What do you have in the house?

2 Kings 4:1-7 (King James Version)


1Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.  2And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.  3Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
4And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.  5So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.  6And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.   7Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest

I recently rediscovered this Scripture, the story of the widow's oil, and I read it with new eyes, or perhaps, a new heart.  I am not a Biblical scholar or theologian.  I am just a Christian mom and an American citizen who is searching for guidance in these troubled times. 

God tells us the story of a single mother, deeply in debt and on the verge of losing everything.  She goes to her late husband's friend, Elisha, and seeks his help for her problem.  Elisha does not open his wallet and give her money, he does not go to her neighbor and take it from him, he does not send her to the government to sign up for welfare and he does not ask her creditors to modify her loans.  He simply asks her, "What do you have in the house?"  By asking her this question, he is making her assess her situation from a new perspective. 

She didn't think she had much, just a pot of oil.  Elisha laid out for her a business plan.  She needed containers.  Elisha didn't have her go get a loan to buy containers, he instead had her go to her friends and neighbors and ask for the use of their extra containers.  Now, she had her product and her packaging.  What Elisha told her next is truly profound to me - he told her to go with her sons into her home and close the door.  She was to proceed on her own, no partners, no unions, no Small Business Administration, just her and her family and her faith.  It was important to Elisha that she do this on her own.  She and her sons began production, pouring the oil into the containers until they were all filled.  Now, her product was ready for distribution.  Elisha told her to go out into the marketplace and sell her product.  She was able to pay her debts and provide for her family.

What I get from this story is the proper definition of help.  God is reminding me that we all already possess everything we need to not only provide for ourselves and our families, but to truly prosper.  It is inherent in us, we were created with it.  We all go through tough times and lose sight of what we have, our talents and blessings.  It is in these times that we need to change our perspective, find a new way of looking at things, not stick our hand out.  The woman in this story came out of her situation not only with the ability to provide for her family, but I'm sure with a new self-confidence and sense of dignity.  I see her standing straighter and her sons, her neighbors and her creditors respecting her.  Elisha gave her the best help of all.  He gave her a plan, a vision, then he got out of her way.  She got to own her success rather than trading one form of creditor for another.

Considering this Scripture has reaffirmed  my belief that the welfare system in this country is wrong.  It does not give the poor a plan for getting out of their circumstances, it gives them food and shelter and takes from them their dignity and their dreams.  As government gets bigger and does more for us (or to us) in the form of health care, energy rationing, etc., our national dignity will get smaller.  God gave us everything we need as individuals to not only take care of ourselves but to make the world the place He intended it to be and surrendering these gifts to anyone, especially the government, is the greatest national tragedy we could ever face. 

It also reaffirms my belief in free enterprise.  He laid out a plan for a successful business.   Start with what you have.  Start small.  Believe in yourself.  Provide a product that your customers need.  Enjoy the fruits of your labor.  No where in this story did the woman take something from anyone else or turn over her profits to anyone else.  Redistribution is nowhere in the mix. 

As we continue to face tough economic times and a government that seeks to steal from us in our fear, I will remember the story of the widow's oil and change my perspective.  The next time I see someone needing help, I'll ask, "What do you have in the house?"  I hope that you will do the same.

A Different Christmas Poem

I received this in an e-mail and was so touched by it...I wish that I could give proper credit to the author.

"A Different Christmas Poem"

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,

I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.

My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,

My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,

Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,

Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,

Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.

In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,

So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,

But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.

Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,

Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,

And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,

A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,

Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.

Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,

Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,

"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!

Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,

You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,

Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..

To the window that danced with a warm fire's light

Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,

I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,

That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,

I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,"

Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."

My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',

And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,

But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,

The red, white, and blue... an American flag.

I can live through the cold and the being alone,

Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,

I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.

I can carry the weight of killing another,

Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..

Who stand at the front against any and all,

To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

" So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,

Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."

"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,

"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?

It seems all too little for all that you've done,

For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,

"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.

To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,

To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,

To know you remember we fought and we bled.

Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,

That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

This says it all!

