It started out as "Decoration Day" on May 30, not "The last Monday in May."  It was a day when you went to the grave of a loved one who had fallen in battle.  You went to the cemetery and saw the little Flags every where and put flowers on a grave.  Flags were flown at half-mast until noon.  Do you know that you are supposed to raise the flag all the way, and then lower it to half-staff?  At noon you raise it back up again.

1868, Major General Jonathan A. Logan, ret. made a proclamation of what Decoration Day, now Memorial Day, was to be about:

"The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country and during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit."

In Flander's Field
by John McCrae
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow,
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead.
Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved and now we lie,
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw,
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us, who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow,
In Flanders Fields.

That radical organization, the VFW, who hires disabled vets to make the little red poppies, called "Buddy Poppies," they sell at this time of the year, stated in its 2002 Memorial Day address: "Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day."

In 2000, to help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps."

So at 3 P.M. I will be thinking about all who have come and gone including Uncle Herbie.

Remember…

When I worked at the big name bookstore there were two things that happened which I think relate directly to the big flap over the new movie, “The Davinci Code.”

One of the things we were supposed to do while we were there was to make sure we were familiar with the books that the store was currently pushing.  These choices were interesting of themselves.  Walk through a big-name bookstore, Borders might be one.  I love to go there and get a latte and wander through the aisles.  When you do, see what they have faced outward and displayed prominently.  You will find over a period of time, that there are specific themes that they push and they are generally not conservative or Christian themes.  As an employee you might have ten calls for “Dereliction of Duty,” a book which shows the incompetence of the Clinton administration through the eyes of the man who carried the “Nuclear Football” and find that it’s backordered; you will have stacks and stacks of Al and Tipper’s book, even though no one is interested in it and the few people who have read it cannot tell you how boring it really was.  This is because the bestseller lists are made up, not of what people are reading or want to read or even actually buying, but by the number of books ordered by bookstores.

One day our boss held a meeting and said that the “powers that be” wanted everyone to read this book, “The Davinci Code” by Dan Brown.  “While they can’t force you to read it, you will be recommending it to the customers and they really want you to read it.”  I am pretty open-minded about books, but I have strong opinions about being told what to read.  Besides, I am not a big mystery/suspense/thriller fan and had several other reading projects at the time.  I know almost nothing about art so any references in that area would be lost on me as well.  My friend read it and she said it was okay, but it was clear that it fit in with the apparent agenda of the bookstore.  She said she was not all that impressed, but if big-name chains pushed it hard enough it was a good enough read to make it.

An unrelated fiasco happened while I worked there.  There is a guy who thinks he is the funniest man who ever lived, Al Franken.  My first exposure to him was when he was on Saturday Night Live.  I hated him.  I thought he was stupid and boring, but those were SNL’s “slump times” when they didn’t have any real writing or acting talent anyway, so he fit right in.  I cannot tell you how stupid I thought he was, or how surprised I was to learn this guy had actually had books published, the newest of which was called “Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them.”  On the cover was a little ticker tape that said, “A Fair and Balanced View” which was also the trademark tag-line for what people have told me is a conservative news show, who got upset about the infringement of their trademark/copyright.  You have to jealously and agressively protect your trademarks and copyrights or you will wind up with little “Calvin and Hobbes” look-alike stickers doing everything from praying to urinating on cars all over.  But they should have seen it coming.  Their court battle immediately became the darling story of the liberal, drive-by media.

“Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them” was 248^th in the top selling books lists one day and a number one best-seller the next.

Now “The Davinci Code” is a movie.  No more exciting, from the reviews I’ve seen, than the stilted dialogue of the book.  A regular dud bomb.  So why are people spending money to see it?  Because they are being told not to.  Something that would not be interesting to the average person has taken on new meaning because it is bad.  It attacks the Christian faith and beliefs.  But let’s step back a moment and remember one thing.  The book was fiction.  The movie is fiction.  All these claims of an attack on Christianity are just so much hype which I believe is artificially generated and pumped up to sell the movie.  When one of the actors was interviewed they asked him if he thought the film should have a disclaimer saying it was fiction at the beginning (what a ridiculous idea) and he replied that he thought the Bible should be required to have such a disclaimer  There you have the heart and soul of Hollyweird.  The same Hollyweird that would not fund “The Passion Of The Christ” (Didn’t go see that one either.  I don’t support Hollyweird if I can help it) and Mr. Gibson had to put up his own money is the same bunch that would fund a poorly written, boring, anti-Christian movie.

