America, Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave

                                                                     I love this country.

It isn't really one particular thing that makes me love her.  I think it's an accumulation of things that has formed my admiration for this beautiful land.  Part of it is her natural beauty.  I know I've spoken about how much I love the mountains... preeeetty sure you know how much I love them!  I love how different parts of the climates are, even just across a few hundred miles.  I love how, like in San Diego, you can have mountains, desert, and beach all within 30 minutes.  I love how the weather, in Florida, can go from beautiful & breezy with no clouds, to an angry black sky with thunder and raging lightening.  I love the beaches of North Carolina and South Carolina, the water of the Keys.  

I also love the people.  Well, most of the people.  I love the people that love my country... those that want to protect her, cherish her, DEFEND her.  The people that look around at the blue sky, the endless open plains of the Midwest, even the frigid blue waters at the base of the Rocky Mountains, and see promise.  Opportunity.  Possibility.  The ones who feel pride welling in their throats and in their heart when they see Old Glory, bruised and battered, gently waving in the balmy summer breeze.  I love these people because I am these people.  We are grateful for what opportunities that our Lord Jesus Christ has blessed with- and we really do understand that we don't have a Right to any of it.  What we have is what we earn (not what we take from someone else).  There's something to be said for an old-fashioned work ethic, getting up early, working late, really having pride when you take your paycheck to the bank (and understanding that, thanks to our greedy government, we won't get to take it all home) and cashing it... then using it to provide for our families.

Last, I love what she stands for.  Hard work.  Achievement.  Endless possibilities.  No matter what the people in Washington say about her, this will always be a country that supports Life (unborn and born), Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.  Our Founding Fathers had the right idea when they arrived here from England, searching for freedom from religious persecution and the ability to choose what was right for themselves and their families.  

Let's get back to our basics.  When did we fall so far away from where we began?  I think it would really benefit everyone to take a second, push back from the computer & stand up from your desk, and go outside.  Take a deep breath of fresh air, listen to the birds chirping, and thank God that you live in the United States.  If you have money in a jar in the dresser or in a fold in your wallet, you're in the top richest 1% of the world.  

Isn't it time we really gave thanks for our blessings?

Parting thought:

When an American says that he loves his country, he means not only that he loves the New England hills, the prairies glistening in the sun, the wide & rising plains, the great mountains, and the sea.  He means that he loves an inner air, an inner light in which freedom lives & in which a man can draw the breath of self-respect - Adlai Stevenson

Talk soon.

What makes a true friend?

With the passage of time, I think it's natural for people to re-evaluate their priorities, their likes and dislikes, their hopes and dreams... and their relationships.  I think it just happens, and when it does, you just gotta go along for the ride.  It is a sociological fact that our personalities settle in to a groove by the age we're 30: so what does that mean for our personalities?  Wouldn't it make sense for things to consistently change until we reach that age?

Recently, I've mainly been re-evaluating my friendships.  And I've been asking myself what I really value.  Is it someone who has the same values I do?  Do they like to do the same things?- maybe they even have the same fashion sense?  Of course, the answers to all of these questions are "no."  If I only had friendships with people who were exactly like me, I'd be bored out of my mind (and equally shallow).  The answers to these questions are really pretty simple:  I want a friend who will be a friend back to me.  I understand that no two people will be alike, but it's important to be similar in at least one aspect: the effort you contribute to a friendship.  

Nobody wants to always be the one who's always the "fallback friend," there when a crisis strikes at 3am and you answer the phone to a teary, upset mess.  And nobody ever wants to be the dependable glue that helps to pick up the pieces and put them back together again.  What I've found is that when you're in this position... eventually you decide it isn't really a friendship anymore, and you move on.  It's never easy, but sometimes you need to do it- for yourself.

The silver lining to this problem, which I think is a universal phenomenon with friendships & relationships everywhere, is that when this happens, not only do you have a chance to look honestly at yourself and re-examine if you have some growing, maturing, and other changes to make in your own life... it also helps you to appreciate the true friendships that you do have.  I'm fortunate enough to have two *amazing* sisters, and two fabulous best friends that truly are living examples of the words "true friends."  I'm very thankful for them - but they know this already! 

I hope that this rant today is the catalyst for one of two things: either you realize you're not alone when you re-evaluate your friendships from time to time (everybody does it)... or it makes you grateful because you know you have some truly great people in your life.  As I shared, I'm very grateful for my four best friends- and of course, the other amazing people in my life.

Parting thought:

When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.  The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares - Henri Nouwen

Talk soon.

Jumpin' on the bandwagon

I'm going to have to concede defeat.  After reading the witty quips of my numerous blog-literate friends... I, too, have given in.  I am officially making my debut, and I'm not going to deny that it actually feels pretty good to be one of the masses (this once).  Now if anyone actually READS what I write... well, that's a different story.

Now, about my picture.  Well, I'm not going to lie, most of the time I'm not in Boone, I wish I was.  Aside from those that include my family and my three FABULOUS best friends, some of my absolute favorite memories include an absolutely out-of-this-world blonde guy (don't need to tell you who because if you need to know, you already do) and our adventures in Boone, North Carolina.  I love everything about it: the winding roads, the haze that settles around the mountaintops like the Congo after it's rained, the crisp air that takes the air out of your lungs in the winter, the black & gold Mountaineer football (almost as good as green & gold, but still out of this world AND equally exciting), downtown King's Street & all the different places to hike.  I could go on and on and on about all of the fun stuff there is to do... although my favorite would definitely be hiking to the top of a mountain & taking a picnic along for the walk.   Of course, everyone has one place where they escape to when they need it.  I'm fortunate to have so many fabulous memories to remember when I get to escape to mine :)

Here's hoping that all of you out there have a place you can escape.

Parting thought

I hope that everyone out there has a love like this one: Oh that it were possible, after long grief and pain, to find the arms of my true love around me once again - Tennyson

Talk soon.