The excitement for us on Super Bowl Sunday had nothing to do with what was on tv. As we were sitting in our family room on Sunday night we suddenly heard a loud crack at our window. I got up and went outside to see what hit the window and saw two boys walking down the street. They sped up when they heard me come outside, but I didn't see right away what they had actually done. I thought maybe they had thrown a snowball that had some salt pellets in it or something.
Apparently, though, these young boys (probably 10-12 years old) had decided it would be fun to shoot our large picture window with a bb gun. It shot right through the first pane of glass and cracked the second one but thankfully didn't go any further.
As soon as David realized what they did he shoved on his sneakers and took off after them. I had the lovely chore of calling 911 to report it and also had to let the dispatcher know that my hubby was last seen in red shorts chasing the boys down the street.
Thankfully, David was able to chase them until they (stupidly) went back into their own house. He was able to let their parents know what they did and then wait for the cops to show up. He wisely decided not to press charges and let the parents discipline the kids themselves (which, from his description of the smack the one boy got as soon as his parents heard, we're sure it's going to be plenty.) We opted to just have the parents pay to have the window taken care of. We're waiting for them to call back so we can see where we go from here, but I'm just thankful that 1) no one was hurt (unless you count the boy who may have gotten quite a spanking..) 2) it was only a bb and 3) it didn't completely penetrate the window, which would have created a draft during a very cold spell.
It sure would be nice if kids would stick to toilet papering yards. Messy but so much less expensive. And no need for the cops. Sigh.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Disabled??
Before I go off on my tirade, I'd like to share a paragraph from a book I just finished. It's written by a young man who was born without legs. (Double Take: A Memoir by Kevin Michael Connolly)
"...I don't think of myself as 'disabled.' As I interpret the word, you are only disabled if you are incapable of overcoming the challenges presented in any given situation. I might be disabled when I try to haul a hundred pounds of concrete up a flight of stairs, but to my mind, I'm perfectly able-bodied when I am skateboarding around New York City. Being disabled is also a matter of choice. Anything that you try to hide from the world also imposes a limit on you. If you don't want to risk showing off your wobbly knees or clumsiness on the dance floor and decide to sit on the sidelines, then you are unable to dance. Thus, disabled."
If a man born without any legs doesn't see himself as disabled and is able to make a living and even do many things that average people can't... then what is a real disability?
It's interesting to see what the world thinks is a disability nowadays. I've spoken to far too many people who think that back pain, depression, alchoholism, obesity and other maladies are disabilities that should enable them to receive social security disability pay. This really ticks me off. I mean, these are otherwise fairly normal, average health people who would rather have taxpayers pay them to continue their lifestyle and shirk their responsibility rather than seek treatment and become productive again. If you're healthy enough to do everything else that a "normal" person does (walk, talk, go shopping, go out to eat, drive, take care of yourself and/or children, sit on the computer for hours on end, etc.) then you're probably healthy enough to hold down some sort of job. It may not be a job you like and it may cause you some discomfort, but maybe it will be the motivation you need to get off your butt and do something with your life.
If my husband had wanted to he probably could have applied for disability a time or two- he's had multiple surgeries on his hand and back, as well as bouts of depression- but he's always been anxious to get back to work. He's got too much self-respect to want others to take care of him and his family if he's able to at all. He tries to take care of himself so that he is in a position to continue working.
I probably could have qualified for disability also because of my social anxiety disorder and depression. But if I had, where would I be today? Would I have had the motivation to change and grow? Would I have had any desire to do anything different if I was able to sit back and just wait for checks to show up in the mail? I think that for people with depression, social anxiety disorders, obesity and many other issues being put on "disability" is the worst thing that can happen to them. It takes away their personal responsibility to at least attempt to be a productive human being. It also takes away their dignity and self-respect.
Often a "disability" is only a disability because a person has perceived it as such. If there was no money available to people who complained of these maladies it would be amazing to see how many of them would suddenly become well enough to find other sources of income. I think we're doing our entire society a serious injustice when we support programs that encourage people to lean so heavily on diagnoses and how they limit them, rather than helping them understand that even with a "disability" they can learn to overcome and triumph. They can improve their lives and set an example that their children can be proud to follow.
I know there are people who really are disabled. There are definitely those who are truly unable to care for themselves, and I think we ought to be willing to help them out. But for many of people in the US on "disability" it's more about the way they think than any real handicap. It's just a shame that our society has allowed people to become so irresponsible and dependent, and worse, that we've come to accept this as "normal."
"...I don't think of myself as 'disabled.' As I interpret the word, you are only disabled if you are incapable of overcoming the challenges presented in any given situation. I might be disabled when I try to haul a hundred pounds of concrete up a flight of stairs, but to my mind, I'm perfectly able-bodied when I am skateboarding around New York City. Being disabled is also a matter of choice. Anything that you try to hide from the world also imposes a limit on you. If you don't want to risk showing off your wobbly knees or clumsiness on the dance floor and decide to sit on the sidelines, then you are unable to dance. Thus, disabled."
If a man born without any legs doesn't see himself as disabled and is able to make a living and even do many things that average people can't... then what is a real disability?