This movie attacks on the same basis that all of Hollyweird attacks.  Hollyweird and Mad Ave are driven (ultimately) by greed.  Should we all go out and behave like the 12^th century Islamo-Fascists did when a critical cartoon was published?  What if the Catholics were to behave themselves that way?  Rioting, looting, burning Hollyweird to the ground and killing all the actors and directors is not the way civilized people, especially in Christian nations, behave.

The best way to fight the Davinci code is to not watch it.  Not an organized boycott that will make the news and make undecided people feel sorry for the movie makers or mad that someone is trying to stifle their freedom of speech (which no one is), but rather, just don’t go.  Don’t buy the book or watch the flick, but the more of a fuss you make the more unnecessary attention you draw to it.  Just as with TV and Radio, if you don’t listen, if you turn the set off, that is the loudest voice of all.  Of course you could chose my path and not have any sort of TV equipment in your house and make it your own rule that you won’t support Hollyweird by never going to any movies, which is the best way.

Another way to fight it is to know what you believe.  I know that Jesus was born by Immaculate Conception to the virgin, Mary.  He lived a sinless and blameless life which allowed him to be a sacrifice for our sins.  His blood was shed in a cruel beating called a “scourging” so we could be healed and in crucifixion, nailing our sins to His cross, so those sins could be washed away.  He was buried, but since he had committed no sin, the grave couldn’t hold him and on the third day he rose again.  This is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I know these things to be true because I have met God and have a relationship with Him and an experience in Him that some actor isn’t going to change.  I know that the King James Version of the Bible is THE Word of God to the English speaking world in our times.  Everything must be judged according to it.  If it doesn’t fit in with the KJV, then there is something wrong with it, not the Bible.  These are a few things I KNOW and even the threat of death couldn’t make me disbelieve.  There is no threat that can take away the experience that God gave me, because I know it happened.  It happened to me.  I was there.  So, why would I care about this movie?

Remember, the Good Book says, “If something is wicked, don’t look at it.”

I really like having people come here and visit, it seems a shame, sometimes, that I don’t update as often as I should.  I could probably build up a nice little audience even if I only posted something every couple of days or so.  I apologize.  As many of you know, it was one of my resolutions to keep this blog updated.  I feel bad about it, doesn’t that count for something?

I say I feel bad, but I have to add a caveat, which I have said many times before, there are some things in life that are more important than blogging.  That is NOT meant to say that there are things more important than you guys, my fans, friends, fiends, foes and frenemies.  Life just gets overwhelming on occasion and cannot always be answered by a simple “42.”  I do know, however, that many of you are interested in what I have to say and what is going on with me, so I will give you the rundown.

I found out this week that my mom has stage IV Indolent Follicular Lymphoma.  Cancer.  Due to a veritable plethora of other health issues the doctor doesn’t think chemotherapy is a good choice.  In fact, it could actually make it worse.  He has prescribed hospice/home comfort care for her.  She sent us some notes the doctor gave her to help her explain her condition (she’s not real good at explaining some things) and he doesn’t actually give a length of time she has.  I have been told that they only use the word “hospice” if there are six months or less, however, my dad said that she might have two to maybe four years.  Her church is buying them plane tickets to come out and visit so they can see Savannah again and meet Douglas for the first time.  This is very generous on their part for several reasons, but the pastor said that since they have been members there for thirty years he felt like this was something they could do.  They are a small congregation and don’t have a lot of money, so this is genuinely magnanimous on their part.

But there is not only bad news.  Abigail has straight A’s and A-plusses on her grades without finals.  She won an award in one of the math classes and earned a letter for academics!  (Contrast this with me, who was not even aware there was such a thing as a letter in academics.)  Tabitha’s achievements are not as easy to quantify since she is home-schooled and her curriculum does not allow her to get below an 80% in anything.  She is kind of shy anyway and doesn’t mind that her sister gets the spotlight.  She’s happy and excited for her.

We got a puppy.  It’s a pure-bred miniature poodle named “Boston Blacky” after a character on the old-time radio shows.  He and Savannah get along excellently.  I have never been a fan of small dogs, but this guy is starting to really show some personality.  He also gets along with the cats.  Bagheera, who was never able to come upstairs when Snoopy was indoors now roams the house with impunity, Fraidy Cat has a more or less laissez-faire attitude toward him, Fee-Foe tolerates him as long as he recognizes that she is the queen, but the most amazing thing to me is how him and Cookie get along.  Cookie is our full-bred La-Perm cat.  They are curly-haired, but not bred or descended from any of the other curly-haired cats; rather they are descended from some barn cats with a strange gene.  I mention all this because I think her pedigree influences her temperament and behavior.

I have never seen a dog and cat play together before.  One will tag the other and they will take turns chasing each other.  Then they wrestle like two puppies or two kittens!  They really like to play with each other.  It is amazing.

