Biker gangs and Memorial Day

I remember a time when biker gangs were something to be feared. They were a people who would cut you down to size and do as they wanted, when they wanted. They were to be feared, for the bad they could do. The "Hell's Angels" were a very common name when I was growing up, and we all knew how "bad" they were. They were accused of widespread violence, extortion, trafficking of stolen goods, and dealing with drugs. There were many other motorcycle gangs that tried to emulate them.

I don't know when it happened, but there was a shift in the paradigm.  Now-a-days, you still have lots of "biker gangs" (often referred to as biker clubs to lose the stigma of a "gang"), but these groups are NOT the bad boys of years gone by. These groups are the ones that ride to raise money for toys for the underprivileged children. They are the "Patriot Guard Riders" who rides in to protect our fallen heroes from the VERY ungodly protests by those Westboro Baptist Church people.... there are full motorcycle clubs who ride as a ministry, sharing the love of Christ. That being said, there is still a "fear", because these are people who are willing to stand for what is right, and will fight for it if need be. It's not the upstanding that need to fear now, it is those who want to stand in the way of the upstanding, those who are doing right. They stand up hurting, the fallen, the needy...they stand up for our country, our people.

I remember 20 years ago, I was fearful of any place that was a "hang out" for a motorcycle gang. I didn't want to be anywhere near a joint where a bunch of motorcycle riders gathered, club or not. That has changed though. When I see bikers now, I smile. I wave. If they are off of their bike, I speak. Generally, I study their vest in an attempt to find what they stand for, because let me tell you: they *all* stand for something. I no longer avoid a place because of an abundance of bikers. Truth be told, I like them. I have taught my children to like "them".

I am sure there are still "bad" gangs around. I do know they are the minority though. That makes me smile.

So, on this Memorial Day, I honor those who have fallen for our country. I say "thank you" for paying the ultimate price for our freedom.

I also want to stand up and say thanks to the motorcycle club "The Patriot Riders", who are working to make sure our fallen can be honored without evil protest. I say thank you to all who honor our fallen throughout the year, being a living testament to what Memorial Day means.

  

Power of Loss

I shared with you all last week how it was coming up on 6 years since the loss of our son Brody. This picture, right up there, is his little perfect feet. The rest of him was perfect too. The nurses took this picture of his feet because when I held him to tell him my goodbyes, I kept playing with his feet. Marveling at them. 

Here we are 6 years later. Tomorrow is my Brody's birthday. Those feet are still very powerful to me.  That picture means the world to me. I have other pictures, yes, but I choose not to share them. A couple of family members we sent his feet prints out to were offended by relieving them, I can only imagine what they think of our pictures of him. If only they realized they are all we will ever have of him. You don't know what it is like until you have been there...and I pray no one ever knows. 

Recently, I met a 90+ year old woman. When getting to know her, the FIRST thing she mentioned was the year she gave birth to her twin baby girls early, and they passed on. She cried. She did not know I was a loss Mom too. It stuck with me though. 70+ years after she lost her babies, and she still hurts. She still misses them. She still grieves. I wonder how many people in her life thought "Gosh, isn't she over it by now?" or "Do we need to hear about this *again*?". Yes, people do say those things. Yes, sometimes right to your face (or on the phone, in email, etc). Funny thing is, these people are NOT loss parents. It's real easy to sit in judgement when you have not had to say goodbye to one of your children way too soon.

I have been told by one of my husband's family members that since Brody never lived outside of my body, he was not really a part of their family. It amazed me how they didn't care about him. I am sure they really roll their eyes that we still grieve our son. I doubt they will ever read this, and even if they did, would they ever "get" it? They may see me as over-emotional and dramatic, but I wonder if they realize that Chris still cries over losing his son too. He still talks about what might of been. He still hurts too, and I imagine he always will.

Our son, he was real. He grew in me. He kicked, he moved, he reacted to me, he reacted to his Daddy's voice. Yes, he was tiny. However, he was alive. He was half me, half his Daddy. He had broad shoulders and a tiny button nose. I gave birth to him and I loved him just as fiercely as the other children I have birth to. The fact that he was born without breath only changed that I would never see his blue eyes. I would never see him smile. I would never hear his precious cries. I would never hold his hand. I would never anything...except tell him goodbye and miss him. 

 I still miss him. His Daddy still misses him. His siblings miss him. 

