

It's easier than one might think.

As I took some baby steps back it struck me that I'm often only halfway present in the present. I began mentally inventory-ing some of my habits and decided I want less multi-tasking. Less checking of the phone and more real listening. Less feeling irate and more praying. Giving less attention to the whiners and complainers in this world and filling my heart and mind with the beauty of the earth and the people I love.

Present. Really really present.

I guess that's why I left the post blank. The longer it sat the more the idea of sharing it felt almost contrary to the word itself. Contrary to why I chose it. Or did it choose me? But today I clicked on Kate Montaung's blog and Friday link up and there it was.

My word.

And I decided to write it all down because when I write I'm present in my own life. It's where I examine and resolve and remember how satisfying it is to truly be in the moment.  I want more of that this year.

What I Want In A World Gone Mad

Friday afternoon. A good time to blog because nobody reads on Friday afternoons, right? Lately it feels like nobody reading might not be a bad thing. And everyone can relax because I'm not going to weigh in on the refugee argument here. Not precisely anyway but make no mistake, it is an argument.

Everything is an argument, and that's what I really want to weigh in on.

Raise your hand if you've changed your mind on a particular issue because somebody posted a snarky comment on Facebook insinuating or outright saying you're an idiot? Yeah.

So can't we just stop? Why can't we stop? Why is there this insatiable need to prove you're right and I'm wrong. You're smart and I'm not. You love the poor and I don't. You're a Christian and I'm not and by golly I'm going to convict you of your transgressions in a public forum, and I'm going to do it in a way that doesn't just quietly offer you another point of view. I'm going to eviscerate you, judge the state of your heart and life because you asked a legitimate question and I'm a Bible expert.

Except very few people posting and commenting are actual experts. They're just average citizens with a Facebook page or Twitter account, a lot of opinions and most importantly, absolute certainty in their rightness.

I think we can all agree the refugee crisis is serious and complicated. Like almost every other issue that's divided our country in the past few years, this isn't an all or nothing deal, so why can't I have more than five minutes to make up my mind about what I want to see happen?

I'm not alone in feeling the need to step back and look at all the pieces of the puzzle. So many people feel conflicted about the right way forward, but woe to you who don't have an instant opinion.We're not allowed to feel conflicted about anything anymore. An issue arises and in a matter of seconds everyone and their brother is posting in ALL CAPS!!! where they stand, which is their perogative, but please don't tell me where I stand when I haven't been able to articulate it myself.

With almost everything that's occurred in our nation and around the world recently we've rushed to judgement. We're sheep, and nowhere is this more evident than in the online community. People follow speakers, high profile Christian authors and commentators, celebrities, political figures, people they admire for one reason or another and when that high profile person spits out their position, we're literally like sheep. We jump on the bandwagon without hesitation and heartily echo yes me too, without taking the time to figure out if what that person has espoused is true and accurately reflects how we feel or if we just lack the energy to swim upstream.

There are big problems in the world. Huge. Ginormous. Too big to tackle on our own. We need conversation. We need ideas to be floated out there, lots of ideas. We need to be able to have reasonable discussions about the important issues facing our communities and our world, and it seems we've lost the ability to do that. Calling someone names isn't going to get us anywhere, except further and further across a divide I fear we're in danger of never mending.

The judgements hurled at people who disagree with some particular point of view have made me feel a little bit sick to my stomach this week. I want to curl up and hide away from the nastiness, to not speak, voice an opinion, or ask an honest question, but here I am blogging. Because I want things for this tired troubled place we temporarily call home.

I want us to think for ourselves. I want us to listen. I want us when things go pear shaped to wait a second for the dust to settle and facts to emerge before hitting someone over the head with an opinion. I want us to quit judging the quality of a person's heart on the basis of a status update. I want people who hold positions of influence to be gentle in their responses to those who are trying to understand a world gone mad.

Do I think this post is going to change anyone's mind or behavior? Probably not, but that's not why I write. My blog is a journal, not a point of persuasion. I don't have a big following, but some important people really do read my blog. My daughters. And I want them to know their mother believes no matter how ugly the world becomes, they can still choose to be beautifully kind.

There is much written online I suspect is later viewed with regret, but dear daughters you will never be sorry you were kind. The world is harsh. Choose kindness.

Bookending Tuesday

Taking a moment to talk politics here today...if you're not in the mood feel free to take a pass.  Come back tomorrow when this side of the pond returns to its mostly light hearted fare.

I wrote a post yesterday and let it brew for a bit, re-read it last night and then decided to sleep on it.  Anyone else do that?  When it comes to matters about which I have great passion, writing, waiting, and then re-reading in the light of day seems a wise course of action.

I have great passion for America.

While I have no plans to turn my blog into a place of political ranting, a Presidential election is a big deal and I want to comment on its outcome.  Perhaps that is my first point.  I know what I say will be judged and judged harshly.  Although this is my blog, when it comes to politics and you sit squarely on the 'unpopular' side of the fence, you do think twice about speaking your mind. What I've experienced in this election cycle is the notion that if you do not support our current President you are either an intolerant racist or an ignorant fool.  I have been called both.  I am neither.

