Dear America,

happy monday

The weekend is a blur, as I was completely entrenched into a softball tournament -- which was nearly entirely under drizzle; not enough to call it off, but just enough to make those of us sitting on the sidelines a bit damp, cold and chomping at the bit for a hot toddy and a fireplace back in the comfort of home.

Of course, sitting there day dreaming between games, my mind went whirling into a two column expose of the differences between the Nanny State vs. Mother Nation, and that was all it took -- still in the midst of unseasonably moist weather conditions -- to provide this morning's inspiration.

So consider the boundaries like this:

The Nanny State, left.
Mother Nation, right.

Simple enough.

Nanny, Liberal.
Mother, Conservative.

See how it flows so easily.

The thing is, in this age of big, bad government, what we are seeing under the current Obama Administration, is a deterioration of our inherent civil liberties and a pure nullification of our founding principles, as they continue to inch their way into our lives in unimaginable ways; the constant indirect, and sometimes blatant, display of "we know better than you", as if the government really can cure all societal ills, along with it's huge price tag, is unprecedented.  While to question their authority to do so, or wonder if any of it is even Constitutional, is considered unamerican, racist, bigoted even, and simply cast as out of control right wing extremism in action.

America has changed over the course of the last forty or fifty years, indeed; but the greatest difference is our growing indifference to how we define and grow beautiful families, ones that when lined up all together, hand in hand across the country, personify a loving, strong, healthy and vibrant nation.

You can believe what you want, but in these days following the recent death of Barbara Billingsley, one of America's first moms portrayed on TV for all the world to see and model after, we haven't entirely done the family thing very well -- over the last couple of decades especially; sure, we have more women advancing in careers, more women bringing home the bacon and frying it up in the pan, more women still shouldering the household duties while holding down a 9 to 5 job, more women reaching their personal dreams of having it all -- but at what price?

No, now before you all jump on my little butt -- yes, I wholeheartedly believe it is possible to have it all as women, if that equates to having a little bit of everything; there is no question in my mind about that; while, there are many women who make it look easy; yet, even still, there are many more who fail miserably at it everyday.

But when we look at our children, and the next generation or two in the pipeline -- coupled with an honest observation of the very issues we used to excel at pretty much across the board, as in education, morality, self-reliance and the individual pursuit of happiness -- we are breaking down somewhere; and I believe that somewhere is not over the rainbow but right here, right at home.

The thing is, if we are really brave enough, and open enough, to have a real conversation about this -- and look deeper into this relationship of the family unit, and the country's future prospects to create happiness and liberty and freedom for all, then we must face some heart wrenching truths about how we are doing at this; and the place to start is at the heart of the home, mom.

For California, nannies are common place -- and that should tell you something, as we are failing everywhere you look; a huge segment of our population just waltzes along with their heads in a salon, complete with cucumbers over the eyes, and all.  Of course, overtly generalizing here, but let's face it, many mommies in California are simply no longer hands on  -- they are above it, have no time for it, are completely frustrated by it, or economically challenged to have that privilege -- and it shows. 

It may sound like I am beating up on my own people -- and maybe I am -- but can we get real? Can we not talk about the reality housewives era we are living in, or vicariously living through, and realize the waywardness of our own ways -- or is that no longer politically correct?  And sure, why stop there -- it's not just a so cal thing, a hollywood thing, or an elite Senator from Northern California thing -- this is a national epidemic. 

While I can almost applaud the Angelina Jolies's of this world, the truth is, the importance of motherhood is being all but ignored these days -- while we continue to sit idly by elevating the federal government to evermore control over our lives like in a warped 'who's your daddy' kind of way; it's a strange marriage of ideologies, to say the least. 

It's not just about the restrictions of salt and sugar and soda, that this nanny state merrily tramples all over; it's not just about happy meals being villainized, and the maker of such as simply corporate greed at the expense of our kids; it's not just about over zealous regulation in everything from what we eat to what we drive, to how we fuel it, to where we bank, how we spend, to what we buy and why --  it's deeper than that --

We've changed how we do mom --

• it is the nanny being home after school -- and probably, in broken English, making sure they do their homework (hardly the perfect candidate to offer help with writing the review of The Odyssey).
• it is the nanny preparing the home-cooked meals -- or family dinner broken up with band practice, soccer games, working through dinner, business travel and take out.
• it is the nanny spending the quantity time with the children, with returning parents feeling guilty -- making up for it with presents, cell phones, and cars -- with no real parental supervision or care until basically bedtime.