I DO NOT CHOOSE TO BE A COMMON MAN
By Dean Alfange

It is my right to be uncommon - If I can

I seek opportunity - not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen,
humbled and dulled by having the state look after me.

I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed.

I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia.

I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat.

It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act for myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say: This, I have done.

ALL THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN AMERICAN

Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Jimmy?

Former President Jimmy Carter believes that the opposition to (sigh) current President Barack Obama is because we, the faithful opposers, can't accept a black man in the Oval Office. This statement shocked me for two reasons. First of all, WOW, Jimmy Carter is still alive! Who knew? He hasn't been heard from in so long, I was sure he was no longer with us. Secondly, it apparently didn't cross President Carter's feeble mind that skin color is not the problem, it is the agenda we won't accept.

What compelled this guy to talk? Did the White House call him up and say, "Hey, Jimmy, we're having a problem getting people to buy into the idea that government should control everything. How about you go on national TV for us and see if you, an old white southern guy, can shame the nation into shutting up by calling them all racists." Did they float the offer to Bill Clinton first? Did Slick Willie turn them down? Has Jimmy Carter's lifelong search for historical relevance really taken him this low?

I can state that I am not a racist. I really don't care about the physical attributes of the President. I care that whoever holds that office understands the greatness of our country. I care that the President not look at our nation and see only problems, but instead sees the shining city on a hill. I care that our president engage in honest debate with intelligent, reasoned arguments. Playing the race card is a loser move by a desperate administration.

Civics Lesson

Proverbs 22:6 tells us to "Train up a child in the way that he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it." This tells me that the ultimate responsibility for educating my children belongs to me and my husband. This is a responsibility that we have taken very seriously. In our home, education means more than the 3 R's. We have educated them in basic life skills like housekeeping and responsible money management. We have taken them hunting and fishing and planted vegetable gardens so they will know how to feed themselves. As a family, the four of us built our home with our own hands. The kids looked at the plans, learned how to use various measurement tools, learned how to hammer and saw and paint. They have been shown the basics of auto maintenance. When they are 14 years of age, we have required that they detassle corn as a summer job. We believe that it is healthy for them to experience what it is to work in the heat and mud and dust and experience the physical aches and exhaustion to earn an honest dollar.

Beyond these basic skills that will enable them to take care of themselves, we have also endeavored to teach them how to take care of others. They help their Dad plow the neighbors drives in the winter, they have helped me prepare and deliver meals to the neighbors when our friends are sick. We want them to know that serving others does not mean writing big checks, it means being aware of the needs of others and giving of yourself when God reveals that need. We also believe that if our kids want to participate in sports or scouts, it means that we are the coaches or leaders. We work the concession stands for the ball teams, we have our garage stacked with Girl Scout cookies and our kids help with all of this. We also hope that, one day, they will love and care for their spouses and children and neighbors the way that their father and I have loved and cared for ours.

We also hope that we have given them sound lessons in citizenship. We have shared with them the stories of three generations of our family's honorable military service. They could recite the Pledge of Allegiance before they started preschool. We have always taken them with us to vote. Our beloved Uncle R ran for a seat in the state house in 2006 and the kids jumped right into the campaign helping to stuff mailers, walk in parades and knock on doors to "get out the vote". They learned more about the election process that summer than they could have ever learned in a classroom. In our home, we are engaged in current events and discuss how the issues relate to our values.

With all the skills and principles that we are able to teach our children ourselves, there are some things that need to be taught outside of the home. For example, I am ignorant in the best ways to teach a child to read or to understand the periodic table of elements. For this essential part of their education, we turn to our local public school. Our school district is very small, so we have the opportunity to really get to know the teachers and administrators. My husband and I also believe that it is important for our children to learn to function under different personalities as they will, no doubt, have to have this skill when they are in the workplace.

I tell you all of this not because I am setting my husband and myself out there as perfect parents or that we have perfect children. The good Lord knows that we have a long way to go. We have screwed up big time along the way and our kids have had their share of growing pains, but our hearts are all in the right place and we start each day with a renewed effort to do better. I do tell you all of this to illustrate that we do not rely on the government to teach our children home economics, vocational skills, community service or citizenship. We rely on the assistance of the public schools to teach them methods of learning so that their ultimate self-reliance will be enhanced with tools they will need to interpret information and solve problems. It truly breaks my heart that we, as taxpayers, need to spend the public money to teach kids basic cooking skills, how to do a load of laundry, how to read a tape measure and how to drive a nail. It speaks volumes about the breakdown of the family and society.

