I have survived two months of working seven days a week, in addition to my disabled son finishing school and starting a new job, my parents' fiftieth anniversary and mini-family-reunion (hosted by yours truly), six job interviews, a promotion to supervisor, and now a visit from my sister-in-law. No time to blog! Or even comment on others' blogs!
I confess that I do spend way too much time on a Nebraska fishing forum, a small and very friendly community...www.nefga.org.
I have caught many fish this season, but hardly any of my favorite quarry, the channel catfish. Not sure what I am doing wrong. At least I am still popular with the bluegills!
Once my business is closed for the season I plan to get back to writing poetry & blogging again. I have a lot to say!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Friday, April 20, 2007
Tribute
Now mingling with the quiet flocks
All gentle bleats and snowy fleece
What nightmare beast among us stalks
Whose thirst for blood imperils peace
On sunny days, we watch the skies
For hawks, the harbingers of death
Sometimes, no shadow signifies
The advent of our final breath
And when the thinning veil of fate
Is ripped, like flesh by tooth and claw
Death's visage, recognized, too late
Consigns us to his grinning maw
All gentle bleats and snowy fleece
What nightmare beast among us stalks
Whose thirst for blood imperils peace
On sunny days, we watch the skies
For hawks, the harbingers of death
Sometimes, no shadow signifies
The advent of our final breath
And when the thinning veil of fate
Is ripped, like flesh by tooth and claw
Death's visage, recognized, too late
Consigns us to his grinning maw
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Thoughts on Abstinence Education
Here are my views on abstinence education. It is good to teach young girls to not give in to demands for sex, without careful consideration. If that what is being taught, it has my wholehearted support. I’m sure that my old-timey religious beliefs put me out of touch with today’s youth, but some truths transcend generational differences.
Timeless truth number one: adolescent males spend a great deal of time thinking about and pursuing sex.
Timeless truth number two: adolescent girls who give in to pressures from aforementioned adolescent males are often motivated by incorrect assumptions, i.e. “he will dump me for another girl if I don’t give him what he wants.”
Timeless truth number three: if adolescent male is not attracted to adolescent female for other, more significant reasons, her sexual compliance will not sustain his interest.
Timeless truth number four: if adolescent female submits easily to sexual demands, she will be exploited by male peers and disrespected by female peers.
My conclusion: traditional, religious standards still dictate society’s views of sexual behavior. Girls who quickly acquiesce to demands for sex will be labeled as “sluts,” and will suffer diminished self-worth as a result. Boys who easily obtain sexual favors will learn to view women as sub-human objects. There are many good reasons, besides disease and pregnancy, for a young woman to resist the pressure to have sex with a young man who has not demonstrated a long-lasting appreciation for her non-sexual attributes.
Timeless truth number one: adolescent males spend a great deal of time thinking about and pursuing sex.
Timeless truth number two: adolescent girls who give in to pressures from aforementioned adolescent males are often motivated by incorrect assumptions, i.e. “he will dump me for another girl if I don’t give him what he wants.”
Timeless truth number three: if adolescent male is not attracted to adolescent female for other, more significant reasons, her sexual compliance will not sustain his interest.
Timeless truth number four: if adolescent female submits easily to sexual demands, she will be exploited by male peers and disrespected by female peers.
My conclusion: traditional, religious standards still dictate society’s views of sexual behavior. Girls who quickly acquiesce to demands for sex will be labeled as “sluts,” and will suffer diminished self-worth as a result. Boys who easily obtain sexual favors will learn to view women as sub-human objects. There are many good reasons, besides disease and pregnancy, for a young woman to resist the pressure to have sex with a young man who has not demonstrated a long-lasting appreciation for her non-sexual attributes.
Andrew Sullivan and the Path of Least Resistance
Christianity recognizes that mankind’s path of least resistance leads to the embrace of sin and evil – “For we like sheep, have gone astray, each to his own way.” Even the apostle Paul struggled with temptation: “that which I do not want to do, these things I do. What a wretched man am I! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Without Christ as our moral leader, and the hope of our redemption, there is little to lose and much to gain in casting off the quaint burdens of guilt and self-discipline.
Ignoring small cracks in my own moral foundation has been very destructive to me in the past. The justification of my favorite, seemingly trivial sins has repeatedly led me to a life of debauchery, licentiousness, and utter disregard for my own spiritual well-being. My personal quest for reconciliation with God has not been a straight line, but more like a “Family Circus” cartoon, where little Billy wanders around in circles, distracted by all of the attractive nuisances in his path.
So where am I going with this, and how does it relate to Andrew Sullivan? I admire Andrew as a person, but I find his public moral journey to be a distressing example of the consequence of trying to rationalize one’s favored sins. His defense of homosexual behavior, contrary to the tenets of Catholicism, has brought him to a point where he proclaims that “doubt” is a necessary and beneficial component of “faith”. Doubt and faith are antonyms, and mutually exclusive. I don’t condemn Andrew for having homosexual tendencies, or even for indulging them. I only condemn his attempts to to re-interpret God’s laws to soothe his own conscience.
I place little value on moral certitude, nor do I insist on legalistic adherence to biblical doctrine. There are many questions that mankind cannot answer with divine authority. Why does God allow His children to suffer? Is it possible to lose one’s salvation? Can “faith without works” be genuine? Will the “heathen” who has never heard the Gospel be saved? These have been the subject of scholarly debate for centuries, and their answers are “seen through a glass darkly”. However, for many other questions, the scriptures provide us with straightforward guidelines. We undermine the foundations of our faith, when we deny these simple truths for personal gain.
Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient to purchase salvation for all mankind. If we truly believe this, there remains no motivation for us to deny our sinful natures, or to attempt, through our own efforts, to reconcile ourselves to God. Why defend ourselves against the judgment of our fellow man, when through faith, we can lay claim to all the righteousness of Christ?
Ignoring small cracks in my own moral foundation has been very destructive to me in the past. The justification of my favorite, seemingly trivial sins has repeatedly led me to a life of debauchery, licentiousness, and utter disregard for my own spiritual well-being. My personal quest for reconciliation with God has not been a straight line, but more like a “Family Circus” cartoon, where little Billy wanders around in circles, distracted by all of the attractive nuisances in his path.
So where am I going with this, and how does it relate to Andrew Sullivan? I admire Andrew as a person, but I find his public moral journey to be a distressing example of the consequence of trying to rationalize one’s favored sins. His defense of homosexual behavior, contrary to the tenets of Catholicism, has brought him to a point where he proclaims that “doubt” is a necessary and beneficial component of “faith”. Doubt and faith are antonyms, and mutually exclusive. I don’t condemn Andrew for having homosexual tendencies, or even for indulging them. I only condemn his attempts to to re-interpret God’s laws to soothe his own conscience.
I place little value on moral certitude, nor do I insist on legalistic adherence to biblical doctrine. There are many questions that mankind cannot answer with divine authority. Why does God allow His children to suffer? Is it possible to lose one’s salvation? Can “faith without works” be genuine? Will the “heathen” who has never heard the Gospel be saved? These have been the subject of scholarly debate for centuries, and their answers are “seen through a glass darkly”. However, for many other questions, the scriptures provide us with straightforward guidelines. We undermine the foundations of our faith, when we deny these simple truths for personal gain.
Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient to purchase salvation for all mankind. If we truly believe this, there remains no motivation for us to deny our sinful natures, or to attempt, through our own efforts, to reconcile ourselves to God. Why defend ourselves against the judgment of our fellow man, when through faith, we can lay claim to all the righteousness of Christ?
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Riding the Short Bus
The “short bus” is an enduring comedic device, even in the 21st century, as are jokes about the Special Olympics. In this age of political correctness, the mentally retarded are still an acceptable target for ridicule. A certain amount of PC governs their labeling – “cognitively challenged”, “developmentally disabled”, but “retard” is still a widely-used insult.
My 21-year-old son rides the short bus every day. Despite years of instruction, he can barely remember his own address and phone number, and his signature looks like that of a typical first-grader. He can read simple words, like “Men” and “Exit” but the most basic mathematical computations are far beyond his abilities. He is a burden to society, although the cost of his upkeep is offset somewhat by my tax contributions.
My son is a real person though, and not just a “case”. He likes all-star wrestling, video games, and popular music. He saves soft drink cans to raise money for charities. He talks to friends on the phone. He was on the Special Olympics championship basketball team, and the championship bowling team, in the same year (2006). He is shy around strangers, but talkative and witty with family members – his answer to the question, “where are your manners?” is, “in my other pants.”
In many ways, it has been easier to be a mother to him, than to his “normal” older brother. He never wanted to skip school, and is unhappy when school is closed due to bad weather. He never sneaked out of the house, never drank or used drugs, never took money out of my purse.
My younger son will most likely never marry, never have children, never have a job outside of a sheltered workshop, but his value as a person is undiminished. Think about this person whom I love, when you are tempted to call someone a “retard”, or joke about the “short bus”.
My 21-year-old son rides the short bus every day. Despite years of instruction, he can barely remember his own address and phone number, and his signature looks like that of a typical first-grader. He can read simple words, like “Men” and “Exit” but the most basic mathematical computations are far beyond his abilities. He is a burden to society, although the cost of his upkeep is offset somewhat by my tax contributions.
My son is a real person though, and not just a “case”. He likes all-star wrestling, video games, and popular music. He saves soft drink cans to raise money for charities. He talks to friends on the phone. He was on the Special Olympics championship basketball team, and the championship bowling team, in the same year (2006). He is shy around strangers, but talkative and witty with family members – his answer to the question, “where are your manners?” is, “in my other pants.”
In many ways, it has been easier to be a mother to him, than to his “normal” older brother. He never wanted to skip school, and is unhappy when school is closed due to bad weather. He never sneaked out of the house, never drank or used drugs, never took money out of my purse.
My younger son will most likely never marry, never have children, never have a job outside of a sheltered workshop, but his value as a person is undiminished. Think about this person whom I love, when you are tempted to call someone a “retard”, or joke about the “short bus”.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Look At Me! Look At Me!
I promise that I will never post links to my blog in the comment sections of other, more prominent bloggers. If someone is intrigued enough by what I say in Althouse’s comments to click on my Blogger profile, and subsequently visit my itty-bitty newbie blog, that will gratify me far beyond the bounds of reason.
I hereby vow to earn traffic the old-fashioned way, by posting well-thought-out, semi-articulate (oops, is that racist?) comments on other people’s blogs! But if you do visit my blog please leave a comment! It will take on a totally undeserved significance in my pathetic little mind!
Just say “hi” for crying out loud, I will love you forever!
I hereby vow to earn traffic the old-fashioned way, by posting well-thought-out, semi-articulate (oops, is that racist?) comments on other people’s blogs! But if you do visit my blog please leave a comment! It will take on a totally undeserved significance in my pathetic little mind!
Just say “hi” for crying out loud, I will love you forever!
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