Thankful Doesn't Even Begin to Describe It

This post doesn't have anything to do with Seth; it's about some things I've been thinking about lately and felt like sharing. Since I can remember, I've always tried to think of one thing I'm thankful for each and every day. As fortunate as I am, I could probably think of something new every day, but there are several that always come to mind. Of course, the first is that I am so very lucky to have been born in a country that allows me to practice my religion of choice. Many others cannot say the same and I am humbled by those that are brave enough to go oppose their government to practice it anyway. Would I do the same if I were in their situation? I certainly hope so, but pray that that day will not come for many, many years.

I'm also very grateful for our freedoms in this country (which we wouldn't have if it weren't for our troops!). Unfortunately, the United States courts have made some very poor rulings in the past which I believe surpassed the rights of freedom and became crimes themselves. The one that I've been dwelling over lately is the woman's "right to choose" aka infanticide. President Obama has "softened" on his decision of abortion and late-term abortion in the hopes of coming to a compromise. As a friend of mine commented, "What are we going to do in this compromise, half-kill the babies or kill just half the babies?" Because it's really that simple - killing is killing, there is no compromise and what a stupid thing to say. So I have a proposition for President Obama:

The average time spent on death row for a person who has committed a violent crime is anywhere between 10 and 20 years. Then, of course, they get their time in court to defend themselves, using an attorney usually paid for with our tax dollars. So, why then is an INNOCENT baby (fetus for those who use Obama-speak) allowed weeks or maybe months to live before it is violently killed? Let's give them at least the same benefit that criminals get, 10 - 20 years, to see if there isn't someone in this world that may love them and want to keep them in their lives. Maybe the parents don't want it, but there are many out there with big enough hearts to love a baby who is not their own. Maybe it will have a birth defect of some sort, but aren't we all "disabled" in some way, shape or form? And who made us so perfect that we know who will be a valuable person to this world and who won't?

There are some who say abortion isn't murder, because the baby hasn't breathed air yet. But can a mother honestly say her baby isn't "alive" when she can feel it move inside her, kick her, hiccup in her? Can she honestly say it doesn't have feelings when loud noises startle it and it jumps or the simple fact that when the baby is born, that it feels comforted when it is put back into the conditions of the womb where it felt safe? How can anyone look at this picture and not believe these things? So let's give them their time to live and defend themselves the same as we do for criminals. It's sad that this country gives more thought to defend and protect those who harm others than to our own babies.

The second, and last point I'll ramble about today, is all this complaining about the recession. I'm not arguing that it isn't here. Many, many people are out of jobs and are feeling the pressure that it brings. However, it's not nearly as bad as what it could be. Ask people from two generations ago what the Great Depression was like. People were literally starving, not just missing a meal. Soup kitchens and bread lines were a way of life, of survival. Shoes were a luxury. If you wore them out, you lined them with cardboard or newspaper. People wasted away with little hope that things would improve.

One generation ago - many people still struggled. Some people are embarrassed that their backrounds are full of "blue-collared people," but I couldn't be more proud. I look at my parents and their siblings and see what lives they've made for themselves. Their standard of living has improved greatly. For some time, my mother and her family lived on one meal a day - pinto beans and potatoes. They didn't even have real dishes to eat them off of when they were young. School wasn't nearly as important as making money, which they all started early on. Chicago was a fortunate place for finding work if you didn't mind working hard. They stood out in the cold, heat, and rain selling flowers or picking up whatever other odd jobs they could. They helped pay rent and bought their own belongings - not fancy toys, but hygiene items and other necessities that we take for granted. My mom eventually worked two jobs just to make her half of the bills when she moved out.

Then there's my dad. He won't talk about his childhood, but I'm very proud of what he did. He was one of those naturally popular guys in high school, a freshman who made Varsity football and who all the girls adored. But when his parents were having too much trouble making ends meet, he got a night job in a factory until he couldn't juggle it and school anymore. He dropped out when he was just a sophomore and began his career in construction. I can tell you just from observing, construction is not an easy field and it's not something that any bum off the street can do. It's a skill and a very fickle field. It's not uncommon to be laid off for three to four months out of the year. But my dad did it, taking on many injuries that will probably never heal.

Then I was born and my parents, young and naive, learned that life could be even more difficult. I was a financial burden (as all babies are at first), my mom developed her blood disease, and my dad was laid off. My dad did everything he could to make money and my mom scrimped and saved just to live day by day. It got so bad at one point they had to sell off their furniture to ensure I had food, even if they didn't. My parents didn't graduate high school and they certainly aren't rich, but they made it through the rough times, mostly unscathed, not by relying on the government and handouts, but by pure grit and by coming together as a family. Now that is awesome and something to be proud of.

People today are complaining because they can't take their annual vacation or because they have to cut down on eating out or maybe even so much as cutting down their cable package. Of course, I'm being somewhat sarcastic. There are people who are suffering and I hope that they can get back on their feet and surely deserve some help. However, we can't look to President Obama to save us all. He's already spent enough that our children will not ever earn their Social Security and we can only hope that our grandchildren may. I guess what I'm really saying on this subject is that if we pull together we won't need to cry out for government aid. Help a family member, a friend, a neighbor, a stranger for that matter. It's how our country was founded and it's how it should be. We're much stronger than we know, and I know this because He will never give us more than we can bear. So get some grit, People!