Humblling Year

As I sit here on Christmas Day reflecting on the past year, I realize how it has been a very humbling year. During the first half of the year it was a blur of planning and implementation of the Moving Walls visit to Ossipee. During the Walls presentation I had the humbling experience of meeting such great men as Dave Haskell, Frank McCarthy, Joe, Kenney and many more who served their country with dignity and pride. The Summer was kind of laid back, and relaxing with bursts of insanity. In October while at a job site I had a window shatter and sliced my wrist just missing the artery and tendons. Thanksgiving came and went with little fanfare, but in an ice storm on December 11th I lost control of my truck on a remote road in Moultonborough NH and rolled it over on its roof. The fire department had to extract me from the truck using the Jaws of life. I walked away from the accident yet in getting out of the Ambulance my knee buckled from under me and ended up being transported to Lakes Region Hospital in Laconia. When I called my wife form the back of the ambulance and told her I had totaled the truck she didn't believe me and told me to stop joking around.

The accident happened on a Thursday, and the following Monday I went out to a job site to visit one of my customers and while trying to protect my injured left knee I felt a shooting pain up the inside of my right knee, so spent Monday evening at Memorial Hospital in North Conway.The I was stuck at home with my legs elevated for the duration. I am the type of person who takes a lot of pride in my Christmas decorations, and I had to watch my neighbor set the tree up in my living room and my kids put the lights and garland on the tree. Because the knees hurt we didn't get to do any shopping together and to top that off the gift card I had earned at work did not come in in time for Christmas shopping so we had to punt, and on Tuesday the 23rd my wife did a whirlwind shopping trip to North Conway, and ended up doing most of the wrapping, while I sat in my recliner with my legs up living the life of leisure.

My prayer is that my wounds and aches heal so I can hit the ground running for 2009

The Reason For the Season

We have a tendency during the Christmas Season to forget the true Reason For The Season. It has become such a hectic time of year running from one place to another. Christmas parties, shopping, wrapping presents, visiting friends. If we are lucky we might squeeze in one or two Advent Services, and if time permits we will try to get to the Christmas Eve Service at Church, but even that becomes a visistation of people we haven't seen in a long time.

The following story was sent by a new friend, and it sums up the Reason for the Season. God sent His only SON to us not to judge us but to redeem us from our sins, and essentially ourselves

~ A Baby's Hug ~

We were the only family with children in the restaurant.
I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly
sitting and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and
said, 'Hi.' He pounded his fat baby ha nds on the
high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter and his
mouth was bared in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and
giggled with merriment.

I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It
was a man whose pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast
and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was
dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers
were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so
varicose it looked like a road map.

We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he
smelled.. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists.
'Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya,
buster,' the man said to Erik.

My husband and I exchanged looks,
'What do we do?'

Erik continued to laugh and answer, 'Hi.'

Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and
then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with
my beautiful baby. Our meal came and the man began shouting
from across the room, 'Do ya patty cake? Do you know
peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek- a-boo.'

Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously
drunk.

My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all
except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for
the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with
his cute comments.

We finally got through the meal and headed for the door.
My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in
the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the
door. 'Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to
me or Erik,' I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I
turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he
might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm,
reaching with both arms in a baby's 'pick-me-up'
position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled
himself from my arms to the man.

Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby
consummated their love and kinship. Erik in an act of total
trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the
man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I
saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of
grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled my baby's bottom
and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so
deeply for so short a time.

I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in
his arms and his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He
said in a firm commanding voice, 'You take care of this
baby.'

Somehow I managed, 'I will,' from a throat that
contained a stone.

He pried Erik from his chest, lovingly and longingly, as
though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man
said, 'God bless you, ma'am, you've given me my
Christmas gift.'

I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in my
arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was
crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying,
'My God, my God, forgive me.'

I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the
innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no
judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a
suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a
child who was not. I felt it was God asking, 'Are you
willing to share your son for a moment?' when He shared
His for all eternit y. How did God feel when he put his
baby in our arms 2000 years ago.

The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, 'To
enter the Kingdom of God , we must become as little
children.'

If this has blessed you, please bless others by sending it
on. Sometimes, it takes a child to remind us of what is
really important. We must always remember who we are, where
we came from and, most importantly, how we feel about
others. The clothes on your back or the car that you drive
or the house that you live in does not define you at all; it
is how you treat your fellow man that identifies who you
are.

This one is a keeper.

'It is better to be liked for the true you, than to be
loved for who people think you are......'

Are you listening

Soren Kierkegaard once wrote " It is very dangerous to go into eternity with possibilities that one has oneself prevented from becoming realities. A possibility is a hint from God, one must follow it." Are you listening to the subtle hints God is giving you on a daily basis, or are you ignoring them because they seem to inconvenient or risky to undertake? God will make all things possible if it is His will to do so

We all travel on a daily basis down the road we call life. During these travels we hear little voices or feel little nudges in directions that we feel uncomfortable in going. We may feel uncomfortable in going there because it si something we have never done before, or it is outside of our comfort zone. We may resist the nudge because it is to risky, and how will I feed my family of it fails? I am slowly learning that we have to trust God on our daily journeys, and open our eyes, hearts, minds, and lives to the gentle nudges that are given to us on a daily basis. We all can be successful but it is not necessarily a monetary success, it could be a spiritual success as well. Mother Teresa was not a monetary susccess by any stretch of the imagination, but her life was a strong testament to the success of the spirit one can achieve.

Open your ears, your eyes, your hearts, and our minds to the possibilities that God is presenting to us on a daily basis, and the successes can be endless.

Oath

I was reflecting over the last week, with the 11th being Veteran's Day, the Oath of Office I swore some 28 years ago.

I Paul H. Bartoswicz, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

At the time I took that oath it was a very serious thing for me to do. I put a lot of thought into the oath before I swore it in front of the admiral, my pastor, and very close friend Polly. I had just finished a pretty intense training program over the past several months including military history, small arms qualifications, navigation, protocol, and the such. I was about to be commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy. In the reflection I had taken upon myself regarding the oath of office I was about to I came to the following conclusions:

I Paul H. Bartoswicz, The one possession that I have that can never be taken away from me is my name, my background...the I Paul H. Bartoswicz, is the one thing that can never be taken from me. I may lose money, I may lose my health, I may lose my freedom, bu the fact is that I am who I will always be, and that can never be changed. My name may change, but me as a person will not. I am a culmination of the experiences of my past.

