Food for Thought

One of my friends on Facebook posted this note earlier today.  I thought it was a lot of good things to think about.  I haven't quite gotten her permission to post yet (I think it'll be ok), but here is it.  By the way, it was written by Robin Givens.

"I stumbled on this website quite by accident. I was looking up a quote and had no idea what I was getting into when I clicked the link. The site is called Is Barack Obama the Messiah?. The site never actually explains itself. But from what I can tell, the site is trying to take this silly premise, and not prove it, but merely show that without context (or maybe even with), were an alien to visit the earth, he may think that BHO is a diety of the Democratic Party.

Below are some quotes I've taken from the sidebar:

"This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal."
-- Barack Obama

"Does it not feel as if some special hand is guiding Obama on his journey, I mean, as he has said, the utter improbability of it all?"
-- Daily Kos

"Not just an ordinary human being but indeed an Advanced Soul"
-- Commentator @ Chicago Sun Times

"I'll do whatever he says to do. I'll collect paper cups off the ground to make his pathway clear."
-- Halle Berry

"I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often. No, seriously. It's a dramatic event."
-- Chris Matthews
(See video here at Eyeblast)

"We're here to evolve to a higher plane . . . he is an evolved leader . . . [he] has an ear for eloquence and a Tongue dipped in the Unvarnished Truth."
-- Oprah Winfrey

The blog itself is full of quotes from famous and regular people alike that would give you the sense that, indeed, BHO is a god, or even a God. I must admit, that as a religious person, and definitely as someone who did not know she was about to read this kind of stuff, I felt extremely uncomfortable. I thought to myself "I wonder why Obama invokes worship of this magnitude" and then immediately closed the site, posted it a few places online (I thought people should know about it...), and tried to forget about it (...even though I didn't want to remember it).

I thought about the site again today as I was thinking about Obama's message of hope. I thought "will hope heal our economy?", "will hope bring the troops home?", "will hope fight terrorism?", "will hope create more jobs?" And then I thought, "no, all those things take some kind of action." I then it dawned on me, "hope" is Obama's non-religious version of faith. He's asking us to believe in him. Now, obviously, hope has a different connotation than faith. Obama can say things like "we need to have hope for America" or "we need to have hope for change", he doesn't even need to ask us directly to have faith in him. (Quite sneaky, I might add.)

Just imagine for a second, if I were to say "I heard Romney speak, and I felt this thrill going up my leg." Or if a born-again were to say "Does it not feel as if some special hand is guiding Bush on his journey?" Or if a Catholic were to say "Jindal is an evolved leader, he has an ear for eloquence and a Tongue dipped in Unvarnished Truth." We'd all be labeled religious nut-jobs. But Obama has taken the religion out of faith and worship, and replaced it with hope and, well, hero-worship (come on, English language, you're letting me down on this one). Can anyone really deny the sermon-like quality of Obama's speeches? Should we call his closing argument Sermon on the Canton Memorial Civic Center?

Think for a moment, if the Republican party or its ticket were to claim that people were worshiping Obama, even without including anything inflammatory like "idol of the Democratic party" or even "anti-Christ". I don't think that would be a positive course of action. So they did the next best thing - they called him a celebrity. This makes perfect sense even without considering the shoulders rubbed with Obama's and the fact that women will jump in front of his car as though he's Paul McCartney in 1964 (that doesn't really happen, I just made that up). Celebrities are often worshiped, so it was a great analogy, if not the truth.

The last thing I'd like to add is Biblical. If Obama has replaced faith with hope, then let's ask ourselves again, "will hope save us from the ills of our country?" I know that a lot of Christians ignore this verse or have some fuzzy interpretation of it, but as James tells us in chapter 2:

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

So what does hope without action give us? Where is Obama's call for people to take responsibility (other than a slight nod to the word with no specifics) and action (besides voting, sorry VoteOrDie, voting will not find you a job, give you a raise, or buy you a house) along with hoping for a positive outcome? Does Obama truly believe that he will solve people's problems without any action required from them (a miracle-worker now?)? (Or does Obama think that when Joe the Plumber - yes I used the phrase Joe the Plumber - asks Obama why all his hope didn't buy him a plumbing company, that the answer "you didn't take personal responsibility" will actually satisfy Joe after listening to his promises?)"