If you add the element of a little money for life in the left lane, we extend the nanny state mentality to include private school and quite possibly, boarding school -- other people raising the kids, spoiled little rich kids raising other spoiled little rich kids, and simply parents being out of touch and out of sight, out of mind ; the anti-thesis of the mother who is there by the time the kids return home from school -- or the mom who is hands on and home schooling the kids all day long.

If you add the element of religion, the prevailing attitude is one of dismissing the importance of worship altogether; or it takes on a whole new meaning under the mindset of  a new age hierarchy of  a "collective salvation" -- almost acting as if God told them this is the way it works, basically ignoring the principles upon which America was made, while having the audacity to redefine the entire premise of  Christianity at the same time; under the mommy state, we simply go to church, and if we can't do that, we teach the golden rule and try our best to live by the same, and lead by example.

If you add the element of common sense and self-reliance, under the nanny state, "the little people" have none -- the government can better manage your money, your diet, your business, and seemingly every one's needs under the sun through the relentless and reckless actions of breaking one glass ceiling after another by ruthless taxation; quite the contrary, the mommy state believes in individual responsibility, individual liberty, and that less government intervention the better -- thereby allowing for real growth in the private sector and creating the opportunity for real wealth for all, just the way our founders intended.

There is a possibility we could reduce the state of mommy dearest we are currently living in by simply realizing that many of our maternal issues stem from being deficient in a single attribute, that being able to utter the word "NO!" -- as if a whole chorus of mamas and papas heard round the world piped up all at the same time.  But then again, maybe that's just too simple minded of me; what do I know, right? 

But then I realized something, as a gazed over the umbrellas yesterday, there is not one family on the team with a nanny; every mom or pop on the bleachers is hands on, whether it is a Sunday afternoon, a Monday morning, or smack dab in the middle of the week.  Now, even though I carry a special fondness for the beauty of 'less organized' activities -- thinking of days dating back to The Sandlot era and Leave It to Beaver -- I must say I get a special chill up and down my leg knowing I share my experience raising a family with at least 14 other families close to me; it is a feeling I can build on, at least, and feel good about.

Our modern world makes a whole new June these days -- and that's okay as long we remember how we make good kids; they don't just happen, you know.  A nanny can never take the place of what our children truly need; they require undivided attention, hands on care, and unconditional love, from an actual parent, whether we want to admit it, or not; our nation was built, generation after generation, making a point to make it a priority -- that is until we took the shaping of our kids, and our families, and ourselves, for granted, leaving the duty in someone else's care.

Long has it been understood that the hardest job in America -- and the most thankless one to boot -- is that of being a mother; and I have to say, indeed.  Having a little money can make it easier; throwing more money at it might turn things around for awhile; but buying the kid a car when they really don't deserve it, hardly ever works -- and only real moms and pops know that, through and through.

Our country is having a mother of a time finding itself again; perhaps, breaking it down in ways we can easily understand is where we need to begin -- starting with some of the first words we learn, "mama"... "dada" ...and "no"

...sure, it sounds a little juvenile,
simplistic...
a far cry from showing any sign of an Ivy league education, right....
there was no study taken, publishing a decade of research...
I am, as you know, just a girl -- what do I know, right...

but please, feel free to question -- feel free to come up with your own argument of the nanny state vs mother nation; go for it.  But like a pop fly meeting up with the inside of the glove like it was second nature, we are bearing witness to a pop culture uniting with the nanny state without thinking twice about it.

It may feel like a rush in the moment, but experience tells us it will fade into the reality of having to be ready for the next play, being prepared for whatever life dishes out, a future that anything could happen, at any time -- which unexpectedly, then, hits us in the face with the very prospect that the kids today may want to have kids of their own someday... an idea which very well might, for a few of us anyway, sound utterly frightening, considering the way they are being raised...and if we think Social Security is in trouble now...just you wait.  

Isn't progress just wonderful.

And on that note, all I want is my mommy wahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

 Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America,

Puo ritenere come buon venerdi,

ma domenica sta venendo!

E una vita bella!

(It may feel like Good Friday, but Sunday's coming! It's a beautiful life!)

In the meantime,
waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

but let's get real, G may be a big cry baby over things large and small, but deep down I know,
when we walk by faith,
we never walk alone.
So here we are again, on another day after; and in a warped and weird way, G has come full circle; for it was an early morning much like today -- the sun was shining, the air was bright and clear, a slight breeze blew the fragrance of eucalyptus and jasmine into my window as if America hadn't a care in the world -- when 'its-a-gthing' was born.

It was so seductive really, easily I could have found myself happy with the status quo, just as I had done previously, like any other July --  July 23rd to be exact -- in the day, in the life of America;  and yet, something drew me in.