Do solemnly Swear. I had to make a solemn public affirmation in front of classmates, friends, and officers that I would do something. This affirmation is not to be taken lightly nor without deep soul searching of what it meant to me.

that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution of the United States, the one document above all others that sets the course of American life apart form that of any other country. Our founding fathers thought long and hard about what was to be set in stone so to speak as the founding document and guiding light for our great country. It is not a living document as some would try to make you believe, but a foundation for the country to be built, and the guiding light for our illumination through tumultuous times. It is the foundation upon which all other laws guiding our actions must be based, and the template for which the Supreme Court to rely upon for judging the admissibility of those laws. Before i swore this oath, I took the time to read and study the document I would be swearing to defend, and I came to the conclusion that these brave men in the infancy of our country were so wise beyond their years for the guidelines they set up. The electoral college to give all people of the country equal weight in electing the President, and not just leaving it to the heavily populated urban areas. The freedom of the press, the right to bear arms as well as the rest. It is a document and set of ideals well worth defending. I still pick up copies of the Constitution and read it today. It would be my wish that every graduating Senior form High School be given a copy of the Constitution along with their diploma as they set upon their future. We would all benefit from reading it and learning what our founding fathers meant when they set the pen to the parchment it was written upon. (The other document every senior should receive is the Declaration of Independence to give them insight as to what we were leaving behind when we set on the course of history we set upon). With the studying of this great document came the reading of some of the Federalist Papers to get a little better insight to what our founding fathers were trying to do. As a result of this intense research, I found that the Constitution was a document well worth supporting and defending, and that our states must remain United in a common cause.

all enemies, foreign and domestic, we have to remember there are people all around the world as well as within our own country that would love to tear down the structure and the very fabric of life we enjoy on a day to day basis. It was part of my oath that I would defend the country and our way of life from those people and ideologies, with in the confines of the procedures set upon me by the very document I was swearing to defend.

that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. I interpreted this to mean that I would hold my faith and allegiance to this document the Constitution of the United States as the guiding light of the governance of this country. I had the most trouble with this part as a Christian Man of Faith, in that in Sunday School we were told to swear allegiance to no power but God's. It was only after talking to a chaplain that I was able to overcome tis obstacle to my searing the oath, In that we were not swearing an oath that made the Constitution a divine guidance, but a political guidance for the governance of the country, and that we could hold a faith and allegiance to God as our religious belief, but also a faith and allegiance to the Constitution as the guiding light of our countries political future.

that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. I was not coerced, or in any other way forced to swear this oath of affirmation. I was able to do so with a clear conscience, and no wavering, or using as a method of evading any other responsibilities I may have had.

and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. This is an affirmation I try to do in all aspects of my life now as well as then, whether it be my job, my extracurricular interests, my marriage, or my family, I will faithfully execute the responsibilities expected of me in all aspects of my life. I will try to be a builder rather than one to tear down. I will try to be a supporter rather than one to be supported. I will try to be a positive influence, rather than a negative one.

So help me God. My divine guidance, my religious faith is not separate from my civic responsibilities. My life is an intertwining of my religion and my civic duties, and as an American Citizen it is my responsibility to balance the two aspects of my life and not let one over run the other. The very document I was swearing to uphold and defend, was the very document that guaranteed, not the freedom of religion as we hear so often touted, or the freedom from religion that others would have you believe, but the freedom that we would not be imposed with a state sanction religion as they are in so many other parts of the world. We are free to believe and worship as we see fit. The country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, but the founding fathers were to weary of making the government the controlling factor in ones religion. So many had come to this country to get away from state mandated religions.

So the oath the I swore that day some 28 years ago was without reservation that I would not be able to uphold the office I was being commissioned into, and is pretty much the same oath the President swears every four years on January 20th. I think we should all reflect on what this oath means as we move forward to that date again this year

Election

I have been uncharacteristically quiet over the last several weeks as this election heated up into the media frenzy it has become. I am an avid upholder of the Constitution and the intent of our forefathers when they penned that great document that has been the blueprint for our civilization for the last 200 plus years. We separated ourselves from the despotic rule that the English had held over the colonies, and in doing so penned one of the greatest documents guaranteeing personal freedoms that has ever been written.

John McCain was not my first choice of candidates for the Presidency of the Unites States, however he is the candidate that the Republican Party has chosen to be the candidate to represent them in the race for the Presidency and he is now my choice for President of the United States. In supporting my choice of Candidates I have been called a racist bigot, yet those that know me know that it is far from the truth. I believe all humans are born equal with the ability endowed upon them by God to become whatever they may decide to become. My lack of support for one Barack Obama has nothing to do with race, and more to do with his lack of coming clean with the American people. When I swore my oath in 1980 to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, and to follow the legal orders of the Officers appointed over me (which include the postion of the Commander in Chief, POTUS, President of the United States) I subjected myself to a background check that was very extensive and thorough. I had to meet certain criteria in order to hold the position I was being considered for. My life became an open book so to speak. Barack Obama is not willing to let the information out that I had to let be known in order to hold my security clearance, and the clearance Obama would hold is much higher than the clearance I had.

I recieved this information in my e-mail this morning and it really makes you think, what is Obama trying to hide...

A Guy named Joe, who happens to be a plumber with ambitions for a bigger business, questioned and challenged a Guy named Barack, who happens to be running for President of the US/Leader of the Free World. And within 24 hours The Media has given us more information about Joe's life than they've given us about Barack's life in the past 18 months!
Thanks to a diligent press corps, we now know about Joe's professional licensing status, his income tax situation, his employment history, his domestic squabbles, his voting record, everything associated with his personal identity; his education. It's probably been reported somewhere whether he wears boxers or briefs.

Thanks to a lazy press corps we still don't know
1) what grades Obama made in college
2) how he got into Harvard
3) when he met Bill "the bomber" Ayers
4) when he stopped doing illegal drugs
5) his medical history
6) whether he still smokes cigarettes
7) the extent of his affiliation with socialist/communist organizations
8) why he's no longer a licensed attorney
9) whether he lied on his Bar application
10) whether he'd qualify for a security clearance if he were just an "average joe"
11) what passport he used to travel to Pakistan in 1981
12) who his ex-girlfriends are
13) whether he was or still is an Indonesian citizen
14) why his Kenyan grandmother insists he was born there
15) whether he was ever legally named Barry Soetoro or anything else besides Barack Hussein Obama
16) why he needed the help of a crook to purchase his family home
17) where he was on Nov. 6 and 7, 1999
18) what the long-version of his birth certificate says
19) why he helped an anti-American, pro-Islamic candidate for Kenyan President against US interests
20) why he listened to Rev. Wright's sermons for 20 years
21) how many times he took his kids to a Rev. Wright sermon
22) what he actually did as chair of the Annenberg Challenge
23) the depth of his relationship with ACORN

Well, you get the idea.

But, really, I am SO relieved that the Mainstream Media has done its job vetting Joe The Plumber, who is NOT running for public office, but who had the AUDACITY to challenge Barack Obama, who wants my vote for President of the United States of America."

Think what you may of McCain and Palin but their lives are open books compared to Obama. When questioned about his being born in Panama, McCain produced his birth certificate, revealing that he was born to American parents. His father a Naval Officer, his mother and American Citizen, He was born under military jurisdiction thus make him an an American Citizen by birth..

The argument is being made that Srah Palin is not qualified to be Vice President of the United States, when she was a Governor and a Mayor. Obama was a senator for 140 days before deciding to run for President of the United States. He was an assemblyman and a community organizer before that. So I guess that autmatically qualifies him to be President of the United States.

In closing I urge every person to go out and vote. it is our Constitutionally right to be able to cast a vote for the President of the United States and every other elected office of this country. Whether you agree with me or not about my choice for President, exercise your right to vote for President.

I need Your Help

My family has been on a terrific journey for the last 23 years. We are a family that steps up to the plate and helps people and groups when they need help. It is not uncommon for us to spend our vacations and free time helping out in some volunteer capacity. To me it can be much more rewarding and relaxing then just laying around on a beach somewhere. I have bitten in lately to several projects which are to say the least huge.

A minor project which is no less important than any of the others is where I need the help right now. In an effort to collect can tabs for the Shriners Hospital of Boston


One man's trash is another man's treasure, and in this case the little aluminum can tabs are collected at approximately 1300 tabs to a pound. The tabs are sorted and then sold for recycling value to help pay for the Shriners Hospital of Boston which provides free care to children up to 18 years of age.