It's interesting to see what the world thinks is a disability nowadays. I've spoken to far too many people who think that back pain, depression, alchoholism, obesity and other maladies are disabilities that should enable them to receive social security disability pay. This really ticks me off. I mean, these are otherwise fairly normal, average health people who would rather have taxpayers pay them to continue their lifestyle and shirk their responsibility rather than seek treatment and become productive again. If you're healthy enough to do everything else that a "normal" person does (walk, talk, go shopping, go out to eat, drive, take care of yourself and/or children, sit on the computer for hours on end, etc.) then you're probably healthy enough to hold down some sort of job. It may not be a job you like and it may cause you some discomfort, but maybe it will be the motivation you need to get off your butt and do something with your life.
If my husband had wanted to he probably could have applied for disability a time or two- he's had multiple surgeries on his hand and back, as well as bouts of depression- but he's always been anxious to get back to work. He's got too much self-respect to want others to take care of him and his family if he's able to at all. He tries to take care of himself so that he is in a position to continue working.
I probably could have qualified for disability also because of my social anxiety disorder and depression. But if I had, where would I be today? Would I have had the motivation to change and grow? Would I have had any desire to do anything different if I was able to sit back and just wait for checks to show up in the mail? I think that for people with depression, social anxiety disorders, obesity and many other issues being put on "disability" is the worst thing that can happen to them. It takes away their personal responsibility to at least attempt to be a productive human being. It also takes away their dignity and self-respect.
Often a "disability" is only a disability because a person has perceived it as such. If there was no money available to people who complained of these maladies it would be amazing to see how many of them would suddenly become well enough to find other sources of income. I think we're doing our entire society a serious injustice when we support programs that encourage people to lean so heavily on diagnoses and how they limit them, rather than helping them understand that even with a "disability" they can learn to overcome and triumph. They can improve their lives and set an example that their children can be proud to follow.
I know there are people who really are disabled. There are definitely those who are truly unable to care for themselves, and I think we ought to be willing to help them out. But for many of people in the US on "disability" it's more about the way they think than any real handicap. It's just a shame that our society has allowed people to become so irresponsible and dependent, and worse, that we've come to accept this as "normal."
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The God Memo
Here are a few of my favorite excerpts from The God Memo in the book "The Greatest Miracle in the World" by Og Mandino:
To: You
From: God
Let me share with you, again, the secret you heard at your birth and forgot.
You are my greatest miracle. You are the greatest miracle in the world.
Those were the first words you ever heard. Then you cried.
You did not believe me then... and nothing has happened in the intervening years to correct your disbelief. For how could you be a miracle when you consider yourself a failure at the most menial of tasks? How can you be a miracle when you have little confidence in dealing with the most trivial of responsibilities? How can you be a miracle when you are so shackled by debt and lie awake in torment over whence will come tomorrow's bread?
You have not known; you have not heard; you have not understood.
You have been told that you are divinity in disguise, a god playing a fool.
You have been told that you are a special piece of work, noble in reason, infinite in faculties, express and admirable in form and moving, like an angel in action, like a god in apprehension.
You have shown no knowledge or appreciation of your uniqueness.
Yet, you are the rarest thing in the world.
... A priceless treasure, possessed of qualities in mind and speech and movement and appearance and actions as no other who has ever lived, lives, or shall live.
No longer hide your rarity in the dark. Bring it forth. Show the world. Strive not to walk as your brother walks, nor talk as your leader talks, nor labor as do the mediocre. Never do as another. Never imitate.
Be yourself.
I gave you the power to think.
I gave you the power to love.
I gave you the power to will.
I gave you the power to laugh.
I gave you the power to imagine.
I gave you the power to create.
I gave you the power to plan.
I gave you the power to speak.
I gave you the power to pray.
Choose to love... rather than hate.
Choose to laugh... rather than cry.
Choose to create... rather than destroy.
Choose to persevere... rather than quit.
Choose to praise... rather than gossip.
Choose to heal... rather than wound.
Choose to give... rather than steal.
Choose to act... rather than procrastinate.
Choose to grow.. rather than rot.
Choose to pray... rather than curse.
Choose to live... rather than die.
Remember, then, the four laws of happiness and success.
Count your blessings.
Proclaim your rarity.
Go another mile.
Use wisely your power of choice.
And one more, to fulfill the other four. Do all things with love... love for yourself, love for all others, and love for me.
To: You
From: God
Let me share with you, again, the secret you heard at your birth and forgot.
You are my greatest miracle. You are the greatest miracle in the world.
Those were the first words you ever heard. Then you cried.
You did not believe me then... and nothing has happened in the intervening years to correct your disbelief. For how could you be a miracle when you consider yourself a failure at the most menial of tasks? How can you be a miracle when you have little confidence in dealing with the most trivial of responsibilities? How can you be a miracle when you are so shackled by debt and lie awake in torment over whence will come tomorrow's bread?
You have not known; you have not heard; you have not understood.
You have been told that you are divinity in disguise, a god playing a fool.