Six years ago...

Six years ago I was blissfully pregnant, looking forward to the arrival of my little Brody. We had bought his crib and had decided on which bedding to order. A sweet family member of Chris' had planned a baby shower for us at their family reunion, held on Memorial Day weekend every year. We had registered, we were so excited about him. We loved him with all we had, though he had not yet been born. I felt his kicks, I felt his rolls. Daddy would talk to him and lay his hand on my tummy to feel him respond. We were past the "danger zone". We were supposed to be able to bring him home. Little did I know that just a few days later our world would fall apart. Everything we knew about life changed when they told us our little boy no longer had a heartbeat, and that we would be delivering a dead baby.

We never made it to the family reunion, instead, we delivered our little boy. Perfect in every way, except  he had no heartbeat. My body had decided to take that from him. My body, it betrayed me. and cut off his blood supply.

You just don't know what losing a baby is like until it happens. People seem to think you need to just "get over it" or "move on". Just let me tell you this: you can't.

Facebook, is it *really* a good thing?

If you know me at all, you know I am a Facebook junkie! I love how it helps to keep you in touch with folks you would otherwise probably be out of touch with. I like how it helps to spread information that you otherwise may not know. It definitely has it's great qualities.

However, it has some major draw-backs, especially if you are a little hyper-sensitive, like I tend to be.

Some things I am talking about:

• Common friends plan an outing without you
• An invite to an event goes out, and you realize all of your mutual friends are on it, but not you
• Something is posted resembling something you told that person in confidence and you wonder
• Someone tells you one thing, and they post another
• (And my favorite) when you consider someone a true friend, and you find one day they have deleted you. You know you have never said or done anything in a bad way towards them. You send them messages to ask, yet, they don't respond.  

Now, I don't let most of this get to me, as I am guilty as the next person. I forget or accidentally skip someone. Or I agree to a luncheon or plan one without including everyone. Why? Because sometimes people want to hang out with others and it is nothing personal to those who aren't invited that day...I will get with them next time. When it comes to invites, maybe you don't invite people who you don't think will be interested. Then again, you might not invite them because you don't want them around. 

You see, you don't know how the things you are going to post are going to be interpreted. I mean, if you delete someone that thinks you are their friend, and then refuse to respond to their messages, the message is clear. 

If you don't care about how others feel, then, by all means, don't worry about it. But if you do care, think before you type/post/invite. If you think you may have offended someone, check with them. Be careful. Don't post what you wouldn't speak. I know for sure there is much more I would speak than post. I am conservative in my posts, believe you me. I post a lot, I have fun, and I am not perfect. I have offended and hurt others. I am just proposing we be more aware. With more interaction is more potential for fun, but also more potential for foul. 

Happy posting!!! :)

Good Morning Girls, week one!

I signed up to join a group of ladies from around the world in doing Bible Study & a book study with Good Morning Girls.  I gathered together a small group of ladies to do this with, and we created a group of Good Morning Girls, called "Across the Nation". In the mornings we have been chatting at 6:30 (Central time), and some of the other ladies are gathering together to do an evening chat too (for those who can't chat in the mornings, or want to chat twice).

I am already loving the "SOAP" method of doing our Bible Study.

S-Write out passage for the day
0-Write down one or two observations from the passage
A-Write down 1-2 applications from the passage
P-Pray over what you learned from today's passage


I also love that it is only one or two verses a day. This allows for deeper mediation and prayer, which makes for a better understanding and application in life.

I am also loving that a group of ladies I already know have have together with a group I don't, to support one another and pray for one another and grow in Christ together.
 

Busy day...TWO exciting "starts" today!

Today starts the Schoolhouse Expo, where there will be all sorts of sessions to help out Homeschooling Families. I am especially excited about the first session, where Janice Campbell will talk about "Getting a Jumpstart on College". Of course we have a goal of our children attending college, and any information about getting that "jump" is greatly valued.

Also, today I am starting the Good Morning Girls 2011 Summer Session. We have a group particiapting, and that group is made up of ladies from across the nation who want to do this study together, growing while stdying God's word to us. We will also be doing a book club with the book "A Ministry of Motherhood" by Sally Clarkson.  You are welcome to join us if you like.

As long as it's healthy, it's good, right?

WRONG!

