Occasionally, I like to go back and read pieces I've written in the past. For a variety of reasons, but mostly because I write to chronicle what's on my mind at any particular moment. Many people believe I write to elicit responses from others -- and I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy that others might get something out of something I write -- but I think any writer, good or bad, would tell you the primary reason we write is for us, and us alone. I write because I enjoy it, and I like to get my thoughts down somewhere. If others enjoy it or hate it, that's just a bonus, but it really doesn't affect me one way or the other.
So I like to go back every now and then and read what I was thinking about at a particular time in the past. The reminiscing can be happy or sad, but I enjoy it when I'm reminded of some experience I've forgotten, and I get a kick out of chuckling over something I wrote that was probably intended to be funny, even if it was only for me. There's something very satisfying in laughing at my own joke.
Today, I went back and read a series of blogs from back in 2012. A vacation we took as a family to Delray Beach, Florida. My Mother-In-Law and her husband own a place down there, and were gracious enough to let us stay there a few times on vacation. It was my first trip there, and I made sure to write a little something about each day. I rather enjoyed the memories.
I was at a crossroads in my life at that time. My kids were getting older, my wife had just had another surgery on her head, and my career was in the balance, on that brink between my self-employment becoming profitable, or closing down the business and having to get a real job.
I remember being very tired and just looking forward to a relaxing couple of weeks, "relaxation" not being something I often pursued while on vacation. And I was in a very reflective mood at the time. My wife and I had been dreaming for years of living near the ocean, for a variety of reasons, and our vacations for the previous few years, and the years that followed, had mostly been to or near an ocean. I was just at a place where I was sorta analyzing where my life stood at the moment, and what direction I wanted to head.
I enjoyed reading through those blogs. Especially now, as so much has changed for me and Ginger over the past few years. As I chronicled my thoughts and experiences on that vacation to Delray, I'm struck by how much the experiences I relished on that trip have now become almost everyday realities for us here in our new home in South Carolina. It's almost as if that trip was the catalyst for Ginger and I making the decision to change our lives. I don't think there's any question, as I read through those again, that they lit a fire in us that lead us to be where we are today.
I reflected on my life in Indiana. Some things I liked, but others not so much. And about how a mundane familiarity about my everyday life at the time contrasted so much with what I was experiencing each day on that vacation.
I talked about being awe-struck by the beauty of the ocean, watching the sunrise with my wife for the first time, experiencing God in new ways, relaxing at the beach, hunting for alligators, and a myriad of other things that almost eerily reflect the lives we now lead here in Bluffton.
I had seen the ocean many times before that vacation, and yet, somehow, it was more magical, and awesome, and wonderful, and beautiful, and inspiring, and even a little scarier to me on that trip than it had ever been before. And it shifted something in me.
When you live by the ocean, you never visit it as much as you think you are going to, and yet, we go, at least to just see it, with some regularity. Sometimes, it's enough just knowing we can go anytime we want. Nevertheless, the moment the ocean comes into view, it still never ceases to take my breath away, in a way it never had before that vacation, but has ever since.
Ginger and I make a point to get up and go see the sunrise. Again, not often enough, but with some regularity. All in the effort to keep this place from becoming mundane to us, not that I believe it could ever become so. Alligators are an everyday reality for us now, and even though it's still super cool every time I see one, I find it almost funny now that we were so stoked about seeing them at all.
I mentioned how Ginger loves seeing palm trees and dolphins, and how the sight of either on vacation would light her up. Today, we have a palm tree growing in our back yard, and the entire downstairs of our home is decorated in palm tree decor. And now we can, at any time, on any given day, drive to the ocean, and if we sit around long enough, we'll see a dolphin swim by. It really is amazing.
God is very real to me here, in a way that had become lost on me in Indiana. It is hard to walk about in a place like this, with glorious weather almost every day, and not notice God's beauty in virtually everything you see. But it's more than that. I've begun to realize a calling, a purpose, on my life in a way that hadn't been there in awhile...
I'll come back to that in just a moment.
I'm not going to lie -- I had tired of the weather up north, not to mention the havoc it wreaked on Ginger's health. But that's the only thing inherent about Indiana I can say I didn't like. And I'm not alone. I know a lot of people who still live there who don't like the weather. But geography is a preference. There's a beauty in the hills of Nashville, Indiana in Autumn you won't find here. The same thing can be said about the mountains of Colorado, or the canyons of Nevada. Some people enjoy the changing of the seasons more than others. I don't.
Then again, the sunshine is different here than in the Midwest. I can't explain it. It just is. And you won't find as awe-inspiring a view in Indiana as there is at the beach. And there's nothing like taking a golf cart ride on a warm, sunshiny day on any given calendar day on which in Indiana you'd be bundled from head to toe in winter clothes. There's a lot to love here. (I've actually heard tell of doctors prescribing a vacation to the beach for their patients to heal whatever was ailing them at the time. I understand why now.)
But this is not a knock on Indiana. Please know that. It's just a place. I can't imagine I'd like North Dakota all that much, but plenty of people live there and love it. So to my friends and family who are still there, I'm not hating on the life I lived there. It wasn't Indiana...
It was me.
I had stagnated. Three dear friends and family members had recently died far too young. That's no excuse for my own shortcomings, but it had brought the realities of our own mortality and the shortness of this life far too close to home. I was growing older (still am!) and I felt locked into a way of life that I had very little choice over. While thankful for my gifts and talents, I felt as though there was very much a "circus monkey" quality to my life. Performing on command often when I just didn't want to. I know people enjoyed the things I did, and deep down, I liked that they did, but that's just how I felt.
Mostly, to my own detriment, I had drifted away from God. Slowly, but surely. Sure, I was still faithfully serving in the church, but my heart felt far away from Jesus. I had a hard time separating the fallacies of human interaction with the church -- especially my own -- from the life-giving grace and the peaceful restfulness of Jesus. I know faith doesn't come through acts, but I didn't feel like I was doing anything worthwhile for the Kingdom. There was a time in my life when I was very much on fire for Jesus. But that had long gone. At least that's how I felt, anyway.
So the time came to make a change. To take back some control -- if that is indeed even possible -- and to stop talking about our dreams and start doing them. As Andy Dufresne says in The Shawshank Redemption: "I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy dying."
Ginger felt the same way, and has been even more adamant than I that God has something significant for us to do here in the Lowcountry. And that's starting to come into focus. The journey is going slowly, but it's going. It's hard to stop the wave as you're drifting away and get it going the other direction. With God's help, I feel like I'm finally starting to do it. And get a sense of what God is calling us to.
And here's the weird part: I think the calling is this: Everything I've just spoken about... Living life to the fullest and enjoying every moment as though it could be your last. God has recently brought me to a place where my gifts and talents are needed. And I haven't felt that need in quite some time. But a few weeks ago, our minister preached a sermon on the last week of Jesus's life, about His authority, the premise being that God calls us to living life to the fullest. Living a full and satisfying life in Christ has nothing to do with prosperity -- and sometimes, even personal happiness -- and everything to do with grasping the gift of life in Jesus and making the best of it.
I was emotionally moved by that sermon in a way I had not been in a very long time. And hit it me: THIS is what God is calling me to. At least in part, anyway. It's hard to reconcile God's Biblical call to everyone to go to the ends of the Earth and preach the Gospel, and that he places on some hearts to go to, like, Zimbabwe, and others to be an example in good ole' sunny Bluffton, SC, but I feel more strongly about this than I have in a long time. I certainly hope and pray I'm not just trying to justify my own selfish desires, but as I read back on those previous blogs, I realize this has been welling up in me for many years.
God wants Ginger and I to be examples. I'm certain of it. We have a unique testimony. He in no way wants us to abandon our inherent gifts and talents -- mine as a musician and Ginger's talent for working with small children -- but rather to incorporate those into a testimony about overcoming adversity and seeking and living out this Great Adventure of life through Jesus. And setting an example that it's never too early or too late to chase your dreams and better your life. He's brought us to a church home where we can do that, and into a community of like-minded individuals to be able to show others it's not only possible, but doable.
The drift back has been slow too, with setbacks along the way. But we're sailing in the right direction. And I feel good about it for the first time in a long time.
So here we are. Living our dream, and showing others that they can too. There's nothing stopping you from doing the same thing. Just remember, there is no right or wrong. There are excuses, true, but you have to make the choices that are best for you, and sometimes even for those who depend on you. But God is bigger than any obstacle. Geography, money, adversity, career, other's needs... He's bigger and stronger than all that. The decision you make might not be the right decision for someone else, and vice versa. But if you make a decision based on God and rely on His muscles, He'll work it out.
If you focus on allowing God to use your talents in service for the Kingdom (and yes, you have talent!) then I believe you'll find a calling that aligns with your passions and dreams.
Through social media, I watch friends of mine all the time who vacation not just to the ocean, but to lots of great places. I watch some who are very content with where God has them, and very much enjoy their lives back home, and are merely taking a little break to refresh. And that's OK. We all need a break from time to time, and I rejoice with you!
But I watch others who are getting away, or dreaming to, and are yearning and searching for the very same things we were. Unsettled, and perhaps hanging in that balance I spoke of earlier. You need to know that that life you dream of is not only possible, but doable! God has a way to use you! You just have to make the choice. It can be tough, and scary, and nerve-racking, but you can do it! I tell everyone all the time... you can do this, or you can be sitting around 10 years from now still talking about doing this. It's up to you.
Come and see us. Our home is open. We have a room for you (for free!) Take that vacation to the beach (at least close to the beach!) for a few days. You can share with us and we'll share with you. You'll find no condemnation here. Just encouragement and hopefully, and uplifting word from God.
And we'll head out together and see a dolphin and an alligator!
Friday, April 19, 2019
Monday, March 25, 2019
I Am Still Sad.
If you watched and listened to the mainstream media, you would have had no other choice than to conclude that President Trump was guilty of a myriad of things, let alone Russian collusion.
However, if you used common sense, paid attention to not only how the American political system works, but certainly how the modern Democrat party functions, how the mainstream media really operates, and relied on your life experience and heeded historical lessons, then it was clear well over a year ago that Mueller and the Dems had absolutely nothing on Trump.
Just like the Kavanaugh situation, which was clear from Day 1 was a sham, and has since proven to be nothing but a Democrat set up, this investigation was a witch hunt and political hit job on Trump from the very beginning. Anyone with an iota of common sense could see that. Anyone can see that the indictments it has produced against Trump associates were petty and pointless and nothing more than attempts to squeeze them into making up something against Trump to save their own skin (I would LOVE to see the same investigation into Hillary's campaign and the people it would snare under the same pretenses.) Mueller knew after about six months there was nothing on Trump, and therefore was ordered to extend and broaden the investigation and go after Trump associates in the hopes of finding something -- anything -- to bring him down. There's no real teeth to any of those convictions (one guy got a whopping 4-day prison sentence for his "crime.") Roger Stone got indicted on things he's been doing for 40 years, and no one cared about it until he started working for Trump! And not a one of them would ever have been charged with a thing if Mueller hadn't been trying to nail Trump on something. And that's why you started hearing the Dems crying about obstruction about a year ago, because they too knew there was nothing to the collusion malarky.
And now, the Dems reaction to the results of the investigation only prove it all further. They want Trump taken down, plain and simple. They were not interested at all in getting to the truth. They were interested in destroying Trump.
I, for one, am thrilled to find our President did nothing against the law -- certainly nothing that hasn't been done in probably every other Presidential campaign in the last 40 years or so. Every American should be thrilled. We should be absolutely over the moon that the most expensive, extensive, exhaustive, thorough -- and, I should add, partisan -- investigation into a President's activities ever conducted by our government found that he did absolutely nothing wrong. Moreover, it doesn't just conclude he did nothing wrong, it concluded that Trump had ample opportunity to do so, and STILL did nothing wrong. Every American should be proud.