President Obama addressed school children earlier this week. Any person who achieves the office of President is, without a doubt, highly educated, goal-oriented and possesses excellent leadership qualities. What I question is who educated him, what are his goals and where is he intending to lead our great nation. He has surrounded himself with the likes of Van Jones, Mark Lloyd, Cass Sunstein, Carol Browner and John Holdren. All individuals with radical, even frightening, resumes and beliefs. An internet search on any one of them yields pages of information about their backgrounds that an American, never mind a Christian conservative such as myself, should not support. President Obama's speech highlighted the importance of personal responsibility, yet he is seeking an unprecedented expansion of entitlements, the antithesis of personal responsibility, in the form of this massive health care bill. His words, once again, do not mirror his actions. That is not what we teach our children. We have tried to instill in them that you can't separate your beliefs from your actions. If you believe one way and act another, you are a liar. The Department of Education put out a lesson plan that was so blatent in its intent to indoctinate children to the President's agenda that it was impossible for me to allow my son to participate in any way. The fact that they altered the text does not change what I believe was an ill intent. My children do not need to hear about service and personal responsibility from any person who has a world view shaped by radicals, who achieves his goals by talking one way and acting another, and who is leading national policy down a path that will rob my children of their opportunitiy to live the values they have been taught, realize the goals they have set and assume their rightful place as future leaders. The lesson they will be learning in civics this week will come from watching their mother voice her opposition in a free society and stand firm as the gatekeeper against the village that seeks to indoctrinate, not educate, my children.

America Still Lives in Small Town, USA

I attended a fund-raiser for a local volunteer fire department this weekend. It was a great time! Only in Small Town, USA can 54 lawn tractors pull people and coolers around the town on a "Poker Run", ending with drinks and dancing at the local bar. I spoke with the fire chief, a 35-year veteran volunteer, and he shared with me that 72% of all citizens in this country are served by volunteer fire departments. The tax revenues in rural areas are not sufficient to fund full-time fire protection and EMT personnel. Instead of these small, often rural, communities whining for the government to step up, members of the community come forward and just get the job done. These men and women are on call 24/7. They attend hours of training each year and spend their weekends maintaining the fire station and the equipment. The monies that these departments do get from property tax revenues don't cover the costs of running the departments, so several events are held each year in the community to raise the additional funds needed for facilities, training and equipment. The communities are always generous because we know that every dollar we contribute goes directly into the fire department and will be used with the greatest benefit to the community. These volunteer departments are required to meet all the same regulatory mandates and are often called upon to provide support to and work alongside their professional, union counterparts in the larger departments.

The same type of "git'r'done" attitude can be found in nearly every area of Small Town, USA. In our town right now, there is an effort underway to fund the second phase of the renovation of our little city park. There are simply not the funds available from government sources to improve the facility, but the residents want the improvements, so we are paying for them ourselves. We purchased new equipment last year with a private grant that matched the funds we raised. The equipment was installed by our own residents. Our local branch of the county library is staffed by volunteers.

Several years ago, it was determined that a new city hall / library building was needed. The townspeople formed a committee and conducted several fundraisers over a period of about 5 years and a new facility was built to meet our needs, debt-free and without tax money.

Americans do not need "big government" to provide for us. Americans are innovative and generous, so there is no doubt that any need we have will be met. We take pride in our communities and we care about our neighbors. The call for big government always comes from one of two groups: those that want to control or those that don't want to work. We don't need Barack Obama to call us to community service. Real Americans serve everyday, we just don't keep score.

If you do have the urge to be a "community organizer", organize a Lawn Mower Poker Run. It's the most red-neck fun you will have with your neighbors on a Saturday afternoon!

