To the Moon!

It was 6:30am when my father came into the bedroom and woke up my two brothers and me. I remember being sleepy and wondered what was going on. He took us into the living room and sat us in front of the black and white television set and told us to watch. It was July 16, 1969, and a few minutes later I sat and watched the Saturn V rocket carrying Neil Armstrong, Mike Collins, and Buzz Aldrin blast off the launch pad and head towards the moon.

Although I thought it was neat to watch the space ship take off, I didn’t really understand the significance of what I was watching. My father did. He knew that history was being made and he wanted his kids to be able to say they witnessed it.

Four days later we all gathered around the television once again and watched as Armstrong set foot on the moon.

Today is the anniversary of that July day when mankind first set foot on another planet. It was a monumental achievement, and showed what we can do if we really set our minds to it. I will never forget that day, just like people remember where they were on Sept 11th.

Fortunately this isn’t a memory I ever want to forget.

The crew members of Apollo 11 are still alive, and they get together every five years to celebrate their trip. They are truly amazing people.

“God, we sit on our little Earth and gaze into the heavens and wonder what it’s like out there. It amazes me that you already know. Thanks for the great view though.”

Unfamiliar

I’ve been told that I’m an oddity in this world because I am unfamiliar with death. In the four decades I’ve been on this planet, I’ve been to the following funerals, in the order they happened…

My Great-grandfather.

That’s it. Seriously. My great-grandfather passed away when I was very young, and I barely remember it. That, besides an occasional passing of a pet, have been my only dealings with death. Until this past weekend.

My great-aunt, Syble, was 93 years old. She has been the closest thing to a grand-mother that I’ve had on my father’s side of the family. She has always been there for me, and is one of the sweetest persons I have ever met.

She had been ill for some time and was in the hospital. On Friday she became unresponsive and I left San Antonio in a hurry. It’s an 8 hour drive to El Dorado, Arkansas, and a lot of things should have gone through my mind, but I didn’t know what to expect, for I am unfamiliar with death.

I arrived at a cousin's home where there should have been at least ten relatives waiting, but instead I found an eerie stillness. Everyone was gone. I knew that didn’t bode well, so I went straight to the hospital. I arrived 15 minutes later to find that I was too late; Syble was gone.

I went to the waiting room where a lot of family waited. The tears flowed from everyone, including me. We were allowed to go into Syble’s room, and it’s hard to describe what I felt. There, on the bed was the woman that had spent hours telling me family stories, who had always baked a chocolate pie for me every time I came to visit, and had always loved me unconditionally. She looked frail. The end had taken its toll on her. She had simply had enough. It’s hard to put into words, because I am unfamiliar with death.

The next few days were spent hugging on family. We all told stories about Syble, and hugged each other some more. Friends came by with food. Lots of food. Eating is nature’s way of comforting us.

The funeral was difficult. Walking past her open casket for the last time I realized that it would be the last time I would ever see her, and the tears came once again. I wasn’t prepared for the range of emotions I felt, because I am unfamiliar with death.

I helped carry the casket to the grave site, and after a few words were spoken by the pastor, and people cried and hugged, we all left, leaving the funeral folks to finish their work. My family all met at a cousin's home and once again consoled each other. Some were saying that it was ok, because we would see Syble again in Heaven. That didn’t fill the void in my heart though, because she wasn’t there now.

Today as I left for home I stopped by the cemetery. The casket had been put in the ground, and it seemed like the loneliest place on Earth. How could we leave her there, so all alone?

The answer is in my faith. You see, leaving these bodies behind is just the beginning of a new life with Christ. Syble no longer feels pain, or gasps for breath. She has a new body and a new existence at the side of our Lord and Savior. There is no reason for me to be sad, and in fact I’m a little jealous that Syble is there with Him now. I’m happy for her, even in my grief.

Yes, I am unfamiliar with death, because Jesus broke the bonds of death, and now we have everlasting life.

"God, thank you for letting me be part of Syble's life while she was here. Please take care of her until I get there. I know she has more stories to tell me. Thanks."

Act your wage

I keep hearing about a recession that is supposed to be crippling America, and most of the world. I looked outside, but didn’t see it. I checked my garage, the cars are still there. I checked my savings account, yup, still something in it. I went to work and I still have a job. I went by the church and it’s still full of people. I got my paycheck and it’s still as much as it was last month. I drove to the Fiesta celebration and people are still participating. Hmmm. I can’t seem to find this recession.

I know I’m making light of this, and I also know that it has touched the lives of many people. I just wanted to make a point that it can be your choice not to participate in the recession.