My family is undertaking a collection drive for these tabs, and help raise money for this much needed project. I need 5 gallon buckets to help in the collection and storage of these tabs. I strongly encourage anyone to collect these tabs, and if you have clean 5 gallon containers that we can use at collection sites and for storage in my barn I would greatly appreciate hearing from you. Please e-mail me at bartoswicz@roadrunner.com

How much for minimum wage?

I had an argument with someone yesterday about minimum wage. He was going on and on about how much easier it will be for working people now that the minimum wage has increased in New Hampshire to over $7.00 an hour. People will have so much more money in their pockets for the things they need he exclaimed.

This is a fallacy and I will try to show you here. Suppose I own a small business. I am buying raw material from another small business. It takes that business one hour to produce the material I need, being a small shoestring business they hire high school kids to produce the material and pay minimum wage for an entry level position. So two weeks ago the labor cost of that material was $6.50, now die to the increase of minimum wage it goes to $7.50 so an increase of $1.00 per unit. Now suppose he has uses a basic profit margin calculation to make his money on the product and he figures 10% for profit, so now his product has raised $1.10 in cost to me for my product.

My material cost just went up $1.10 overnight, and it takes an hour to produce my product, so I have to pay my entry level high school employee an extra dollar to produce my product, so now my cost of production has gone up $2.10 per unit. In order to stay in business I need a 10% margin to stay in business, so to cover my increase in material , and labor increase, I have to raise my price by 21 cents per unit on top of the $2.10 for a total of $2.31 increase in my product., and this does not even include the increased cost of employing people such as my share of employment costs, insurances, energy increases. But for the sake of simplicity I will just stay with my original supposition. Now my product goes out on the market at it's increased cost of $2.10, and the retailer adds their markup on the product a minimum of 25% so this brings the cost of the item up (I'll make it simple here) another 50 cents so know my product costs another $2.60. Now the person who makes minimum wage has to pay another $2.60 to buy my product, and guess what they are no further ahead then they were before the wage increased.

Now you have another unintended consequence. You have a person who has worked several years for a small business and his wage has increased $1.00 per hour over that time, now he is back to making minimum wage again, his employer is not obligated to giving him another raise so he is actually taking a step backwards, because in order to buy some products his dollar does not go as far. We could increase minimum wage to $20 an hour and we would still be in the same position, maybe even worse because a lot of small businesses would go out of business because they could not pass the added costs on and keep selling their products or services, so more of our jobs go overseas to countries where workers make pennies a day.

How Do You Respond?

I am currently reading a book by Robert Schuller Tough Times never last but tough people do, Inspirational writings. in this book Dr Schuller poses a question, How do people repsond when you ask them how they are doing? He rates the answers on what he calls "Schuller' Scale of Spirit". Everyone's answer falls somewhere on this scale of 1 to 10, but it totally reflects their attitude on life and ultimatley how well they may succeed in life.

1. Silence, trembly lips, eyes filled with tears.
2. Profane Anger, a torrent of swear words
3. Awful, you would be too if you had the problems I face
4. Not to bad. ( this is barely just one step above awful)
5. Pretty Good (just a a step above not to bad)
6. Good
7. Great
8. Terrific
9. Fantastic
10. Sensational

While we may never get to many responses in the 1 to 3 range, even though I have heard 2 and 3 a few times. The same is said of responses in the 7 thourgh 10 range. I hear a lot of Not to Bad, and pretty good responses, even the good or fine range, but they do tend to be pretty negative comments about us. We have become a very negative society, we tend to look down on our lives, and not counting our blessings. We grow complacent about our abilities, and when things go wrong we feel helpless to change them or climb out of our complacency. Negativity is running rampant in society today, especially with the economic downturn we have experianced. Even now with signs of the country coming out of the slump we still tend to be negative and fatalistic. The dollar is growing stonger, prices seemed to have peaked and seem to be edging back down off the crest, but we moan and groan about what we don't have, instead of being thankful for what we do have.

Just as negative, we seem to part company by another seemingly innocuous statement such as Take care, or Take it easy. They seem on the surface a pretty neutral comment to be making, take care, don't do anything to rock the boat, don't venture to far from land. Discoveries weren't mande by taking care. Continents would still be undiscoverd if we all took care. Answers to medical problems would still be unanswered if we all just took care. The same goes for take it easy. Many things worth accomplishing would go undone if we all took it easy. The world would be a much different place if we all just took it easy. When the times get tough, tough people have to roll up thier sleeves and do things the hard way, not take it easy.

On the scale of life where do you fall, not to bad or sensational? Do you plan to take the bull by the horns, or stand around and just take it easy? And for those who care to ask I am sensational. I woke to a beautiful sky, I have a loving wife, and I have all the opportunity in the world, I just have to work at it and not take it easy, or for granted. I don't sit around waiting for opportunity to fall in my lap but I get out and try to make my own breaks.

Saturdays

We tend to take time for granted and feel that things will always be the same and that those we love will always be there. A friend sent me this story. I had seen it before but forgotten all about it. It will put a lump in your throat.

"3900 Saturdays


The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.


A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time.



Let me tell you about it.



I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business He was telling whomever he was talking with something about 'a thousand marbles.' I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say.



'Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital' he continued. 'Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities.' And that's when he began to explain his theory of a 'thousand marbles.'



'You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.'



'Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part. It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail', he went on, 'and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear.'



'Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.'



'There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.'



'Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.'



'It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75 Year old Man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!'



You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.



Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. 'C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast.' 'What brought this on' she asked with a smile.' 'Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles.'



A friend sent this to me, so I to you, my friend.



And so, as one smart bear once said...'If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you.' - Winnie the Pooh."

I hope you go out and buy your marbles. Let us get a real perspective of what is most important in our lives

Be careful what you ask for

Many people do not believe in God, or they don't believe that God answers prayers. I was out picking blueberries this evening, as has been my nightly and weekend project since late June. I was down in the field in the midst of a patch of low bush blueberries that were hanging like grapes. The mosquitoes were like a black cloud around me, and all you could hear was the constant buzzing. It sounded like the world war II movies when they show the planes all over the sky, and that incessant drone. I looked up to the sky and there were rain clouds off in the distance, and I said, "God, I know these mosquitoes are some of our creation, but can you do something to control them while I pick my berries. Just then the sky opened up and the rain poured down on top of me. I considered coming down out of the field but I decided I was already soaked and by the time I got to the house I would be soaked through as I was way up at the top of the field, so I just kept on picking, and picking, and picking. When the container I was putting the berries in was full I stood up and the rain suddenly stopped, and a rainbow came out ending right on my property. I am amazed about how many blueberries are out there this year, it is like a carpet of blue out there.

This does bring up a pet peeve of mine. I have all these berries and I am picking like crazy, but I will never harvest them all or even come close, I offersd a local food pantry to let their customers come over an pick berries for themselves, and was politely told they couldn't do that, they can't require their customers to do any work like that, but if I wanted to pick them and bring them over they would gladly give them out to the people who came in for food.

Lives

Publius Syrus once wrote, "We should not live one life in private, and one life in public."

Those who know me well know I love to collect quotes, as a matter of fact I have filled two journals with quotes I have collected and am currently working on my third. This is one quote that seemed very very appropriate just after I found it. It was shortly after I wrote it in my journal that we got news of the John Edwards affair. This was definitely a case of a person living two separate lives, his public personae of a man who adored and supported his wife's battle with cancer. A loving man who was there for her ignoring his personal needs (but not his public ones in running for President) to help her with her battle. Then there was the personal life where he sought and acted on the relationship with another woman during this time. he stated that he grew into the assumption that due to his successes he could do whatever he wanted without any reprisal or ramifications, he had become a legend in his own mind.