But I am also sad. Sad to see that so many Americans have nothing but hate in their hearts for a man who so far has done nothing but try to make things better. They hate a man who claims to want to make America great again. While they scream for redemption, forgiveness, tolerance, and love, they hate a man who indeed has a checkered past, but has spent the last several years of his life running successful businesses, being a good family man, raising good kids, and by all accounts has tried to make a better person of himself. They hate a man who chose as his running mate a good, kind, loving, upstanding, Christian man. They hate a man who has vowed to protect their constitutional rights. They hate a man who has lowered their taxes, and created jobs, lessened the burden of the welfare system, all to virtually record levels, and refused to take any pay for it. They hate a man who has not taken a single civil liberty away from anyone, nor threatened to do so, and yet champion his opposition who vows to do those very things. They hate a man who has virtually destroyed the single most dangerous terrorist group on the planet. They hate a man who wants to protect our borders, and who insists that those who want to come to our country for a better life do so legally. They hate a man who wanted to take children away from criminals, and try to protect them from child sex traffickers, drug dealers, and murderers. They hate a man who likes to use social media to bypass a biased mainstream media, and they spew that hate on their own social media accounts. And they hate a man who has been vetted, investigated, prodded, harassed, slandered and libeled more than any President in our history, yet has stood strong, withheld under the pressure, and has now been proven to have done absolutely nothing wrong.
And why do they hate him so? Because he stands in the way of what is truly an evil and vile agenda. An agenda that involves killing babies, up to and even after they are born. An agenda that takes away our Constitutional rights to protect ourselves, takes away our Constitutional rights to freedom of religion (well, if you're Christian anyway.) An agenda that rigs the election system so it can be controlled and manipulated, and opens our borders, allowing illegal immigration -- primarily to rig elections. And agenda that forces us to give away our own hard earned income not only to the government, but to others who simply choose not to work, and to illegal immigrants who broke our laws to enter the country. An agenda that promises to raise our taxes. An agenda that encourages racial divides by promoting special treatment rather than equality, and forces us to believe that anything Caucasian is bad and evil. An agenda to force us to not only accept, but also believe that natural biology isn't natural at all, abusing our children to believe they can actually choose their gender, and championing demented and deviant sexual behavior. And the worst part of it is, they've given up any pretext of trying to cloak that agenda in what would otherwise be considered wholesome and beneficial policies. Rather, they've come right out and stated it. This is what they want, what they stand for, what they believe. An outright promise to trample on our very Constitution if only they are elected to power again.
They hate a man who abided by the law, won an election fair and square, and has promised to rid Washington of people who want to do otherwise.
Think about that for awhile.
Yes, this is a day to be happy. But I am still sad.
However, if you used common sense, paid attention to not only how the American political system works, but certainly how the modern Democrat party functions, how the mainstream media really operates, and relied on your life experience and heeded historical lessons, then it was clear well over a year ago that Mueller and the Dems had absolutely nothing on Trump.
Just like the Kavanaugh situation, which was clear from Day 1 was a sham, and has since proven to be nothing but a Democrat set up, this investigation was a witch hunt and political hit job on Trump from the very beginning. Anyone with an iota of common sense could see that. Anyone can see that the indictments it has produced against Trump associates were petty and pointless and nothing more than attempts to squeeze them into making up something against Trump to save their own skin (I would LOVE to see the same investigation into Hillary's campaign and the people it would snare under the same pretenses.) Mueller knew after about six months there was nothing on Trump, and therefore was ordered to extend and broaden the investigation and go after Trump associates in the hopes of finding something -- anything -- to bring him down. There's no real teeth to any of those convictions (one guy got a whopping 4-day prison sentence for his "crime.") Roger Stone got indicted on things he's been doing for 40 years, and no one cared about it until he started working for Trump! And not a one of them would ever have been charged with a thing if Mueller hadn't been trying to nail Trump on something. And that's why you started hearing the Dems crying about obstruction about a year ago, because they too knew there was nothing to the collusion malarky.
And now, the Dems reaction to the results of the investigation only prove it all further. They want Trump taken down, plain and simple. They were not interested at all in getting to the truth. They were interested in destroying Trump.
I, for one, am thrilled to find our President did nothing against the law -- certainly nothing that hasn't been done in probably every other Presidential campaign in the last 40 years or so. Every American should be thrilled. We should be absolutely over the moon that the most expensive, extensive, exhaustive, thorough -- and, I should add, partisan -- investigation into a President's activities ever conducted by our government found that he did absolutely nothing wrong. Moreover, it doesn't just conclude he did nothing wrong, it concluded that Trump had ample opportunity to do so, and STILL did nothing wrong. Every American should be proud.
But I am also sad. Sad to see that so many Americans have nothing but hate in their hearts for a man who so far has done nothing but try to make things better. They hate a man who claims to want to make America great again. While they scream for redemption, forgiveness, tolerance, and love, they hate a man who indeed has a checkered past, but has spent the last several years of his life running successful businesses, being a good family man, raising good kids, and by all accounts has tried to make a better person of himself. They hate a man who chose as his running mate a good, kind, loving, upstanding, Christian man. They hate a man who has vowed to protect their constitutional rights. They hate a man who has lowered their taxes, and created jobs, lessened the burden of the welfare system, all to virtually record levels, and refused to take any pay for it. They hate a man who has not taken a single civil liberty away from anyone, nor threatened to do so, and yet champion his opposition who vows to do those very things. They hate a man who has virtually destroyed the single most dangerous terrorist group on the planet. They hate a man who wants to protect our borders, and who insists that those who want to come to our country for a better life do so legally. They hate a man who wanted to take children away from criminals, and try to protect them from child sex traffickers, drug dealers, and murderers. They hate a man who likes to use social media to bypass a biased mainstream media, and they spew that hate on their own social media accounts. And they hate a man who has been vetted, investigated, prodded, harassed, slandered and libeled more than any President in our history, yet has stood strong, withheld under the pressure, and has now been proven to have done absolutely nothing wrong.
And why do they hate him so? Because he stands in the way of what is truly an evil and vile agenda. An agenda that involves killing babies, up to and even after they are born. An agenda that takes away our Constitutional rights to protect ourselves, takes away our Constitutional rights to freedom of religion (well, if you're Christian anyway.) An agenda that rigs the election system so it can be controlled and manipulated, and opens our borders, allowing illegal immigration -- primarily to rig elections. And agenda that forces us to give away our own hard earned income not only to the government, but to others who simply choose not to work, and to illegal immigrants who broke our laws to enter the country. An agenda that promises to raise our taxes. An agenda that encourages racial divides by promoting special treatment rather than equality, and forces us to believe that anything Caucasian is bad and evil. An agenda to force us to not only accept, but also believe that natural biology isn't natural at all, abusing our children to believe they can actually choose their gender, and championing demented and deviant sexual behavior. And the worst part of it is, they've given up any pretext of trying to cloak that agenda in what would otherwise be considered wholesome and beneficial policies. Rather, they've come right out and stated it. This is what they want, what they stand for, what they believe. An outright promise to trample on our very Constitution if only they are elected to power again.
They hate a man who abided by the law, won an election fair and square, and has promised to rid Washington of people who want to do otherwise.
Think about that for awhile.
Yes, this is a day to be happy. But I am still sad.
Monday, January 7, 2019
The Shutdown is Donald Trump's Fault!
This government shutdown is Donald Trump's fault.
There. I said it.
Of course, to believe that -- which I do, kinda, but more on that later -- then one must believe that the government shutdown in 2013 was Obama's fault as well.
It is not possible to believe one without the other, and if you're trying, then you're being disingenuous at best, and flat out hypocritical at worst.
Forget, for a moment, because we'll circle back around to it, what issue you support or don't support, and look at what played out. In 2013, Congress had done their job and created a budget, passed it, and sent it along to Obama to sign. He refused to sign it because it did not include funding for Obamacare. The bill otherwise included funding to completely keep the government open and operational, fully and wholly. It simply did not provide the dollars to launch Obamacare. So Obama refused to sign it, and let the government shut down because he didn't get funding for his health care legislation. He then proceeded to build walls around all government installations, parks and monuments. (Weird his love of walls and gates.)
In our current situation, it is slightly different. A bill was created, having the support of both Democrats and Republicans, that did not not have funding for a border wall, and Trump indicated he would not sign it. After Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi notified the world that the House of Representatives did not have the votes to pass a bill that included such funding, the House nevertheless reworked the legislation and indeed passed a bill that included the funding. That bill subsequently died in the Senate, so, as such, Trump does not have a funding bill in front of him to sign, even though he's made clear he won't sign one without border wall funding anyway.
That's the long and short of it. The bottom line is, both Presidents campaigned on a promise, and both Presidents stuck to their guns when times got tough. Obama, of course, among the Liberals and mainstream media is hailed as a hero for doing so. Trump, not so much.
The difference, of course, is that in 2013, as Republicans are wont to do, they bent over for the Democrats and caved, and gave Obama his funding, even though their constituency was clearly against it, and even though all the predictions of the legislation have come true, and Obamacare has proven to be an utter disaster, plunging the country into further longterm debt and dramatically raising the costs of healthcare across the board. (And kicking middle class people like me out of the system.)
In this case, everybody -- and certainly the Democrats -- are fully expecting Trump to cave, as most any other Republican politician would have surely done by now, despite the fact that Trump, from Day 1, has shown time and again he doesn't act or behave as traditional Republicans do. Not only are the Dems once again stunned that he hasn't performed as all the other GOP show ponies usually do, they simply don't know what to do at this point as it becomes clearer and clearer that Trump isn't going to budge.
I did not support the Obamacare legislation. Not because I'm not for affordable, quality healthcare, but because that particular legislation was bad, and way too costly. I'm not going to go into a long diatribe as to why I believe that. I'll just say that it was never created to fix the healthcare issues in this country. It was specifically designed as a political tool to create election-time issues ("The Republicans want to take away your healthcare!" Sound familiar?) As such, I didn't support it (which is why I voted for representatives who promised to oppose it, who ultimately lied to me and all their other voters when they did no such thing.) So, I blamed Obama for the shutdown, and didn't support the cause behind it.
Regardless of how you feel about a border wall -- and regardless of how you feel about Trump, for that matter -- the question must be asked: Why do we want a wall in the first place? It certainly isn't because we're all racists and bigots, which is just absurd on its face. The US welcomes more foreign immigrants into our country legally every year than every other country on the planet. It's not even close. And we've done so virtually since our founding. So to say we don't want immigrants coming to our great country is just stupid.
It's because our immigration system is horribly broken. Dems and Pubs alike agree on that, even if they can't agree on how to fix it. The Dems, of course, want open borders to create more liberal voters. There simply is no other logical reason to oppose a secure border wall. Republicans want to stem the flow of illegals who bring drugs and crime along with them, and causing a financial burden on our country that just makes it harder and more difficult to support those who want to be here legally.
Neither side, however, can agree on how to fix the problem. Meanwhile, thousands of illegals cross the border every month. A wall would stem the tide, for sure, as we then attempt to fix the problem legislatively, although I don't see the Democrats ever compromising on cutting the flow of potential voters.
If it's the cost that's got you down, you might have a point. But then, our government spends money all the time on things it shouldn't be. Certainly on things you or I don't agree with. Our federal government literally gives away our tax dollars every year to literally thousands of projects that should never be funded by our government. Planned Parenthood comes to mind, which, if it is so important, ought to be privately funded. There's enough Hollywood liberals, who support murdering children, who have enough money to keep that organization open indefinitely without ever touching a tax dollar. MY money shouldn't be used to fund abortion.
But then, who gets to decide? Should the government spend more money on cancer research, or autism? Ask the family with an autistic child, and then ask the family who lost their father to lung cancer and I'll bet you'll get two different answers. The point is, if you don't like how your government officials spend our money, then vote for different officials. I know... I know... you didn't vote for Donald Trump. I didn't vote for Nancy Pelosi or Barack Obama. I had better luck the next time. My guy won this time, and I want him to build a wall.
For those of you who earn your livings on government income, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I truly am. But when you go to work for the government, you have to understand how it all works. You can't make money off the government -- which is to say, off my tax dollars -- and then get mad when the government does what it does. Personally, I'd like to see some of the rules changed. I believe military and other essential government personnel should be paid no matter what. And some actually do during a shutdown, and others don't. There's certainly ways to ensure that those who need to be paid still get paid during a shutdown, but I don't get to make the rules. I can only vote for people who do. I do the best I can.
If you don't want a border wall, fine. You have every right to believe that. And if you have a better idea, I'm all ears. But you have to decide why you really don't want it. Because it can really only boil down to three reasons:
1) If it's because you don't think there's an immigration problem, then you need to wake up and smell the cocaine-laced roses. Every single immigration official will tell you there's a HUGE immigration problem, and we better get it fixed pronto or we're gonna start seeing some real trouble.