Letter from Medal of Honor Recipient - My Thoughts

My brother received this account about a POW in an e-mail and asked me to share it and I am happy to do so.

On the issue of national security, as with everything else, the current congress and our current president have it wrong.

The terrorists "detained" at Gitmo need to stay there. What damaged brain cell is the government sharing that thinks it is a good idea to allow enemy combatants suspected of planning attacks on American soil onto American soil?

The "detainees" are not American citizens, therefore, they are not covered by the Constitution. No Miranda rights, no state-paid attorneys. By the way, the same should apply to anyone who is not a citizen and breaks our laws.

For those in the international community who think we are being mean in keeping them, why aren't they stepping up to take them? They are free for the taking! No one, not even the home countries of these people, wants them. If they did, Gitmo would have been closed the day Obama signed his executive order.

National security is an ugly business. To successfully infiltrate gangs, mobs, drug cartels or terrorists cells, we need people who are willing to do the dirty work and gather the intelligence. The type of people who do this work well are not the type of people you are going to be having over to your home for a weekend barbeque nor will they likely be sitting next to you in church. I am sure that they see and do unimaginable things to build the credibility needed to reach the levels of these criminal organizations that yield the valuable information we need to keep our country safe. I am not suggesting that the United States treat their detainees with the same inhumanity that Bud Day, John McCain and thousands more of our brave servicemen have endured at the hands of our enemies. What I am suggesting is that the "enhanced interrogation techniques" that we do employ don't even come close to what was described in Colonel Day's narrative. If Nancy Pelosi and her cronies don't have the stomach for waterboarding or showing dirty pictures to the oh-so-sensitive Islamic extremists, perhaps she should excuse herself from the national security committee and join the ranks of the rest of us who, gratefully, leave the dirty work to those who know what they are doing.

Letter from Medal of Honor Recipient page II

Letter from Medal of Honor Recipient page I

Government Land Grab

I have been working very hard to kill Cap & Tax. I took the time to actually read the bill, as it was posted on the House web site. What is truly in this piece of legislative garbage should frighten every real American to their very soul!! Our great nation was founded on personal liberty and the greatest manifestation of liberty is the right of citizens to own property. Tucked in the back of this bill is additional massive funding for the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture to purchase land and land rights for nearly any imaginable "environmental" purpose. One of my favorites listed was to secure land to ensure continuous migratory paths for wildlife. This land grab is nothing new. In the county where I live in Iowa, the government now owns or controls about 25,000 acres, the equivalent of a township, and it has been going on for several years.

The DNR is acquiring the land one farm at a time with funds they already receive for land acquisition. Most of this land is not sitting in an idle, natural, "environmental" state. If the land is tillable, the DNR is leasing it out to farmers for crop production. These aren't organic farmers, they are using the same GMO seed and chemical fertilizers and diesel-fueled tractors that all productive for-profit farmers are using. This doesn't sound to me like there is any special environmental protection going on here. What happens to the lease revenues? It goes into the acquisition fund. One of the most recently acquired parcels was heavily wooded. The DNR has had the oak, cherry, hickory, walnut and any other marketable tree logged from the parcel. HMM..cutting down trees? I thought we needed to save every tree to combat greenhouse gasses that are destroying the planet? How does this fit into clean energy legislation or combating climate change? Where did the money go from the sale of these trees to the logging company? It went into land acquisition. All of this information is publicly available. It is usually found in tiny print in the back of your local newspaper. The county conservation board is required to publish its revenues, expenditures and meeting minutes. To add insult to injury, when land is owned by the government, it is exempted from property taxes. So, as the government purchases land, the tax base is reduced and private property owners are taxed more for their property to cover the funding for the county's needs. This is the truth of what is really going on. This bill is not going to protect the environment. It is a straight-up socialist takeover of private property.