Does that tomato look as appealing when you know that it's DNA was combined with frog DNA in order to make it heartier and more resistant to cold weather? What about the corn with it's DNA modified with bacteria to produce an insecticide in  it so it wards off insects when being grown? Let's talk about the antibiotics that are put into many veggies to make them last longer?  Do you realize that those antibiotics in your food (meat included) not only alter your own bodies ability to fight off bacteria, but it also lessens the chances that a prescription antibiotic will work for you if you need it. No wonder super bacteria is so prevalent.

I have recently read two articles I think everyone should read. Firstly, I was astonished at a link between GMO (genetically modified food) and infertility (amond many other things). No wonder it is also so prevalent.

http://blog.friendseat.com/dangers-genetically-modified-soy

http://blog.friendseat.com/how-to-id-genetically-modified-food-at-the-supermarket

Please read those blogs/articles and think it over. Remember...you ARE what you EAT! 

Weight Loss Story- The Incredible Shrinking Couple

I have a friend named Jodi, and she and her husband Erik have been on an incredible weight loss journey since last year. Their results have been amazing, and I wanted to share her blog with you. Go ahead, go check their pictures out. They inspire me. :)


The Incredible Shrinking Couple (Blog)

Line in a book re: children and joy

I love to read. More-over, I love romance novels. My favorite author is Linda Lael-Miller. I am reading her latest, "A Creed in Stone Creek". One line in there comes when they are talking about what makes them believe in God.

"I'm convinced because of thunderstorms, the kind that seem to shake the ground itself. And because of the way little kids laugh, from way down deep in their middle because the're so full of joy that they can't hold it in."

It was very poignant to me. Not in a bad way, just very deep. I wonder when we lose that joy? What destroys it in so many?

H-O-M-E

 Home is where the heart is.  Home is where your story begins. Home sweet Home.

This morning I was reflecting on "home", and the many meanings it has. I mean referring to the same thing, a place where you are rooted, not the button on your computer or phone. You can say "I'm on my way home from work" and someone else can say "I am missing home". Although you are using the same noun, the meaning can be absolutely different.

Take for example, I recently went out of town. Though I thoroughly enjoyed the visit and getting to a place that was green, I was very happy to be "home", the place where my children and husband are. The place that holds all of our things. However, if I were talking in the sense of how I feel about this place, I should say I was happy to be back with my family instead of home. Why? Because this is *not* home to me. Home to me is an area. It's a feeling. I truly feel at home in many places, like I could get a house there and make it my forever "home".

I found these definitions of "home":

noun /hōm/ homes, plural

The place where one lives permanently, esp. as a member of a family or household
• - I was nineteen when I left home and went to college
• - they have made Provence their home
The family or social unit occupying such a place
• - he came from a good home and was well educated
A house or an apartment considered as a commercial property
• - low-cost homes for first-time buyers
A place where something flourishes, is most typically found, or from which it originates
• - Piedmont is the home of Italy's finest red wines
A place where an object is kept
An institution for people needing professional care or supervision
• - an old people's home
The goal or end point
The place where a player is free from attack
(in lacrosse) Each of the three players stationed nearest their opponents's goal
A game played or won by a team on their own ground

Home to me is what the are talking about in number  4: A place where something flourishes, is most typically found, or from which it originates.  I am firm believer in blooming where I am planted. I struggled with that when we first moved here to West Texas. However, I have gotten out of that rut and have done my best to bloom.

When hubby talks about possible transfers or different jobs to areas I love, like around Aubrey or East Texas, I find myself longing for "home". Home in that was is not a house, it is a feeling of being grounded. It is where I have roots.

That being said, I have been to Branson, Missouri exactly one time. I will tell you this much, it could be "home" to me. Environment has to do with "home" much more than who is there. I think this is the same with our houses we live in, even if we don't feel like the area is home.

We have to work to make our environment a good one so that others feel at "home" there. So you yourself can feel at "home" there. I do feel at home where I am at, but it is a different kind of home than a home surrounded by trees and water. Here I have a home that I enjoy, people I like, and an area I am getting used to. I don't know that I will even consider West Texas as the place where I have roots or I am grounded. My prayer is that if we stay here, I develop those feelings. I think we all need a place to call "home", forever.

What is "Fat"?

