Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Are We Better Off Now Than We Were Four Years Ago?


What a great question I have heard over the last few days….. “Are we better off now than we were four years ago?”  Of course, I first heard this while watching the preparation for the Democratic National Convention over the Labor Day Weekend and found myself pondering on this very question…. Not in how it relates to the sky high unemployment rate that has indeed inflated since 2008… not in how the median income has decreased in the neighborhood of $5000/yr ….not in how healthcare has been reformed……not in how General Motors has survived…… not in how gas prices have soared to date…… not in how the national debt has exceeded $16 trillion and climbing but in why I am sitting in front of my TV, doing the same thing I was doing four years ago…. watching the convention …watching all those dollars fund the venue for political blasts while American families struggle to pay their bills, go hungry, drown in a sea of hopelessness……….….Sadly,  I found myself disappointed in me.  Why was I supporting the primary cause for the problems we are experiencing in the nation.............all that wastefulness ………….all those dollars spent doing the same thing we did four years ago…. The same thing we did eight years ago….. all those hundreds of millions of dollars spent….for what?? 

We have the Democrats saying they can do it better than the Republicans and vice versa.  We have all the past action or lack thereof being placed at the forefront ….. being dissected from every angle imaginable only to tell us one thing really…. We are exactly where we were four years ago.  We are supporting and encouraging what we know is the issue…… hundreds of millions of dollars doing what we did four years ago…. Supporting the election cycle, driving home the one man who can change the nation if elected.

I am not a political guru. I don’t understand why we spend so many dollars rebuilding countries that have attacked us.  I don’t understand why we pay minimum wage or less in service industry situations at times when no one can make it on a minimum wage (or less even!) income these days.  I don’t understand why education is so critical to our future but we invest so little in the ones who teach our children.  I don’t understand why my son served in Afghanistan and had so little to eat when we feed other countries in vast numbers.  I don’t understand why we are so dependent on the resources of other countries instead of growing our own resources here in America. 

I am a single Caucasian woman…. A mother of two….a woman who has worked hard all her life…..aspiring toward the American Dream (Ah…. Remember what that is?!) …. One that has endured hardships that have forced growth and internal strength ….one that has tasted the sweetness of success….one that has been jolted with a downward economy and a decrease in income…………. Just the average middle class American.  I am a military mother, a grandmother…. a woman with conviction…. a woman with a voice.

Do we really think one man can fix all the problems we have created as a nation over the last many more than four years?  Personally, I believe it’s going to take much much more to rise above the chaos we have created.  It’s going to take a leader and many many followers to stand strong in the discipline of what needs to happen in order for us to gain momentum and start moving in the right direction.  With every great reward, there is great sacrifice.  And, it will take someone strong and courageous to lead this country to a better economic state.  I believe it will take someone who is in it to win it no matter if he is reelected in four years or not…………someone who can look the American people in the eye and say “This is what we have to do to get to a better place and do it!”     

We need someone who can set the stage, walk the walk….leading the people by example….saying NO to the thought of more debt…. Saying NO to excess spending!!!   We need someone who can prioritize all the challenges we face.  After all, what is the number one concern in the US….?  My guess although I certainly can’t speak for others is financial despair.  Why not focus on recovery and STOP spending? I wonder what all those hundreds of millions of dollars could be used for if we did not use them to fund the election cycle.  I wonder how a man going into a community stricken with ongoing unemployment putting some dollars to good use would be perceived in comparison to one who stands proudly in front of the nation speaking of how great things will be with him at the lead.  I wonder….. Do actions speak louder than words?  

You know, one of my favorite pastimes is to watch reruns of Little House on the Prairie…..why?  Because it takes me to that place I long for…. One of peacefulness, good will, brotherly love, hard work, determination….the simple life and a real chance to be all that I can be.  I wonder what would happen if everyone pulled together and just say NO MORE of THIS!!  We want more for our children.  We need to stop spending money we do not have. We need to stop giving away money we do not have.  We need to work together and be the change we want to see in our country.  With that, we need to stop doing what we were doing four years ago.   We need to be better!  We need to do better!  We need to expect more!  We need to encourage and to be encouraged.  We need to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and get busy doing what needs to be done.  One man cannot do it for us!  

My expertise lies in process improvements and streamlining and the one thing that must happen first with any change is to peel back the layers and get to the root problem.  One man cannot fix the problem but the right man can lead the people to the fix.  My vote is for the people….. the American people.  Let’s take personal responsibility for our lives.  Let’s help our neighbors whenever we can.  Let’s stop unnecessary spending.  Let’s work harder than we ever have before.  Let’s feed our Congressmen and women with ammunition to get laws passed to promote a healthy and stable way of life! Let’s be one voice together …………. stronger than ever………….. We have a lot of work to do.  Let’s get busy and do it and see how much better off we are four years from now.    

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Time to Wake Up!

Although somewhat asleep in the day to day operations of life over the last three months past, spring awakens my spirit and once again I find myself right back where I belong......  

I find it quite amazing really .... sometimes getting lost in a world of to dos and yet, the path always brings me back here….to this... my writing....

Today I welcome my favorite season.... the blessed spring time!  I love to watch nature awake and show us all her beauty.  I love to watch the flowers peep as they arise to this glorious occasion..... the deadness of winter be gone and the sunshine deliver us from the winter foes we faced ... offering great energy and rebound to our hibernation………….. time to push forward and breathe in the delight of this day!

Today's the Day!  Time to Wake Up! 

Monday, December 26, 2011

This is Love.....