And here we are, from it's conception to this very moment, nearly nine months have passed me by.

The good news, at least we all don't have to skirt around the issue anymore, our federal government -- in an overwhelming partisan display of politics with a vote of 219 to 212 -- is now in charge of our health care.

Whether a little or a lot, the federal government is now dictating health insurance policy, quadrupling the authority of the IRS with the instruction to create four more departments to handle the Fed's new responsibilities, and all the while, outlining accompanying policy for turning Medicare upside down; basically, as of today, everything changes when it comes to our health care system in America. 

It is done; socialized medicine is here -- albeit sugarcoated to help the medicine go down -- but don't kid yourself, it is here.

America has given birth to a brand-spankin'-new entitlement program, this time for the so-called "middle class" -- not to be confused with it's big brother, Social Security, which is currently running 43 Trillion dollars shy of meeting it's fiscal liabilities (amounts to roughly $400,000/ household) --  or the evil twins, Medicaid/Medicare, which as we all know by now have a number of issues going on, not the least of which is Medicare's inability to cover it's liabilities; even though it is years younger, it's got a couple of inches on him and towers over Social Security at 57 Trillion dollars  (amounts to about $500,000/ household).

Here we are -- one big dysfunctional family, joy to the world -- and I've got just one question for you, what are we gonna name it? 

Oops, sorry, it's not just one... I seem to have a few more popping out to my surprise... had no idea...

Just why, for Pete's sake, were we in such a hurry? 

And isn't this still just a bit premature?

Aren't we still  -- after all the talk, after all the debate (the debate that is over, but is still not over), after all the selling points, talking points, props, pitch and ditch -- not ready?

Why did we induce -- knowing there were real risks involved, knowing we were clearly opening ourselves up to the well-spring of emotions bubbling under the surface and a whole of brand new issues?

Oh my, the last twenty 36 hours has been a doozy... really wasn't sure if I would make it...ice chips, anyone?

And how about that last minute Executive Order?  As if Obama's word to uphold:

"consistency with longstanding restrictions

the use of federal funds for abortion."

is enough
to convince
the small fraction
(twelve in fact)
of pro-life democrats
to follow Him? 

Oh right, I guess it was.

But the crowning blow arrived just knowing how close we came, without the E.O. from the B.O.-- when push came to shove and then shove some more -- the measure didn't stand a chance.

(we were 4 votes away, that's it)

The sad truth is, the executive order is just another example of how our government takes creative license with it's legislative power.  To be sure, it is merely fluff; it is style without substance, show without tell, and a mask to a fraud. 

As much as our dear President would love to see His Word be the new Gospel, he can't make it so no matter how hard he pushes; an Executive Order does not trump the Law.  Sure, it is nice to have, and it did the job to pacify the merry band of Stupak's imposters long enough to nab the vote, but it did nothing to change the law -- as in the new law as set forth by the Senate Health Care Bill. 

But hey, like the Chairman of the Rules Committee, U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL), so eloquently put it,

“I wish that I had been there when Thomas Edison made the remark that I think applies here: ‘There ain’t no rules around here — we’re trying to accomplish something.’ And therefore, when the deal goes down, all this talk about rules, we make ‘em up as we go along..."

"there ain't no rules around here...we make 'em up as we go along" -- now THAT is giving birth to some kind of new world, now isn't it? 

(Breathe, just breathe.)

But since I brought it up, let us jump on a thing called Trump for just a moment.

The Apprentice was on last night; and as it would turn out, it was just what the doctor ordered. Besides reminding me of a few fine principles America used to stand on with a greatness of ease, it was also great comic relief after laboring the day away with health care drama.

Now, Trump is not someone I usually turn to for guidance, you know, like Mao is to Anita Dunn or something like that, but I dig him -- there is definitely something about this guy that causes people to stop and pay attention to what he has to say.  Sure, he's been up and he's been down -- he doesn't have all the answers nor is his way the only way, that we can be sure -- but without a doubt, the wealth of his experiences can teach many of us Americans a thing or two (I mean, for heaven's to Betsy, look at his children...)

The centerpiece of last night's show was an iconic American brand:  KODAK. 

Now lucky KODAK, no? 

Trump is just like the Oprah Effect -- both of whom embody the rare commodity of  just saying the word and millions are sold  -- only in America!   And if you really think about it, just the premise of Trump's show alone proves my point -- only in America can someone sell you on watching his show, based on the success (or lack thereof) and celebrity (or lack thereof) of himself and others like him (or lack thereof), and sell an American label or brand name in the process, and all the while GIVE SOMETHING BACK TO CHARITY!  Is America a great country, or what? Love it...wish I thought of it...but I digress.

