Happy Holidays...???
Well, that's what those in Washington, D.C. would have you believe.
With the passing in the Senate of this clusterf$ck called a "health care bill", we move but one step closer to financial ruin (as a nation), and one step closer to a more "socialistic" form of medical care.
Now you would THINK that with about 82% of the PEOPLE NOT WANTING this, someone would be paying the hell attention. After all, the American people are MORE CONCERNED about little, petty things...like JOBS...and ECONOMIC RECOVERY.
Yesterday, China stated that it would STOP BUYING bonds from America...!
Wow...even the communists are worried about our financial viability these days...and considering they're basically OUR "banker", do they know something this current administration doesn't?
Add to this holiday cheer, those pathetic atheists, touting there is no God on billboards across the country.
They are claiming the SOLSTICE as the "reason for the season".
From a purely scientific standpoint, they DO have a leg to stand upon.
But, when I think of what and who MADE this nation...I tend to think of such words as FAITH.
Think about it...when people left England to come to THESE shores, they SURE AS HELL were thinking about GOD!
And they came here mostly on FAITH...with no idea whatsoever as to what they would find, how they would survive, or even *if* they were doing the right thing.
Sometimes in life, you have to turn it all off, and let a higher power take control.
You have to slide over...and let someone else drive for a while...
You have to be still, and know YOU are not the center of any universe.
And in doing so, you have to take many things in life by FAITH.
You TRUST in something or someone with a lot more knowledge and wisdom than you could ever hope to have.
THAT is what guided our forefathers to this new land back then...and I'll tell you what; it STILL works today.
Perhaps I'm biased because I've seen evidence that FAITH WORKS.
Maybe it doesn't work ALL the time, and not in the manner or speed we'd LIKE it to work. You can't walk into a deli and get a pound of faith, or go out back and pluck some faith from a tree...and you certainly can't flip it on or off like a light switch...doesn't work like that.
But a strong or fervent belief in something greater is better than no belief at all, trust me.
It's often said that men tend to get "real religious" when stuck in some muddy foxhole, thousands of miles from their loved ones and country, with bullets and bombs coming at them from all sides.
That is very true.
But surely we mean people from times past when we say that, right?
Not at all.
It's just that in today's society, full of technological wonders, instant communications across the globe, and instant gratification, we seek to KNOW things that simply cannot be explained.
We want answers..and we want them yesterday.
Now, I could go on about religion, my beliefs, the existence of God, and the like, but perhaps that's best saved for another time...
What I will say is that to have NO faith in anything deprives a person of the ability to attain the needed knowledge and wisdom that they will need in the world.
So, will I let those among us who wish to summarily dismiss the CHRISTMAS season in lieu of something bland, and without traditional meanings? No.
I, along with millions of others around the world will attempt to celebrate Christmas in the manner for which it was intended.
Maybe our modern Christmas was born out of a pagan time of year in which tribes hoped for a return of the crops they lost when the weather became colder, but it has become so much more, and because of the faith that people have exhibited over the centuries. maybe the birth of Jesus Christ was actually in the SPRING...not the winter
All I know...is that it works for me.
Those traditional things we savor at this time of year...those things we value and hold dear, are here for a reason.
They are reminders.
And why do we need such things?
We need to be reminded of everything from what's on the grocery list, what show is on TV, where we need to be at a given day or time, and why we are who we are...as a people.
Life tosses us reminders to keep us on our toes, lest we forget what we should be mindful of.
Reminders are life's disciplinarian...allowing us to maintain focus on matters at hand.
When we stray, we wind up getting chastised in some fashion.
When we learn to pay attention, things tend to turn out a lot better...and easier.
You might not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but my Dad always said that: "You're never too old to learn".
And he was right.
Dad also believed he had TWO jobs in life...the one for which he punched the time clock...and driving (2nd job).
I maintain he was right...with one exception.
LIFE is a job within itself.
Your life is a work in progress, and the only time you "stop working" is when...YOU stop working.
And it's within this all too brief span that we cling to that faith I mentioned.
We do much in our lives by faith, otherwise, we'd never cross a street, or get behind the wheel of our cars, or set foot outside our homes.
Our forefathers believed the same, because they came HERE...to make a new nation.
They took so much by faith.
They accomplished so much in the process.
And they passed it on to us , that we may continue being stewards of this country.
In this, I truly feel that THE PEOPLE are doing that for the most part.
Now, all we have to do is convince our government to follow suit.
I don't know about you, but I still have faith in that.
Remember...3 shopping days left until CHRISTMAS.
Be careful on the roads...spend wisely, and as always...
Stay safe out there, America.