We must live transparent lives willing to let what we do in our private lives be as upright as that which we let be seen in our public lives. If anything we should be more upright in our private lives as our giving spirit should be a private matter. God knows our hearts and He knows our intentions. If we do what we do for public acclaim it may be for the wrong reason.

March Out

I meet the most amazing young man yesterday at the annual family concert at Camp Sentinel in Tuftonboro New Hampshire. He went to college to play baseball, and after an injury changed his life around he now plays guitar, writes music, and sings for a group called Fort Pastor. A group who challenges all their fans to join a group called Social Justice Army. The challenge is to donate an hour per month to a worth while cause such as Habitat for Humanity, Food Pantries, Soup Kitchens, and spend some time helping your fellow man. I am actually thinking of joining as it would end up giving me some extra time each month if I only donated an hour a month instead of all the volunteer time I do give each year. The young man's name is Brant Christopher, and if you ever have a chance to hear him and his message, or that of Fort Pastor, I strongly advise you to go and see him. The following video and song really has meaning to me.



FORT PASTOR MUSIC VIDEO

Heroes

It seems a lot of times when I am working on a piece to post, I go to church on Sunday and the Pastor talks on a subject very close to the subject I am working on. It happened again today. I was working on a piece listing heroes in my life, and when I got to church this morning Gordon McDonald was preaching on a hero of his. He started the sermon with the fact that when he is getting to know someone one of the questions he invariably asks is "Who are your heroes?" He says he can get a lot of insight out of how a person answers this, and I agree with him. I have been amazed for years by several people who have become heroes in my life, some more recently than others. I would like to take the opportunity to list them today.

Jesus Christ for some obvious reasons. When I state someone is my hero I am saying I would like to be like that person, or there is something in that persons life that I deeply admire and would like to emulate. well in the case of Jesus, I strive to be more Christ like in my life. I strive to treat people fairly and the same regardless of their station in life. I strive to be happy with what God has bestowed upon me. I try not to be bitter when bad things happen to me. I strive, but because I am an imperfect person I know I can not ever gain that lofty goal, but I know that God loves me anyway.

The second hero in my life is the Apostle Paul. He makes the list because when confronted by the reality of God, he did not take the easy way out. He left his life of privilege and became an outcast to most of mainstream society of his time. He strove to do what was right and just. He supported his fellow Christians and helped them grow in their walk with God.

Third on my list is Ronald Reagan, again because he strove to do what was right even when unpopular. He brought some pride back to both the country and the military, both of which had been devastated after a long protracted war in Vietnam. When I joined the Navy in the early 80's it was still a negative connotation to be in the service, but when I got out the attitude had come about 180 degrees. He helped the country back on a path of prosperity and growth. he lived by his convictions.

Fourth on my list is more a group of people than a single individual, it is the likes of Milton Olive III, Jack Lucas, and every other person to ever receive the bauble we call the Congressional Medal of Honor. These are men who gave their all to save the lives of their fellow soldiers, sailors, marines or airmen. They gave no thought to their own safety, and I can never help but wonder if I were in the same position coul I bring myself to do what they did, for no man has a greater gift to give than his own life.

Fifth on my list would be William Bartosiewitz my paternal grandfather ( name has changed several times) I never really got to know the man except through stories my father and grandmother had told me, but he was a self made man who worked hard to get where he did in life. The stories about him have inspired me in work, and my personal life. Those stories taught me the importance of voting, and hard work.

And after today's sermon I have added a sixth to my list in the person of Barnabas as told about in the Book of Acts. He personified courage and was an encourager, he worked hard at being generous to a fault, and encouraging people on their walk with Christ. I try to be the uplifting person who helps people to see the bright side instead of dragging them down all the time. I try to be generous to a fault. As Gordon talked you realize that there is two prefixes that you can add to courage with two totally different results, En/courager, the person everyone is glad to see, and the DIS/courager, the person every one is glad to see....leave. The encourager builds up and supports, while the discourager tears down and demoralizes.

Those are the heroes in my life, the people I strive to be more like....Who are yours? Feel free to write me and let me know.

Responsibility

I was not going to comment on this but over the last couple of weeks I have been stewing about a lady form Rhode Island whose family rented some canoes in Conway. They wanted to spend a quiet day on the Saco River. I know that when you rent a canoe from any of the reputable outfitters they give you a briefing on the hazards of the river, and you have to sign a waiver, waiving any rights to go after the outfitter if something happens on the river. Now while the Saco river is not a white water river by any stretch of the imagination, there are areas where the river does get a little fast and rocky. Now if I had to sign a waiver to rent a canoe or raft, I would consider that the activity was at least moderately dangerous. This lady had an incident on the river and her son almost fell into the river, and could have possibly drowned. They lady started a letter writing campaign to the local papers as well as politicians that she thought the state or local government should post signs warning that tirps down the river should be considered hazardous. Right about this same time another lady from out of state drowned while she was going out in the lake over her head holding onto the beach markers, it turned out she could not swim. Water is a hazardous medium. Just like the mountains are dangerous. We always seem to have the perennial hiker who goes out on the trails in late fall, and get caught in a snow storm, or slips on rocks and gets hurt. Outdoor life can be dangerous, get over it. If you want to enjoy the mountains and rivers of New Hampshire there are inherent dangers in it and you have to realize the risks.

We had a tornado, or micro burst go through the area on Thursday, and several homes got damaged. One of the houses featured on the news was under construction and the people interviewed stated they did not have insurance on the structure because they did not realize that they needed it on construction without a mortgage. Now they are wondering what they are going to do about their house. I went up to Walmart and heard some people talking about the storm and the poor people who didn't have any insurance, and that the state should pay to rebuild their house. I own a home and I take the responsibility to make sure their is insurance on the house. Yes I feel bad for the people that their house was damaged, but face it they volunteered not to take any insurance out on the house in order to use the money elsewhere. I think we as a people are becoming to dependent on the government to tell us what is safe and what isn't. We need warning labels to tell us what products we shouldn't use. I feel if we really want the government to warn us about all the dangers in life then we should make an edict that all babies born get a tattoo on their forehead just after birth reading "Warning the Surgeon General has determined that being born is the leading cause of death in the United States."

Come on folks get real. The government is not and should not be our baby sitters. We are capable of thinking for ourselves, or at least some of us are. we can make judgments when an activity is going to be dangerous, and then make the decision if we are going to participate in them. An excerpt form my daughter Grace's letter home from camp where they just installed an extreme swing as part of the program. She wrote to us "I went on the swing, all the way to the top, I was so scared I almost peed my pants" now she has made a determination that the activity might not be the activity for her. We all have that ability, to realize when something may not be right for us, we do not need a baby sitter to tell us that we shouldn't do something, or that it may be dangerous with inherent risks. Life itself is dangerous, and we take risks every day we breath.

Offended

I am offended by this picture of Christine Agullera holding her baby wrapped in an American Flag. The American Flag is not an article of clothing, nor is it a blanket in which to wrap a baby. The American Flag is supposed to fly free and wave in the breeze.
My other pet peeve are people who put a flag up in their yard then just leave it their until it it is all tattered an torn and then continue to leave it there. Please folks when the flag is worn you take it down fold it respectfully and take to an American Legion or VFW post and they will dispose of the flags in the prescribed manner in a respectful way. The only time the flag should be a cover is the casket of a President or a Veteran , or military personnel killed during their time of service.