The task at hand was for both teams to take their store front business and turn it into a Kodak showpiece, an emporium designed to capture the best of Kodak and it's products while taking the idea of "Kodak Moments" to the streets of New York; the underlying message asked of each team to incorporate the idea, besides real sales and promotion of it's product, that real Kodak Moments don't just happen when you take the picture -- they happen when you actually SHARE the moment.

The team which captures the Kodak philosophy and bring their pitch to the marketplace the best, wins.

Well, the boys brought their A-team -- they sold themselves and their celebrity over and over throughout the night, hey, look at me, "I'm funny", "I'm sexy", "I'm sporty", "I'm smarty", "I'm anything you want me to be" and for once, the girls, just brought heart and substance -- for once, it wasn't about T and A!

What a breath of fresh air.  What a turn around.  What a way to bring the whole package, girls!

Just in case you missed it, in the end the girls got Trump's attention, along with the thumbs up from the visiting Kodak entourage, for all the right reasons; in the end, substance truly did matter... here, in the Kodak Moment of a day in the life of America. 

For centuries now, the American marketplace has naturally rewarded good policy, sound principles, hard work, ingenuity, service, charity, truth, honor, following the law, setting high standards, creating an income stream for ourselves, our families, while enabling us to care for our broader communities; the only times we have failed to do so, were in times we have compromised our values and principles.

And as we have seen by Executive Order in the last twenty four hours, it doesn't take much anymore.

By the way, the donation last night went to Make-A-Wish Foundation (go to them and make a wish come true).  During the show, a touching Kodak moment came when a young boy, in the midst of awaiting a wish for himself to come true, was asked a simple question,

"what are you gonna do when you grow up?" 

He answered with this, with a look on his face worth a thousand words,

"hadn't thought about it".

A future can be hard to imagine for many a set of circumstances, but when a child is sick enough not have one, we can hear everyone in America cry.

After all things said and done in the last nine months, we can't push it back in, now can we? 
It is here. 
It is out. 
WE the People -- without so much as a choice, I might add -- are the parents of another entitlement program.

Congratulations (say it like Ben Stein would say it). 

Oh, one more thing, you do know that not only will they not move out, you will have no choice now but to cover for their health insurance until the age of twenty-six...even if you one of the lucky one's and they are the picture of health. 

God speed, parents, countrymen, girls and boys, one and all.

Make it a Good Day, G

All in all, it's nothing that a little congressional tubal ligation can't fix...go to:
www.firenancypelosi.com/  really, it's brand new, too!

In the meantime, and in all seriousness, here's a good song for you today...

Dear America,

You know what's a beautiful thing, besides the weather under this glorious southern California blue sky, is that we share much of the same thoughts throughout the country.  We feel each other and gravitate to those who share the same concerns, the same worries, the same love of country, the same pressures to raise a family, the same faith or something quite similar to -- we feel much of the same things.

They say the inherent need for human touch is vital to our well being and security; I believe it to be true more than ever.  While being able to actually reach out and touch someone via the Internet does not allow for the physical connection, emotional and intellectual minds can come together and find peace.

If you noticed the latest addition to my page includes the characterization and belief system created by the brilliance of Glenn Beck's 912 Project.  I think I'm going to keep it up for awhile.  It comes on the wave of my latest attachment to an organization called simply, As a Mom; a "sisterhood of mommy patriots". I latched on to it only yesterday and already find myself returning to a deeper sense of calm.

I didn't need anything more than feeling the sense that I am not alone.

Last evening, after my girl and I ate breakfast for dinner -- our favorite thing to do combining comfort food and the smell of bacon -- my girl just stopped me, dead center in the middle of the room, and gave me a hug.

It was a good hug.  It wasn't the kind with the pat on the back; it was a solid thirty seconds at least of both arms wrapped around me and mine around her and we both just stood there.  Now, given it was initiated by my little teenager, that in and of itself makes a mama's heart sing; but more than that, in all of it's simplicity in the moment it stood as the very reminder how important it is to teach the importance of touch, and the strength we can gain from it, in a matter of seconds. 

My girl, at some level, recognized this; and whether for her benefit or mine, that reach, that extension, proves as humans we yearn for it, rely on it, and sometimes we just need it.  I didn't ask her if it was her need to be hugged or her sense that mama needed some love that propelled her to wrap herself up and around me.  It didn't matter.  But through her action we both stopped and took it all in...