I don't mean the medical definition. I mean, the subjective fat and why are we so hard on ourselves? Admittedly, I sometimes marvel at how "big" some people are. Just Sunday, at mother's day dinner, I saw a little girl who had to weigh close to 200lbs (if not more). She was probably 8-10 years old. I felt so bad for her. She sat at the table grinding the salt shaker INTO her mouth while her parents ignored her. They ordered EACH of their children their own bacon-cheese fries platter. I sat there in astonishment. I also have guilt, because who am I to judge? I have children who are trim by standards. However, I still marvel. GOSH, it is hard enough to be a big adult, but to be a big kid? I can't imagine.

 I have heard the saying over and over again "nothing tastes as good as being thin feels". Really? What does "thin" feel like, because I am not sure I have ever known. Sure, I can look at pictures of myself from 20lbs ago (30, 40, 50lbs, etc) and say "Wow, I wish I was there again", but the truth be told when I was "there", I thought I was fat. Even as a 12 year old, I remember suggestions of diets from family and feeling so bad about the way I looked. Let me just tell you, I was not fat. I had no clue though. I really thought I was. I cannot remember a time in my life where I didn't feel like I was "too chunky".

For almost a month I have been on a mission to get healthier. This does not mean I am on a "diet" per-say, but I have self imposed eating changes I have made.  The first one was to cut almost all preservatives out of my diet. I have done a bang up job of that one. It wasn't that hard after I read the research about what all that stuff does to us. The second was limiting sweets and carbs. Sweets has been way easier than I had thought. I have a sweet tooth the Grinch would envy. However, the "carb" issue, not so easy...but doing better. I allow carbs at breakfast, some at lunch, and only fruit/dairy related carbs at supper (if any). I am satisfying my sweet tooth with gum or fruit right now (and a free day on Sunday). I am listening to my gut and asking myself "are you truly hungry, or do you just want to taste it? Mostly, I just want to taste it.

Food makes me happy. Will being thin EVER feel as good as eating the foods I want, when I want them? I doubt it. I want to give it a shot though, and if I ever get there I will report back to you.  I am certain that even if I achieve that goal (being thin) I will worry about things that sag that used to not, or other little things like stretch marks and such.

Really I just want to be healthy. Right now, it is misery trying to get that way. Yeah, I am doing it. Yeah, I want to do it. Yeah, it feels good on many levels. I am getting a real sense of satisfaction every time I pick up a food and put it back down and walk away. I felt good when I finished my work out today (the first in many months). But, I miss baking. I miss creamy dishes. I miss fried stuff.

I think to myself "Shoot, there are lots of people out there who would be SO happy to be my size". I know it is true. I mean, I wouldn't qualify for the biggest loser, that's for sure! It is thinking like that that makes me susceptible to giving into my cravings. I mean, the people who love me are going to love me no matter what, right? Well, that is true but if I love them, why risk putting myself in the grave?

I am NOT healthy. I have health problems no one my age should have. A lot of them can be rectified by getting weight off. Still, I refuse to go on a "diet". I want to make changes that are healthy that I can LIVE with. I am trying to find the middle of the road. No, I do not want to have 100 calorie snack packs because they are full of preservatives and other things my body doesn't need. I do not want reduced fat dressing, because of all the processing it takes to get it there. I want to stop putting harmful things into my body, as much as I can. I will NEVER be a vegetarian. I am a omnivore, with the heart of more of a carnivore, and God created me that way. I have no interest in even entertaining that thought.

I am not going to label myself as fat, y'all. I am overweight yes, but that does not define me. Some would call me fat, but heck, when I was at a healthy size/weight some called me fat.   Okay, so admittedly I have been moo'ed at at restaurants and barked at (like a dog) at the gym. I have had people make open comments on my weight. Yeah, it hurts. But, they do not know me. They do not know that I love with all my being, that I can cook a mean meal that most would enjoy, that I am a darn good mother and wife, and many other things. My size does not define me, but I am on a journey to define my size. I'll let you know along the way how my perspective changes.

Corn Spinach Salad

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1 TBS Honey
3 TBS fresh cilantro or fresh mint (chopped)
1 jalepeno seeded & finely chopped
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder or 1-2 cloves

6 fresh ears of corn, cut the corn off (or about 2-3 cups if you need to use frozen)
1 1/2 cup baby spinach
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup seeded and chopped cucumber


Dressing:
mix lime juice, honey, cilantro, salt, and garlic...set aside

Salad:
Mix other ingredients, toss with dressing, chill for up to an hour & serve


It is delicious with pork tenderloin or chicken (on the side, not mixed).