The flag is to be revered and honored. The colors are not to be treated disrespectfully, nor is it to touch the ground. It is to fly high and free unfettered, and to be shown the respect that would be shown to all who served in the uniform of this great country in order to protect the flag.

Joy

My daughter Khrys brought home the movie, The Bucket List with Morgan Freeman, and Jack Nicholson. If you haven't seen it I strongly recommend you do. It is about two men who have cancer, and not long to live, live out the things they want to do before they kick the bucket. They come from two totally different walks of life, but reach across that chasm with the common bond of their deadly disease. One scene in the movie Carter (Morgan Freeman) and Eddie (Jack Nicholson) are sitting on a pyramid and Carter talks about the Egyptian views on the afterlife. He stated that when an Egyptian died and they walked up to the gates of the afterlife and they are asked two questions. How they answer those two questions determines how they spend their afterlife. Eddie asks what the two questions are, and Carter responds, "Have you ever had joy in your life?" and secondly, "Have you ever brought joy to someone else's life". I spent the day today thinking about those two questions and how I would answer them. The first question, "Have you ever had joy in your life?" Most definitely,yes, I have, many times. When I saw my wife walk down the aisle of the church on October 5th 1995, dressed up in her lovely wedding gown. Again when I saw the doctor hold up each of my three children for the first time. I felt true joy when I saw my oldest walk across the stage getting her diploma from High School. I felt tremendous joy the day we picked her up from the hospital after her cardiac scare when she was only three months old. I felt tremendous joy when I saw Khrys in her prom gown. Again on the day each of my children took their first steps. I see true joy each and every day as I look up at the White Mountains that have become my home. I find joy in the cold crisp winter day as I snowshoe through my field and into the woods, I find joy in sitting quietly filling my blueberry bucket. I find joy in sitting at my desk putting words down on paper. I find joy in watching my wonderful daylillies bloom. I find joy in many of the small things in life that others may find mundane. The second question, "have you ever brought joy to another person?" I find this much harder to answer. I would like to think I brought Joy to my wife as she saw me standing at the front of the church in my full dress uniform. I would like to think I brought joy into her life when I asked her to marry me. I would like to think that the anonymous gifts I have bought for kids at Christmas have brought joy into their lives. I hope some of the people who read my writing finds joy in my writing. I really do hope I have brought joy into people's lives.

Family or Lack Thereof

I was out in the field picking blueberries this evening, when my wife cam out frantically calling for me. Now you have to realize picking blueberries at this time of year is like my snowshoeing in the winter. It is a time for me to be alone with nature and to talk to God as I pick the bountiful gifts He has given us here on the Gale Farm. Regal (my black lab cross) was running around in the field like a possessed dog, gobbling down mouthfuls of the luscious blue fruit that is hanging off the bushes like bunches of grapes. I made my way through the tall grass that is in need of mowing, out to the road up through the field. Janet had a piece of paper waving it over her head. Citi-Bank bank had called asking to speak to Judy Bartoswicz, well there is no Judy living in our house, however my sisters name is Judy, but we have not seen her in over 20 years, since my fathers death. I had tried to stay in contact with my family but they all for some reason or another would not return the favor. To the point that I just celebrated my 50th birthday, and never heard form a single member of my side of the family. My children have basically grown up without ever really getting to know their aunts and uncle form my side of the family, nor my mother and her second husband. What it had amounted to was Judy has used my name and phone number in order to get a loan for a car, (which the monthly payment is more than the mortgage on my house). She is late on the loan so the bank had called my house in order to demand payment. The sad thing is even though I am struggling to make do in my life, and struggling with the downturn in the building industry, if she had even made an effort to stay in contact with me I would have helped her and maybe even made the car payment for her. I told my wife if she ever gets a hold of Judy to ask her three things about me, my birthday, my age, and what disease I have that I will probably die of (I am not fatalistic, but I just face reality), and I know she would not be able to answer anyone of the questions unless of course she stumbles onto my blog she could get a couple of the answers. I just hate to divorce myself from a member of my family but their comes a time when for mental health and stability you really have to

Responsibility

I wasn't going to do a post on this occurrence, but the more I thought about it, the more I decided I had to. Before I get in to the meat of the post I ma going to tell you a little story. Saturday July 5th started a most Saturday's do in my house. My wife got up early and did her puttering around the house before she left for her job delivering the mail in town on Saturdays. I was up with her, and at 7 I woke Khrys up so she could get ready to leave for her babysitting job. She babysat all day arriving home about 5:15 grabbed a quick dinner, and changed clothes before heading out for her evening job busing tables at Whittier House Restaurant. Janet and spent the evening home watching television and I went up to bed around 10:30 (yes a late night for me, just after Khrys called saying she was out of work and on her way home, something she always does so her mother and I will not worry about her. About 10:45 she called her mom and said a friend had called her and asked if she could take her friend up to the store to get a movie because she was bored, and then Khrys said she would be home right after that. About 11:20 the phone rings again, it is Khrys informing us she had been pulled over and one of the people in in the car had put some beer in the trunk , and she was being charged with transporting alcohol as a minor. Janet got me up and we drove to West Ossipee, where we found her car by the side of the road, and two police cars behind her, and the K-9 unit sniffing the car. The police officer told us what happened and we told him we did not agree that she knew what was going on and he explained what he thought she did, which sounded reasonable if you did not know the way we had brought our daughters up. He had said there were a couple of cars in the store parking lot and she elected to park away from the door on the other side of the cars that were at the store...Well we have taught our children to be respectful and if you are able and there is a parking spot in front of the door and one away from the door to take the one away from the door to allow those less able to park nearer the door. however when the other cars left she moved over closer to the door, which the officer said set off another red light in his head. So when she pulled out of the parking lot they tailed her and pulled her over and asked if they could search the car. Not knowing she had done anything wrong she let them and they found the beer the "boy" had put in the trunk, and cited her, they also brought in the K-9 unit to sniff the car which he found clean. I do not fault the police officer as he was just doing his job. The car was impounded and she was released into our custody. it cost her 160.00 hard earned dollars to get her car back the next day. I explained to her it was her fault as she was the operator of the car and ignorance of the law is no defense, and she understood. I did not yell and scream at her as she half expected me to I just gave her a hug and drove her home. I also explained that if the shoe was on the other foot and she got a friend to giver a ride and knowingly put beer in a car driven by a minor not only would she be in trouble for the beer but as a father I would expect her to pay her share of the impound/towing fees as she was just as guilty, or even more so than the driver. SO she told her "friend" how much the fee was and surprisingly has not heard back from her. The "boy" turned out to be 27 years old, and I still use the term boy, because there are MEN out there at 17 showing a lot more maturity than this boy does. At 17 we have MEN making conscious decisions about joining the military and going to war to defend this country. This 27 year old boy has 5 children probably by 5 different girls, though I do not know that as a fact, but I have been told he does not take full financial responsibility for the kids. His idea of a good time is spending and evening with an 18 year old girl and getting a 16 year old girl to drive him to the store to get more beer, so he can get a buzz on and maybe make a 6th baby, after all he must be super stud. the ironic thing is this 27 year old boy lives across the street from a store and can not plan his day enough to get his beer there, which he can buy legally, before the store closes at 8 o'clock. this 27 year old boy stood beside the police car and assured us he was extremely sorry that he got our daughter in trouble with the police, but never offered to help with the cost of the towing or impound fees on the car. Now Khrys has a court date of August 13th where she has to appear before the judge, and admit she was guilty of a crime that she was unaware of and hope he doesn't take her license away from her as that would exclude her from being able to drive her senior year of high school and work after school to help make money to pay for her college education. This is a good kid with a big heart who takes people at face value and trusts them until they giver a reason not to trust her, and now Meagan has lost that trust, and this 27 year old boy is brought out for the scum he really is.

