It's mornings like this morning (temps in the low 20s) that make me eternally grateful for knee high socks! Unfortunately, I have a field trip with work tomorrow that will primarily be outside so I had to save my last remaining clean pair of knee high socks for tomorrow. My legs are c-o-l-d today! Guess what will be put on my Christmas list!
So, here's a picture of Bailey just because she's so cute.
When my mom was here to help Joshua take care of me after my surgery, she put a mop bucket next to the couch for me use as a trash can. In my slower-than-I-was-expecting recovery, I didn't ever move the mop bucket back to the garage. Don't worry. Joshua did empty it once or twice for me.
We got home this past Sunday after church and Bailey was dying to go outside. I let her out and then went to check my email. Joshua went upstairs to change. I let Bailey back in and went back to the computer. Joshua came downstairs and I heard, "Dog! What have you done?!?"
I went rushing (as fast as my slower-than-I-was-expecting recovery state would allow) into the living room very confused. I had just walked past the area twice and didn't notice anything. And what could she have possibly done in the 60 seconds it took me to let her in and walk back to the computer? I met Bailey running towards me in the kitchen. I knew she'd done something bad by the look on her face. It was a pathetic mixture of guilt and penitence and fear.
When I got to the living room, I saw what I had missed the two times I'd walked by previoulsy. Bailey is generally a really good and obedient dog. She never chews on shoes or gets into food even if it's left on the coffee table within easy reach. But, occasionally, the call of discarded Kleenex is just too much for her doggie sensibilities. All over the living room rug was shredded up Kleenex. She never eats any of it. She just shreds it. I'm not exactly sure what this says about her psyche, but it's probably not a good thing.
As her punishment, Joshua pulled her out from behind my legs, slid her over to the rug (we have hardwood floors), put her nose in the shredded tissue, and told her "NO!". Then he banished her to her bed. She ran straight for her bed, sighed as she laid down, and curled up into a tight ball. She didn't move from it until two hours later when Joshua told her she could get up.
Poor thing. She has such a penitent heart when she gets into trouble. She's also very melodramatic when she's getting in trouble. I often have to turn my head away to laugh so that she doesn't think I'm not serious. It's just too much to see a big, old dog flop on the ground, roll on her back, cover her face with her front paws, and flinch her eyes as if she's about to be beaten within an inch of her life.
Anyway, at least I think I know who the major disciplinarian in our house will be if we have kids.
It's something about dogs because we've had interactions with Rotweillers, Border Collies, and Beagles that have done the same. I even had a dog stick her nose inside my pants pocket to get a tissue.
That's even an old picture. Add more white face and about 10 pounds to that picture and that's what she's looking like today. Oh, and old person's wart under her right eye. She'd probably chase you around the coffee table a few laps. :)
Luckily for us, she only grabs it out of a trash can on occasion. I'd hate it if she had a thing for toilet paper!
What a very sweet and loving pup up there. Claire loves her already! And I know you're right about "no"...but how do you choose who you tell no, and who you don't??? Oh well, we'll figure out all of life's mysteries one of these days. Hope you are feeling well!
What a sweet face! Growing up, our dog used to sit on her hind legs and reach up and unroll an entire roll of TP while we were gone. I love that they can look so sorry and guilty!
So, now that it's officially official that Obama is going to be our new President, where do we go from here?
I've seen a lot of comments across Pleonast and other sites with lots of hand wringing and 'it's the end of world' sentiments. I've seen people ready to give up in despair at the thought of 'that baby killer' becoming our nation's leader. I've seen people giddy with joy at the thought of Obama failing and getting kicked out of office in four years.
Well, here are my thoughts (warning: they'll probably not be very popular around these parts):
1. God is in control. He establishes authority and does so for our own good. We are required to respect and honor that authority. I remember my confusion at supposed Christians name calling and deriding Bill Clinton when he was elected. Are we not to honor our leaders? Where is the honor in calling our leader unflattering names? How does that affect our influence on others? I would think that it might dim our lights in the world a bit, no?
Romans 13:1-7 - Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
2. If one is going to call Obama a 'baby killer' and wring one's hands at how many babies he will be responsible for killing, then one MUST do the same for the previous Presidents who have done nothing to restrict abortion. What has George W. Bush done to abolish abortion? Why isn't he a baby killer? Is the goal to have a President who is pro-life or is the goal to reduce the number of abortions women have? Having a pro-life President who doesn't do anything to abolish abortion makes him just as much a baby killer as a pro-abortion President. I'll leave the debate for whether it's the government's or the individual's responsibility to reduce the number of abortions for another day.
3. I, for one, am excited that we have a person of color as our newest President! Forget political beliefs for a minute and take a step back. That's just cool to witness history in the making. And if one can't appreciate that fact, then perhaps s/he is not as 'patriotic' as s/he thinks.
4. Again, regardless of political beliefs, I, for one, am happy that we have a short respite from all the political backbiting, negativity and warring. I will enjoy the nation's current feelings of hope and positivity, even if I don't think it will last. Isn't it a much nicer feeling than all the political in-fighting we've been seeing for eight years?
5. I am thankful that we have the political system that we do. If Obama's policies turn out to be bad for America, we have an opportunity to do something about it in just four short years.
6. And, finally, I am ecstatic that I do not have to endure one more political ad. At least until 2010.
I, for one, find your comments appropriate and thought provoking for the day after the election. You and I must be o nthe same wavelength, because we posted similar topics at almost the same time this morning. I appreciate the points that you made about the positive aspects of this situation. Thanks for shedding some good light on it. I agree with all 6 of your points, but especially #6!