2) You want illegal immigrants and non-citizens voting in our elections. If that's the case, shame on you.
3) You hate Donald Trump. If that's the case, you're just being a baby and you need to grow up.
As for me, I'm on your side. I blame Donald Trump for the shutdown, and I support him fully for it.
There. I said it.
Of course, to believe that -- which I do, kinda, but more on that later -- then one must believe that the government shutdown in 2013 was Obama's fault as well.
It is not possible to believe one without the other, and if you're trying, then you're being disingenuous at best, and flat out hypocritical at worst.
Forget, for a moment, because we'll circle back around to it, what issue you support or don't support, and look at what played out. In 2013, Congress had done their job and created a budget, passed it, and sent it along to Obama to sign. He refused to sign it because it did not include funding for Obamacare. The bill otherwise included funding to completely keep the government open and operational, fully and wholly. It simply did not provide the dollars to launch Obamacare. So Obama refused to sign it, and let the government shut down because he didn't get funding for his health care legislation. He then proceeded to build walls around all government installations, parks and monuments. (Weird his love of walls and gates.)
In our current situation, it is slightly different. A bill was created, having the support of both Democrats and Republicans, that did not not have funding for a border wall, and Trump indicated he would not sign it. After Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi notified the world that the House of Representatives did not have the votes to pass a bill that included such funding, the House nevertheless reworked the legislation and indeed passed a bill that included the funding. That bill subsequently died in the Senate, so, as such, Trump does not have a funding bill in front of him to sign, even though he's made clear he won't sign one without border wall funding anyway.
That's the long and short of it. The bottom line is, both Presidents campaigned on a promise, and both Presidents stuck to their guns when times got tough. Obama, of course, among the Liberals and mainstream media is hailed as a hero for doing so. Trump, not so much.
The difference, of course, is that in 2013, as Republicans are wont to do, they bent over for the Democrats and caved, and gave Obama his funding, even though their constituency was clearly against it, and even though all the predictions of the legislation have come true, and Obamacare has proven to be an utter disaster, plunging the country into further longterm debt and dramatically raising the costs of healthcare across the board. (And kicking middle class people like me out of the system.)
In this case, everybody -- and certainly the Democrats -- are fully expecting Trump to cave, as most any other Republican politician would have surely done by now, despite the fact that Trump, from Day 1, has shown time and again he doesn't act or behave as traditional Republicans do. Not only are the Dems once again stunned that he hasn't performed as all the other GOP show ponies usually do, they simply don't know what to do at this point as it becomes clearer and clearer that Trump isn't going to budge.
I did not support the Obamacare legislation. Not because I'm not for affordable, quality healthcare, but because that particular legislation was bad, and way too costly. I'm not going to go into a long diatribe as to why I believe that. I'll just say that it was never created to fix the healthcare issues in this country. It was specifically designed as a political tool to create election-time issues ("The Republicans want to take away your healthcare!" Sound familiar?) As such, I didn't support it (which is why I voted for representatives who promised to oppose it, who ultimately lied to me and all their other voters when they did no such thing.) So, I blamed Obama for the shutdown, and didn't support the cause behind it.
Regardless of how you feel about a border wall -- and regardless of how you feel about Trump, for that matter -- the question must be asked: Why do we want a wall in the first place? It certainly isn't because we're all racists and bigots, which is just absurd on its face. The US welcomes more foreign immigrants into our country legally every year than every other country on the planet. It's not even close. And we've done so virtually since our founding. So to say we don't want immigrants coming to our great country is just stupid.
It's because our immigration system is horribly broken. Dems and Pubs alike agree on that, even if they can't agree on how to fix it. The Dems, of course, want open borders to create more liberal voters. There simply is no other logical reason to oppose a secure border wall. Republicans want to stem the flow of illegals who bring drugs and crime along with them, and causing a financial burden on our country that just makes it harder and more difficult to support those who want to be here legally.
Neither side, however, can agree on how to fix the problem. Meanwhile, thousands of illegals cross the border every month. A wall would stem the tide, for sure, as we then attempt to fix the problem legislatively, although I don't see the Democrats ever compromising on cutting the flow of potential voters.
If it's the cost that's got you down, you might have a point. But then, our government spends money all the time on things it shouldn't be. Certainly on things you or I don't agree with. Our federal government literally gives away our tax dollars every year to literally thousands of projects that should never be funded by our government. Planned Parenthood comes to mind, which, if it is so important, ought to be privately funded. There's enough Hollywood liberals, who support murdering children, who have enough money to keep that organization open indefinitely without ever touching a tax dollar. MY money shouldn't be used to fund abortion.
But then, who gets to decide? Should the government spend more money on cancer research, or autism? Ask the family with an autistic child, and then ask the family who lost their father to lung cancer and I'll bet you'll get two different answers. The point is, if you don't like how your government officials spend our money, then vote for different officials. I know... I know... you didn't vote for Donald Trump. I didn't vote for Nancy Pelosi or Barack Obama. I had better luck the next time. My guy won this time, and I want him to build a wall.
For those of you who earn your livings on government income, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I truly am. But when you go to work for the government, you have to understand how it all works. You can't make money off the government -- which is to say, off my tax dollars -- and then get mad when the government does what it does. Personally, I'd like to see some of the rules changed. I believe military and other essential government personnel should be paid no matter what. And some actually do during a shutdown, and others don't. There's certainly ways to ensure that those who need to be paid still get paid during a shutdown, but I don't get to make the rules. I can only vote for people who do. I do the best I can.
If you don't want a border wall, fine. You have every right to believe that. And if you have a better idea, I'm all ears. But you have to decide why you really don't want it. Because it can really only boil down to three reasons:
1) If it's because you don't think there's an immigration problem, then you need to wake up and smell the cocaine-laced roses. Every single immigration official will tell you there's a HUGE immigration problem, and we better get it fixed pronto or we're gonna start seeing some real trouble.
2) You want illegal immigrants and non-citizens voting in our elections. If that's the case, shame on you.
3) You hate Donald Trump. If that's the case, you're just being a baby and you need to grow up.
As for me, I'm on your side. I blame Donald Trump for the shutdown, and I support him fully for it.
Thursday, January 3, 2019
President George Herbert Walker Bush
1988 was the first presidential election in which I was of legal age to vote.
I voted for George Herbert Walker Bush.
Growing up in the 80's, it was nearly impossible to be unaware of the popularity of Ronald Reagan. For those who are too young to remember his presidency, and have only heard tell of it as a history lesson, believe me when I tell you, yes, he was that well-liked. Especially after the assassination attempt. The first year of his presidency consisted of most people poking fun that we had an actor as a president, and the doldrums of a lousy economy compliments of one Jimmy Carter. But after John Hinkley tried to kill him with a pistol outside of a D.C. hotel, and the subsequent courage and bravery showed by Reagan to recoup from the attempt, his popularity shot through the roof, and was cemented as his economic policies brought prosperity back to the country.
It wasn't until I was in high school in the last half of the 80's, however, that I began to really get interested in politics in general, and became aware that there was a political left, and many who resided therein who didn't like Ronald Reagan that much. And I watched as a good deal of the media mocked Reagan's occasional public gaffes in the last two years of his administration, unaware that he had indeed began to suffer the onset of the Alzheimers disease that would ultimately take his life.
I wrote an opinion column for my high school newspaper. Our newspaper teacher at school had recognized a style in my writing that lended itself to opinion writing, and thankfully invited me to do just that for our school publication. It was my only job on the newspaper staff for the two years I was on it. And as I became interested in politics, and began reading other national opinion writers, my column would occasionally forage into the political world. Leading up to the 1988 presidential election, there was a lot of political fodder about which write. For those of you who'll recall, you'll remember the likes of Gary Hart and Donna Rice, Joe Biden (yes, THAT Joe Biden) and his plagiarism ordeal, televangelist Pat Robertson, Jack Kemp, and, of course, Michael Dukakis.
And yes, George H. W. Bush.
Bush, Sr. was Reagan's Vice-President, although as the 80's wore on, despite Bush's vast political career, the average American citizen didn't have a clue who he was. I distinctly remember watching a television segment wherein a news reporter randomly stopped people on the street and asked them who the VP of the United States was, and not one person could name George Bush. It wasn't until the primary season approached and candidates started announcing their intent to run that anyone began to take notice of Bush. Only then did people remember that Bush had very nearly received the GOP nomination for President instead of Reagan in 1980, and that he was indeed a very serious political heavy hitter.
And it was in front of that backdrop that I voted for Bush for President in 1988.
While more interested, and more versed, in politics than many my age at that time, I was still a novice. In the days before the internet and social media, one truly did have to largely rely on the mainstream media to get their news. Cursory research in a library and through periodicals of the day could provide valuable information, but more or less, one had to watch the news and read the papers to get the info one was looking for. And it was clear from day one that the mainstream media didn't like George H. W. Bush all that much.
He was labeled a wimp by the media, largely due to his playing second fiddle to Reagan for eight years, but mostly because he was a genuinely nice guy. And in the media's attempt to destroy anyone who isn't a liberal, they literally stooped to mocking the fact that he was just so nice, and questioned whether his kindness would allow him to be tough when needed. He had a very nasty, and very public spat with CBS news anchor, Dan Rather, who disliked Bush so much he literally made up and broadcast outright lies about Bush.
But in the end, his political savvy, and know-how, won out, and he won the Presidency in 1988. And were it not for Ross Perot in 1992 (a subject we can discuss another time) he would have won again in 1992, likely in a landslide, and we very likely would not be talking about any Clinton political dynasty today.
I liked George Bush, Sr. very much. I still do. Even more so today, it could be said. I could see from Day 1 that he was a good guy. It cannot be said about every President in our history that he was an authentically good person. But it can be said unequivocally about George H. W. Bush. He was honest, forthright, kind, smart, a loving and devoted husband, and a doting father. His kids are good kids, and proved to be solid leaders themselves. Even his political enemies don't have a bad word to say about him. His presidency was a success, even as a cyclical recession his the country near the end of his term; a recession that gave rise to Ross Perot and ultimately doomed Bush for a second term. A tax increase that famously went against a campaign promise didn't help either. (See: "Read My Lips... No New Taxes!)
His leadership, courage and stoicism was inspiring as he led us through the first Gulf War, foreshadowing the same from his son, George W., following 9/11 a decade later. His only mistake being that he didn't finish the job and remove Saddam Hussein from power when he had the chance.
After his presidency, not only did he not criticize subsequent administrations (unlike a certain former president making the media rounds these days) but he did not attempt in any way to influence his own son's administration and decisions. He was a source of advice and counsel to subsequent Presidents, even forming a unique bond with Bill Clinton that ultimately led to a great deal of global good.
What we learned about Bush during his retirement years was that he was a prolific note and letter writer (and later, as technology allowed, an emailer) sending letters of love, sadness, encouragement, congratulations, and sympathy to virtually everyone with whom he ever came into contact. Friend or political foe alike, it did not matter. And he had a prolific sense of humor.
Several years ago, a book was released that compiled letters, notes, and emails written by Bush over his entire lifetime. Personal letters written over the years with no intention of them ever being made public. Some written long before he was a famous politician, and others long after he was out of office. To friends, family, political foes and allies, and foreign dignitaries both friendly and hostile to the US. He's a brilliant writer, and they're funny, sad, poignant, happy, congratulatory, vulnerable, and very real and open. I laughed and cried reading his notes to others. A particular note he wrote to his Mom about the loss of his daughter is the most tender thing I've ever read, and perhaps the best piece of writing I've ever seen.
And given they were never intended to be seen by anybody other than to whom they were addressed, it shows his true character. It only served to confirm what most of us already knew about him: He was genuinely kind, caring, honest, and full of integrity. A good man. And his love for and his devotion to his wife and family is something we all should aspire to. I highly recommend you pick up a copy of that book. If you didn't vote for him back then, you'll regret not having done so after you read it.
I wish there were more men like him. Especially among our public servants. There are some, but not many. It would be nice to have a few more.
It is a source of pride for me to know I got my first attempt at a Presidential election so right. I, for one, am honored to have called him my President.
May he rest in peace.