Indulge me while I tell you a true story of real land stewardship. About 17 years ago, my husband's aunt and uncle bought a neglected farm just north of a tiny little town that hadn't seen any development in years, but the hunting in the area is phenomenal. I think it was about 150 acres. The house was not habitable, the barns were falling down, the fields had been let go, the woods overgrown and there was even a dump on the place full of old cars and general junk. Over the years, the house has been restored and the barns repaired or replaced. The junk was cleared away by a group of teenage boys one summer. The boys were looking for work and our uncle told them that if they cleared the junk pile, they could keep the money they received from selling the scrap metal. What a creative, win-win deal! Aunt S and Uncle R also invested in equipment and revived the fields so they are now again productive. On the newly cleared hillsides, over 800 trees were planted to solve erosion problems and provide wind breaks. In the woods, areas that were too thick or overgrown were logged and the woods are healthy again. Uncle R loves to hunt and fish, so 2 ponds were built where none had existed before and have been stocked with fish and are now home to ducks and geese. Grassland areas have been planted and are now thriving with pheasants. The restoration of the old farm is not the end of the story, though. They have subdivided the farm, keeping about half as their homestead and the other half was divided into 8 lots, one lot being about 40 acres and the other seven lots averaging about 5 acres. Six of the lots have been sold and now have homes that are all in the $250k and higher range. There has been a third pond built, more trees planted and these small acreages are thriving from the pride of ownership from the new residents. In a tiny little community that hadn't seen new development in years, the economy has been stimulated with the addition of $1.5M to the property tax base, the hiring of workers to build the homes, the sale of compact tractors and implements, the sale of building materials and landscape supplies, the list goes on and on. The vision of this one couple for this old farm has been realized and the environment and the community are all better for their hard work. My husband and I were blessed to be able to buy one of these lots and build our home. We love watching the deer, turkeys, pheasants, foxes and other birds and creatures that share the property with us.

Once again, the solution to any problem facing our country IS NOT in turning it over to the idiots in Washington to control. Real solutions come from people being free to work hard to achieve their dreams. It is possible to drill for oil or build a nuclear power plant and still be good stewards of the land.

Stand with me and tell your senators to vote NO on H.R. 2454. There is a flyer available in an earlier post that I wrote and passed out to fellow attendees at a July 4th Tea Party. Please print it out and share it with others who want the truth.

Happy Birthday, America!

The 4th of July this year has new meaning for me. I have discovered a new, and indeed passionate, love for my country and the principles on which it was founded. Freedom truly is not free. We must fight for it every day. As Abraham Lincoln said, "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." I have learned that this is so true. The biggest enemy of freedom is apathy.

I plan to celebrate Independence Day by attending a Tea Party with my family and meeting other Americans who still believe in the vision that has endured for 233 years. As a nation, we are at a crossroads and the path we choose right now, at this moment, will either preserve that great vision or will move us in an entirely different direction.

America is blessed. America is special. America is the Shining City on the Hill. I truly can't comprehend why our current President and current Congress is running hell-bent for socialism and the failed policies and abject mediocrity of other countries. America IS the standard that the free world strives for and it is the hated enemy of those who seek to enslave and oppress. There is no better gift that I can give to my country than my heartfelt and sincere effort to preserve the great vision from which she was created.

I'm sure I'll also find time to eat a hotdog, watch some fireworks and burn some sparklers, too!!

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Tea Party Flyer

Capitalism Isn't Dead.....Yet

As the government continues its power grab, it is easy to become disheartened. Projections I have seen estimate that if universal health care comes to pass, the government will control just under 50% of the economy. If capitalism is to survive and even thrive again, we the people need to revive it. How? We need to pay attention and tell everyone when we see capitalism in action and see it succeeding. We need to build our businesses from the sweat of our own brows and shun the Small Business Administration and other forms of government "support". We need to participate in the marketplace.