Yet another tag, but this one is about Chad!!

Shanan, Chad's sister, tagged me asking questions about Chad.  So, here goes:

Where did you meet your husband?
At a Singles Valentine's dance in Richmond.

How long did you date before you were married?
Ooooh,  not very long!  We met Feb. 11, 2005, got engaged at the end of May 2005 and married on August 12, 2005.  Yikes!!

How long have you been married?
A little over 3 years 

What does he do that surprises you?
He does laundry a lot.  I really appreciate that since our laundry is in the basement (two flights down) and since the basement has made me a little claustrophobic recently.  That's a whole other story.

What is your favorite feature of his?
His smile

What is your favorite quality he has?
He's hilarious.  And I also love when he laughs at my jokes, making me think I'm funny, too!  I also love that he's silly (not all the time, but most of the time)

Does he have a nickname for you?
There are a few, but he mostly calls me stinky.  NO idea where that one came from!

What is his favorite food?
Chad's good about eating whatever I make and saying, "Thank you for this delicious meal.  May I please be excused?"--something he doesn't really say now, but had to when he was a kid.  He is also quite the pasta snob.

What is his favorite sport?
baseball

When and where was your first kiss?
Embarrassing to say now, but it was on my parents' couch in the family room.  It's embarrassing cause it's pretty cliche...he started tickling me and then leaned over and kissed me.  If I had been watching another couple do that, I might have vomited.  But I sure liked being the one involved!

What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?
Well, my favorite time of the day is after dinner or right after Chad gets home when he wrestles with Cameron.  Cameron gets all excited and starts to put on a show.  We just watch and laugh at him.

Do you have children?
Yes, Cameron is almost 18 months.

Does he have any hidden talents?

It's not hidden from a lot of people that know him well, but a lot of people at school and church don't know how crazy he is.  I try to tell people this, but I think they don't believe me.  It's a talent that he can make people laugh and feel good about themselves.

How old is he?
30 in about a month!!

Who said I love you first?
He said, "I think I'm falling in love with you" and I got scared.  But the "I think" part kind of softened the blow!!

What's his favorite kind of music?
Rock and... Italian?

What do you admire most about him?
His dedication to whatever he's doing.  Chad's SUPER hard on himself about the things he has to get done.  He feels like he's never doing quite enough.  But he is constantly taking care of people around him.

Will he read this?
Yes

Who do you tag?
Katie, Kristen, Ana, Patience

Tag...not because someone tagged me. Because I don't feel like blogging about anything else!

Tag 1:

I am: cold
I think: I shouldn't have eaten that bowl of brownies and ice cream
I know: what I believe and stand for
I want: more creativity

I have: too much makeup
I wish: I would be more patient
I hate: unfairness (is that a word?)
I miss: playing outside in the summer when I was a kid
I fear: throwing up.  Really, I haven't thrown up in 6 years (even through a pregnancy!).
I feel: cold--believe me now?! :)
I hear: Chad typing
I smell: brownies I baked a while ago
I crave: a warm bath
I search: for some justice
I wonder: where we'll end up

I regret: not being as kind to people a I should be (even just in the way I think about them)
I love: quality time with family
I always: am hungry
I am not: dumb
I believe: people can change and be whatever kind of person they want to be
I dance: in my living room with Cameron.  I miss church dances.
I sing: in the ward choir sometimes
I don't always: love cleaning my house/doing dishes/being domestic
I fight: with Chad and Cameron--Cameron likes to hit things when he's mad...like the floor or the couch.  He knows better than to hit me!
I write: lots of emails
I lose: my Mac lipglosses ALL the time.  It never fails.  I buy one and then it's gone.  I know there's one around here somewhere...
I win: nothing....I've only sort of won one contest in my life.  It was in my ward at BYU.  I got 3rd place for a loaf of banana bread I made.  I was SO excited.
I never: complain.  Ha!  That was a joke.
I listen: to too much AM talk radio
I can usually be found: running errands or doing something to get out of the house
I am scared: of change
I need: to go to bed
I am happy about: having a great family and good friends that live close by


Tag 2:

The way this works is you go to your pictures file and post the fourth pic in the fourth file and this is what I found.

(This didn't work so well cause I have all of my old pic files on an external hard drive.  I didn't ever put the pics that are on the Mac in folders.  So, here's the 4th picture I have.)

