First off, Happy New Year! What a year 2012 was. So much so that I don't even know where to start. I have said it before, and I do not say it lightly- last year was most likely the hardest year of my life (yet). That doesn't mean there were not some absolutely great moments and memories that will last forever. No, I will always remember 2012 as a year of growth. Growth, however, is not always easy and more often than not, it's painful. So I will look back on 2012 and think what a year of growth.
I was stretched more than I thought possible and yet continued to stretch some more. I look back on 2012 and can honestly say that I am proud of where I have been and what has gotten me to this point. That's all part of life, right? Making choices and decisions and then living/learning to live with them. I made choices and I had to live with them. I made a choice to serve in a way I had never even thought or heard of before. I had no idea what lie ahead of me but I prayed and thought and prayed some more and knew without a doubt I was supposed to do this. So, I joined AmeriCorps and became a VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) serving a Southern California nonprofit organization for one full year as a full time Marketing/Fund Development Coordinator. And what a year it was.
I can't change anything about 2012 nor do I have any desire to do so. I am here in 2013- happy, healthy and have family that are just as happy and healthy as I am. I wouldn't change a thing. I only survived, and again I do not say that word lightly, because I did simply survive, this past year with the support of my amazing family and friends. Having a loving man by my side made the struggle bearable, even enjoyable at times. Through it all, we have come out together and even stronger for it. Our families both have been simply amazing and so supportive when times were rough.
This last year brought joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, friends and even better friends. As much as I wanted to quit and just give up everything, I didn't. I surprised myself in more ways than one but I never quit. And I am so glad I didn't. Because this past year has brought me tremendous strength and that is what I will take from 2012. I will enter 2013 with even more strength and confidence in myself to take on whatever life has left to throw at me. Bring it on. Because I'm ready for a great year.
So Happy New Year and sincerely best wishes for a fabulous year. Many, many blessings to all.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Sunday, December 16, 2012
A Nation Divided in Tragedy
As I read Facebook I have to be honest, I just get more angry. I HATE that immediately we as a nation have to place blame and find wrong-doings in our government as a way to cope with such violence.
I have refrained from posting anything political related to this incident. Honestly, I have tried to refrain from posting anything at all because honestly it just brings up too much for me, personally.
I understand needing to find blame and wrong-doing in order to cope with this tragedy but that simply is not ok. We will NEVER understand these SENSELESS acts of violence, because they are just that- senseless. They are not meaningless, but they will never make sense- we will never make sense of it. So why try? Are we not furthering the divide currently in our society? Should we not come together as one nation, one people, for our brothers and sisters?
Here is my two-cents... I do not claim to have any real logical way of stopping this kind of violence and I do not know what the answer/solution is that we all yearn for. But here's what I think..
The real issue here is our society. We are broken. We are divided- politically, religiously, morally, ethically- we could not be a more divided nation. Even in times, especially in times, of distress. We as humans must find someone, something to blame. So we immediately turn against each other. Following this recent tragedy in Connecticut the country was immediately divided on gun control issues. This side believes this and that side believes that. There. DONE. Move on. We are not going to fix the problem as a divided people. I don't agree with you. You don't agree with me. FINE. MOVE ON. How do we fix the problem. Stop arguing over who is right and who is wrong. That doesn't matter at this point.
I also am concerned with the lack of concern for those with mental illness. Even the words as I type them, I can feel this negative vibe. Mental illness is real and its time we wake up to that. Mental illness is still associated with a stigma and as a society its time to get over it. Mental illness is not a death sentence. People live with mental illness everyday. And guess what?? They can even live as functioning members of society. It's time to open our eyes to this very serious issue. We've come so far as a society on so many other issues- accepting those with different lifestyles, different religions, different beliefs- why can we not 'evolve' in terms of mental health issues?? I think our society is still very ill-advised when it comes to mental health issues/concerns. They would rather turn their head and pretend it doesn't exist than actually HELP those suffering with mental illness.
As for the ever-present gun control concern that the nation is focused on right now, here's what I think:
I personally can't understand the need for an average citizen to own military-grade weapons. I just don't see any situation where that is absolutely a necessity. Owning a fire-arm as a form of protection, fine. I just don't think it needs to be a machine gun. Owning fire-arms for recreation purposes (hunting, shooting sports), fine. Keep them safe and locked up. Law abiding gun owners typically are extremely safe with their weapons and one may never even know they have them.
CRIMINALS, which happen to be those involved in these types of senseless acts, do not follow current gun control laws which only makes me think that simply is not the answer. I wish it was that simple. I wish we could make everyone law abiding citizens. That just is not possible. There will always be evil in this world.
People are troubled. Our society is broken. We are a broken people. We have pushed God out of our lives and this country and yet ask ourselves why these things happen. I could not disagree more regarding the Act NOW campaign. Do these families not deserve a time of mourning? Must we immediately jump to blame and politics? The media would rather play out this 'game' than actually allow these families to mourn for their loved ones. These innocent children deserve more. They deserve better. And we should be ashamed of ourselves for not honoring their lives.
I have refrained from posting anything political related to this incident. Honestly, I have tried to refrain from posting anything at all because honestly it just brings up too much for me, personally.