You have been told that you are a special piece of work, noble in reason, infinite in faculties, express and admirable in form and moving, like an angel in action, like a god in apprehension.
You have shown no knowledge or appreciation of your uniqueness.
Yet, you are the rarest thing in the world.
... A priceless treasure, possessed of qualities in mind and speech and movement and appearance and actions as no other who has ever lived, lives, or shall live.
No longer hide your rarity in the dark. Bring it forth. Show the world. Strive not to walk as your brother walks, nor talk as your leader talks, nor labor as do the mediocre. Never do as another. Never imitate.
Be yourself.
I gave you the power to think.
I gave you the power to love.
I gave you the power to will.
I gave you the power to laugh.
I gave you the power to imagine.
I gave you the power to create.
I gave you the power to plan.
I gave you the power to speak.
I gave you the power to pray.
Choose to love... rather than hate.
Choose to laugh... rather than cry.
Choose to create... rather than destroy.
Choose to persevere... rather than quit.
Choose to praise... rather than gossip.
Choose to heal... rather than wound.
Choose to give... rather than steal.
Choose to act... rather than procrastinate.
Choose to grow.. rather than rot.
Choose to pray... rather than curse.
Choose to live... rather than die.
Remember, then, the four laws of happiness and success.
Count your blessings.
Proclaim your rarity.
Go another mile.
Use wisely your power of choice.
And one more, to fulfill the other four. Do all things with love... love for yourself, love for all others, and love for me.
Monday, February 1, 2010
A Glimpse Into What I Think
Here's how my mind works:
I was thinking of a book I recently read ("God Sleeps In Rwanda by Joseph Sebarenzi)about a man in Rwanda whose father was a polygamist. They belonged to the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, and I don't know what their doctrine or beliefs are on polygamy, but it got me thinking about how this man's father might have been accepted by Mormons if he was converted.
So I was wondering... if a man lives in a country where polygamy is a legally and culturally acceptable practice and he has more than one wife and then converts to Mormonism, would the church allow him and/or his wives to be baptized?
My thoughts at first were that he would probably be out of luck since the Mormon church banned polygamy more than a century ago and excommunicates those who practice it. BUT... since he would have been following a practice that was acceptable under his own country's laws and would have married them before coming to a knowledge of the gospel and the church's beliefs, can he really be held accountable for it? Could they ask him to give up a practice that would then cause his family to be torn apart? (Which would then go against the teachings of the church to not cause separations between husbands and wives.) Or are they able to make allowances for a circumstance like this, since there is no way to "repent" of it without breaking up a family? (And would he really need to "repent" anyways? Is polygamy a sin or just an unacceptable practice except when sanctioned by God?) Would they allow him to be baptized and keep his wives but then work hard to help him teach his children that polygamy is unacceptable? How would he be integrated into a culture that revolves around fidelity to one spouse?
I can see where there would be a lot of different aspects to have to consider and I have no idea what the answers would be. Thankfully, I don't think I'll ever be asked to decide on something like this. But it's still interesting to think about. After all, there are a lot of Mormons out there in the world whose cultural practices and traditions are much different than the ones we in the US are familiar or even comfortable with. It doesn't mean we're right and they're wrong; we just have different ways of looking at and doing things.
I'm sure this would be a pretty rare scenario, but now you know what my mind comes up with when I have a bit of free time. Scary, huh?
I was thinking of a book I recently read ("God Sleeps In Rwanda by Joseph Sebarenzi)about a man in Rwanda whose father was a polygamist. They belonged to the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, and I don't know what their doctrine or beliefs are on polygamy, but it got me thinking about how this man's father might have been accepted by Mormons if he was converted.
So I was wondering... if a man lives in a country where polygamy is a legally and culturally acceptable practice and he has more than one wife and then converts to Mormonism, would the church allow him and/or his wives to be baptized?
My thoughts at first were that he would probably be out of luck since the Mormon church banned polygamy more than a century ago and excommunicates those who practice it. BUT... since he would have been following a practice that was acceptable under his own country's laws and would have married them before coming to a knowledge of the gospel and the church's beliefs, can he really be held accountable for it? Could they ask him to give up a practice that would then cause his family to be torn apart? (Which would then go against the teachings of the church to not cause separations between husbands and wives.) Or are they able to make allowances for a circumstance like this, since there is no way to "repent" of it without breaking up a family? (And would he really need to "repent" anyways? Is polygamy a sin or just an unacceptable practice except when sanctioned by God?) Would they allow him to be baptized and keep his wives but then work hard to help him teach his children that polygamy is unacceptable? How would he be integrated into a culture that revolves around fidelity to one spouse?
I can see where there would be a lot of different aspects to have to consider and I have no idea what the answers would be. Thankfully, I don't think I'll ever be asked to decide on something like this. But it's still interesting to think about. After all, there are a lot of Mormons out there in the world whose cultural practices and traditions are much different than the ones we in the US are familiar or even comfortable with. It doesn't mean we're right and they're wrong; we just have different ways of looking at and doing things.
I'm sure this would be a pretty rare scenario, but now you know what my mind comes up with when I have a bit of free time. Scary, huh?
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