I voted for George Herbert Walker Bush.
Growing up in the 80's, it was nearly impossible to be unaware of the popularity of Ronald Reagan. For those who are too young to remember his presidency, and have only heard tell of it as a history lesson, believe me when I tell you, yes, he was that well-liked. Especially after the assassination attempt. The first year of his presidency consisted of most people poking fun that we had an actor as a president, and the doldrums of a lousy economy compliments of one Jimmy Carter. But after John Hinkley tried to kill him with a pistol outside of a D.C. hotel, and the subsequent courage and bravery showed by Reagan to recoup from the attempt, his popularity shot through the roof, and was cemented as his economic policies brought prosperity back to the country.
It wasn't until I was in high school in the last half of the 80's, however, that I began to really get interested in politics in general, and became aware that there was a political left, and many who resided therein who didn't like Ronald Reagan that much. And I watched as a good deal of the media mocked Reagan's occasional public gaffes in the last two years of his administration, unaware that he had indeed began to suffer the onset of the Alzheimers disease that would ultimately take his life.
I wrote an opinion column for my high school newspaper. Our newspaper teacher at school had recognized a style in my writing that lended itself to opinion writing, and thankfully invited me to do just that for our school publication. It was my only job on the newspaper staff for the two years I was on it. And as I became interested in politics, and began reading other national opinion writers, my column would occasionally forage into the political world. Leading up to the 1988 presidential election, there was a lot of political fodder about which write. For those of you who'll recall, you'll remember the likes of Gary Hart and Donna Rice, Joe Biden (yes, THAT Joe Biden) and his plagiarism ordeal, televangelist Pat Robertson, Jack Kemp, and, of course, Michael Dukakis.
And yes, George H. W. Bush.
Bush, Sr. was Reagan's Vice-President, although as the 80's wore on, despite Bush's vast political career, the average American citizen didn't have a clue who he was. I distinctly remember watching a television segment wherein a news reporter randomly stopped people on the street and asked them who the VP of the United States was, and not one person could name George Bush. It wasn't until the primary season approached and candidates started announcing their intent to run that anyone began to take notice of Bush. Only then did people remember that Bush had very nearly received the GOP nomination for President instead of Reagan in 1980, and that he was indeed a very serious political heavy hitter.
And it was in front of that backdrop that I voted for Bush for President in 1988.
While more interested, and more versed, in politics than many my age at that time, I was still a novice. In the days before the internet and social media, one truly did have to largely rely on the mainstream media to get their news. Cursory research in a library and through periodicals of the day could provide valuable information, but more or less, one had to watch the news and read the papers to get the info one was looking for. And it was clear from day one that the mainstream media didn't like George H. W. Bush all that much.
He was labeled a wimp by the media, largely due to his playing second fiddle to Reagan for eight years, but mostly because he was a genuinely nice guy. And in the media's attempt to destroy anyone who isn't a liberal, they literally stooped to mocking the fact that he was just so nice, and questioned whether his kindness would allow him to be tough when needed. He had a very nasty, and very public spat with CBS news anchor, Dan Rather, who disliked Bush so much he literally made up and broadcast outright lies about Bush.
But in the end, his political savvy, and know-how, won out, and he won the Presidency in 1988. And were it not for Ross Perot in 1992 (a subject we can discuss another time) he would have won again in 1992, likely in a landslide, and we very likely would not be talking about any Clinton political dynasty today.
I liked George Bush, Sr. very much. I still do. Even more so today, it could be said. I could see from Day 1 that he was a good guy. It cannot be said about every President in our history that he was an authentically good person. But it can be said unequivocally about George H. W. Bush. He was honest, forthright, kind, smart, a loving and devoted husband, and a doting father. His kids are good kids, and proved to be solid leaders themselves. Even his political enemies don't have a bad word to say about him. His presidency was a success, even as a cyclical recession his the country near the end of his term; a recession that gave rise to Ross Perot and ultimately doomed Bush for a second term. A tax increase that famously went against a campaign promise didn't help either. (See: "Read My Lips... No New Taxes!)
His leadership, courage and stoicism was inspiring as he led us through the first Gulf War, foreshadowing the same from his son, George W., following 9/11 a decade later. His only mistake being that he didn't finish the job and remove Saddam Hussein from power when he had the chance.
After his presidency, not only did he not criticize subsequent administrations (unlike a certain former president making the media rounds these days) but he did not attempt in any way to influence his own son's administration and decisions. He was a source of advice and counsel to subsequent Presidents, even forming a unique bond with Bill Clinton that ultimately led to a great deal of global good.
What we learned about Bush during his retirement years was that he was a prolific note and letter writer (and later, as technology allowed, an emailer) sending letters of love, sadness, encouragement, congratulations, and sympathy to virtually everyone with whom he ever came into contact. Friend or political foe alike, it did not matter. And he had a prolific sense of humor.
Several years ago, a book was released that compiled letters, notes, and emails written by Bush over his entire lifetime. Personal letters written over the years with no intention of them ever being made public. Some written long before he was a famous politician, and others long after he was out of office. To friends, family, political foes and allies, and foreign dignitaries both friendly and hostile to the US. He's a brilliant writer, and they're funny, sad, poignant, happy, congratulatory, vulnerable, and very real and open. I laughed and cried reading his notes to others. A particular note he wrote to his Mom about the loss of his daughter is the most tender thing I've ever read, and perhaps the best piece of writing I've ever seen.
And given they were never intended to be seen by anybody other than to whom they were addressed, it shows his true character. It only served to confirm what most of us already knew about him: He was genuinely kind, caring, honest, and full of integrity. A good man. And his love for and his devotion to his wife and family is something we all should aspire to. I highly recommend you pick up a copy of that book. If you didn't vote for him back then, you'll regret not having done so after you read it.
I wish there were more men like him. Especially among our public servants. There are some, but not many. It would be nice to have a few more.
It is a source of pride for me to know I got my first attempt at a Presidential election so right. I, for one, am honored to have called him my President.
May he rest in peace.
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Two Years in the Lowcountry!
It's been two years since we moved to South Carolina.
Two years! That's hard to believe. It's gone so fast. I find time does that anyway; the older I get, the faster it moves. In any case, that we have passed our two-year anniversary in our new home in the Lowcountry is hard to grasp, and yet I still find everything here very fresh and new.
It's easy for things to become mundane. A drive back and forth to a favorite locale or the food at a frequented restaurant. Even a place as cool as the city of Savannah, while no means mundane, certainly is much more familiar, and our drive there is no more an event than a drive from downtown Mooresville to the Circle in Indianapolis. That much, however, is still hard for me to wrap my mind around: that I can just up and drive to Savannah, GA, anytime I want to. Pretty cool.
It feels like home, it really does, and yet still feels new. Two years, and we've become very familiar with our surroundings. Still, we have conscious thoughts while we're out that this is a new place, and we still learn little twists and turns every time we go out. As we travel about, we occupy our brains with the idea that we need to remember this turn, learn this road, put a pin in this spot. We make a conscious decision to familiarize ourselves with what we see and do, and it occurs to me that I never did that in Indiana.
When you grow up in a place, you don't go out into your surroundings with the idea that you have to learn your way around. You just go. In the days before GPS, you relied on other's directions on how to get to that place or this place, but otherwise, you just went, traveling each day about your daily life without much thought that you need to familiarize yourself with your surroundings. Without any effort, everything becomes second nature. I'm reminded of the drive east on State Road 144, between State Road 67 in Mooresville and State Road 37 in Waverly. I could make that drive today, in the dark, with the headlights out and my eyes closed. There's not a road down here I could say that about yet. And still, I never recall thinking as I made that drive, "I need to remember this route."
Born and raised in Mooresville, IN, I spent the first 47 years of my life there. There's not much I don't know about the place I used to call home. Heck, there's not much about central Indiana I couldn't tell you about, and I could work my way around the entire state without much trouble.
I would bet that it's gonna take a lot longer than two years to get to that point here in South Carolina. To be honest, we haven't ventured too fair out of our general area here, aside from having done quite a bit of exploring in Savannah. Other than traveling through back and forth to Indiana, I've never been in our state capitol. I've been to Charleston once. I've never been to Greenville. I've never been to Myrtle Beach (which is where most people in Indiana think I moved to. It's not. MB is three hours away from me.)
None of which is to say I don't want to visit and explore those places. It's just a realization that after two years, I haven't begun to scratch the surface of our new hometown, which is why so much of it still feels new, even as I become familiar with where we live. Will it take 47 years to become as familiar with my new home as I am with my former home? Hard to say.
But I know this: There isn't one thing about our move I've regretted. Living here in the Lowcountry has been everything I'd hoped it would be, and more, and with all due respect to Mooresville, IN, I wish I'd made the move years ago.
If only for the change in weather and climate, the move would have been worth it. Ginger is indeed so much better here, but there really is nothing like wearing shorts and taking a golf cart ride on days that in Indiana, we would have been frozen to the couch. True, hurricane season can get a little hairy down here, but I'm still on the fence as to whether or not its more stressful than dodging the thunderstorms, tornados, and snowmageddons in Indiana. Otherwise, it almost couldn't be more perfect.
And I now live in the house of my dreams. Well, at least the house of my dreams I could afford! I have much to be thankful for in my new home. Until now, I'd never in my life lived in a home that had more than one bathroom -- In. My. Life. As such, I'd never had a master bedroom that had its own bathroom. I've never had a garage, and, ergo, a garage door opener. I've never had an office that didn't have to double as something else. I've never had a kitchen big enough to hold the number of people who needed to be in it at any given time, and that had more cabinet space than stuff to put in the cabinets. Most of all, I've never had a home big enough to have friends and family come visit and stay with us. And that's what's made this place so great. We think it's a beautiful home.
But there's a dynamic to the culture here that's so different from what I grew up with. We live in a vacation spot, and that comes with its ups and downs. Mostly ups, in my opinion, but still with its challenges. The restaurant food here, for example, is overpriced. Not because it's so much better, but simply because it can be, because we're a tourist town. The seafood here is excellent, I hear, because I'm not a seafood fan. Otherwise, there's fine places to eat, but nothing inherent that warrants the food being 15-20% pricier than it is anywhere else. Beyond that, the cost of living is about the same as it was in Indiana, as surprising as that may be to hear.
But it's something else. Most people who live here aren't originally from here. Most of our population is like me... they came here on vacation and fell in love with the place and decided to move here. And because of that, everyone who lives here is happy!
First, there's no "us against them" mentality with the tourists, mostly because we were all once tourists. But even the locals understand the tourists not only provide for most of their career livelihoods, but they are the reason their town has become such a cool place. Sure, there are some locals who lament their small-town past, but most have embraced the growth. I spoke with a local just the other day who told me, "yeah, this place used to be pretty boring before all the tourists starting moving in."
Second, everyone is here because they want to be. They're here for happy reasons. Nobody get's forced to move to Hilton Head, SC. Everybody moves here because they're making a lifestyle upgrade, or they're retiring to a better life, or they just want to move away from whatever mundane place they lived in before.
Everybody here is nice. Everyone's happy. They're just glad to be here. From all walks of life, they've all just melted together. The Clevelanders are just as happy to be here as the boys and girls from the Jersey shore. And the midwesterners wanted the same things in their new life as the New Englanders.
I have no idea why there's so many Pittsburgh people here. (Wink-wink!)
When you grow up in a small town as I did, you become accustomed to a certain way of life. And to a certain mentality of how you deal with people each and every day. You don't know what you don't know. When you go on vacation, no matter where you go, you live in a little fantasy world for a week or two. And then you come back to real life.
When you move away from all that, you understand the culture will be different on a fundamental level, but you don't know how different. When you move to a vacation spot, you wonder if there's gonna be some weird underbelly to the culture people don't see when they're visiting on vacation. We loved it here when we visited, and always saw how nice everybody was, but we honestly wondered if everything would be the same when we lived here everyday.
It is, and then some. I don't know if every vacation spot is like this, but this one is. The everyday culture is vastly different from midwest Indiana. It's hard to describe how different without living here in it everyday. The people here are as genuinely happy as they appeared to be when we vacationed here.
Combine all that with the weather, and it's very hard to be in a bad mood around here. Without fail, time and again, it has proved to be what we envisioned it would be. An authentically happy place.