I have a couple of issues that I kind of want to write about, but really don’t want to jump in full-steam ahead, just yet.  I have decided to steal Rambling-Rose’s term and call the people who are here against the law, “Trespassers.”  Since trespassing is a crime, calling them “Illegal Trespassers” seemed like fodder for the U.S. Government Bureau of Repetitious Redundancy Department of Repetitive Phrases Agency, but the truth is, if you are somewhere illegally, you are trespassing.  If you want to live here so bad, then you have to learn our laws and language and culture.  I have some friends who own a Mexican restaurant downtown who did not participate in the walkout.  “We’re Americans.  We have a business to run and as far as I’m concerned, if you don’t show up for work on Monday, don’t bother coming in Tuesday, either.”  This is an older couple who have worked hard to obey the law and do what’s right.

You do not have to give up your culture or language, just learn ours.  When my Great-Grandfather was in the German Army, he disagreed with the Kaiser’s politics so he saved every bit of his money and when he went on furlough he booked passage on a sailing ship to come to America.  He had to learn to speak English, but he was a hard worker and while he never became as rich as he had been told, he was able to start a farm in southeastern Wisconsin.  If you moved to some other country, e.g., say Barbara Streisand were to actually keep her promise and make the majority of Americans happy by moving to, oh, some distant island, she would have to learn their language and customs and they wouldn’t care that she was a celebrity here.  As I mentioned in a different entry, this country is made up of nothing but immigrants, refugees or their descendants.  But they came here legally and didn’t trespass.  I also believe that employers who hire these people should be tracked down and punished to the fullest extent of the law, whether they are a two-bit landscaping operation or a major big-box chain.

Another issue I want to address is the homogenization of the two-party system.  As the Republicans (generally speaking, “my” party) have gained control they seem to have lost the convictions and beliefs they preached so heartily to get elected.  Like their counterparts, they have tasted power and if they are not careful their party will be hijacked by Leftist Loonies, too.  It can and is happening already.  And just like the Donkey party only has a few moderate, intellectually honest, voices like Joe Lieberman (too bad Zel Miller retired), the Elephants will only have a few truly conservative voices, not realizing that it was their alleged conservative values that made up the “red-stater’s” minds.  You watch though, any party, the next time they have a midnight session to vote on whether to increase their own pay or not, I bet it’s a hundred to zero.  They’ll all agree on that.

We celebrated our pastor’s thirtieth pastoral anniversary this weekend.  This is an amazing thing in these times, especially finding someone who still believes in, preaches and teaches the same things he did when he started out.  A lot of churches (not only in our organization, but everywhere) have stopped preaching so hard as they used to because they are afraid they won’t get any converts or keep the big tithe-payers.  Pastor J is not that way.  His old-fashioned preaching against sin, loving people and helping them still works.  He and his wife started out over on the West Side of Colorado Springs at 2500 Busch avenue with 30 voting members, 22 of whom voted for them, to where we are today, approximately 500 people.  Old-fashioned prayer and preaching were the keys.  When we came back to church 18 years ago, he was still preaching the same teachings we had learned as children.  Consistency of conviction.  Maybe just having real convictions instead of thinking you have a conviction.  A conviction is a core belief that is so ingrained in you that even the threat of death or worse couldn’t change your mind.  You know a thing is true so thoroughly that there is no other way you could see it, even if you wanted to.

Anyway, I have great love and respect for the man and honor him deeply.  I wish everyone could get to know him and what he is like.  He is not a hard or harsh man, but rather is a kind and gentle man who is loved by kids and horses.

Okay, I am going to post this now before it gets too late.  Thanks to all of you for stopping by.

Remember, the Good Book says, “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.”

The IED from hell

Thu, Apr 13, 2006 at 6:47 AM

Carter

To: Herb

massive f****** IED the other day,4 dead,one guy 30 per cent burns,but stable.All the XOs went to inspect it today after it got hauled back-OMG........2 130mm arty shells just blew it to f***

Thu, Apr 13, 2006 at 1:38 PM

Herb

To: Carter

Wow.  You were an acting XO?

Fri, Apr 14, 2006 at 1:09 AM

Carter

To: Herb Thiel

yeah,told you that-been the XO for awhile now

Fri, Apr 14, 2006 at 3:53 AM

Herb Thiel

To: Carter

You didn't say what got blown up.  Hummer?

Fri, Apr 14, 2006 at 5:11 AM

Carter

To: Herb Thiel

a bradley-it blew a huge hole in the floor of the crew compartment and killed the 2 JAFOs back there-the gunner was trapped,but the TC and driver made it out,although both were severely burned.We were looking at it,and  under the engine/tranny was a sheet of quarter inch steel,which held up-but it did'nt extend as far back as the JAFO seats-a couple hundred bucks in steel could have saved these guys-maybe.We're looking at local modifications our wrench elements can do to increase survivability.