Service

I was at part of the towns Fourth Celebration this morning at the parade, and someone asked me why I had joined the service when I did. I went in after Vietnam when people still treated servicemen badly. I didn't even have to think about it. I pointed to a flag that was waving proudly in the breeze, and said that is why. I was born in country where you can be anything you put your mind to.There are no guarantees, but if you work hard and apply yourself and have a solid plan behind you you can achieve just about anything. There are those who say the American Dream is dead,that there is nothing you can do about it.I say that is bull crap and you can still achieve if you desire to. We live in a country where regardless of the station of your birth you can become active in the political function of the country. Regardless of your status at birth you can become a business leader. College dropouts can become one of the richest men not only in the country but the world.

This is why I joined the military and served my time. I believe it is the duty of each of us to put something back into this country without thought of personal gain. For me it service time in the Navy, for others it may be the Peace Corps, or Teach America. In Israel every person has to serve in the military for a certain amount of time. I do realize that some people are not cut out for the military, but there is some level of service they can give back. I carry this philosophy forward with me to this day, I try to give back to the community I live in by making a better, more enjoyable place to live in. I don't do it for personal gain, I don't do it to get my face plastered all over the paper because of all the great things I do. I do it because it is the right thing to do, and I do it because it helps the people of my community. I do it to see the smiles on the faces of people who benefit because I do it. Personally I get frustrated by the people who ask, "What's in it for me to do this?"

When I can I love to anonymously leave a Thanksgiving Basket for someone who is having a tough time of it. I also love to buy presents for Christmas for people who might otherwise have anything. Having been on the receiving side of the coin at Christmas one year I can tell you personally how it feels to have some one think of you in a time of need like that. Some years like this year I am struggling to put food on the table to feed my own family, so I can't do as I would like, but other years I can be very generous, and I love to be. People seem to look for my ulterior motive when I do things like that, but believe me there is none, my only reward is because I know it is the right thing to do, and to to see the smile on the face of someone who benefits. My wish is to have foundation that can just help families in need, and not have to worry so much about my own needs all the time, and God willing it will come, but in the mean time to see the smile on a little boys face when he finds the quarters that just happened to fall out of my pocket on the way into the store, when I know his dad is having a hard time of it, and the little boy would like a candy bar every now and then. That says it all. I served my country proudly in uniform, and would do it again in a heartbeat if I had to, but I also enjoy serving my community and fellow man when I have the ability and the chance.

Common Sense

"Real intelligence is a creative use of knowledge, not merely an accumulation of facts. The slow thinker who can finally come up with an idea of his own is more important to the world than a walking encyclopedia who hasn't learned to use information properly"
D. Kenneth Winebrenner

In the height of the petroleum problem in this country I read recently that the lawmakers in Maine raised the gas tax by 8/10 of one cent. The general consensus was that they didn't even raise the tax a penny so who was going to notice. well first of all how is the dealer going to collect 8/10 of a cent and not hurt their already slim margin on gas so they are almost definitely going to raise the price a penny. Is this the way to help build consumer confidence? Yes people may be driving less so revenues are not going to be there, so is adding taxes to what has become a basic necessity in this country, especially in rural areas the right answer? My other pet peeve is when politicians say they will not raise taxes on working people, they are just going to tax corporations more. This would be fine on paper, but the reality is companies do not pay taxes, people do, and if you raise the tax rate for a company, in order to maintain their profit margin, and keep their investors happy, guess what!!!!! They increase the price of their product to cover the increased taxes, hence the tax increase falls again on the back of the consumer without them really being aware that they are being taxed more.

I am a firm believer that we should do away with payroll withholding taxes, and people should have to pay a quarterly estimated income tax just like the self employed and they would be more aware of what they are paying in taxes. I was talking to a young man right out of college one day the beginning of April and he was all excited because the Government had just given him several hundred dollars. It turned out to be his tax refund, he was not aware that he had paid this money to the government and he was just getting back what was over withheld from his paycheck every week. We need more common sense in this country and especially in our politicians who are "looking out for our interests"

Now that I am Old

Well I finally reached that milestone. I turned fifty, however I was told not to look at as being fifty, I was told to look at it as being the 29th anniversary of my 21st birthday. Turning 40 didn't bother me but something about that 50th birthday. You are a full half century old, qualify for AARP, and other "senor programs" The one thing though that did make me feel old was my two oldest daughters took Janet and I out for dinner tonight and they paid for it. I think that is the biggest turning point in a fathers life when he realizes that his kids are becoming more and more self independent. Their reliance on me is not like it used to be. Sure they still come to dad for money at times, but they are able to do for themselves more and more. I t kind of makes me feel obsolete and not needed anymore, but also proud that they are able to do for themselves.

Fair Treatment from Fair Point

In the idyllic town of Tamworth New Hampshire, nestled at the base of the White Mountains just north east of Lake Winnepesaukee a group of dedicated veterans and other volunteers resurrected a veteran's memorial updating the names and adding markers. In this same community FairPoint Communications worked hard to take over the communications service from Verizon, as it did for all of Norther New England, and many of these veterans supported the buyout. One of the publicity ads supporting the buyout by FairPoint was how they wanted to be part of the community and work with the communities they are in.

Now a little bit of history and I do hope I get this entirely correct, but this band of volunteers who updated the memorial approached Verizon who at that time owned the pole seen in the picture that detracts form the solemnness of the hallowed memorial. Verizon told this group they would relocate the pole for $30,000. No FairPoint comes on the scene and when this intrepid group approaches FairPoint the price jumps to $42,000 but magnanimously offers to defray $12,200 of this cost from their "Community and Economic Development Fund" bringing the price to $29,800 a savings of a whole $200 over the cost that Verizon quoted originally. Jeffery Allen Executive Vice President for External Relations of FairPoint also suggested that the committee contact the Power Company and the Cable Company to get their donations for the movement of this pole. If FairPoint was truly interested in the community they would work with their tenants on the poles and find a suitable and expedient solution to this distasteful problem. With the amount of money people pay the phone companies for their service, and the state of the competition of the cable companies are giving the phone companies for internet and communications, you would think that FairPoint would be eager to generate the goodwill that moving these poles would bring.

Please let FairPoint know what you think of this atrocity in the middle of the Tamworth Veterans Memorial

ANOTHER REFLECTION

If many of you haven't guessed by now the visit of The Moving Wall to Ossipee was a very touching event for me. I worked hard on the event, and learned a great deal. We had a get together last Sunday at the organizers house, a way for them to say thank you for all the volunteers. We had a great time, and were able to look at the scrapbooks put together during the event, as well as seeing some of the pictures that were taken. It brought a tear back to my eye as I relived again the experiences of Memorial Day Weekend. I borrowed the guest books to read peoples comments over the last couple of days, and was deeply moved by all the great comments.

As a writer I dream of putting that combination of words down on paper that will stir all sorts of images in ones head when they read it, and there were several lines like that in the guest books, of sons lost or friends never to come home again. The one entry in the guest book that really leaped out at me is the following, I will not list the full name of the author but what she had to write was very haunting and powerful to me....