Am I bragging? Maybe. Am I trashing my former hometown? Absolutely not! We loved Mooresville, and it was a great place to grow up and raise a family. But when small-town life is all you know, it's difficult to believe there's more to the outside world than meets the eye, and impossible to know that different cultures exist beyond our sphere of the universe, until you actually experience it.
For us, we knew there was a bigger world outside of Indiana, and we wanted to experience it. The goals (and needs) we had in life couldn't be completely met there. But a move like the one we made isn't for everybody, and I know a lot of really good, really happy people who are more than content to spend their entire lives in Mooresville, IN, and if that makes them happy, then I'm happy for them.
So here's to celebrating two years in the Lowcountry. We have loved every minute of it, and look forward to every adventure it brings our way in the coming years.
And remember, our door is always open. We love having family and friends in for a visit. And you can come by anytime. But be careful... the Lowcountry life gets in your blood very quickly. And before you know it...
Two years! That's hard to believe. It's gone so fast. I find time does that anyway; the older I get, the faster it moves. In any case, that we have passed our two-year anniversary in our new home in the Lowcountry is hard to grasp, and yet I still find everything here very fresh and new.
It's easy for things to become mundane. A drive back and forth to a favorite locale or the food at a frequented restaurant. Even a place as cool as the city of Savannah, while no means mundane, certainly is much more familiar, and our drive there is no more an event than a drive from downtown Mooresville to the Circle in Indianapolis. That much, however, is still hard for me to wrap my mind around: that I can just up and drive to Savannah, GA, anytime I want to. Pretty cool.
It feels like home, it really does, and yet still feels new. Two years, and we've become very familiar with our surroundings. Still, we have conscious thoughts while we're out that this is a new place, and we still learn little twists and turns every time we go out. As we travel about, we occupy our brains with the idea that we need to remember this turn, learn this road, put a pin in this spot. We make a conscious decision to familiarize ourselves with what we see and do, and it occurs to me that I never did that in Indiana.
When you grow up in a place, you don't go out into your surroundings with the idea that you have to learn your way around. You just go. In the days before GPS, you relied on other's directions on how to get to that place or this place, but otherwise, you just went, traveling each day about your daily life without much thought that you need to familiarize yourself with your surroundings. Without any effort, everything becomes second nature. I'm reminded of the drive east on State Road 144, between State Road 67 in Mooresville and State Road 37 in Waverly. I could make that drive today, in the dark, with the headlights out and my eyes closed. There's not a road down here I could say that about yet. And still, I never recall thinking as I made that drive, "I need to remember this route."
Born and raised in Mooresville, IN, I spent the first 47 years of my life there. There's not much I don't know about the place I used to call home. Heck, there's not much about central Indiana I couldn't tell you about, and I could work my way around the entire state without much trouble.
I would bet that it's gonna take a lot longer than two years to get to that point here in South Carolina. To be honest, we haven't ventured too fair out of our general area here, aside from having done quite a bit of exploring in Savannah. Other than traveling through back and forth to Indiana, I've never been in our state capitol. I've been to Charleston once. I've never been to Greenville. I've never been to Myrtle Beach (which is where most people in Indiana think I moved to. It's not. MB is three hours away from me.)
None of which is to say I don't want to visit and explore those places. It's just a realization that after two years, I haven't begun to scratch the surface of our new hometown, which is why so much of it still feels new, even as I become familiar with where we live. Will it take 47 years to become as familiar with my new home as I am with my former home? Hard to say.
But I know this: There isn't one thing about our move I've regretted. Living here in the Lowcountry has been everything I'd hoped it would be, and more, and with all due respect to Mooresville, IN, I wish I'd made the move years ago.
If only for the change in weather and climate, the move would have been worth it. Ginger is indeed so much better here, but there really is nothing like wearing shorts and taking a golf cart ride on days that in Indiana, we would have been frozen to the couch. True, hurricane season can get a little hairy down here, but I'm still on the fence as to whether or not its more stressful than dodging the thunderstorms, tornados, and snowmageddons in Indiana. Otherwise, it almost couldn't be more perfect.
And I now live in the house of my dreams. Well, at least the house of my dreams I could afford! I have much to be thankful for in my new home. Until now, I'd never in my life lived in a home that had more than one bathroom -- In. My. Life. As such, I'd never had a master bedroom that had its own bathroom. I've never had a garage, and, ergo, a garage door opener. I've never had an office that didn't have to double as something else. I've never had a kitchen big enough to hold the number of people who needed to be in it at any given time, and that had more cabinet space than stuff to put in the cabinets. Most of all, I've never had a home big enough to have friends and family come visit and stay with us. And that's what's made this place so great. We think it's a beautiful home.
But there's a dynamic to the culture here that's so different from what I grew up with. We live in a vacation spot, and that comes with its ups and downs. Mostly ups, in my opinion, but still with its challenges. The restaurant food here, for example, is overpriced. Not because it's so much better, but simply because it can be, because we're a tourist town. The seafood here is excellent, I hear, because I'm not a seafood fan. Otherwise, there's fine places to eat, but nothing inherent that warrants the food being 15-20% pricier than it is anywhere else. Beyond that, the cost of living is about the same as it was in Indiana, as surprising as that may be to hear.
But it's something else. Most people who live here aren't originally from here. Most of our population is like me... they came here on vacation and fell in love with the place and decided to move here. And because of that, everyone who lives here is happy!
First, there's no "us against them" mentality with the tourists, mostly because we were all once tourists. But even the locals understand the tourists not only provide for most of their career livelihoods, but they are the reason their town has become such a cool place. Sure, there are some locals who lament their small-town past, but most have embraced the growth. I spoke with a local just the other day who told me, "yeah, this place used to be pretty boring before all the tourists starting moving in."
Second, everyone is here because they want to be. They're here for happy reasons. Nobody get's forced to move to Hilton Head, SC. Everybody moves here because they're making a lifestyle upgrade, or they're retiring to a better life, or they just want to move away from whatever mundane place they lived in before.
Everybody here is nice. Everyone's happy. They're just glad to be here. From all walks of life, they've all just melted together. The Clevelanders are just as happy to be here as the boys and girls from the Jersey shore. And the midwesterners wanted the same things in their new life as the New Englanders.
I have no idea why there's so many Pittsburgh people here. (Wink-wink!)
When you grow up in a small town as I did, you become accustomed to a certain way of life. And to a certain mentality of how you deal with people each and every day. You don't know what you don't know. When you go on vacation, no matter where you go, you live in a little fantasy world for a week or two. And then you come back to real life.
When you move away from all that, you understand the culture will be different on a fundamental level, but you don't know how different. When you move to a vacation spot, you wonder if there's gonna be some weird underbelly to the culture people don't see when they're visiting on vacation. We loved it here when we visited, and always saw how nice everybody was, but we honestly wondered if everything would be the same when we lived here everyday.
It is, and then some. I don't know if every vacation spot is like this, but this one is. The everyday culture is vastly different from midwest Indiana. It's hard to describe how different without living here in it everyday. The people here are as genuinely happy as they appeared to be when we vacationed here.
Combine all that with the weather, and it's very hard to be in a bad mood around here. Without fail, time and again, it has proved to be what we envisioned it would be. An authentically happy place.
Am I bragging? Maybe. Am I trashing my former hometown? Absolutely not! We loved Mooresville, and it was a great place to grow up and raise a family. But when small-town life is all you know, it's difficult to believe there's more to the outside world than meets the eye, and impossible to know that different cultures exist beyond our sphere of the universe, until you actually experience it.
For us, we knew there was a bigger world outside of Indiana, and we wanted to experience it. The goals (and needs) we had in life couldn't be completely met there. But a move like the one we made isn't for everybody, and I know a lot of really good, really happy people who are more than content to spend their entire lives in Mooresville, IN, and if that makes them happy, then I'm happy for them.
So here's to celebrating two years in the Lowcountry. We have loved every minute of it, and look forward to every adventure it brings our way in the coming years.
And remember, our door is always open. We love having family and friends in for a visit. And you can come by anytime. But be careful... the Lowcountry life gets in your blood very quickly. And before you know it...
Thursday, December 6, 2018
The Reds Room.
This evening, I had the pleasure of showing my Reds room off to another set of new friends from South Carolina.
Yes, my Reds room. As in, The Cincinnati Reds. Not my "Red" room, which is a particular prop room from a recent string of fairly successful books and films that served an entirely different purpose than does my "Reds" room, but I digress.
Many who have seen it call it a man cave, and I suppose it fits the criteria as such, but that's not really what I consider it to be, given that I do not retire to the room for the purposes of getting away from the women in my life, and that my wife often spends time in the room with me.
Aside from housing my musical instruments, featuring a full 6-piece drum kit, guitars, two amps, a banjo, and a mini keyboard, it is what you might expect it to be: a room filled with Cincinnati Reds memorabilia, dedicated to my love of all things Reds. It features the obligatory big screen television, with a Playstation 4, a vintage Atari game console (with its own dedicated vintage TV), a pool table, compliments of my son and his college buddies, a mini fridge cooling bottled water and glass-bottled (yes, glass) Coke products, a Keurig coffee maker and a microwave. Oh yeah, and there is a vintage (looking) gum ball machine filled with red M&M's. And yes, you have to put a coin in to get them to dispense.
Outside of the other various pieces of furniture in the room for lounging purposes, there's nary another item in the room that is not either branded with the Reds, or bears some other connection to the team.
If you've seen it, you are already aware of the extensive collection I have. So I'll just speak to those who have not seen it yet: I can assure you -- not because I'm boasting, but because of the reaction of those who have seen the Room for the first time -- that whatever image you have conjured in your head right now doesn't begin to touch the reality.
I try to warn people, I really do. I tell them that I am a fan on a really scary level, and that my collection is extensive beyond their imagination, but when the actually see it, the reactions usually involve some sort of curse word, a cry out to the Lord, "I had no idea!" stunned silence, or some combination of all of those. The terms "Awesome" and "Incredible" and "Unbelievable" are frequently uttered as well, but I don't wanna sound as though I'm bragging.
When we lived in Indiana, my sons and I convinced my wife to let us turn our living room into our Reds room, to which she ultimately agreed after much prodding and pleading for several years. Though smaller than my collection now, it was still an extensive display in a much smaller room. But having grown up and lived in Indiana my whole life, all my friends knowing me most of their lives, the reaction to first seeing the Room was far less dramatic than it is here in SC. Most people would walk into our Living Room, take a look around, and say something like, "Yeah, this is pretty much what we expected from you."
But down here, it's a much bigger deal. I'll grant that its a bigger room, and because of such, we've added quite a bit to the collection since moving here. But in my little neck of the woods here in SC, there doesn't appear to be the fandom for pro teams around here to the level of mine with the Reds.
A few reasons: One, we're not that close to too many pro teams. Atlanta is the closest baseball team, four hours away, and Jacksonville is the closest football team. But, let's be honest, there just aren't that many Jaguars fans, especially for a team that doesn't have a rich, decades-long history.
Two, everybody who lives here is from somewhere else. So you find pockets of fans of teams from all over the country, of all different sports, but not giant throngs of such. The place I go to watch NFL games each Sunday (because the Colts aren't on local TV) is actually the official NFL viewing bar in this area for the Buffalo Bills. I didn't even know bars could be official NFL team viewing bars. The place is packed every Sunday with Bills fans, but I suspect they encompass every Bills fan in the area.
Three, in the absence of pro teams nearby, there are HUGE college allegiances here. Clemson, South Carolina, and Georgia college sports is a big deal around here. Being from Indiana, I thought IU-Purdue was a big rivalry. But that doesn't hold a candle to the Clemson-USC-Georgia rivalry down here. It's on a whole other level. But I find, overall, even big college fans don't tend to have large memorabilia collections. At the least the ones I've encountered don't. (There is a restaurant out on Hilton Head Island that is dedicated primarily to Ohio State that boasts a pretty impressive collection and decor.)
So it's appearing that my Reds Room seems to be some sort of anomaly in this area, and the people who've had the pleasure to visit and see it have, judging by their reactions, been duly impressed -- or shocked -- or both.
There are different types of collectors out there. Those who seek lots of autographed and signed items, those who go after lots of authentic and game-used items, knick-knack collectors, or those who focus on certain things like photos, or glass, or bobbleheads, or posters, etc. Of course, there are combinations and collections that contain lots of different items.