Sun, Apr 16, 2006 at 1:21 PM 

Carter

To: Herb Thiel

we had the memorial service tonight for our dead.it got a bit intense.

Tue, Apr 18, 2006 at 4:39 AM

Herb Thiel

To: Carter

I'm sorry.

Wed, Apr 19, 2006 at 12:46 AM

Carter

To: Herb Thiel

another guy KIA yesterday.  it was the commander of Alpo Troop-they got him with an EFP-explosive fired projectile-a new twist on IEDs-sort of an improvised disposable cannon,firing a length of steeel rod that will penetrate the armor on the guntrucks.It breached the armor and went through his helmet.I went out yesterday,down to the town of Saba al boor,which was where our guys were killed in the other IED last week.It was uneventful,other than getting stuck in a traffic jam on the Baghdad freeway....

Fri, Apr 21, 2006 at 4:02 AM

Herb

To: carter

That's sick.

Fri, Apr 21, 2006 at 1:20 PM

Carter

To: Herb

the EFP or the traffic jam?

Sat, Apr 22, 2006 at 4:33 AM

Herb

To: carter

I was thinking about the EFP, but the traffic sounds bad, too.

Sat, Apr 22, 2006 at 6:38 AM

Carter

To: Herb

alpo troop got hit by mortar fire today-5 WIAs,but no dead-and they caught 2 bad guys-the trunk of their car was chock full of IED components

Sun, Apr 23, 2006 at 5:51 AM

Herb

To: carter

HWere do the get that stuff?

Tue, Apr 25, 2006 at 11:37 AM

Carter

To: Herb

common household items-oh,had some first hand expewrience with an IED today....

Wed, Apr 26, 2006 at 3:23 AM

Herb

To: carter

You better be careful.  What happened.

Wed, Apr 26, 2006 at 8:24 AM

Carter

To: Herb Thiel

I was om a missionwith the S-3,and was riding shotgun in the 3rd vehicle-went down a road,heard a big boom,and decided to test the flying abilities of an M1114 HUMVEE...blew us off the road,hit a culvert and were bouncing across a field before the truck stopped-I got everyone out of the truck and out on security(even though I was  like the 3rd ranking guy on the truck,with an american captain and Estonian major being aboard)-we looked for the triggerman to kill him,but did'nt see anyone.we waited for recovery assets and EOD to show up and waited forever....they finally showed up,along with a platoon of pissed off Estonian infantry to sweep the village looking for suspects.All five of us on the truck walked away with nothing more than bruises(well,I slopped dew all over myself when it went off,and ripped my pants).EOD said it was 2 artillery shells-one 130mm and one 152mm.they burrowed underneath the shoulder of the road and buried it,but buried it too deep,as we were just about on top of it when it went off,and the road and the dirt took most of the blast.

Thu, Apr 27, 2006 at 3:16 AM

Herb

To: carter

Well, thank God they didn't know how far to bury it.  I guess everybody's prayers for you are working, except that your still ugly.  Mind if I post that one, and the pics?  I only do if you say it's okay.  I don't want to mess up any security issues.

Thu, Apr 27, 2006 at 5:45 AM

Carter

To: Herb Thiel

yeah,go ahead and post it-nothing in the pic that the insurgents don't know already.Just glad I walked away from it-CPT ***** has added leaving the wire to list of things like making coffee that I'm not supposed to do-and they're starting to refer to my coffee as "aggravated assault"

Wed, Apr 26, 2006 at 8:53 AM

Carter

To: Herb Thiel

a couple pics after the IED yesterday-does'nt show the crater as well as I'd like,but you can still see it was a sizable blast

Thu, Apr 27, 2006 at 3:09 AM

Herb

To: carter

Wow!  How close were you?

Thu, Apr 27, 2006 at 6:01 AM

Carter

To: Herb Thiel

right on top of it

Fri, Apr 28, 2006 at 3:45 AM

Herb

To: carter

Yeah, read the story later.  God's looking out for you!

Fri, Apr 28, 2006 at 8:34 AM

Carter

To: Herb Thiel

I'm a member of the IED survivor club-and the weird thing is,I knew we would get hit that day,but was'nt afraid in the least-well,our PFC driver DID piss himself...but as the truck was flying through the air,I really was'nt too worried

Sat, Apr 29, 2006 at 3:35 AM

Herb

To: carter

Well, maybe God didn't want ya to die with that fin ya owe me still on yer conscience.