"God Bless You All! Robert, I'm so sorry for giving you that one last kiss, Kathy."
When I read this I had to stop cold in my tracks, a tear streamed down my cheek, and a lump formed in my throat. It conjured up all sorts of images of what might have happened. This powerful statement has now become a life's definition for me. Never leave someone without letting them know how you feel. In the lottery of life, you never know what may happen, and that last moment can never be recaptured. You may never have the chance again to tell that special person how you really feel, life is to short to waste any moment playing games or being angry. Part of me would like to write to Kathy and find out the story of this very poignant entry in the guest book, and part of me says to let the entry speak for itself, and bring out the images it does. Whatever I do, that one entry in a guest book at the Moving Wall in a small town in rural New Hampshire has had a life changing force in my life....

"Robert, I am so sorry for not giving you that one last kiss...." Don't let this happen to you

Government

"Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely" -Lord Acton-

This was an observation made in the late 19th or early 20th century about people who have risen to power. I was reflecting on this quote this morning as I was mowing the back yard. It is very obvious in our form of government today. I was thinking about the founding fathers and some of my research on the Federalist papers. The framers of our Constitution had it right when they wrote that great document. I used to think it should be considered a living document meant to be interpreted in reference to the times it found itself, but the more mature I become, the more I realize that as the foundation to our country, it is in fact not a living document, but a static one. It is a document that must be static in order for the base of our country to be stable. You can not build a foundation for a house on live sand that is constantly shifting and moving, you have to put it on a stable compact base. The same is true for our country, and the solid unmovable base that the country is built on is the Constitution written by our forefathers. Further research shows that these great men, with a vision greater than the average man,intended us to have two houses of the legislative body. The lower house being the House of Representatives, similar to the House of Commons in Britain. The intent of this house was to be a body of common men who go to Washington to serve our Country as a legislative body and then to go back to their civilian jobs and their regular way of life. The second body was to be the Senate similar to the house of Lords in Britain where the upper class resided and worked their end of the legislation process. Unfortunately the House of Representatives has become a full time job to be re-elected to in perpetuity. The lines have become blurred and the the power that is inherent in the position has corrupted many individuals. Common sense has been thrown out the window, and the lust for money and power has become the norm. Lobbyist grease palms on a daily basis. While their is nothing wrong with lobbying to get your point across to the politicians, what is wrong is the amount of money that changes hands for political favors on a daily basis. It amounts to legal bribery as the money for the most part does not go directly into the politicians pocket, but for all intents and purposes it may as well.

I call for a return to the original intent of the government, and we do away with lifelong seats in the house. Elect business men who want to share their experience, but then return to their regular jobs when they are done, and don't give the power a chance to corrupt as it has a strong tendency to do

Fathers Day

I jokingly tell everyone that my gift to my wife on Mothers Day is that I take the kids for a day and give her some time off. Her gift to me on Fathers Day is I get to spend the day alone with the kids, who wins here.

The truth of the matter is for the most part I enjoy the time with the kids, and now that two of them are older the time I do get to spend with them is very precious indeed. The oldest Anya (21) is away working at camp. The middle one Khrys (16) is way to cool to spend much time with dad and or admit that she likes to spend any time with the old man. The youngest grace (10) is still at that age where time with Dad is fun, but at times she gets into that zone where no Dad you go do it, I want to do something else. For fathers day they "took" me ( I still ended up paying go figure) out to brunch at Whittier House where we had made to order Omelets and just about every other breakfast item you can imagine. I was given my cards and included in the cards was a $20 gift certificate for the local nursery, on top of a $20 gift card I had from Khrys at Christmas. Janet, Grace, and I paid a visit to the Greenery and I picked out five new varieties of Day Lillies. I purchased Apricot Sparkle, Barbara Mitchell,, Rose Emily, Prairie Wildfire, and Joan Senor. This brings my total collection of day lillies to 40. If you haven't guessed, I have a passion for day lillies, and hope to grow my collection to over one thousand before I die (so if anyone wants to make an addition to my collection any donations are accepted). It is a dream of mine to start to raise these commercially, along with Iris, and Peony's. After getting home from the nursery I changed clothes and Grace and I worked in the garden and planted my new treasures. I do enjoy spending time with the girls and it is a pleasure to watch them as they work in the garden. I had just finished weeding out this particular garden and spreading bark mulch on it, so it looks really nice with the new plants in it. I can't wait to see them in bloom, and each time they bloom I will remember the time I spent with Grace planting them, as each time the Hemerocallis Fulva blooms I remember the time with Anya as we dug up the entire patch separated them, replanted some and gave a bunch of them away. With Khrys it is every time I look at my flagpole and remember her helping me put it in, and the blueberry bushes out in the back yard. I remember the gift cards and for the most part I can tell you each year what I bought with those cards. You see my daughters I do love you all and remember the time we get to spend together because in a lifetime it is all to fleeting, and my wish for each of my daughters is that they have a garden of love where they can plant memories, and build off the ones I had already planted, because my gardens are more than just the plants in the ground, it is where I also plant the love of my family and my memories. Little do they know but each and every plant I have planted takes on a new meaning and a new memory for me to hold on to and cherish

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

We seem to take this for granted and forget what it really means

Please take the time to read these words. I tried to post the audio but it didn't work.

The following words were spoken by the late Red Skelton on his television program as he related the story of his teacher, Mr. Laswell, who felt his students had come to think of the Pledge of Allegiance as merely something to recite in class each day.

Now, more than ever, listen to the meaning of these words.



"I've been listening to you boys and girls recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester

and it seems as though it is becoming monotonous to you.

If I may, may I recite it and try to explain to you the meaning of each word?"

I

me, an individual, a committee of one.

Pledge

dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self pity.

Allegiance

my love and my devotion.

To the flag

our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom. Wherever

she waves, there's respect because your loyalty has given

her a dignity that shouts freedom is everybody's job!

United

that means that we have all come together.

States

individual communities that have united into 48 great states.

Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and

purpose; all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to

a common purpose, and that's love for country.

And to the republic

a state in which sovereign power is

invested in representatives chosen by the

people to govern. And government is the people

and it's from the people to the leaders, not from

the leaders to the people.

For which it stands, one nation

one nation, meaning "so

blessed by God"

Indivisible

incapable of being divided.

With liberty

which is freedom -- the right of power to live one's

own life without threats, fear or some sort of

retaliation.

And Justice

the principle or quality of dealing fairly with others.

For all

which means, boys and girls, it's as much your

country as it is mine.

***~~**~~***


Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country

and two words have been added to the pledge of Allegiance...

UNDER GOD

Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said

that is a prayer

and that would be eliminated from schools too?

A Lifetime

I was reflecting today as I am going to a 100th birthday party for a friend of the family. Can you imagine 100 years walking this earth. I am only 1/2 way there and I find it hard to imagine. The changes he saw in the world in his lifetime.

He saw presidents elected from the 27th to the 45th President of the United States. He was 6 years old when the World War 1 started, and 10 when it ended. He saw the Panama canal open when he was 6. He was 7 when the first long distance phone service was offered. At ten he saw the world wide flu epidemic that killed nearly 20 million people world wide and some 500,000 United States citizens. At 19 he saw Lindbergh make his historic flight. At 23 the Star Spangled Banner is adopted as our National Anthem. At 24 he saw Amelia Earhart make her transatlantic flight. At 27 the FBI is formed from the Bureau of Investigation. AT 31 he saw the start of World War II, and at 33 the Us enters the war. At 42 the US entered the Korean War. He saw several amendments to the Constitution pass.