I'm a knick-knack guy, I think. I've never been a big autograph hound, and the signatures I do get, I like to get in person, so I have very little interest in buying signed items. (Plus, signed items are significantly more pricey than unsigned items.) I'm not a big game-used fan either, even though there are some pieces I wouldn't mind having. And make no mistake, I have game-used items, and some autographs and signed items in my collection. But really, how many Pete Rose autographs do I need?
So I tend to focus on branded items. Old and new. I like glass-ware, and baseballs, and figurines. Truth is, I'm not a giant bobblehead fan, but since that seams to be about the only promo items the team issues anymore, I have quite a few. Even then, I don't go after every single Joey Votto bobblehead out there. Otherwise, I'd have 20 or so Votto bobbles alone, and I just don't need that many.
I have a lot of photos, and cups and cans and mugs and glasses. Cereal boxes, RC Cans, beverage bottles, and just a wide variety of other items. Items I've had since I was a young boy, and items I bought just last week. If it has a Reds logo on it, I'm interested in it. (I've considered starting a video blog to highlight and discuss some of my more favorite pieces. I might.)
So why do I do it? I mean, why so extensively? I've often wondered that myself. And the best answer I can come up with is... memories. For me, the Reds are all about memories. Memories of my childhood, of growing up, of playing baseball myself, with my brother and my friends. Memories with my wife, and then my kids. I have loads of memories that revolve around the Cincinnati Reds. I could literally spend days telling you stories about my life that either directly involve the Reds or a Reds game, or in some other fashion have the Reds, or even just Cincinnati, as a backdrop to the story.
It started as a young boy. When I first started watching and becoming aware of baseball, it was the mid 1970's. And if you watched baseball at that time, especially in the midwest where I grew up, you were watching the Big Red Machine, and usually, they were pounding on somebody. Roundly considered to be one of the greatest teams of all time, it was almost impossible to not be a fan of that team. To this day, when people find I'm a Reds fan, no matter what team they are a fan of now, that person will tell me, "Oh yeah, I used to love the Big Red Machine. Bench and Morgan and Rose... loved those guys." I've met countless Yankees, Cubs, Dodgers, or Red Sox fans who have told me that Johnny Bench or Pete Rose was their favorite player when they were growing up. Almost everyone loved, or at least respected, the Reds of the 70's.
I started, as most young boys do: by collecting baseball cards, specifically the Reds. My Dad, who was a truck driver, after being gone for days at a time, would bring home cards to me and my brother and we'd open the packs searching for the Reds players as if we were sifting for gold. Packs of baseball cards cost .25 each at that time, so as I grew up, every time I saved up a dollar somehow, I'd go buy four packs of baseball cards. A few years later, the cost rose to .30 per pack, so then the goal became to save up $3 so I could go buy 10 packs of cards! It was literally all I cared about spending my money on.
Memories.
Over time, I began to get other items. Photos, or pennants, or a Reds yearbook, or a baseball. I somehow acquired a Reds seat cushion back in the early 80's, and I still have it to this day. And a 1981 yearbook that I personally had signed by several players, including my idol, Dave Concepcion. Today, it is my most prized possession. And it just grew from there.
Memories.
Over the years, as I would acquire something, either buying it myself or receiving it as a gift, I just never got rid of it. And the collection grew. As I got married, my wife, God bless her, accepted my fandom and took it on as well. Early in our marriage, before we had kids (or much money!) going to Cincy for a couple games was a relatively inexpensive couple days of vacation for us. We could check out the city and catch some games, and stay in our favorite hotel for not a lot of money. Better yet, we could visit my family who lived in Cincy, and we spent precious time with them. My wife and I spent many a day in Cincinnati, just the two of us, bonding and growing (up) together.
Memories.
When we had kids, going to Reds game became a family outing. Again, it was cheaper and easier than a Disney vacation. Often, we would wake up on a Saturday and just decide to drive over to the game. Believe it or not, it was not much more expensive than taking us all out for dinner and movie. The kids loved it, and they began to collect Reds stuff. So many hours of just bonding with my boys. Each of my boys had a Reds-themed bedroom at one time or another as they were growing up, and I displayed what items I could in my office or around the house. Eventually, after so many years, we finally just piled it all together into one place -- our living room.
Memories.
Today, my kids have left all of what was theirs with me, so the collection can stay all in one place. And now, it gets added to on a regular basis. I suspect my kids are thrilled to know they get to inherit all this someday (wink-wink!)
Memories.
But here it is... my parents divorced when I was 10 years old, and my father, who wasn't around much when they were married, was largely absent from my life for the next 10 years. My Mom was great. She had to play both roles for many years, and did the best job possible. But as anyone knows, there isn't a mother in the world who can replace the role a good father should play in the lives of their children. And I had some great men who stepped up in my life and mentored me. And especially my brother, who took me under his wings and fathered me. And played with and taught me how to play baseball. I can never thank him enough for helping shape me into the man I am today.
Please understand this... I'm not blaming my Dad for anything, nor do I hold some weird grudge. My father and I made amends a few years before his death. We loved each other dearly and I'm so thankful for the time we got to share together. But as a young boy, especially as I entered my teens, without a father in the house, I could have taken a lot of different paths in my life. A young teen has a lot of different options in front of him, and without the proper guidance, sometimes the best choices aren't always made.
For me, I was occupied with baseball, and primarily the Cincinnati Reds. How the Reds fared in each game each day mattered to me. Listening to Reds radio broadcasts, or catching the occasional game on TV not only interested me, but occupied my time that could have been spent in other ways. In the days before the internet and instant news, waking up to check the box scores in the morning paper served the same purpose.
Reds games mattered to a young boy like me, and they gave me something on which to focus my time and energy, and gave me something to which to aspire and look up. Reds shortstop Dave Concepcion was my childhood idol, and he was there, every night, in my life during every game of the summer year after year.
Memories.
The Reds mattered to me then, and they matter to me now, and the best I can tell you is that my Reds Room honors all that, and somehow represents my gratitude to them for shaping the life of a young teenager in a positive way all those years ago. Calling it a shrine might be too strong of a word, but it is most definitely a great source of comfort to me, and being in the Room floods me with memories. Of Dads, and Sons, and Wives, and Friends, and "This one belongs to the Reds!" It just makes me happy.
And I like showing it off to my friends, and I get a kick out of their reactions, and I'm happy to tell the stories that answer their questions. Perhaps you'll like it too!
Come down for a visit. We've got a guest room for you to stay, and we can catch a game together!
Yes, my Reds room. As in, The Cincinnati Reds. Not my "Red" room, which is a particular prop room from a recent string of fairly successful books and films that served an entirely different purpose than does my "Reds" room, but I digress.
Many who have seen it call it a man cave, and I suppose it fits the criteria as such, but that's not really what I consider it to be, given that I do not retire to the room for the purposes of getting away from the women in my life, and that my wife often spends time in the room with me.
Aside from housing my musical instruments, featuring a full 6-piece drum kit, guitars, two amps, a banjo, and a mini keyboard, it is what you might expect it to be: a room filled with Cincinnati Reds memorabilia, dedicated to my love of all things Reds. It features the obligatory big screen television, with a Playstation 4, a vintage Atari game console (with its own dedicated vintage TV), a pool table, compliments of my son and his college buddies, a mini fridge cooling bottled water and glass-bottled (yes, glass) Coke products, a Keurig coffee maker and a microwave. Oh yeah, and there is a vintage (looking) gum ball machine filled with red M&M's. And yes, you have to put a coin in to get them to dispense.
Outside of the other various pieces of furniture in the room for lounging purposes, there's nary another item in the room that is not either branded with the Reds, or bears some other connection to the team.
If you've seen it, you are already aware of the extensive collection I have. So I'll just speak to those who have not seen it yet: I can assure you -- not because I'm boasting, but because of the reaction of those who have seen the Room for the first time -- that whatever image you have conjured in your head right now doesn't begin to touch the reality.
I try to warn people, I really do. I tell them that I am a fan on a really scary level, and that my collection is extensive beyond their imagination, but when the actually see it, the reactions usually involve some sort of curse word, a cry out to the Lord, "I had no idea!" stunned silence, or some combination of all of those. The terms "Awesome" and "Incredible" and "Unbelievable" are frequently uttered as well, but I don't wanna sound as though I'm bragging.
When we lived in Indiana, my sons and I convinced my wife to let us turn our living room into our Reds room, to which she ultimately agreed after much prodding and pleading for several years. Though smaller than my collection now, it was still an extensive display in a much smaller room. But having grown up and lived in Indiana my whole life, all my friends knowing me most of their lives, the reaction to first seeing the Room was far less dramatic than it is here in SC. Most people would walk into our Living Room, take a look around, and say something like, "Yeah, this is pretty much what we expected from you."
But down here, it's a much bigger deal. I'll grant that its a bigger room, and because of such, we've added quite a bit to the collection since moving here. But in my little neck of the woods here in SC, there doesn't appear to be the fandom for pro teams around here to the level of mine with the Reds.
A few reasons: One, we're not that close to too many pro teams. Atlanta is the closest baseball team, four hours away, and Jacksonville is the closest football team. But, let's be honest, there just aren't that many Jaguars fans, especially for a team that doesn't have a rich, decades-long history.
Two, everybody who lives here is from somewhere else. So you find pockets of fans of teams from all over the country, of all different sports, but not giant throngs of such. The place I go to watch NFL games each Sunday (because the Colts aren't on local TV) is actually the official NFL viewing bar in this area for the Buffalo Bills. I didn't even know bars could be official NFL team viewing bars. The place is packed every Sunday with Bills fans, but I suspect they encompass every Bills fan in the area.
Three, in the absence of pro teams nearby, there are HUGE college allegiances here. Clemson, South Carolina, and Georgia college sports is a big deal around here. Being from Indiana, I thought IU-Purdue was a big rivalry. But that doesn't hold a candle to the Clemson-USC-Georgia rivalry down here. It's on a whole other level. But I find, overall, even big college fans don't tend to have large memorabilia collections. At the least the ones I've encountered don't. (There is a restaurant out on Hilton Head Island that is dedicated primarily to Ohio State that boasts a pretty impressive collection and decor.)
So it's appearing that my Reds Room seems to be some sort of anomaly in this area, and the people who've had the pleasure to visit and see it have, judging by their reactions, been duly impressed -- or shocked -- or both.
There are different types of collectors out there. Those who seek lots of autographed and signed items, those who go after lots of authentic and game-used items, knick-knack collectors, or those who focus on certain things like photos, or glass, or bobbleheads, or posters, etc. Of course, there are combinations and collections that contain lots of different items.
I'm a knick-knack guy, I think. I've never been a big autograph hound, and the signatures I do get, I like to get in person, so I have very little interest in buying signed items. (Plus, signed items are significantly more pricey than unsigned items.) I'm not a big game-used fan either, even though there are some pieces I wouldn't mind having. And make no mistake, I have game-used items, and some autographs and signed items in my collection. But really, how many Pete Rose autographs do I need?
So I tend to focus on branded items. Old and new. I like glass-ware, and baseballs, and figurines. Truth is, I'm not a giant bobblehead fan, but since that seams to be about the only promo items the team issues anymore, I have quite a few. Even then, I don't go after every single Joey Votto bobblehead out there. Otherwise, I'd have 20 or so Votto bobbles alone, and I just don't need that many.
I have a lot of photos, and cups and cans and mugs and glasses. Cereal boxes, RC Cans, beverage bottles, and just a wide variety of other items. Items I've had since I was a young boy, and items I bought just last week. If it has a Reds logo on it, I'm interested in it. (I've considered starting a video blog to highlight and discuss some of my more favorite pieces. I might.)
So why do I do it? I mean, why so extensively? I've often wondered that myself. And the best answer I can come up with is... memories. For me, the Reds are all about memories. Memories of my childhood, of growing up, of playing baseball myself, with my brother and my friends. Memories with my wife, and then my kids. I have loads of memories that revolve around the Cincinnati Reds. I could literally spend days telling you stories about my life that either directly involve the Reds or a Reds game, or in some other fashion have the Reds, or even just Cincinnati, as a backdrop to the story.