Sat, Apr 29, 2006 at 11:12 AM

Carter

To: Herb Thiel

uh,hello....YOU owe ME that fin-plus 30 altairian dollars and a cup of mus and a greaseburger and...............

Sat, Apr 29, 2006 at 2:48 PM

Herb Thiel

To: carter

No, you are confused.  You owe me the fin, 30 Altairian dollars and a beer milkshake.  Since I quit drinkin' you kin have that.

And that was how my buddy Carter almost got himself blown up.  Some people will do anything to get out of payin’ ya back, won’t they?

Florence Nightengale  May 12, 1820 - August 13, 1910

When Florence was 24 years old, she had a "calling" from God. She wrote in her journal, "God spoke to me and called me to His service." Florence decided her calling was to help the sick and the poor by becoming a nurse.

You can read more about Florence Nightengale at the Florence Nightingale Museum http://www.florence-nightingale.co.uk/index.htm

The Florence Nightingale Pledge:

“I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug. I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling. With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician, in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.”

National Nurse’s Week is May 6^th thru the 12^th.  These are the heroic souls that aid doctors everywhere in everything, dispensing caring and emotional help along with medicines.

These heroic women and men who aid the doctors also have assistants.  Certified Nurse Assistants are the unsung heroes of the medical profession.  CNAs are the ones who do the real dirty work and this is what Margaret does every day, as if being married to me isn’t a big enough challenge.

The website “Nursing Assistant Central” http://www.nursingassistantcentral.homestead.com/ says,

“Being a Nursing Assistant is not for everyone, and nursing facilities have been experiencing difficulty over the last few years attracting and retaining caring, qualified individuals. The pay scale isn't always up to par for the work expected of Nursing Assistants. More often than not, C.N.A.'s work short staffed, decreasing the quality of care that patients receive while at the same time presenting a safety hazard to both staff and patients alike. The need for quality caregivers has become an important issue, and at times a problem, for healthcare facilities. Nationwide, this country has experienced somewhat of a crisis in the area of the direct-caregiving field. As the number of nursing homes continues to increase, it is an unfortunate fact that the caregiving field has been lagging in numbers. The turnover rate for Nursing Assistants is phenomenal…”

Margaret really doesn’t like to be in the spotlight and I don’t write about her very often, but she is a genuine heroine.  She is a home health care CNA.  People who, not very long ago, even in this country, would have had to live in a nursing home or hospital or, in some cases, hospice, can stay at home with their families, friends and loved ones directly because of her.  There are adults and children right here in Colorado Springs, Colorado who live better lives and in some cases just stay alive, because she is there.

One reason I don’t write much about her is that she has all of the office politics from three different offices to deal with as well as the nurses she “assists.”  I put “assists” in quotations because many times (with a few notable exceptions) she is the one who does the work every day and the nurse (I say again, there are notable exceptions) just comes around every couple of weeks to make sure she still knows how to do her job.

Another of the reasons I seldom write about her is that I cannot tell most of the stories that I have heard because of her patient’s (they call them “clients” in the biz, I guess it must sound more positive) right to privacy.  People that are in common could potentially connect the dots and figure out who the person is and what their medical situation is.  Besides, a lot of the time her job is too gross for me.  She and the daughter-in-law, who is also a CNA, start talking shop and I am out of there.  I guess that’s my point.  I couldn’t do it.  A lot of other people couldn’t/wouldn’t do it, but she can.

A quadriplegic person confidently wheeling around in their wheelchair.

A little old lady in her 90’s or 100’s that still lives at home.

A teenage girl with cerebral palsy that has only rudimentary control of limbs and bowels.

The child of a crack-head mother who lives with his brain unevenly built.

Parents of children with problems I can’t pronounce who were told by the Dutch government that if they weren’t US citizens (That means something!  Let’s don’t allow criminals to cheapen the value of it.) They would “euthanize a child like that” (Actual quote) and they better just go to the American hospital in Germany.

I had heard the term, “Debilitating disease” but never really knew anything about it until I saw Multiple Sclerosis firsthand.

All of these people are able to stay with the people who love them and care for them and want them, or stay in the homes they have always lived in, (in some cases that they grew up in!) directly because of Margaret and people like her.

Do you know what “Autonomic Dysreflexia” is?  What the signs of it are and what will happen to a person if you don’t?

How about the proper way to prevent infection while administering a bed-bath?

A lot of you may have changed a baby, but what about the correct way to change a grown-up’s soiled diaper?  If they are uncooperative?  Become combative because they think you are trying to hurt them when you are taking off their nasty clothing because they have Alzheimer’s and are confused?

Empty a bedside commode?