Lovely

Trip to VA

Cameron and I hopped a plane last Saturday to VA for a little over a week. It's been really good to be home so far. I went to the rally (as you see in the following posts), visited my grandma and have just hung out.

Coming off the plane. Cameron's got his monkey backpack (my child leash) on. Surprisingly, Cameron did really well on both legs of the flight. He was actually a little scared of the inside of the plane. Maybe he's clausterphobic...?

Cameron and grandpa. Cameron's totally posing here.

He had to have his favorite spoon on the flight. I thought it would help him be a little more calm. I got weird looks. Whatever makes the kid happy!!

Cameron and aunt Katie

My mom got Cameron some beads. I think that sounds better than saying my mom got Cameron a necklace. The reason for it was that Cameron gets upset when I open my jewelry box and pull out a necklace (beaded) and don't let him play with it. So....there ya go.

Cameron with grandma Myrtle and Aunt Sharon (my gma and aunt). I love the look on his face--sort of reminds me of Katie's looks!

Grandpa blowing bubbles at Grandma Norma's house. Cameron's favorite word is bubbles. And it's pretty much the only word he says that we understand (well, I understand "Da" for dad and he does some signs, but the rest of his language is.... Greek to me! Ha! I had to say it.

Cameron and Grandma Norma

We're having lots of fun and will be sad to go, but excited to see Chad and our friends again. And we'll be back in VA for a month at Christmas, so we know there will be lots more fun to have!!

Palin Rally

Here are the pictures I promised from the Sarah Palin rally I went to on Monday. We were pretty far back from the podium, but luckily my mom's camera has a pretty good zoom.

Where we stood...on the front row of this section. Just glad we made it to the front row!

The gang. It was hot and I got sweaty. Niiiiice.

The only view I could get behind me to the left. I'm just not tall enough to get a better picture.

Former Gov. Gilmore. His son was in my math class in high school. He was a weirdo. Gov. Gilmore is running for the US Senate.

I got a little carried away singing "Proud to be an American." The speakers were right in front of us, so we were all a little deaf when we left.

See the guy in the sunglasses? Hee hee. That's a funny question. No, look at the guy in the sunglasses in the blue shirt near the bottom of the pic that is looking straight at you (well, I don't think he really meant to). That's my old boss, Delegate Bill Janis. Funny guy.

Backdrop to the stage

Former Lt. Governor, Jerry Kilgore. He ran for Governor a few years ago and lost. I met him when I went up to UVA to see Chad one day (well, I went to see Jerry, but Chad happened to be there! :)).

Sarah Palin's bus whizzing by. I can't be sure, but I think the guy in front is a reporter for CNN.

A lady next to us wore this t-shirt and my mom really liked it.

Sarah and Todd (this is a major zoom)

My view of the stage. Can you see it?

Hank Williams Jr. sang this hilarious song he made up.

*Well, I had another picture just before mom's camera died, but it won't go on here right, so I'll just let it be.

And there you have it. We waited for Sarah to show for over an hour in the

heat. I'm sure we would have had to wait longer if we wanted to get closer. But it was a fun day!

What I was doing on Monday...

http://media.gatewayva.com/photos/rtd/slideshows/20081014palin/index.html


If you pause on the last picture, you'll see the group of people on the right in the back. We were standing on the front row of that group. Yup...they had to change the venue because so many tickets were given away--we thought around 10,000. But later, we heard there were 20,000+ people there!! (And the picture doesn't show how the large group wrapped around to the right...there were many more people there) I'm so glad. I was getting pretty tired of feeling like I was the only person who thought the way I did/do. Also notice all the cars. It took us an HOUR to get out of the lot. A little ridiculous, but it was such a great rally anyway!

I took pictures there, but need to upload them from my mom's camera since I forgot mine.

Interesting article about media bias in the presidential election...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,433314,00.html

Last week

I know you've heard this before, but I'm working on a video to upload.  The problem is that a good version of it takes FOREVER to upload.  I'll see what I can do.

Until then, here are some pictures from last week...

In Chad's boots

Yikes

Hi Grandma and Grammy (aka Scranscraw)!

And, this is what happens when you try to walk in boots that are up to your thighs... Let that be a lesson, ladies!

My new blonde do...

