When I set about to restart my blog a couple of years ago, I had a list of what to do on what day. I obviously didn’t keep to it, as the events of the past year caused me to neglect “regular life” if you will, in favor of just trying to recover.  Well, recovery is nearly over for now, I’m just waiting for clearance to have my other knee surgery done, so it’s time to get back to something of a routine, and that means blogging more mundane stuff that no one reads.

Anyhow, Mondays were planned to be general topics - everything that doesn’t fall on another day.  Which means what? I have no idea right now.  And it turns out that this one is being published on Tuesday. Oh well.  I just know that I need to start writing again, and the words will come.  As James Dobson used to say, “Women have 50,000 words and men only have 25,000”.  I get the point, even if it’s an exaggeration.  It’s definitely true in our house.  Tom uses all his words communicating with people he works with - clients and co-workers.  Since I’m retired and stay at home most of the time, I simply have no one to listen to me blather on!  So I write.  Is it read by anyone or am I just writing to be writing? Honestly, I don’t know and in reality it doesn’t matter. This one may be a bit more controversial though!

One of the things I’ve been reflecting on in the past several years has been the state of the

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Union. Or should I say “dis-Union” as we are far from a united country. I think the last time we were unified about anything was on September 11, 2001. That day, the day we were attacked on our own soil and we came together as one - it didn’t matter whether you were white, black, yellow, gay, straight, Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, Hindu, even Muslim. If you were in the towers, had family in the towers, had family aboard any of the airlines that were used as weapons - it didn’t matter. You were part of the American family that had lost 2,996 souls that day.  We all saw the anguish. We all felt the grief. It was one of those defining moments in life. Everyone knows where they were and what they were doing that day, and it was devastating.  What followed was a show of unity that we have not seen since, and I think we are the poorer for that.  

Now, politicians and the media seem bent on destroying this country.  I’m not saying one party is more or less guilty than the other - they are both equally at fault.  The finger pointing, the blame games, the pitting one against another applies to both.  Earlier this summer, when we were in the midst of the primaries and candidates seeking our vote, we had a local politician come to the door seeking our endorsement. I told Tom to tell her that “due to the events of the past several years, if you are a politician, I don’t trust you, I don’t care who you claim to represent.” I don’t know, but I don’t think she quite got it.  

The events of the past several years has served to erode trust in multiple governmental agencies.  Politicians seem to say what they think will get votes, they make promises they not only can’t keep, but likely in reality never intend on keeping anyhow.  We have two governors coming to verbal blows daily over just about everything - right now the current hot button issues are the border crisis and abortion - both of which stir very passionate arguments on both sides. I won’t say debate, because debate involved an even handed give-and-take of ideas, listening to and responding with respect to the other opinion, then either a change of mind or agreeing to disagree. We don’t have that happening now. Not at all.  Every disagreement, every discussion about hot topic issues ends with logical fallacies - ad hominem attacks, circular reasoning, red herrings, and more - all of them in one form or another. 

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If I could actually sit down with some of them, I would ask a couple of questions. I’d love honest answers, but that is very unlikely.  What are my questions?  Well, when it comes to abortion, I am unashamedly pro-life.  I would love to know from my Republican friends and the politicians out there just what hope exactly are they giving the women who find themselves in crisis?  I’m not referring to those who choose to end a life because it interferes with their “career” or “happiness”. I have no pity for them. The ones I’m referring to are those who are victims of sexual crimes, in dire poverty, or even of youthful stupidity.  What hope, what support are they being given? If you are so pro-life, then put your money where your mouth is and do something meaningful for them. I realize there are Crisis Pregnancy Centers (Hands of Hope, locally) out there - why are they not more fully funded? Oh, right. Most of them are faith based. Ok, if you don’t want to support a faith based one, then start a non-faith based one that offers the same services! Don’t leave these women or children out in the cold.  

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The other hot-button issue right now is the border crisis.  There has been a reluctance, ok, more like refusal, of the current administration to admit and acknowledge that there is a very real crisis on the border.  This week alone saw action by one governor who is choosing to take a very strong stand against the influx of migrants who come to this country through the back door.  I did not agree with many of the immigration policies that the previous administration put in place, but I also live in a border state and see daily reports of how porous our border is.  There has to be an answer, but to date no one is coming up with any solutions.  Agree or disagree with what Florida’s governor did this past week, but does the federal government really expect Florida, Texas, Arizona to just suck it up and support those flowing into our states with zero help? We are having enough trouble taking care of our own citizens, much less this massive influx of others. 

And I’m not lacking in compassion. Several years ago, I worked intensively with refugees. I primarily worked with helping them learn English so they could navigate this great country of ours better.  Given the opportunity, I would love to do that again. For now, I’m waiting, and praying, about just where God would use me.  I honestly don’t know. Since I left my last job, I’ve kind of been on the shelf. I don’t know what he has in store for me, ministry wise. It could be helping at Hands of Hope. It could be working with refugees again. It could be teaching ESL again.  It could be… what? I don’t know right now.  I’m waiting for the right opportunity to present itself, one that will use my gifts, which are primarily service and administrative. The past year’s physical challenges kept me away from everything but God has been working in the background, preparing me. I’m going to look into some of the options in the next few days, and who knows, maybe next week’s blog will reveal something. I want to be part of the solution, however minute that might be. I just need to be open to where God may be leading. I need to hear him. I need to listen. And then I need to act.