What do you do to prevent contamination and infection if someone’s bodily substance, vomit, feces, urine, gets on you?

Did you know there’s a right way and wrong way to put on and take off rubber gloves, which have a wide variety of styles and uses?  (I like to blow them up and put them on my head and watch little kids eyes bug out, but that’s not a professional use.)

I have done a dismally poor job of bringing this thought to you; of explaining what an angel of light in a dark, dismal world some people are.  My usual candor is lacking because the subject, the things she does as part of her work every day, is pretty much all things I really don’t enjoy talking about, or thinking about having to do.  But if the Lord has me live past a hundred (only the good die young) and I have to have someone besides Margaret care for me, I hope I get someone who cares as much about how to do their job and be professional and caring at the same time as she does.

She is a REAL Hero!

Remember, The Good Book Says, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

I am working on a couple of posts, but for now I would like to direct you to an upbeat article about the work the Minnesota National Guard is doing in Iraq, which also has a few photos in the gallery.

http://www.gxonline.com/features/redbulls/blog/index.html

http://www.gxonline.com/ is the website for the National Guard magazine, GX Guard Experience.

I got the link from The Patriette's blog,

 
http://www.thepatriette.com/

Her husband is a captain in the Minnesota National Guard in Iraq and her blog gives a lot of insight as to what's really going on.  She is only 4 weeks away from her due date.  You have to sign up and be approved before you can comment because she receives a lot of uncalled-for vituperation from leftist-loonies who apparently can't stand the idea that she is so proud of her husband and what he is doing.

There is also an article on GX about the Charlie Daniels Band visiting the troops.

http://www.gxonline.com/gxintelnews?id=29538

The link to Charlie Daniels website is

http://charliedaniels.com/

And I highly recommend clicking on the link that says "Soapbox" http://charliedaniels.com/soapbox.htm Which will take you to a forum where the topics are written by Charlie Daniels himself and on which he comments.  From there I clicked on his main forum page, http://www.multimedia-interactive.com/cdb/ and perused some of his previous topics.  Very good.

Remember, next time you are watching/listening to the mainstream/drive-by media, that the Good Book says, "A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies."

Here are the Easter pix I promised along with some Savannah pix that Ben and Isabel took.  I didn't know when I would have time to blog this week, but I wound up getting up an hour early today.  The alarm clock had come unplugged and I got up and set it and, well, while I really did learn to tell time in Kindergarten or First grade I got my big hand and little hand mixed up.  This was good for those of you who wanted to see these pix, though.

In the picture with Great-Grandma Pike and Savannah, Grandma puts Savannah on her seat and walks around the church, but I didn't get a pic of that yet.

I love the Firefox Browser.  I love the tabbed browsing and going to a “favorites” folder and clicking “Open all in new tabs” and having everybody’s (30+) blogs open in 3 or 4 windows in a couple of minutes.  It’s really neat.  But there is one thing I learned.  You have to hit refresh when you go to someone’s blog, or you don’t see their newest entry and you think that you have converted them to procrastination like you.  But when you hit refresh and find out you have missed several days entries, all you can say is, “aaaaaaaarrrrrggggggghhhhhh!”

I still like Firefox for blog cruisin’ though.

As the good book says, “Never put off until tomorrow what will wait till the day after…”

I’m late on the Easter re-cap, but I’m about late on my updates all the time.  Sometimes I just get to living life and don’t know how long it’s been since I updated last.  Then, when I realize how long it actually was I realize that I have not made my rounds of people’s blogs, some of whom actually have updated, some every day.  So then, out of guilt, I go read their blogs, and leave comments, often thinking to myself, “I wish I could think of something like that.”  By that time I have run out of time for my own writing.

There are two times a year the general populace feel they must go to church, Christmas and Easter.  The church was full.  My whole family and the grandbabies were present (Pictures coming) along with about 500 other people but I was in Sunday School helping with the Easter presentation.

The children were divided into groups and each child given a giant poster-board jelly bean of different colors.  Each group then said a part of “The Jelly Bean Prayer” which goes:

Red is for the blood He gave.

Green is for the grass He made.

Yellow is for the sun so bright.

Orange is for the edge of night.

Black is for the sins that were made.

White is for the grace He gave.

Purple is for the hour of sorrow.

Pink is for the new tomorrow.

Then they sang, “Alive, alive, Jesus is alive” and another Easter song called, “Jesus is Risen” to the tune of “Jesus Loves Me.”  Sorry I don’t remember all the words off hand but the chorus went:

Jesus is risen

Jesus is risen

Jesus is risen

Tell everyone you meet.