I have read several blogs last night and this morning sharing similar thoughts as yours and I agree. I am struggling with feeling hope and positivity, but am resolved to support and respect our leader nevertheless. Hope you're doing well!
LOL! I am just glad it's over. Like Elizabeth on the view says, "Okay, let them have a turn and when things do work out perfectly, it'll all be their fault!" =)
Wow. We are having a lot of the same thoughts. My blog this morning was about how it is our individual responsibility to spread the gospel and fix society's ills, and not depend on the government to do it for us.
Great points Leah. This is Adam K-B, by the way. I especially appreciate your point #5. I am so thankful, and mindful at the moment, that I do not live in Zimbabwe as some of my family and many brethren I know and love still do. They do have the chance to vote every four years to change their president, but even when they want a change, it doesn't work. I feel so blessed here!
Hope you are feeling better. Esp. agree with #5 and #6 and the last comment of Adam (outofafrica). We had a baptism last night so we had good reason to rejoice over the best kind of news!
excellent post! i remember how much it hurt me to see the "M: THE MORON" bumper stickers and to hear people trash bush...where was the respect for the office? i hope those of us who didn't vote for obama can show class and dignity!!!
While I have not accused Obama of personally being a baby-killer (although he did once refer to a hypothetical baby as a "punishment," but I digress), I will be happy to take on your question in #2. One of GWB’s first acts upon taking office was to reinstate the "Global Gag Rule" which in a nutshell cuts off U.S. aid to foreign groups if they provide abortions. He then asked Congress to pass--and he then signed into law--the first federal ban on an abortion procedure since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973. Court cases Gonzales v. Carhart and Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood upheld said law and could very likely have been decided "the other way" if the GWB appointees had not been on the court at the time. He also signed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (Laci and Connor’s Law) and has worked to prevent discrimination by local and state agencies against health care providers and insurers that do not provide/cover abortions.
Did any of those things totally abolish abortion? No, of course not. But neither is it nothing. When you contrast that with Obama’s proposed health care plan that he said will “cover reproductive health services” and a spokesperson for his campaign later confirmed that includes paying for abortions, it is clear that there is a material difference between the parties on this particular issue. (Also, see the ruffled feathers and doomsday predictions on the N.O.W. website in regard to all of the actions mentioned in the previous paragraph).
Now, politically or constitutionally one may have a dissenting opinion about whether those things are correct actions or decisions, but that is not the question you asked...
There is also a big difference in what a president (or the Congress for that matter) can do to stop abortion versus what he can do to promote it. With Roe v. Wade in place, there are strong limits on what can be done to prevent abortions, and I believe President Bush has done a fairly good job working within those confines to help in this area. On the other hand, there is nothing standing in the way of Obama and a heavily pro-abortion Congress doing plenty to make abortions easier to obtain, funded by the government, and forced upon private insurance providers. So there is no comparison in what Bush has done and what Obama would be expected to do based on his prior voting record and political allegiance. And regarding the most important abortion-related issue - Supreme Court nominees - Obama made it clear in the last debate where he stands on that issue. Bush's appointment of strict constructionists to the court has been one of his greatest achievements, and liberal appointees by Obama could be a huge setback to the protection of innocent life in America.
So don't let the "baby-killer" hyperbole cause us to lose sight that there is substantive difference in what George Bush has accomplished and what Obama could potentially do as a President with large majorities in both the House and Senate (something required to effect significant change on an issue this divisive, and something Bush nor any other Republican has had).
Also, there is the matter of using federal tax dollars to pay for embryonic stem cell research. Obama is all but guaranteed to reverse existing executive orders about that.
So, if you're me and you're scheduled for outpatient surgery tomorrow afternoon and you have to start some unpleasant prep for the surgery starting at 6:00 tonight and you can't eat anything solid after 12:00 pm and you leave work early so you can get home and finish up preparing your house and stuff for you to be laid up for several days and still have some time to just chill and relax before starting said unpleasant prep, what happens on your way home?
You get a flat tire. At 11:45 am. And you have to pull into an office parking lot to change the tire. And you have countless office workers watching you trying to figure out where the jack is since it's not in the place the Owner's Manual said it would be. And you have THREE delivery truck drivers pass you by without stopping to see if you need help as you're jumping on the tire iron trying to loosen the lug nuts. And you have another person drive by, slow down to look and then speed off as you're struggling to get the tire off the wheel. And then you have another person drive by, slow down to look and then speed off as you're airing up the spare which for some unknown reason was only halfway inflated. And the tire that went flat is NOT the same tire that's been losing air on a consistent basis for a few months. And you get home at 1:00 pm having missed your noon deadline for eating one last meal before said unpleasant prep.
I ate some potatoes anyway.
So, please keep me in your prayers tomorrow. I'd appreciate it. And if anyone can tell me how to get tire grit and grease off my hands, I'd appreciate that as well.
Seriously, you should be pleased with yourself for changing a tire! That's awesome. I would have eaten also. You know your surgery won't begin on time anyway...good luck with everything!
OH NO! Kudos to you for changing the tire - I would have been begging people to come help me - or on the phone with Rodee while sitting in the car waiting on him to rescue! Hope all goes well tomorrow, keep us posted.
Every time (all two of them) this day rolls around, I have flashbacks to the election party at your apartment and how the combination of fried chicken, carbonated grape juice, and adrenaline was too much for my system and I ended up tossing my cookies in your bathroom. Good times...
The only thing I remember of what you described was that I had an election party at my apartment. Did I know you threw up? And did I make the fried chicken? And did I really buy carbonated grape juice? I just remember making elephant-shaped sugar cookies and staying up way too late waiting for the election results and taking a picture of Bailey and Garland on the couch.