The holidays have come and gone and left me in marvel of how precious love is.  It is the most incredible gift.  A little child sitting in my lap, looking up at me, smiling..... giving me a sweet kiss on the cheek with no words... this is love.   A little baby putting his hands in the air and smiling as if he owns the whole wide world........ this is love.  A young man somewhat lost and saddened at this time of the year because life threw him a few curve balls and he has to regroup yet he still wants to share in the Christmas story with his mom on Christmas Eve...this is love.  A young woman who gave up her whole life to have a son that lights up her world ........ this is love.  A mother and father who not only pray for their family but also for those they don't even know during their Christmas celebration.... this is love.  A man who lost himself in a world of material riches only to find the most precious things in life are not things ..... they are people....family.....this is love.  A man....A GOD.... who gave his only son so that we might experience all these things......this is love........

May we always remember the true meaning of the most precious gift ........ love......

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Let's Give Thanks Together....

As we approach Thanksgiving, I would love to give thanks with you.... my family....my friends... my readers....  join me here and let the whole world know what you are thankful for today and every day. 

I would be honored to start our Thanksgiving thread ........

I am so very thankful for my God....the one and only reason I am here sharing thoughts with you today.  I am thankful for my health so that I can be the best I can be in service for others.  I am so very thankful for all the love in my life.  It makes me the richest woman alive......allowing me all the wonderful joy and light anyone could ever ask for.  I am thankful for all the wonderful opportunities I have been given.  With them, I have been blessed with learning and growth....

Awwwww…… I could go on and on..........  BUT, it's your turn!!!!! 

Who's next...... come on... don't be shy...  :-)  

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Journey..... (conclusion.....or just the beginning...... )

When we stop fighting with our inner voice and start speaking it........ when we stop talking so much and  begin to really listen and hear ..... when we let go of the things that hold us back instead of hanging on to what hinders our journey and when we accept the path that is laid out before us instead of challenging it ........... that feeling comes.... that peace... that comfort... that moment in time when we just know...... really KNOW that we are right where we belong.....
With this new and exciting way of thinking, I became rich in diversity, the ability to be everything I want to be................ not limiting myself to the restrictions and ideas of others as to what I should and shouldn’t be………….   It’s not about being different … it’s about just being who I am.  I am like no other.  I am unique.  I cannot lose myself to those who try to mold me.  Being strong in that brings me here…….
Hello World! My name is Mary Elizabeth and I am a real woman living in the real world!  I am diverse, intelligent, confident, educated, creative and independent!  I am also absolutely in love with life! I am so very grateful for all the wonderful things I have been blessed with and I appreciate all the challenges I have faced that gave me strength and determination to be here writing this for you today!  I am good enough!  I am strong enough! I am a writer … a builder of stories that I hope will inspire my readers!  I am happy!! And……most of all…….I am aspiring to be the greatest person I can be……….by just being ME!   Join me!! It’s absolutely incredible!!!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The Journey... (more)

When I began cleaning out my closet, I learned that my time is precious. Every moment matters and it’s up to me to decide how to use my moments.  We only get them once…….
I’ve been told by many people that I am so “full of life”……………..I guess that’s because I made room!  Making room involves a lot of hard decisions….
One of the first decisions I had to make was to get rid of the negative energy in my life!  I had to enhance my life with uplifting and positive influence and with that, I had to determine what in my life I was allowing to steal my sunshine!….. what was I enabling?  First I had to own it and then I had to act!
I decided to surround myself with uplifting and positive influence……people who encouraged my dreams and supported my ambitions! It was up to me to protect my space! When people approached me with negativity, it was up to me to say “STOP! This is my life and I need to do what is right for ME!”   
This new way of thinking allowed me to bring back memories of all the poems I had written over 25 years ago…..when I didn’t let people take the ME out of who I was.  I pulled out those poems, those saved pieces of me and I started reading all about what I saw and how I felt all those years ago.....
Little did I know that day,  I would be here with you unraveling the intricacies of timing, purpose, passion, conviction and just listening to that inner voice  guiding me to the place where I find the most peace and comfort ………where things feel so right………… right where I belong….. writing, sharing….just being me….

Monday, November 14, 2011

The Journey... (cont.)

And, then…one day, I just woke up!  I realized I was the culprit!  I was allowing all the ideals of other people to control ME.   After being so unfulfilled for so long, I finally decided there was no way for me to find true peace and happiness unless I found myself again…the real ME.  I needed to find that little girl who longed to write…. to share stories with the world…. to help people…. that’s who I was and that’s who I am.     
After years of being polluted, I STOPPED and looked at myself for the first time in a long time!  I took the time to figure out what I needed to do in order to be happy and to live my life to the fullest…… yes! My life!
Have you ever looked in the mirror and “owned” what you saw!  By that, I mean, have you ever taken the time to STOP and take a close look at who you are and if the person you see in the mirror is the person you want to be?  Well, that’s what I did.  And, WOW!  How eye opening it is when you really see the reflection.  It’s hard and it’s raw……….. and,  it was just what I needed to get back to me!!
I realized that I was a person who spent way too many moments trying to live up to the expectations of everyone else….having very little regard for my own personal goals. I felt programmed into believing I had to be a “certain” way in order to be the person I was destined to be.  Have you ever felt that way??  I know, now,  in order for me to be the best mom, the best partner, the best friend and the best employee, I must be the best ME….. and,  unless I am true to that philosophy, there is no way for me to reach my potential happiness and fulfillment in this life….my life......