They did very good and I was proud of all of them.  Even my most challenging kids (I teach 6 & 7 year olds) were well-behaved and said their lines perfectly.  Then they passed out little packets of jelly beans to people in the congregation as we left the main sanctuary and went back to the classroom where I told them how wonderful they were and what good examples, etc.

The kids seemed wired from standing in front of the whole church and probably from candy, too, so we reviewed the last couple of weeks’ lessons, the Garden, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.  We actually covered the resurrection twice, because when you teach the death of Jesus you should never leave the students without knowledge of the hope that goes with it.  If you leave Jesus on the cross or in the grave, and that student doesn’t come back the next week to hear the end of the “cliffhanger,” you are wrong.

The week we focused on the crucifixion I brought in some long nails from the hardware store and a crown of thorns which my son had made from a nasty, thorny weed that grows near fountain creek.  You should always, whether it’s Sunday School, Scouting, or any other interaction with children, remember to keep things age appropriate.  Six and seven year olds can be impressed by just seeing these things and a simple explanation whereas teenagers may need to hear more about the asphyxiation and torture elements of the story.  “Little is much when God is in it.”

Living near five military bases most of our kids know what being a soldier is, at least to some extent, so to say that the soldiers were on guard duty and fell down for fear does not need as deep an explanation here as it may in other places, either.  Even nowadays, you can spend a long time in prison and even be executed for falling asleep on guard duty.  These men were bribed with large amounts of money to spread the story that they were asleep and the disciples stole his body.

We reviewed this and then talked about the things that happened in the next 40 days, including Thomas touching the scars on his hands and feeling the spear-hole in his side and Jesus telling them to cast their nets on the other side, causing Peter to jump in the water and swim to shore.  Then I advised the kids that if they could be good and follow every instruction carefully, we could do something special.  We could go to the Mount of Olives, where Jesus often went to pray or to teach.  I grabbed a helium balloon I had secreted in the closet and said, “You guys saw all those people in the church?  That was 500 people, did you know that?”  Appropriate “Oooooo’s” and “Aaaah’s” and “Wows.”  “Well, that’s how many people followed Jesus to the mountain.  Let’s go on a hike to the mountain.”

So we walked, ever so quietly and orderly, from our sweltering upstairs room, down the stairs and out the door into the relatively mild air outside.

“Where are we going Brother Thiel?”

“We’re on the path to the Mount of Olives.”

“Nuh-uh.  This is the sidewalk around the church.”

“You have to use your imagination.  You have to pretend.”  The great thing about this age group is that they are not the strict, concrete thinkers the 4 & 5 year olds are and are just starting to get into slightly more abstract thought and ideas, and imagination is fun.  They are just starting to get jokes and riddles and puns and they love excitement and adventure.

“Are we going to climb Pikes Peak today, too?”  Some little girl joked.

“Nope, just walk around to the Mount of Olives.  In fact, we’re almost there.”

“What are you gonna do with the balloon, Brother Thiel?”

“Isn’t this the same spot where the Red Sea was?”

“Yes, but it’s the Mount of Olives today and Jesus is talking to 500 or more people that came with Him to this spot.” 

“Why does Jesus look like Tigger?”

What are you gonna do with the balloon, Brother Thiel?”

“It’s not supposed to look like Jesus, it’s just a prop, a part of the lesson and you’ll see.”

You may have heard one portion of what is called the “Great Commission” over and over again in your lifetime, which is the part recorded in Matthew, but did you know the Great Commission is recorded in Mark, Luke and the book of Acts, as well.

Matthew:  “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”

Mark:  “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.  And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

Luke:  “Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:  And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  And ye are witnesses of these things.  And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you:  but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

Acts:  “wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.  For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. … It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

(Which I’ve printed here for you, but abbreviated to them for attention’s sake.  These things were fulfilled in the second chapter of the book of Acts and beyond…)

Then I held the balloon in front of my face and talked through it, which refocused their attention on the balloon.  “Then he lifted up his hands and blessed them.”  And at the same time I said that I put up my hands and…I…just…let…it…goooooo…

And we watched it float up into the sky.  We all just stood there and stared, “There it is!  Look up there!  It’s so small!  It’s like a little dot!”

And then it was gone.  And we stood there looking into the sky.

“Then,” I told them, “there appeared two angels that said, ‘Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.’”

We walked back to the classroom, everyone talking about the balloon.  When we got into the classroom, I talked to them some more.  We discussed how that Jesus was going to come back, and he expected us to be preaching and teaching to everyone.  We have to tell everyone about Jesus.  About how he died and was buried but did not stay dead.  How we have to repent, be sorry for our sins, wanting our sins to be nailed to his cross; how we are buried with him in baptism in His name to wash away those sins; how we receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, that Comforter he promised that is the Spirit of Jesus, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”  He comes to live inside anyone who wants Him and he promises that, if we obey Him, He will come and take us to be with Him.