It started as a young boy. When I first started watching and becoming aware of baseball, it was the mid 1970's. And if you watched baseball at that time, especially in the midwest where I grew up, you were watching the Big Red Machine, and usually, they were pounding on somebody. Roundly considered to be one of the greatest teams of all time, it was almost impossible to not be a fan of that team. To this day, when people find I'm a Reds fan, no matter what team they are a fan of now, that person will tell me, "Oh yeah, I used to love the Big Red Machine. Bench and Morgan and Rose... loved those guys." I've met countless Yankees, Cubs, Dodgers, or Red Sox fans who have told me that Johnny Bench or Pete Rose was their favorite player when they were growing up. Almost everyone loved, or at least respected, the Reds of the 70's.
I started, as most young boys do: by collecting baseball cards, specifically the Reds. My Dad, who was a truck driver, after being gone for days at a time, would bring home cards to me and my brother and we'd open the packs searching for the Reds players as if we were sifting for gold. Packs of baseball cards cost .25 each at that time, so as I grew up, every time I saved up a dollar somehow, I'd go buy four packs of baseball cards. A few years later, the cost rose to .30 per pack, so then the goal became to save up $3 so I could go buy 10 packs of cards! It was literally all I cared about spending my money on.
Memories.
Over time, I began to get other items. Photos, or pennants, or a Reds yearbook, or a baseball. I somehow acquired a Reds seat cushion back in the early 80's, and I still have it to this day. And a 1981 yearbook that I personally had signed by several players, including my idol, Dave Concepcion. Today, it is my most prized possession. And it just grew from there.
Memories.
Over the years, as I would acquire something, either buying it myself or receiving it as a gift, I just never got rid of it. And the collection grew. As I got married, my wife, God bless her, accepted my fandom and took it on as well. Early in our marriage, before we had kids (or much money!) going to Cincy for a couple games was a relatively inexpensive couple days of vacation for us. We could check out the city and catch some games, and stay in our favorite hotel for not a lot of money. Better yet, we could visit my family who lived in Cincy, and we spent precious time with them. My wife and I spent many a day in Cincinnati, just the two of us, bonding and growing (up) together.
Memories.
When we had kids, going to Reds game became a family outing. Again, it was cheaper and easier than a Disney vacation. Often, we would wake up on a Saturday and just decide to drive over to the game. Believe it or not, it was not much more expensive than taking us all out for dinner and movie. The kids loved it, and they began to collect Reds stuff. So many hours of just bonding with my boys. Each of my boys had a Reds-themed bedroom at one time or another as they were growing up, and I displayed what items I could in my office or around the house. Eventually, after so many years, we finally just piled it all together into one place -- our living room.
Memories.
Today, my kids have left all of what was theirs with me, so the collection can stay all in one place. And now, it gets added to on a regular basis. I suspect my kids are thrilled to know they get to inherit all this someday (wink-wink!)
Memories.
But here it is... my parents divorced when I was 10 years old, and my father, who wasn't around much when they were married, was largely absent from my life for the next 10 years. My Mom was great. She had to play both roles for many years, and did the best job possible. But as anyone knows, there isn't a mother in the world who can replace the role a good father should play in the lives of their children. And I had some great men who stepped up in my life and mentored me. And especially my brother, who took me under his wings and fathered me. And played with and taught me how to play baseball. I can never thank him enough for helping shape me into the man I am today.
Please understand this... I'm not blaming my Dad for anything, nor do I hold some weird grudge. My father and I made amends a few years before his death. We loved each other dearly and I'm so thankful for the time we got to share together. But as a young boy, especially as I entered my teens, without a father in the house, I could have taken a lot of different paths in my life. A young teen has a lot of different options in front of him, and without the proper guidance, sometimes the best choices aren't always made.
For me, I was occupied with baseball, and primarily the Cincinnati Reds. How the Reds fared in each game each day mattered to me. Listening to Reds radio broadcasts, or catching the occasional game on TV not only interested me, but occupied my time that could have been spent in other ways. In the days before the internet and instant news, waking up to check the box scores in the morning paper served the same purpose.
Reds games mattered to a young boy like me, and they gave me something on which to focus my time and energy, and gave me something to which to aspire and look up. Reds shortstop Dave Concepcion was my childhood idol, and he was there, every night, in my life during every game of the summer year after year.
Memories.
The Reds mattered to me then, and they matter to me now, and the best I can tell you is that my Reds Room honors all that, and somehow represents my gratitude to them for shaping the life of a young teenager in a positive way all those years ago. Calling it a shrine might be too strong of a word, but it is most definitely a great source of comfort to me, and being in the Room floods me with memories. Of Dads, and Sons, and Wives, and Friends, and "This one belongs to the Reds!" It just makes me happy.
And I like showing it off to my friends, and I get a kick out of their reactions, and I'm happy to tell the stories that answer their questions. Perhaps you'll like it too!
Come down for a visit. We've got a guest room for you to stay, and we can catch a game together!
Monday, November 5, 2018
How Can a Christian Vote for Donald Trump?
Many have asked me over the past couple years how I can reconcile voting for Donald Trump with my faith as a Christian. To be fair, a good many of those questions have come from liberals who are not necessarily Christians themselves, but a good number of those have been from followers of Jesus, on both the left and the right of the political spectrum.
My answer to each has been simple: It is BECAUSE of my faith I voted for Donald Trump in the last election. And it is because of my faith I am going to vote Republican in the upcoming midterm elections, voting for candidates who claim (and I pray) will work together with Trump and his administration to further the agenda he has embarked upon in his first two years in office.
First, a little background. We all know Trump's history. As a playboy, as a businessman, as a billionaire, and as a celebrity. We know of his brashness, his "speak-what's-on-his-mind" style, and his unabashed and unapologetic dedication to being himself no matter what others think. And if you've done a little research, you will also know of his benevolence, his charity, his philanthropy, and his commitment to those who are loyal to him.
When he entered the presidential race in late 2015 -- something he'd toyed with doing for well over a decade -- nobody, and I mean nobody, gave him a chance to win anything. Nobody thought he'd beat the Republican heavyweights he mowed through in the primaries. And nobody thought he'd win the Presidency, especially against Hillary. She was indeed so shocked she'd lost that she could not even face the public the night of the election to concede the race.
I predicted he'd win the moment he entered the race, but I'll admit, there were other Republican candidates I liked better, and whom I felt were better qualified, in the primaries. The whole lot of them would have made a good President, but I was, and am still, particularly fond of Governor Walker from Wisconsin and Governor Perry from Texas. They had my support for as long as they were in the race, which wasn't very long. And I don't mind admitting that I voted for Ted Cruz in the Indiana primary, even though the race for the nomination was all but over by then.
But the system is what it is. We live in a particular form of government that has a particular set of rules. My favorite didn't win the nomination. And so, come November, there were two people on ballot: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. And let me be clear, even though I felt some others were better qualified, and/or better people in general, I was still a fan of Trump, believing all along that his business acumen was exactly what our country needed in a President.
Now, back to my faith as a Christian. There's something very important to remember: Just because our favorite candidate doesn't win our party's nomination doesn't mean we shouldn't participate in the system. There's no call for taking our ball and going home. In fact, it could be said the very reason a man like Donald Trump won the nomination at all was because too many Christians sit it out, either whining that their guy or girl isn't winning, or worse, falsely believing that AS Christians, we're somehow supposed to rise above it and not play at all, as though we're called to some higher responsibility.
A Christian friend of mine recently told me that "Jesus exists outside of the political theatre, and He calls us to do the same." My friend couldn't be more wrong. Jesus doesn't exist outside of anything. He transcends all, according to our faith, but there isn't anything apart from which He exists, much less the very governments that oversee our everyday lives. But more on that later.
As far as the United States is concerned, statistics show that upwards of 60% of the population claim to have some sort of faith in God. The US boasts the largest Christian population in the world -- nearly 240 million people. It's no mistake. Despite what many in society, and the media talking heads like to claim, our country was indeed founded on Biblical principles, and a belief in the God of the Bible. We are a country founded on God, by people who were escaping not only political, but religious persecution from their home land. And their ancestors in our current population bear that out. If all 240 million Christians could unite and would vote, there is nothing that could stop them. The white vote, or the black vote, or the Woman vote, or the Latino vote, or the illegal vote wouldn't matter at all. God's people could control the entire government of the United States if only they wanted to. Sadly, they don't. Or, more accurately, a good deal of them don't.
Which leaves many who are followers of Jesus, like myself, to continue to try to do the right thing every time we step up to vote.
It's trendy in today's society to pretend we don't belong to one political party or another. For some reason, having a set of ideals on which to stand, and uniting with a tribe has become, at least in concept, very unpopular. But the reality is that we all still tend to lean one way or the other. It makes people feel good to stand in the middle and say they're able to look past the rhetoric and stay out of the political fray from the right and the left, but when they vote, they still tend to vote one way or the other, because, like it or not, they still have a set of beliefs to which they ascribe.
For Republicans and Democrats, and, more accurately, Conservatives and Liberals (the term "Progressives" is so grossly inaccurate, I refuse to use it) it's much easier. Each camp has a very defined and very precise set of ideals on which they stand. They are, for the most part, detailed quite nicely in each Party's platform.
Donald Trump, at least up until his election, did not portray the kind of lifestyle many would describe as being particularly "religious." Not to be too judgmental, but I wouldn't have called him a Christian. But he said something very important during his acceptance speech for the nomination. While acknowledging he hadn't earned evangelical support, he nevertheless thanked them for their support, and he vowed to fight to protect religious freedom at the government level, and it is a promise he has kept since he has taken office.
That election, for me, was not the "lesser of two evils" as many wanted to describe it. Donald Trump, while not the Christian pillar we would all have hoped for as followers of Jesus, nevertheless stood in opposition to what I believed (and still do) to be pure evil on the other side. Hillary Clinton is a snake of the first order, and I believe her presidency would have further spun us down a hole that had been started by Obama's 8 years of Liberal policy. Obama moved us farther away from Christian principles in this country than any other president in our history, with every policy he enacted and supported advancing an agenda that devalued our beliefs in Christ, eroded Christian liberties in our society, further broke down religious freedoms, suppressed the open support and faith in Christianity, supported radical Islamic and Muslim faiths, giving rise to unprecedented Islamic terrorism throughout the world, and praised, supported, and fathered legislation that stands in direct conflict with Christian values and beliefs. He believes he has the right to tell us how we can can and can't protect our own families. He represented a party and an ideology that believes a woman has the right to kill off her own children, and indeed even celebrates that it happens millions of times a year! Hillary, who I believe is far more despicable than Obama could ever hope to be, would have not only advanced the same agenda, but would have doubled down on it.
Donald Trump, while no saint, stood in direct opposition of all that, and still does. His recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capitol, and the movement of our US embassy to that city was not only a move that was friendly to Christians, and good for the United States, it was also a promise that has been made by several Presidents in the past and never carried out. Trump promised it during the campaign, and delivered on it almost immediately. It was the right thing to do. His commitment to nominating conservative judges who will interpret the Constitution as is to federal courts will ensure that religious liberties are protected to a much higher degree than they are now. And his choice of Mike Pence, a great man of faith, as his Vice-President was no accident. It was a deliberate attempt to make sure his administration reached out to people of faith.
His war against radical Islamic terrorism has all but shut down ISIS across the globe. And his commitment to strengthening our military has placed the United States back at the forefront of world respect as a leader and protector of less fortunate countries. The media wants us to believe we are a laughing stock all over the world as far as immigration and human rights are concerned. But if that is the case, then why are thousands of refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers flocking to our country even as we speak?
Lower taxes means more discretionary income for the average worker, which means more opportunities to give to charitable organizations that help those in need. And while I'm not sure abortion will ever be legislated away, a commitment from Trump to defund worthless organizations like Planned Parenthood will help ensure that at least taxpayer money isn't used to fund their demonic practices.
No, as a Christian, Donald Trump was not an ideal candidate. But let's not forget something: As Christians, we are supposed to forgive others just as we have been forgiven. We are supposed to seek the best in people. We are supposed to believe that God can change hearts and lives. Donald Trump is not a young man anymore. He's a man with a lot of life experience under his belt, with kids and grandkids to think about. He is not unlike all of us -- imperfect people who have made a lot of mistakes in their lifetimes and have grown from those mistakes. I can't speak to the condition of Donald Trump's soul as it relates to his relationship with God. And I believe God can save and change anyone.