Born a century past my time?

I have said many a time that I was born a century after I should have been. I tend to feel the same way about things as the people of that day and time did. Sure, living without the technology we now have would have stunk, but DUH, I would have never have known what I was missing. I would have loved to have worn the beautiful dresses (I even think the every day prairie dresses were pretty). I would have loved to live off the land and raised animals and had a community that loved God.

Thinking on these things this morning, I thought of my other post from yesterday and it *clicked* for me. Back in those days *most* women did not socialize on a regular basis. They had socials now and then and THAT is when they got together and enjoyed one another. They may have seen each other in town and chit-chatted for a while. They may have gone to help a sister in need. They may have seen each other at church if they were close enough to go. But, one thing is for sure, if they were not the privileged socialites, they didn't have friends they held tea with every day. I am absolutely certain they didn't have "girls night out".

I think they may have had their own "forms" of texting one another. Sending notes with the kids who were not schooled at home to give to their friend's children. Passing messages along through their husbands or through the mercantile in town.

Back in those days, certainly no one got their feelings hurt because they hadn't heard from their friends for a few days or weeks. They probably thought about them, and cared for them, but they didn't *need* that constant contact.

I wonder when that changed. Technology is great, but is it THAT great? Has it made us too co-dependent? Has it kept us TOO close in contact? Has this hyper-contact contributed to the break down of families because we are not as focused on our families as we were created to be?

I have felt guilty for being like I am. I love my friends. I love to see them. I love to hear from them. However, I do not need contact often to feel validated, thought about and loved. Others seem to need that like I don't. I don't think it makes you a bad friend if you are not a constant presence, I think it makes you a different kind of friend. Just yesterday when I blogged I was feeling a lot of guilt. Then a friend posted a status on facebook about how it was Godly to be a good friend, to return calls, to get to know your friends on a deep level, to reach out to other Mom's with Christ's love. It made me feel even worse. Certainly I reach out to those I feel led to reach out to. Certainly I do what I can to get to know my friends on an intimate level. Do I forget to return phone calls? Oh yes, I do. Not purposefully and not because I don't care. Do I still care for my friends, pray for them, think about them? Certainly.

I am just a pioneer in a modern day world. God created me with all my quirks...I was planned for this day and this time. I was encouraged to hear that I am certainly not alone. Thank you ladies, each and every one of you. Even the ones who like lots of contact and interaction. :)

(Picture is from a website Recollections,  that sells beautiful historic clothing...if only I had somewhere to wear it)

Me vs. The People

I have been thinking about blogging about a personal "issue" I have for a while. This morning, my friend Christi over at Polka Spot Farm blogged about the same subject. That subject is not being a people person. Now, if you know me you are certainly saying "no way, Heather is definitely a people person". When I was in college, I was told that was my "talent". I could go into event he grouchiest patient's room and have them sweet in no time flat. Same with grouchy docs/nurses/etc. I also do well speaking to crowds. I am outgoing. I like to interact with people, when I am in THAT mindset, I do well. However, you would have to know me on another level too. The struggle I go through to get INTO that mindset is one that others cannot begin to understand, unless they live it.

I have GREAT intentions. I do wonderful when thinking about doing things with others, but the reality really kind of wigs me out. It effects my friendships. I like to have friends, but admittedly I am not the best friend to have. I am loyal, and you can trust me. If a friend has a true need, I am there. I am also forgetful. I am not very well organized sometimes and commit to doing more than one thing at once. Then I get overwhelmed. I have been working on this, but it is still a struggle. It seems like I am always chasing my tail. Again, I am working on this. I have found that the more I stay home, the more things run smoothly. Recently, I read "Managers of Their Homes" (Terri Maxwell) and she talks about how staying home is the KEY to a schedule and organization. It is the key to successfully homeschooling too. NO WONDER I felt like I was failing my children. I was doing too much.

Don't get me wrong, I like people (well, some people anyhow). I am a very friendly person. I am not the person you want as your close friend if you want to talk on the phone every day. I love to text...talk, not so much. Not because I don't value what you have to say, but because I either get distracted from what I need to be doing at home, or I get distracted by something else and end up not truly listening to what you have to say. I have a friend who LOVES to talk on the phone, and I am learning to manage this better because I adore her.