Let's address the issue of race, the elephant in the room that everyone dances around. All my life I've had friends in every color of the rainbow, not because they were a particular skin color, but because life's circumstances threw us together or we had things in common that drew us to each other.  The same is true of all the people in my life, yet I know some will roll their eyes that I feel the need to mention it.  We are told not to judge someone based on the color of one's skin, but in not voting for our current President I'm accused of being a bigot?  I'm supposed to vote for him because of the color of his skin?   Believe me when I say this, I have a long list of reasons why I don't think President Obama is up to the job of running our country and the color of his skin is not anywhere on it.

It makes me sad that in America today if you disagree with the opinions and ideals promoted by our no longer unbiased media you're dismissed as foolish, misinformed, and/or ignorant.  If you've reached a different conclusion than I have based on what you see, hear, read, and know, I won't verbally assault you.  I won't even un-friend you on Facebook.  For the record,  I listen, read, and investigate issues before I vote, and I get information from both sides of the aisle.  Can everyone who voted for our still President say the same?

America is deeply divided. Sure, roughly half the country voted for President Obama, but roughly half did not. The gulf stretching between the ideology of left and right is as wide on the 8th of November as it was on the 4th.  President Obama did not win this election in a landslide, and in fact Washington in the new term will look very much as it does in the current term.  He's got the White House, Republicans control the House, and Dems the Senate. People on both sides of the political fence (myself included) are unwilling to compromise their deeply held convictions on spending and other issues for the sake of meeting a political agenda. I actually admire that and am not a fan of compromise if it means giving up everything you hold dear so the 'other side' can take things as far as they want to go.  I do believe there are areas where compromise is possible, but our country's descent into name calling, vulgarity, and just plain mean talk very often keep that from happening.

I wonder if my President recognizes that while half of the country celebrates, the other half feels something close to despair. No I didn't vote for him, but he is still my President.  He is charged with the task of representing all of America, not just those with whom he agrees.  I don't understand exactly what it is we're celebrating in November of 2012?

The stock market plunged following Tuesday's election and numbers coming out of The Bureau of Labor Statistics remain dismal.  We have massive debt, massive unemployment, and the abuse and misuse of our current welfare system.  We have yet to hear details of our President's plan to move us 'Forward', other than raising taxes (or revenues as we like to say these days) and he has not spelled out fixes to the entitlement programs that are literally bankrupting America.

On top of that we're getting ready to experience the largest tax hike in American history...all of us, not just 'the rich'.  There will also be new 'fees' as more of Obamacare is implemented.  These new taxes and fees will affect individuals certainly, but will also hugely impact corporations. I know some people feel positively giddy at the notion of corporations paying more, but anyone who thinks corporations can be hit with enormous new fees and taxes that won't affect the individual and our economy in general really hasn't thought that one through.

I am so very weary of it being said and/or implied that people who believe in capitalism don't care about the poor. That Republicans care about making money and Democrats are the ones who actually care about the poor.  It is absolutely positively untrue,  and literally makes my head want to come off.

In his acceptance speech on Tuesday President Obama used much of the same language he used in 2008-

He said back then he would be the President of ALL the United States, yet half the country feels disenfranchised, disregarded, and immaterial.  

He promised hope, yet millions of Americans today are without work, have lost their homes, have seen a reduction in hours or take home pay, and have been forced to collect food stamps or visit community pantrys for the first time in their lives.  Many have just plain given up and feel the very opposite of hope-ful.  

He said he would reach across the aisle, work with anyone who wanted to work with him, yet when the time came he threw down conditions before he'd talk, agreeing to raise taxes revenues being one of them.

He promised to unite Americans, that there would be no red or blue under his leadership.  I think the case could be made that President Obama has been the most divisive President our country has ever known.  We are fractured in ways we never even knew existed prior to 2008.  

He promised transparency yet has opted for popular culture venues such as Letterman, Leno, and The View over taking serious questions from White House journalists.  He has not answered basic questions or seriously addressed the nation on the very troubling events of 9/11 (Benghazi) outside of a brief statement early on. 

In his first term President Obama has talked the talk, but he has not walked the walk. Obviously I'm disappointed.  Some will argue that it takes two, that everyone needs to do better, and I'd agree.  I would add that the job of a leader is to lead, to set the example, to take the high road in hopes that others will follow suit.

In spite of all this seeming negativity, I am never ever a person without hope.  My hope for the future does not rest with man and I take seriously my committment to pray for our beloved country and her leaders, all of them, the red and the blue.

I would love to think all Americans will do the same.
Now that would be something worth celebrating.

I'm leaving comments on today because this is the grand ole USA and I'm a fan of free speech. Based on Tuesdays results half the country feels differently than I do, and I think debate is healthy.  If you want to disagree go right ahead,  just please be gracious.  Nasty or personal attacks will be deleted.