Remember, The Good Book Says, “In my Father’s house are many mansions:  if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

Sorry if you've gotten several e-mails regarding this one entry.  I think this is the final edit, complete update.  Really.  I think I've corrected everything.  I think.

I apologize for not updating sooner.  It is one of my resolutions that I have been weak on this year.  I think, "Oh, I better update" or "I need to update" or "If I write about that, I'll really make the (depending on the subject) liberals/conservatives/libertarians mad" but then I don't actually do it.

One of the things that have been on my mind of late are some of the things that Pops has been talking about.  After reading Pops' entries, http://bluemooncafe.blogdrive.com/archive/530.html  http://bluemooncafe.blogdrive.com/archive/529.html and http://herbsfriends.blogdrive.com/archive/47.html I began to wonder and worry about posting pics also.  After carefully considering on it and discussing it in the Blogdrive forums, I have decided that I will upgrade my Blogdrive account as well as use http://www.statcounter.com/  because I think the BD stats in the upgraded version will give me what I want.  I really recommend to everyone to try "Statcounter" though.  It is interesting and will give you a better insight as to what goes on on the Internet.  While I haven't ruled out the option of taking down the pics completely I think this is the step I am going to take for now.

As I read a couple of these entries I did form some opinions.  I guess I should say that I have become able to articulate some ideas and thoughts I have had about children, (And yes, hateful as my younger readers may find this statement, it's almost invariably true anyway) and teenagers are children, and their use of the Internet.  My ideas will probably not be popular with them and it will take some pretty strong parents to adopt these ideas if they haven't already done them on their own.

First, I definitely don't think children should ever be allowed to use the Internet without supervision.  Whether you have the safest safety filters around or not, it just seems unwise to me to just let them go "wandering" around by themselves.  I have often compared the Internet to an almost unlimited public library.  When we would take the kids to the library we would take them over to the appropriate section, and walk around with them and find out what they were interested in and look at what they wanted to check out and occasionally pre-read it.  As they got to be a little older, we still would look at what they were checking out.  There were times when I would say, "You know, I don't want you reading that" or "That's a little too old for you."  This is a parent's job.  (If you're interested in what I think belongs in libraries, both in public libraries and schools, you can read my piece on "How to Ban Books", which I will link on the updated sidebar if I ever get done with it.)  If you as a parent guide your child (by example as well as sermon…They WILL check out what you are reading and want to know what it's about) from the very beginning they will know what choices to make as they get older.  Now, if you care about what they read, and what they see (you do at least control their viewing a little, I hope?  I have controlled my kids' viewing for the last 20 years by not having a TV or its assorted accoutrements in any form.) And where they go when they are outside, why in the world would you let them roam wild and free on the internet?  When I used to work at the big-name bookstore we had a nice children's area, intended for supervised play and reading; I was shocked and amazed at the number of supposedly educated, intelligent, well-to-do people that just turned their kids loose while they went shopping.  Talk to one of these wild, screaming, maniacal brats and tell them they can't throw books at each other and they need to settle down and find their parents, you will find that some people live in a world that is alien to yours.  Why would you lambaste the clerk for preventing your little monster from hurting themselves or someone else?  If  you are one of those parents that lets your kid run amok, then you probably let them do whatever they want on the 'net, as well.

Switching to older children/teenagers, I will switch to the analogy of the Internet being to the computer/information world what the Interstate Highway system is to travel in America.  Do you just let you kids get in the car with any-old-body that pulls up in the driveway and toots the horn?  Even though teenagers don't like it and may think it's fogey, they should be supervised as well.  Just like you have the right to know who their friends are, what music they have in their rooms, where they are going and with whom and for how long, what shows they watch etc., cyberspace should be no different.  I would never let my kid go with a bunch of wild kids careening down the road and acting all crazy, but if you let your kids go unsupervised down the information highway, it's kind of the same thing.  You should want to meet your kids' friends, talk to their parents and find out their attitudes, etc.  So, why would you let your kids go free-wheelin' down the information highway with a bunch of thugs?

Most teenagers and certainly children should not have their own internet connection in their rooms.  If they do, you need to (find out how if you don't know) check their history files, their cookies, turn on their messengers and see what their screen names are, what their profiles say and what their chat buddies profiles say.  Obviously I believe in using the Internet, but since it is not regulated (much, yet) you are responsible to maintain safety, so, as I say so often when I watch people on the Interstate, "HANG UP AND DRIVE!!!"

Remember, the Good Book says, "My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:"