I am also "not your girl" if you want to go places together often, or visit each other's houses often. I don't do well with following through with play dates or things of the like. I *want* to, but when it comes down to it I usually dread it. Maybe it is because I don't want to have to do my hair, and dress decent, and put make up on. Maybe it's because I would rather not wear a bra. Maybe it is because I know I need to be doing laundry and if I go somewhere, I will no longer have the drive to do the laundry when I get back. Yes, yes...I think I pinpointed it!!! Going and interacting takes so much of my energy that I am absolutely ZAPPED of it when I get back home.

I will say this, living here I have been more social than I have been in years. I have met more people that I actually LIKE and WANT to spend time with than I have elsewhere. I got an email from a sweet lady I met recently trying to arrange a play date. I want to meet her. BUT, I keep forgetting to answer her email and pinpoint a time. See, told you, I am not that great of a friend to have if you can't overlook my tendency to be inconsistent. It's not on purpose. Believe me, I WISH I was so scatter brained. I wish I could naturally be organized and not-forgetful. I wish going and doing didn't leave me feeling spent.

I tend to cancel things on a whim. Oh, I am supposed to go to the doctor today? Nah, I don't feel like it, I'll call and change it.

Like I said, I am working on it. I will never be a social butterfly. I will never want to go and do constantly with others. I do love my friends though. I love that they take me like I am. I love that I can feel comfortable around them even if I don't want to do my hair nice or put makeup on. I love that I don't have to dress in the latest styles and designers for them to think I belong.

I like being home. I feel more centered and grounded the more I stay home. Know that when you are my friend I cherish you. I enjoy your company when we are together. I love to see your statuses on FB and get your texts. Shoot, social media has made my friendships more fulfilling. I can get the interaction without having to leave home. I am meeting a lot of women who are also like this, and we "gel" because of this.

Thoughts to ponder...

I got this in an email and is summarized many of the concerns I have had about Obama. I really do wonder about these things. Not only do his known stances and practices bother me, but the unknown is even mroe scary. So, I am sharing. I do not know the origin of this, but it is chalk full of perfectly valid reasons to wonder...

FORGET THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE.  HOW ABOUT ONE PIECE OF EVIDENCE THAT THIS IMPOSTER EVER EXISTED?

OK... this is past the 'birthers' questions.... this is just plain old common sense, no political agendas for either side.  Just common knowledge that citizens of a country and especially American citizens who even know that Andrew Jackson's wife smoked a corn cob pipe and was accused of adultery or that Lincoln never went to school or Kennedy wore a back brace or Truman played the piano.

Good grief... we are Americans!  We are known for our humanitarian interests and caring for our 'fellow man.'  We care, but none of us know one single humanizing fact about the history of our own president.  Honestly, and this is a personal thing...but it's niggled at me for ages that no one who ever dated him ever showed up.  The simple fact of his charisma that caused the women to be drawn to him so obviously during his campaign, looks like some lady would not have missed the opportunity....  We all know about JFK's magnetism; McCain was no monk; Palin's courtship and even her athletic prowess were probed...  Biden's aneurisms are no secret.  Look at Cheney and Clinton.  We all know about their heart problems and certainly speaking of the opposite sex - how could I have left out Wild Bill before or during the White House?  Nope... not one lady has stepped up and said, "He was soooo shy..." or "What a great dancer!!"  Now look at the rest of this... no classmates, not even the recorder for the Columbia University class notes ever heard of him....

.... I just dunno about this fellow.

Who was the best man at his wedding?  Start there.  Then check groomsmen.

Then get the footage of the graduation ceremony.  Has anyone talked to the professors?  It is odd that no one is bragging that they knew him or taught him or lived with him.

When did he meet Michele and how?  Are there photos there?  Every president gives to the public all their photos, etc. for their library, etc.  What has he released?  And who in hell voted for him to be the most popular man in 2010?????

Does this make you wonder?  Ever wonder why no one ever came forward from President Obama's past saying they knew him, attended school with him, was his friend, etc. ??  Not one person has ever come forward from his past.

VERY, VERY STRANGE..  This should really be a cause for great concern.  To those who voted for him, you may have elected an unqualified, inexperienced shadow man.  Did you see a picture called The Manchurian Candidate?.....