Since Trump's election, (and really in the several years before that) I've seen nothing of the womanizing of which he's accused. Nothing of the bigotry or racism the media likes to shout about. He doesn't hate women, or blacks, or other minorities. He hasn't said or done a great deal of the things the media claims, and the video and audio they DO have supporting such claims all come from a much younger Trump years in the past. I'm not trying to make excuses. I'm simply telling you what I see. And what I see is a man who has not only vociferously ticked off one campaign promise after another, but a man who has been devoted to his wife and children, standing up for them as a man should do when they've been attacked. I see a man who promised to protect religious liberties and has done that very thing. I see a man who doesn't back down from a fight, even if his mouth occasionally spouts off before he thinks. I see a man who doesn't dodge the press, but instead calls them out when they are out of line, or flat out intentionally misleading, even to the point of being the target of every media attack they can throw at him. Calling out Fake News isn't a war on the media, but rather a charge for them to adhere to the truthful and ethical standards about which they squawk, but sadly to which few of them ascribe anymore.
I see a man who has put up with vile hatred and vitriol the likes of which no President has ever seen, and yet keeps plugging away every day at his job, giving his paycheck away to charity.
I see a changed man. I do. You might not. And that might be because you simply don't want to. But as for me, I choose to see the best, even if he isn't the absolute best we have to offer. (As though that person really existed.)
As a Christian, I don't get to demand who my candidate is. I can vote for the options placed before me, and hope for the best. But if the best doesn't win, it doesn't mean I should quit the system. It doesn't mean I should waste votes on candidates who have no chance to fix, change, or affect anything just so I can feel better about myself by making a stand on my beliefs. As a Christian, I should cast the most informed and impactful vote I can cast. If I sit it out, I let the other side decide our fate. Worse, if I don't like a set of candidates and choose to vote for someone who has no chance of winning, I allow others -- particularly my opposition -- cast votes that ultimately hold more importance than my own.
Regardless of his background, Donald Trump was the candidate that opposed the evil that stood before us. He has done virtually nothing in his presidency to suggest he won't continue that opposition.
As Christians, our vote in this midterm election must be for candidates who pledge to continue to work together with Trump in that opposition, and to further strengthening the values that we hold dear. The Bible doesn't call us away from the fray, but rather into it! We are to be subject to the governing authorities (Romans 13 and I Peter 2) and yet pray for them as well, with supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings! (I Timothy) If we did those things, imagine the candidates we could have!
And who knows? Maybe in the end, God can change another heart and save another soul!
My answer to each has been simple: It is BECAUSE of my faith I voted for Donald Trump in the last election. And it is because of my faith I am going to vote Republican in the upcoming midterm elections, voting for candidates who claim (and I pray) will work together with Trump and his administration to further the agenda he has embarked upon in his first two years in office.
First, a little background. We all know Trump's history. As a playboy, as a businessman, as a billionaire, and as a celebrity. We know of his brashness, his "speak-what's-on-his-mind" style, and his unabashed and unapologetic dedication to being himself no matter what others think. And if you've done a little research, you will also know of his benevolence, his charity, his philanthropy, and his commitment to those who are loyal to him.
When he entered the presidential race in late 2015 -- something he'd toyed with doing for well over a decade -- nobody, and I mean nobody, gave him a chance to win anything. Nobody thought he'd beat the Republican heavyweights he mowed through in the primaries. And nobody thought he'd win the Presidency, especially against Hillary. She was indeed so shocked she'd lost that she could not even face the public the night of the election to concede the race.
I predicted he'd win the moment he entered the race, but I'll admit, there were other Republican candidates I liked better, and whom I felt were better qualified, in the primaries. The whole lot of them would have made a good President, but I was, and am still, particularly fond of Governor Walker from Wisconsin and Governor Perry from Texas. They had my support for as long as they were in the race, which wasn't very long. And I don't mind admitting that I voted for Ted Cruz in the Indiana primary, even though the race for the nomination was all but over by then.
But the system is what it is. We live in a particular form of government that has a particular set of rules. My favorite didn't win the nomination. And so, come November, there were two people on ballot: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. And let me be clear, even though I felt some others were better qualified, and/or better people in general, I was still a fan of Trump, believing all along that his business acumen was exactly what our country needed in a President.
Now, back to my faith as a Christian. There's something very important to remember: Just because our favorite candidate doesn't win our party's nomination doesn't mean we shouldn't participate in the system. There's no call for taking our ball and going home. In fact, it could be said the very reason a man like Donald Trump won the nomination at all was because too many Christians sit it out, either whining that their guy or girl isn't winning, or worse, falsely believing that AS Christians, we're somehow supposed to rise above it and not play at all, as though we're called to some higher responsibility.
A Christian friend of mine recently told me that "Jesus exists outside of the political theatre, and He calls us to do the same." My friend couldn't be more wrong. Jesus doesn't exist outside of anything. He transcends all, according to our faith, but there isn't anything apart from which He exists, much less the very governments that oversee our everyday lives. But more on that later.
As far as the United States is concerned, statistics show that upwards of 60% of the population claim to have some sort of faith in God. The US boasts the largest Christian population in the world -- nearly 240 million people. It's no mistake. Despite what many in society, and the media talking heads like to claim, our country was indeed founded on Biblical principles, and a belief in the God of the Bible. We are a country founded on God, by people who were escaping not only political, but religious persecution from their home land. And their ancestors in our current population bear that out. If all 240 million Christians could unite and would vote, there is nothing that could stop them. The white vote, or the black vote, or the Woman vote, or the Latino vote, or the illegal vote wouldn't matter at all. God's people could control the entire government of the United States if only they wanted to. Sadly, they don't. Or, more accurately, a good deal of them don't.
Which leaves many who are followers of Jesus, like myself, to continue to try to do the right thing every time we step up to vote.
It's trendy in today's society to pretend we don't belong to one political party or another. For some reason, having a set of ideals on which to stand, and uniting with a tribe has become, at least in concept, very unpopular. But the reality is that we all still tend to lean one way or the other. It makes people feel good to stand in the middle and say they're able to look past the rhetoric and stay out of the political fray from the right and the left, but when they vote, they still tend to vote one way or the other, because, like it or not, they still have a set of beliefs to which they ascribe.
For Republicans and Democrats, and, more accurately, Conservatives and Liberals (the term "Progressives" is so grossly inaccurate, I refuse to use it) it's much easier. Each camp has a very defined and very precise set of ideals on which they stand. They are, for the most part, detailed quite nicely in each Party's platform.
Donald Trump, at least up until his election, did not portray the kind of lifestyle many would describe as being particularly "religious." Not to be too judgmental, but I wouldn't have called him a Christian. But he said something very important during his acceptance speech for the nomination. While acknowledging he hadn't earned evangelical support, he nevertheless thanked them for their support, and he vowed to fight to protect religious freedom at the government level, and it is a promise he has kept since he has taken office.
That election, for me, was not the "lesser of two evils" as many wanted to describe it. Donald Trump, while not the Christian pillar we would all have hoped for as followers of Jesus, nevertheless stood in opposition to what I believed (and still do) to be pure evil on the other side. Hillary Clinton is a snake of the first order, and I believe her presidency would have further spun us down a hole that had been started by Obama's 8 years of Liberal policy. Obama moved us farther away from Christian principles in this country than any other president in our history, with every policy he enacted and supported advancing an agenda that devalued our beliefs in Christ, eroded Christian liberties in our society, further broke down religious freedoms, suppressed the open support and faith in Christianity, supported radical Islamic and Muslim faiths, giving rise to unprecedented Islamic terrorism throughout the world, and praised, supported, and fathered legislation that stands in direct conflict with Christian values and beliefs. He believes he has the right to tell us how we can can and can't protect our own families. He represented a party and an ideology that believes a woman has the right to kill off her own children, and indeed even celebrates that it happens millions of times a year! Hillary, who I believe is far more despicable than Obama could ever hope to be, would have not only advanced the same agenda, but would have doubled down on it.
Donald Trump, while no saint, stood in direct opposition of all that, and still does. His recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capitol, and the movement of our US embassy to that city was not only a move that was friendly to Christians, and good for the United States, it was also a promise that has been made by several Presidents in the past and never carried out. Trump promised it during the campaign, and delivered on it almost immediately. It was the right thing to do. His commitment to nominating conservative judges who will interpret the Constitution as is to federal courts will ensure that religious liberties are protected to a much higher degree than they are now. And his choice of Mike Pence, a great man of faith, as his Vice-President was no accident. It was a deliberate attempt to make sure his administration reached out to people of faith.
His war against radical Islamic terrorism has all but shut down ISIS across the globe. And his commitment to strengthening our military has placed the United States back at the forefront of world respect as a leader and protector of less fortunate countries. The media wants us to believe we are a laughing stock all over the world as far as immigration and human rights are concerned. But if that is the case, then why are thousands of refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers flocking to our country even as we speak?
Lower taxes means more discretionary income for the average worker, which means more opportunities to give to charitable organizations that help those in need. And while I'm not sure abortion will ever be legislated away, a commitment from Trump to defund worthless organizations like Planned Parenthood will help ensure that at least taxpayer money isn't used to fund their demonic practices.
No, as a Christian, Donald Trump was not an ideal candidate. But let's not forget something: As Christians, we are supposed to forgive others just as we have been forgiven. We are supposed to seek the best in people. We are supposed to believe that God can change hearts and lives. Donald Trump is not a young man anymore. He's a man with a lot of life experience under his belt, with kids and grandkids to think about. He is not unlike all of us -- imperfect people who have made a lot of mistakes in their lifetimes and have grown from those mistakes. I can't speak to the condition of Donald Trump's soul as it relates to his relationship with God. And I believe God can save and change anyone.
Since Trump's election, (and really in the several years before that) I've seen nothing of the womanizing of which he's accused. Nothing of the bigotry or racism the media likes to shout about. He doesn't hate women, or blacks, or other minorities. He hasn't said or done a great deal of the things the media claims, and the video and audio they DO have supporting such claims all come from a much younger Trump years in the past. I'm not trying to make excuses. I'm simply telling you what I see. And what I see is a man who has not only vociferously ticked off one campaign promise after another, but a man who has been devoted to his wife and children, standing up for them as a man should do when they've been attacked. I see a man who promised to protect religious liberties and has done that very thing. I see a man who doesn't back down from a fight, even if his mouth occasionally spouts off before he thinks. I see a man who doesn't dodge the press, but instead calls them out when they are out of line, or flat out intentionally misleading, even to the point of being the target of every media attack they can throw at him. Calling out Fake News isn't a war on the media, but rather a charge for them to adhere to the truthful and ethical standards about which they squawk, but sadly to which few of them ascribe anymore.
I see a man who has put up with vile hatred and vitriol the likes of which no President has ever seen, and yet keeps plugging away every day at his job, giving his paycheck away to charity.
I see a changed man. I do. You might not. And that might be because you simply don't want to. But as for me, I choose to see the best, even if he isn't the absolute best we have to offer. (As though that person really existed.)
As a Christian, I don't get to demand who my candidate is. I can vote for the options placed before me, and hope for the best. But if the best doesn't win, it doesn't mean I should quit the system. It doesn't mean I should waste votes on candidates who have no chance to fix, change, or affect anything just so I can feel better about myself by making a stand on my beliefs. As a Christian, I should cast the most informed and impactful vote I can cast. If I sit it out, I let the other side decide our fate. Worse, if I don't like a set of candidates and choose to vote for someone who has no chance of winning, I allow others -- particularly my opposition -- cast votes that ultimately hold more importance than my own.
Regardless of his background, Donald Trump was the candidate that opposed the evil that stood before us. He has done virtually nothing in his presidency to suggest he won't continue that opposition.
As Christians, our vote in this midterm election must be for candidates who pledge to continue to work together with Trump in that opposition, and to further strengthening the values that we hold dear. The Bible doesn't call us away from the fray, but rather into it! We are to be subject to the governing authorities (Romans 13 and I Peter 2) and yet pray for them as well, with supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings! (I Timothy) If we did those things, imagine the candidates we could have!
And who knows? Maybe in the end, God can change another heart and save another soul!
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