The purist form of capitalism that I have seen is the city-wide garage sale. The small town that I grew up in has such an event twice a year, in April and September. Our family regularly participates in these events. It works like this: A community organization such as the volunteer fire department auxiliary or chamber of commerce sets the date and coordinates the advertising. Anyone who wants to participate pays a nominal fee, $7 in the case of our town, for the advertising. Ads are placed, signs are made for the entrances to town and maps are available for shoppers to pick up at local businesses. These sales have been held in our town for a number of years, so it has gained a good reputation and has morphed into a huge event. The April sale was no exception. Thousands of people flocked to our town, sellers were selling and buyers were buying with abandon. There were lines at the local gas stations with visitors filling up, the local restaurants were filled to capacity with people eating lunch, the local grocery store set up a brat stand and had a line around the block. The community club rented table space at the local park for those that wanted to participate but didn't have access to other space and the Little League had a lemonade stand. The day was a winner all around. Individual sellers made some cash, buyers got great deals, local businesses were patronized, the community groups raised some money, and charities such as the Salvation Army, Goodwill and Disabled American Vets sent vans to collect the leftovers. This is the best stimulus around....just get the government out of the way and watch the money flow!

Capitalism can be applied to more than consumer spending. I believe that it is also the best way to accomplish huge projects. We love the Lake of the Ozarks. It is our home away from home, we go there as often as we can and we intend to move there when our 13-year old is grown and settled. This area of central Missouri is a testament to capitalism. The Lake exists because of the Bagnell Dam. Union Electric began construction on this hydroelectric plant in 1929 and it was completed in 1931. It was a $30 million project (imagine what that was in terms of 1930 dollars!), all privately funded. The constuction of this dam created a pocket of prosperity during the Great Depression. It employed thousands of laborers and spurred the development of communities all around its approximately 1200 miles of shoreline. Union Electric owns the resevoir, but the land surrounding it is and has alway been privately owned. The utility, of course, sells the electricity it produces to millions of customers and it also gains revenue from dock permit fees sold to homeowners and businesses on the waterfront. Moving forward a few years, the east side Horseshoe Bend area of the lake saw huge development, primarily from St. Louis, as people discovered the lake as a vacation destination. The west side Shawnee Bend area remained largely undeveloped. In the late 60s and early 70s, developers began petitioning the state of Missouri to build a bridge to connect the east and west sides. The request was repeatedly denied for the next 20 years because of funding, regulations, and a host of other reasons. Finally, in the early 90s, a group of private citizens got together and organized a grass roots effort to get legislation passed to allow them to form a corporation to privately fund and build the bridge. In 1992, the legislation passed and the Lake of the Ozarks Community Bridge Corp. was formed. This non-profit organization sold more than $40 million in bonds, millions more was contributed by the Four Seasons Corporation (a local resort/property developer), and the Missouri Highway Commission aided in securing rights of way and rerouting existing highways to allow access to the bridge. The bridge was opened on May 1, 1998 at a cost of just under $26 million. Think about this, for 20 years the state government took no action. Once it was out of the way, the project was designed, financed, constructed and open for use in less than 6 years! It was even built with an eye on the future. Two lanes are open now, with the substructure already in place for another two. The bonds are being paid with revenues generated by the tolls. It costs $2.50 for a typical passenger vehicle to cross the bridge. Before the bridge, it took 90 minutes to get from Horseshoe Bend to Shawnee Bend, it now takes 15 minutes. That time savings is well worth the $2.50 to me! As a result of this bridge, property values on the west side of the Lake have skyrocketed and development is in a frenzy. All of this results in higher tax revenues for the state. The Lake of the Ozarks is a shining example of capitalism and what has been done there should be a model for all communities. Maybe that's why I love it so much, it is unspoiled by the heavy hand of government. It exists because of the vision and hard work of fellow Americans.

Let's start thinking outside the box! Let's innovate! Share your ideas, find a solution to a problem that doesn't involve the government and implement it. If we all do this, in big and small ways, we can take our country back.

Memorial Day

A couple of weeks ago, my son came to me looking for some help with a school assignment. He was to prepare a brief oral presentation on some aspect of his family history. The first thing that came to my mind was his great-grandfather, who had been very proud of his service to the Navy in the European theatre during WWII. To round out his presentation, I had him make a few phone calls to other relatives and ask about other family members who had served. I was astonished by what he discovered. In WWII, our family was represented in every branch of the service in both Europe and the Pacific by six brave men. One great-uncle had survived a German attack on his ship, another survived when his plane was shot down over the Rhine River. After WWII, the tradition continued with an uncle that served in the Marines between the Korean and Vietnam wars. His grandfathers both served during Vietnam, one in the Army in Germany maintaining equipment and the other in the Army National Guard defending college campuses during the many protests. His father served in the Marine Corps reserves and was scheduled for deployment during the Persian Gulf war. Our family was blessed that the "shock and awe" put forth by the troops that went before my husband made his deployment unnecessary. I remember well the preparations that we made and the support we received. Remembering the soldiers in our own family and talking about how important military service is and what it means to us to defend our freedom was one of the most special times I have ever spent with my son. I saw a light in his eyes as he really understood that defending freedom isn't something just for other people in another time. Defending freedom is up to each of us, today and everyday.