Our children have been used in the discussions of the day -- from both sides of the aisle -- to impress upon the opinions of constituents and fellow members of congress of what changes must be made and why. What immediately comes to mind is how our children must be feeling, having been the subject of what debts we burden them with or what our world will simply look like when they are all grown up.

and later in the evening I got my answer -- like someone shaking me to the core -- my baby girl actually turned to me and said that she "didn't want to hear any more about it." She was so sick and tired of hearing the news of climate change, Obamacare, the deficit, the national debt, death and taxes -- she wanted none of it and just wanted it all to stop.

It became a teachable moment for both of us, again (don't we love it when we become the student and the child, the teacher).  She is old enough now to understand the bigger picture and questions how things may or may not affect her years down the road; but the realization that she feels the trouble of the world too is unmistakable and without question, commands our attention as parents.

As a mom, we feel everything through our children; we wish they would never feel pain, never have their hearts broken, never be without, and never lose their faith.  We ache when they ache and smile when they smile -- and if they feel stress, yes, we stress.

How do we thoughtfully and carefully maneuver the world and it's events and challenges around the lives of our children without ultimately scaring the living daylights out of them?  They hear things.  They see things. Matter of fact, they say children see more and know more than we may think at any given time; those spectacular little creatures that they are. 

The thing is, the decisions we make today ARE being handed down to our children and on some level they actually know it; scratch that, they feel it.

I am reminded of the importance of our mindfulness through the words of Daphne Rose Kingma, in a little book of hers called Heart & Soul.  It should be noted the book's intent was for the rediscovery of a deeper connection in our intimate relationships, but I think one of her observations applies here:

"There is no neutral moment or action in our experience.  Everything we do, every action we enact, every nuance of movement, each word we utter either creates the further illumination of our souls, or moves us in a direction in which, in a moment of dark unconsciousness, our souls can be utterly compromised.


The potential for loss of soul -- to one degree or another -- is the affliction of a society that as a collective has lost its sense of the holy, of a culture that values everything else above the spiritual.  We live in such a spiritually impoverished culture -- and in such a time...

In such a world the soul struggles for survival; in such a world a man can lose his own soul and have the whole culture support him, AND in such a world, conversely, the light of a single, great soul that lives in integrity can truly illumine the world."

As parents to our children, we are given this great responsibility of choice every day; what power we have to create their world securely and with accountability -- with love and understanding, peace and grace.  Yet, along side this parental right and loving obligation, we must also be on guard for what they absorb from outside sources --when not under the protection of our home -- or within, and under the influences of television.

For our children hear it, know it, see it, fret about it and feel it.

The makings of the day and the legislation of our lives within the walls of congress are testing our culture, compromising our values, and causing so many of us to STOP and share in the same thoughts.  I find comfort and joy in both the season of honoring the birth of the baby Jesus and in the arms of fellow patriots whom I don't know.  Just knowing we share in the same thoughts wraps a warm blanket of hope and faith around me.

I find myself at peace and give great thanks this morning for the "minute-moms" around me and the father of Re-founding America, Glenn Beck.  I would wrap my arms around each and every one of them this morning if I could; and I'm pretty sure it's not because G wants a hug -- I'm quite certain it comes from a place in my heart that feels the need to show how grateful I am for them, for their influences on a culture gone wild, and their ability to connect like minds and affect change for the betterment of the whole.  Giving thanks for the people in our world who love us, nurture us, teach us, enlighten us, protect us, save us or just plain touch us with their soul is what life is all about.
 
I would like to think that was why my girl stopped me smack dab in the center of the living room and cradled me in her arms -- coming full circle thirteen years later and dozens of times over -- it doesn't even begin to tell you how proud it makes a mama feel each and every time. The power to illumine is inside each of  us -- including our children.

Is there a chance today our congress may finally feel that way too -- that they may return to a level of integrity, find a deeper connection to the American people, revealing a much higher consciousness -- worthy of transforming a culture back to it's founding values and principles?

I have to believe they, Congress, are mamas and papas like us; understanding the responsibility of raising America with "honesty, reverence, hope, thrift, humility, charity, sincerity, moderation, hard work, courage, personal responsibility, and gratitude" (9:12) -- and a little less fear, control, manipulation, deception, waste, fraud, overhead, redistribution of wealth, corruption, darkness, and loss.

Perhaps today will be the day Congress STOPS the madness, becomes illumined from within, and blankets the nation with a feeling of warmth, security and the return to grace...a girl can only hope.

Make it a Good Day, G

Hug a tree, your children, your dog -- just reach out and touch someone and let them know you care and redistribute the wealth that's inside you -- or not, the choice is yours.