At 51 he saw the US get more deeply involved in Vietnam at 56 the Gulf of Tonkin incident that escalated the war. At 50 the first satellite is launched into space.
At 51 he saw two stars added to the flag with the addition of Alaska and Hawaii as states. At 54 he watched John Glenn launch into outer space as the first American in space. He was 60 when Martin Luther King was assassinated. When he was 62 the Kent State incident happened. At 72 he saw the US boycott the Moscow Olympics.

At 78 he saw the Challenger explode. He was 82 when Iraq invaded Kuwait. At 87 Oklahoma City Bombings happen. At 93 the Trade Towers are attacked by hijacked airplanes. 95 years after his birth the shuttle Columbia burnt up on reentry.

He saw the rise of airlines during his lifetime. The growth of automotive traffic, the development of the Interstate Highway system. He was around when Television was invented. There was no such thing as a microwave oven when he was born, and many homes still had outhouses. Computers were just a dream, and space travel was only science fiction. Wars were still fought in the trenches, and planes had propellers. Helicopters were not even really a dreamt when Wendall was born. He probably saw more changes in the world and society than any other generation.

An American Hero

Who knows the story of Jack Lucas? He died today, but how many people know his story. After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Jack Lucas at age 13 forged his mother's signature and enlisted in the United States Marine. He stowed away on a ship to hide his age from officials. He eventually ended up on the shores of Iwo Jima. While in combat on Iwo Jima, two hand grenades landed near him. Without thinking Jack Lucas threw himself on the hand grenades, with out any thought for his own safety, in order to protect his platoon mates. He absorbed the force of the blast with his own body, and after some twenty plus surgeries, some two hundred fifty plus pieces of shrapnel removed form his body. Jack Lucas became the youngest man in history to win the Congressional Medal of Honor, at the age of 19. After his service to our country he kept his promise to his mother and finished the 9th grade. Leukemia finally claimed this awesome heroes life. In a day when we seem to idolize rock stars, and rappers who sing about tearing down our society, we read stories about drugs, sex and rock and roll. We idolize athletes who can't keep themselves off drugs and charge kids for autographs. This awesome hero that any American should look up to because in a time of need he chose to put on the uniform of his country, and in a time of extreme danger he never had to think twice before he offered himself up a potential supreme sacrifice to protect his buddies. He did it because he knew it was the right thing to do, and he never looked back. Where do we find such men, I take my hat off to him and mourn his passing even though I never knew him.

We need more men like Jack Lucas, especially in a time when a man can sue a town because he is offended by a display of American Flags flying in town, because it violates his constitutional rights, and there are people in this country who applaud the man bringing suit as a true American Hero. I ask you who is the biggest hero Jack Lucas or the guy who hates what the flag stands for?

Energy Costs

Again a disclaimer that the following is not my idea but as a follow up to an earlier post on oil costs, this is the only option that is a viable way to control energy costs, otherwise our fuel prices wil just continue to skyrocket.

I constantly receive tips on how to make the oil companies “Knuckle under”. They don’t work. Here's something that might really work. The biggest problem?: “Some $260 billion is invested in commodity funds, 20 times the amount in 2003”, the Economist May31st, 2008.



This is money chasing money. Anywhere from $30.00 to $50.00 of the current price of a barrel of oil on the commodities market is due to speculation. Speculators are adding at least 25% to the cost of every gallon of gasoline, propane and heating oil. President Bush can end that in a minute with a National Security directive that forbids speculation on energy commodities (heating oil, propane, gasoline, diesel, etc), Congress can end it by law. If only legitimate buyers (energy dealers) and sellers (energy producers) are allowed to buy and sell energy products, prices will drop substantially and more accurately reflect real supply and demand. Some of these speculators are actually the countries selling us oil!



The New England Fuel Institute, the Maine Oil Dealers Association, the NH Fuel Dealers Association and other groups have been lobbying unsuccessfully for an end to speculation in energy commodities. We agree. Cutting speculators and hedge funds out of the market will cut prices to consumers like you and me.



This is everyone's fight; oil in New England, propane in the Midwest, natural gas in our cities and gasoline for the cars we drive; they are all traded and speculated on the commodities market. We've created a Web Page to lobby to ban speculators from the energy market. Go to http://www.otchoice.com/petition.asp and a) sign the petition and b) if you wish to, send an email or contact your Congressional representative. The timing is right, the Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee is considering a bill right now to limit speculation in oil & food. The question is, are we going to do something about it or just sit back and take it?



Please Sign the petition and send this to everyone you know. If everybody calls and/or emails their US Senators, we WILL see some changes.

Reflections

I know a lot of my most recent posts have centered on The Moving Wall, and I apologize, but for such a long time, it took up a great deal of my time and effort, and for the five days it was here, I all but lived at Constitution Park in Ossipee, drawn to the wall like a piece of steel to a magnet. I do have one last reflection on the time it was here. During that time I had a chance to talk to other Veterans who were in during the same era as I was, the early to mid 80's. I missed the horror that was Vietnam, but reflecting on my own time in Service, as a young Ensign assigned to a ship for the first time and sent over to our own foreign land Beirut, Lebanon. We did not realize it at the time, as there was no war on terrorism at the time. We sailors, soldiers, and Marines were at the forefront of the Global War on Terrorism. We were a multi national (read it 90% American, 10% other nations)thrust into a land to keep the peace between factions that had no interest in having the peace kept. They were and still are bent on killing each other because their beliefs in the same religion are so far apart they can never come to terms between them. This would be much akin to the Baptists declaring war on the Catholics.

When they realized that the Peace Keeping force was trying to keep them apart and maintain a very fragile peace in the area, they turned on us bombing the Marine Barracks killing some 250 Marines, Sailors, and Soldiers. This was the beginning and it has only escalated from there, the Achille Lauro, The USS Cole, The first World Trade Tower incident, The German Nightclubs, The British Subway, 9/11, The Shoe Bomber, and many more we forget or may have never known about. Beirut should go down in the history books as the start of the Global War on Terrorism, and unfortunately I do not see any end for it in sight. It will continue to affect the way we live and act for many years to come.

Volunterism

As I reflect on the enormity of the effort we put forth to make The Moving Walls visit to Ossipee, a positive, and memorable event for all that visited it, I have to be awed by the dedication and energy put forth by the volunteers who helped make it possible. From the efforts of David and Susan Dube who were the driving force behind getting the wall to the area, to the kids who came and helped erect the Wall and help with parking. The wall walkers who showed up day after day and stood on their feet for hours at a time helping those who needed help or a shoulder to cry on, or just someone to share stories with. It was an awesome experience for all the visitors as well as all those who volunteered to help. The planning paid off, and even those who just heard about the event at the last moment and showed up asking what they could do to help.

Looking at this event and the some 23,000 people who visited, the number of people who helped put the event on is minuscule. I also look at other things I help on or have helped on in the past like the Ossipee Old Home Week which I was involved with for several years, a week long event that costs some $20,000 to put on, and has an event going on just about every night including one of the most awesome fireworks displays you could imagine for a small community like Ossipee, is co-ordinated and put on by only a very small handful of people (last years committee consisted of only about 6 people who came to the meetings. The act of volunteering seems dead, people do not seem to be willing to put any time into helping the community, while they are very eager to criticize how things were set up or done.

My wish for the world is that more people would find it in their hearts to help make their communities a better place. Put some time into the community and help make it a better place. The rewards you get back far exceed any inconvenience you may have to put up with.