I went apple picking last week for playgroup.  It was super cold and windy.  Cameron did well until the end when he got a little tired of sitting in the wagon.  BTW, any good apple recipes? Email me!

Charise in the orchard

Priesthood Power

I know many that are reading this have already heard the story, but for those that haven't, here's a post for you.

A few weeks ago, I found a lump in my breast.  Cameron had pushed up against me and I was more sore than usual because of it.  I called me OB a few days later and her nurse said to wait until my next period came to see if it went away (because of hormones).  Well, I waited through that week, but things got worse.  I called the OB's office again and got an apt.  When I went in, my doctor found the lump right away--I guess it was pretty big.  She figured it was a cyst and did a fine-needle biopsy to try to draw out any fluid.  She didn't get any (which meant it wasn't a cyst), so she referred me to a general surgeon and wanted me to get a sonogram and a mammogram.

Well, they couldn't get me in until almost 2 weeks later!  I had to think about this for that long!  But even at that time, I felt like things were going to be ok.  I felt good all through last week, but then over the weekend, I had some major doubts about what I had felt.  I was trying really hard to remember, but I felt like Satan was really working hard to discourage and scare me.  I knew that Heavenly Father doesn't give us a spirit of fear and I was trying to make that my motto for those few days.  But all I could do was think about how scary it would be if I had breast cancer...my mind raced through all the scenarios--what would happen to Cameron?Would Chad have to quit school?  Would we be able to have more kids?  Etc.  I had received a priesthood blessing around the time I had my apt. with my OB and felt pretty good then.  I even sort of felt like the lump was maybe getting smaller.  But then, maybe it was all wishful thinking...?

So, Monday night (just two days ago), I got another priesthood blessing.  I had been so up and down emotionally for the few days before that that I really  needed something to calm my nerves.  And the blessing was exactly what I needed.  I felt so much better after it and deep down, I knew that I would be ok and that I didn't have cancer.  In the blessing, it was mentioned that Heavenly Father was aware of the great test of faith and patience that it had been for me while I waited to find out the news.  Was it ever!

It turns out that everything is fine.  When I went to get my ultrasound, they couldn't find any lump.  I could still feel something, so I went ahead with the mammogram.  The x-rays looked good, too (although ladies under 40, you might not want to get one until you have to...a LOT of squishing involved!!).  Then I met with the general surgeon who showed me the sonogram and mammogram and then did a breast exam.  She said it was just thickened tissue.

Now, this might seem like a very anti-climactic story, but I KNOW that the lump got smaller over the week that I waited.  I know it.  I know that if I had gone to the surgeon the same day I saw my OB, there probably would have been a different outcome--at least a biopsy. Cause that's how scary and big it was.

When this whole thing started, I prayed that my experience would be useful for someone else.  And when I prayed that, the thought came that I should bear my testimony about it.  I was thinking that I would do it next month (after I knew the results and could talk about what I had learned, etc), but we had Fast Sunday a few days ago and the spirit was so strong in motivating me to get me up in front of everyone.  Now, I haven't born my testimony in over two years.  Yeah.  Pretty sad.  So, I was in no hurry to get up there on Sunday--I was too nervous.  And I didn't even know when I got up that I would say what I did.  But I found myself telling everyone about my experience; about how I had felt ok about things, but that I was scared but knew that Heavenly Father was aware of me and my needs and would comfort me.

I don't think Chad would have advised me to say something like that (so personal) to the whole congregation, but I can't tell you how many people have told me that they're glad I shared that with them.  Not sure what it might mean to each person individually, but I'm really glad that I listened to the Spirit.

I'm very humbled from this whole thing.  It only lasted a few weeks, but it really made me focus on my life and what I am doing and not doing to be the best person I can be.  Every few years, something scary like this happens to me (a lump in my neck when Chad and I were engaged, thinking that Cameron might have Downs when I was pregnant, and now this) and I truly think it's a way to get me to see what's important in life.  It seems to happen when I hit a spiritual plateau.

I'm also very humbled by the love I've been shown from friends and family and especially from people in my ward.  You don't really realize how much people care about you until you go through a difficult time and you see how much compassion people have.  So I want to thank everyone for the love and support I've been given.

Well, there it is.  Not a tragic tale, but such a learning and growing experience for me.  And I hope I'm a better person for having gone through it.