Let's face it.  As insignificant as we all are .. someone who we went to school with remembers our name or face ...someone remembers we were the clown or the dork or the brain or the quiet one or the bully or something about us.

George Stephanopoulos of ABC News said the same thing during the 2008 campaign.  He questions why no one has acknowledged the president was in their classroom or ate in the same cafeteria or made impromptu speeches on campus.  Stephanopoulos also was a classmate of Obama at Columbia – the class of 1984.  He says he never had a single class with him.

While he is such a great orator, why doesn't anyone in Obama's college class remember him?  And, why won't he allow Columbia to release his records?

NOBODY REMEMBERS OBAMA AT COLUMBIA !

Looking for evidence of Obama's past, Fox News contacted 400 Columbia University students from the period when Obama claims to have been there, but none remembered him.

Wayne Allyn Root was, like Obama, a political science major at Columbia who also graduated in 1983.  In 2008, Root says of Obama, "I don't know a single person at Columbia that knew him, and they all know me.  I don't have a single classmate who ever knew Barack Obama at Columbia .. EVER!

Nobody recalls him.  Root adds that he was also, like Obama, "Class of '83 political science, pre-law" and says, “You don't get more exact or closer than that.”  Never met him in my life, don't know anyone who ever met him.  At the class reunion, our 20th reunion five years ago, who was asked to be the speaker of the class?  Me.  No one ever heard of Barack!  And five years ago, nobody even knew who he was.  The guy who writes the class notes, who's kind of the, as we say in New York, “the macha” who knows everybody, has yet to find a person, a human who ever met him.”

Obama's photograph does not appear in the school's yearbook and Obama consistently declines requests to talk about his years at Columbia , provide school records, or provide the name of any former classmates or friends while at Columbia ..

NOTE:  Root graduated as Valedictorian from his high school, Thornton-Donovan School , then graduated from Columbia University in 1983 as a Political Science major in the same class in which Barack Hussein Obama states he was.

Some other interesting questions…

Why was Obama's law license inactivated in 2002?

Why was Michelle's law license inactivated by Court Order?

It is circulating that according to the U.S. Census, there is only one Barack Obama but 27 Social Security numbers and over 80 aliases.  WHAT!!???  The Social Security number he uses now originated in Connecticut where he is never reported to have lived.

No wonder all his records are sealed!

 

Which way is right?

As a person who lives in the United States of America, and loves our country, I reacted like most last night when it was announced that Osama Bin Laden was dead. I was overcome with a joy I can't explain. A joy that came as a result of the way I was formed, the way God made me. Now, the joy would have been the same joy as if he had been captured and brought to trial. So, my joy was not at his death but at the justice that had been served. The man was evil and vile and a threat to each and every one of us. Yes, there are still more evil doers out there, always will be. However, my life was effected by this evil man and I didn't even lose anyone in the terror he inflicted.

So, when others site Proverbs 24, 17-20
  (Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth,

and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:

Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him,

and he turn away his wrath from him.

Fret not thyself because of evil men,

neither be thou envious at the wicked:

For there shall be no reward to the evil man;

the candle of the wicked shall be put out.)

I must also site 

Psalms 28:

1. To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock: Do not be silent to me, Lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.

2. Hear the voice of my supplications When I cry to You, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.

3. Do not take me away with the wicked And with the workers of iniquity, Who speak peace to their neighbors, But evil is in their hearts.

4. Give them according to their deeds, And according to the wickedness of their endeavors; Give them according to the work of their hands; Render to them what they deserve.

5. Because they do not regard the works of the LORD, Nor the operation of His hands, He shall destroy them And not build them up.

6. Blessed be the LORD, Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!

7. The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.

8. The LORD is their strength, And He is the saving refuge of His anointed.

9. Save Your people, And bless Your inheritance; Shepherd them also, And bear them up forever.

I think God expects us to feel joy when good overcomes evil. When we pray for justice and justice is served, he expects us to rejoice in HIS ways. No, we should not rejoice at death itself, but rejoice in the justice and judgement that God promises. We all knew when the day came that Osama died, he would face our maker and have to stand in judgement. He has done that now. Would I have preferred he turned his eyes to God and became a man of God, OF COURSE!!! But, he was an evil man, one very against our God and he was a great pawn for Satan. He knew the gospel and chose to turn away from it. He made his bed. Now he will lie in it for eternity.