Don't Close Your Blinds

My mother sent me this little story and I read it as tears began to well up in my eyes.
This story may be just that, a story, but please read it and think of how true these words are.
I will be the first to say that I hate war.
But we must defend our country, and those that cannot defend themselves!
God Bless America!
He has many times before, and I pray that he continues to.

Please read this...
God Bless You!

The other day, my nine year old son wanted to know why we were at war. My husband looked at our son and then looked at me. My husband and I were in the Army during the Gulf War and we would be honored to serve and defend our Country again today. I knew that my husband would give him a good explanation.
My husband thought for a few minutes and then told my son to go stand in our front living room window. He said "Son, stand there and tell me what you see?"
"I see trees and cars and our neighbor's houses." he replied."
"OK, now I want you to pretend that our house and our yard is the United States of America and you are President Bush."
Our son giggled and said "OK."
"Now son, I want you to look out the window and pretend that every house and yard on this block is a different country" my husband said.
"OK Dad, I'm pretending."
"Now I want you to stand there and look out the window and pretend you see Saddam come out of his house with his wife, he has her by the hair and is hitting her. You see her bleeding and crying. He hits her in the face, he throws her on the ground, then he starts to kick her to death. Their children run out and are afraid to stop him, they are screaming and crying, they are watching this but do nothing because they are kids and they are afraid of their father. You see all of this son.... what do you do?"
"Dad?"
"What do you do son?"
"I'd call the police, Dad."
"OK. Pretend that the police are the United Nations and they take your call, listen to what you know and saw but they refuse to help. What do you do then son?"
"Dad.......... but the police are supposed to help!" My son starts to whine.
"They don't want to son, because they say that it is not their place or your place to get involved and that you should stay out of it," my husband says
"But Dad...he killed her!!" my son exclaims.
"I know he did...but the police tell you to stay out of it. Now I want you to look out that window and pretend you see our neighbor who you're pretending is Saddam turn around and do the same thing to his children."
"Daddy...he kills them?"
"Yes son, he does. What do you do?"
"Well, if the police don't want to help, I will go and ask my next door neighbor to help me stop him." our son says.
"Son, our next door neighbor sees what is happening and refuses to get involved as well. ;He refuses to open the door and help you stop him," my husband says.
"But Dad, I NEED help!!! I can't stop him by myself!!"
"WHAT DO YOU DO SON?"
Our son starts to cry. "OK, no one wants to help you, the man across the street saw you ask for help and saw that no one would help you stop him. He stands taller and puffs out his chest. Guess what he does next son?"
"What Daddy?"
"He walks across the street to the old ladies house and breaks down her door and drags her out, steals all her stuff and sets her house on fire and then...he kills her. He turns around and sees you standing in he window and laughs at you. WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"Daddy..."
"WHAT DO YOU DO?
" Our son is crying and he looks down and he whispers, "I'd close the blinds, Daddy."
My husband looks at our son with tears in his eyes and asks him..."Why?"
"Because Daddy.....the polic e are supposed to help people who need them...and they won't help.... You always say that neighbors are supposed to HELP neighbors, but they won't help either...they won't help me stop him...I'm afraid....I can't do it by myself Daddy.....I can't look out my window and just watch him do all these terrible things and...and.....do nothing...so....I'm just going to close the blinds.... so I can't see what he's doing........and I'm going to pretend that it is not happening."
I start to cry. My husband looks at our nine year old son standing in the window, looking pitiful and ashamed at his answers to my husbands questions and he says..."Son"
"Yes, Daddy."
"Open the blinds because that man.... he's at your front door..."WHAT DO YOU DO?"
My son looks at his father, anger and defiance in his eyes. He balls up his tiny fists and looks his father square in the eyes, without hesitation he says: " I DEFEND MY FAMILY DAD!! I'M NOT GONNA LET HIM HURT MOMMY OR MY SISTER, DAD!!! I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM, DAD, I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM!!!!!"
I see a tear roll down my husband's cheek and he grabs our son to his chest and hugs him tight, and says... "It's too late to fight him, he's too strong and he's already at YOUR front door son.....you should have stopped him BEFORE he killed his wife, and his children and the old lady across the way.You have to do what's right, even if you have to do it alone, before it's too late." my husband whispers. THAT scenario I just gave you is WHY we are at war with Iraq. When good men stand by and let evil happen son, THAT is the greatest EVIL of all. Our President is doing what is right. We, as a free nation, must understand that this war is a war of humanity. WE must remove evil men from power so that we can continue to live in a free world where we are not afraid to look out our window so that my nine year old son won't grow up in a world where he feels that if he just "closes the blinds" the atrocities in the world won't affect him.
"YOU MUST NEVER BE AFRAID TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT! EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALONE!" BE PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! BE PROUD OF OUR TROOPS!! SUPPORT THEM!!! SUPPORT AMERICA!! SO THAT IN THE FUTURE OUR CHILDREN WILL NEVER HAVE TO CLOSE THEIR BLINDS...