In a cause as great as freedom, we are each called into action every day to protect it and to defend it. Some actions are small, like writing to a representative about an issue that concerns you, participating in an event like the Tax Day Tea Parties or taking the time to buy a poppy from a vet and say "Thank You". Other times, the call is huge. I am reminded of the brave souls aboard United Flight 93. They weren't soldiers when they woke up the morning of September 11, 2001, but by lunchtime these 40 or so people would live forever in history as the first to die as heroes in the new War on Terrorism. When awareness of their situation and its probable outcome came to them, they rose up against their cowardly hijackers, refusing to surrender their freedom even in their final moments, and saved an incalculable number of lives in the process. I just can't let Memorial Day pass without remembering the sacrifice made by the passengers and crew of United Flight 93, these heroic citizen-soldiers who answered their call to action that day.

Take some time this Memorial Day to think about the soldiers and defenders of freedom in your own family. Honor them, thank them. If they are no longer with you, think of a way to give honor and thanks to another in their name. One of the best things we can do as citizens is to give our military the very best in the way of equipment, facilities, training, legislative and moral support. Ronald Reagan's concept of Peace through Strength guided our nation to victory and stopped the march of Communism in the Cold War. Our soldiers currently serving in the War on Terror can be victorious with that same guiding concept. I am the mother of a son. I have seen the light of pride in his eyes for the honorable service of his own family. He may be called to his own military service and, if that is his path, I will stand firmly beside him and do all I can do to support him and all the other mothers' sons and daughters in defense of our nation's freedom.

God Bless the USA!

I'm on a Mission

A little over twenty years ago, I was a blushing young bride, just twenty years old, excited to start a new life with my high school sweetheart. We were going for the American Dream. It was all planned. We were going to have two children, build a home in the country and start a small business. It is with unabashed pride that I share with you that we have done all three and I am still his bride and he is still my sweetheart. Oh, but what a journey it has been!

Now, at nearly forty-one, we are, once again, starting a new life. Our daughter is now nineteen, in college, and preparing to walk her own path. Our son is thirteen and he doesn't require much from Mom these days except clean laundry and hot meals. Our home in the country is built and the business, albeit a bit slow just now, is established. So, I find myself with some time on my hands to reconnect with some of the interests that have not been my priority in recent years.

I have always enjoyed writing. Not necessarily creative writing. I'm just not a real fanciful person. I also wanted to be able to share my endeavors with my Dad and the stuff that makes for titillating fiction is generally not stuff I want to share with my Dad. I am a realist. Give me a problem and stand back and watch me, in mind-numbing detail, formulate a plan of action. I was an absolute whiz at research papers and argumentative essays. I could lose myself for hours in the library, buried under a pile of books and 3 x 5 notecards citing sources, writing and re-writing. That is how I intend to author my posts. They will be written with good, although not formal form, citing sources when they are used and based on real life.

I have also always been something of a political junkie. The last twenty years I have been so busy that I have only indulged my addiction as the election seasons have gained full steam. I am fascinated by the American system of government, the election process, the crazy press, the opinion polls, the history and the insanity of it all.

Now that I have the luxury of some life experience, some time, access to a 24/7 news cycle and the ability to communicate coherently, I have a new mission. I am going to roll my life experiences, my love of writing and my addiction to political observation into an interesting collection of posts that I hope will inspire others to join me in examining how their own experiences, talents and interests can be translated into actions that will ensure that the American Dream can be passed to the next generation of blushing young brides and their sweethearts.