I understand needing to find blame and wrong-doing in order to cope with this tragedy but that simply is not ok. We will NEVER understand these SENSELESS acts of violence, because they are just that- senseless. They are not meaningless, but they will never make sense- we will never make sense of it. So why try? Are we not furthering the divide currently in our society? Should we not come together as one nation, one people, for our brothers and sisters?
Here is my two-cents... I do not claim to have any real logical way of stopping this kind of violence and I do not know what the answer/solution is that we all yearn for. But here's what I think..
The real issue here is our society. We are broken. We are divided- politically, religiously, morally, ethically- we could not be a more divided nation. Even in times, especially in times, of distress. We as humans must find someone, something to blame. So we immediately turn against each other. Following this recent tragedy in Connecticut the country was immediately divided on gun control issues. This side believes this and that side believes that. There. DONE. Move on. We are not going to fix the problem as a divided people. I don't agree with you. You don't agree with me. FINE. MOVE ON. How do we fix the problem. Stop arguing over who is right and who is wrong. That doesn't matter at this point.
I also am concerned with the lack of concern for those with mental illness. Even the words as I type them, I can feel this negative vibe. Mental illness is real and its time we wake up to that. Mental illness is still associated with a stigma and as a society its time to get over it. Mental illness is not a death sentence. People live with mental illness everyday. And guess what?? They can even live as functioning members of society. It's time to open our eyes to this very serious issue. We've come so far as a society on so many other issues- accepting those with different lifestyles, different religions, different beliefs- why can we not 'evolve' in terms of mental health issues?? I think our society is still very ill-advised when it comes to mental health issues/concerns. They would rather turn their head and pretend it doesn't exist than actually HELP those suffering with mental illness.
As for the ever-present gun control concern that the nation is focused on right now, here's what I think:
I personally can't understand the need for an average citizen to own military-grade weapons. I just don't see any situation where that is absolutely a necessity. Owning a fire-arm as a form of protection, fine. I just don't think it needs to be a machine gun. Owning fire-arms for recreation purposes (hunting, shooting sports), fine. Keep them safe and locked up. Law abiding gun owners typically are extremely safe with their weapons and one may never even know they have them.
CRIMINALS, which happen to be those involved in these types of senseless acts, do not follow current gun control laws which only makes me think that simply is not the answer. I wish it was that simple. I wish we could make everyone law abiding citizens. That just is not possible. There will always be evil in this world.
People are troubled. Our society is broken. We are a broken people. We have pushed God out of our lives and this country and yet ask ourselves why these things happen. I could not disagree more regarding the Act NOW campaign. Do these families not deserve a time of mourning? Must we immediately jump to blame and politics? The media would rather play out this 'game' than actually allow these families to mourn for their loved ones. These innocent children deserve more. They deserve better. And we should be ashamed of ourselves for not honoring their lives.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
First Time for Everything!
Welcome! I decided to start this blog for fun and to keep up with everyone across the country- moving to Southern California from the midwest means I left a lot of very important people still there!
I'm sure the content of this blog will change over time, but for now it will simply be a fun way to keep my loved ones informed of the happenings in my life.
So lets start with today- what a true test of my will power! I love dogs and have always had dogs at home ever since I can remember. I've been looking around online at dogs, mostly just for fun and probably to tempt myself a little bit, but I know that right now I just can't take care of one properly with a full time job. Well, today I met the cutest most lovable little puppy that needed a home- and I walked away!! Ugh, when I put it like that it sounds horrible! But truth be told, that puppy is better off with someone who can play all day and take the time to properly train him. So I walked away knowing that he'll be in a great loving home soon.
Oh the life of a young professional trying to make do with very little!
I'm really looking forward to being home for Christmas- such a special time with family and friends. Although the time wont be long enough, it will be great. Living in warm, sunny California, we don't really feel like its Christmas because there's no snow and its definitely not cold! But the decorations are up and the town does some neat things for the Holidays- the boat parade of lights is pretty cool and very different from anything I'd see in Illinois! We might even get a tree to put up this year!
Well, this was my first post- we'll see what happens from here!
Keep dreaming!
I'm sure the content of this blog will change over time, but for now it will simply be a fun way to keep my loved ones informed of the happenings in my life.
So lets start with today- what a true test of my will power! I love dogs and have always had dogs at home ever since I can remember. I've been looking around online at dogs, mostly just for fun and probably to tempt myself a little bit, but I know that right now I just can't take care of one properly with a full time job. Well, today I met the cutest most lovable little puppy that needed a home- and I walked away!! Ugh, when I put it like that it sounds horrible! But truth be told, that puppy is better off with someone who can play all day and take the time to properly train him. So I walked away knowing that he'll be in a great loving home soon.
Oh the life of a young professional trying to make do with very little!
I'm really looking forward to being home for Christmas- such a special time with family and friends. Although the time wont be long enough, it will be great. Living in warm, sunny California, we don't really feel like its Christmas because there's no snow and its definitely not cold! But the decorations are up and the town does some neat things for the Holidays- the boat parade of lights is pretty cool and very different from anything I'd see in Illinois! We might even get a tree to put up this year!
Well, this was my first post- we'll see what happens from here!
Keep dreaming!
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