When I Say You're Beautiful...

This is a little poem that popped into my head that I had to write down...

When I Say You're Beautiful
I'm not just talking about the clothes you're wearing.
I'm not just talking about the way your hair is fixed up, or not.
I'm not just talking about the look on your face at the time.
I'm not just talking about your makeup, or lack thereof.

When I Say You're Beautiful
I mean so much more

When I Say You're Beautiful
I mean everything inside of you.
I mean the thoughts behind your looks.
I mean the past wonders that have happened between the two of us.
I mean the love I have for you.
I mean the power between us two.
I mean everything you are to me.
I mean how special you are.

When I Say You're Beautiful
I mean, I love you.
You're special.
And you mean the world to me!

Life is Complicated! An Update...

Well, I am a good ways into the school year and I am about to loose my mind.
I am so busy I almost cannot believe it myself.

I got a new job working in June for a not-for-profit agency titled S.E.R.V.E. & E.N.T.E.R.
Obviously these are acronyms for something.
SERVE is Sex Equity Recources for Vocational Educators
ENTER is Education for NonTraditional Employment Roles
All that is summed up in one office.
Jack is my co-worker, and co-hort in crime here, with Judy as our boss. Another, older, lady also works with us who comes in of an early morning and takes care of sending out many of the books and videos that are a part of SERVE's library that we have.
Jack is a Journalism major who also enjoys playing the drums ( ROCK ON! )
He and I get along quite well. We enjoy working together, and it has been a blast so far.
We both have good senses of humor and have fun doing the job.
Basically we do a lot of desktop publishing.
I hope to have a website soon where I can post all of the brochures, posters, and the calendar that we have done.
We are just starting the Breaking Traditions contest which is for students who are studying to work in nontraditional roles for their gender. Such as a male that is in nursing or a female that is in construction.
I love the job and the atmosphere.

To add to my pile I just got approved for a work study program at school.
I will be working under the Faculty Technology Coordinator ( even he doesn't know what that means ) to teach other professors how to use Microsoft Front Page and make / maintain their webpages. I have not started this yet, but it should be any time. I am also looking forward to this.

School stacked on top of this has just made everything crazy.
My homework load has been tremendous this sememster. But I like to say that:
" It is better to be busy, than bored! "

Then, the last major adition to my schedule, is that I joined an Ultimate Frisbee league that plays every Sunday at 2:00. I am SUPER PUMPED about this. I love Ultimate Frisbee as almost anyone can tell after knowing me a short time (and most people know that playing frisbee around me can be dangerous because, for some reason, someone ALWAYS gets hit ) - Sorry Bro. Rivera!!!

James (my roomate) and I are now living in a duplex in El Chaparrel, which is interesting because this is now the fourth house I have lived in which is in that neighborhood.
We enjoy the extra space compared to our old appartment. However, we seem to be lacking in the furniture department. Randy was kind enough to offer us another recliner in addition to the one my father already gifted us (rather, we are babysitting). Everything else in the appartment is glass surfaces. Yall know how I love my glass!!! :-)

Mom is getting along without having me right there to work on the computers, I'm just not sure how WELL she is getting along though :-).

Well, that's all for now, more on the Cataclism of non-random events that is complicated Life later!

Beginnings

I am just getting started at this blogger thing and this will be my first post to try it out...