The reason it hasn’t touched my life is because I’ve recession proofed my life. I live within my means and follow some very simple rules for using my money. Here they are:

1. Give faithfully. It is not a coincidence that the more I give to God’s work, the more I seem to be blessed with extra money at the end of the month.
2. Don’t live on credit. Americans have been sucked into the world of materialism so much that they think it’s “stuff” that makes them somebody. It doesn’t, you’re still the same person you were before you bought that cool car. But now you’re totally broke.
3. Save for a rainy day. The “rainy” days are here in the form of a depressed economy. But even if the business I work for is affected and I lose my job, I’ll be ok for quite some time because I’ve put money away to cover my expenses for several months.
4. Pay it off! Take steps to get rid of your bills. You can make extra payments on your loans and credit cards, you just make excuses why making the minimum payment is the only thing you can do. Bull biscuits! Just cut back on eating out a few times a month and you’ll have that extra house payment!
5. Put down the credit card and slowly step away from it! Seriously, either cut up the cards or learn self control. Because the alternative is what you’re experiencing now.

All this isn’t hard. It’s a matter of self control, something we Americans have little of. But I guarantee you’ll feel a whole new sense of freedom that you’ve never experienced once you’ve paid off your credit cards, your car, and even your house. Your view on life will change dramatically, I promise.

So live within your means, not your desires, and act your wage!

“God, thanks for your many blessings in my life. All that I have is yours, and I will do my best to be a good steward of it. Give me wisdom to use your resources wisely. And God, please help those who have been hurt by this recession. Guide our leaders to make wise fiscal decisions so our economy can grow, and give us strength to endure the lean times. Amen.”

The Freedom to Agree to Disagree

The stink being raised over Carrie Prejean’s answer to a question asked during the Miss USA competition is something I just have to say something about. So hang on.

First, Perez Hilton’s question was loaded. He thought that in the environment of the Miss USA pageant a contestant wouldn’t dare disagree with the gay lifestyle. He was expecting Carrie to say that same-sex marriages should be legalized. It would have given his agenda national coverage and he felt it would be a feather in his cap in the fight to normalize same-sex relationships.

He never expected Carrie to answer the way she did, and what bothers me is that she actually answered his question in a positive way. All you remember is the last thing she said, but do you remember the first part? The first answer she gave was that in this country we have the right to choose between same-sex and opposite-sex relationships. That was her answer related to his question and what she should have been scored on. But Carrie didn’t stop there, she went on to tell Hilton that she was raised in a family that believed marriage was between a man and a woman.

Hilton didn’t score her on the first part of her answer, instead he got mad and scored her on her personal beliefs, which shouldn’t be allowed in a pageant. He gave her a zero on the question and even admitted that before her answer she was the front runner in the competition. Hilton’s score helped push Carrie to second place.

The second thing I want to say is about how California’s state pageant directors Shanna Moakler and Keith Lewis treated their candidate for Miss USA. They both blew up initially and didn’t even greet Carrie after the pageant ended or bother to congratulate her. They said she was out of touch with her generation.

I disagree because over 7 million Californian’s voted against same-sex marriage in their state, so actually Carrie is part of the mainstream majority.

Moakler later twittered against Carrie saying “The MISS CALIFORNIA USA title is NOT supposed to be used to push your own agenda, that is NOT what pageants are about."

That’s funny because Hilton was doing just that! If Carrie would have given the answer he expected, they’d all be cheering for her. But instead Hilton is on his web site spouting hate speech that should be condemned. It was so bad that even CNN did a report on his hate speech and how it shouldn’t be allowed. That’s saying a lot when CNN denounces a gay liberal.

The point to all this is that Carrie Prejean is an American citizen and has the right to her opinion. She answered the question honestly, but now the left is berating her for being true to her beliefs.

I spent 21 years in the military defending people’s right to free speech, and I think it’s a shame when someone is attacked because of what they believe. I think both sides have a right to their opinion and should respect each other’s stance. People should accept that it’s ok to agree to disagree.

“God, give me the strength to endure these days. Help me to continue making a difference where I can, and lead others to you. Amen.”

Reaching across the world

There has been a lot of talk lately about president Obama visiting foreign countries. He’s taken a lot of criticism for bowing to the Saudi King and being nice to Hugo Chavez. People are saying that he’s running around the world apologizing for America and making us weak.

I’m torn on this. I believe our president should always show strength, but how will relations with other countries change if someone doesn’t offer a hand in friendship first?

Some believe we shouldn’t talk to people like Chavez because he’s a human rights violator and avid hater of America. He should come to us and apologize for hating us first. It’s the old “I’m not saying I’m sorry until he does first” mentality we had in grade school. It’s ridiculous and we need to change our mindset and think about making friends with someone like him, then maybe we could help change the way he treats his own people. It’s basic psychology: if you tell someone who hates you not to do something, they’ll do it to spite you. But if tell a friend, they’ll listen.

So I’m watching our new president with interest, trying to give him some leeway to see what he’s going to do with his turn in office. I like that he’s trying to talk to people who hate us. It’s the only way we have a chance to change how they see us.

For now I say go ahead and reach out Mr. President. Extend a hand of friendship, cautiously. Open doors that have been shut because of hard-headed Americans who think they don’t have to answer to anyone. The world is growing smaller, so we’d better get used to playing nice with others before we’re completely surrounded by countries who hate us.

“God, please give our president wisdom. Strengthen his relationship with you so that he will always turn to you first, and lead our country with a spiritual heart. Amen.”