Friday, February 26, 2016

3 big reasons why Ben Carson STILL has my vote

Let me start by saying that you don't have to agree with me.  In fact, I don't really expect you to.  But that's the great thing about living in America - we don't have to agree on everything in order to maintain friendship, civility, and camaraderie.

Who you vote for doesn't change your value or worth, it doesn't reflect your intelligence, and it doesn't determine your salvation.  So no matter what you think of my opinions and no matter what I think of yours, let's maintain a mature interaction and acknowledge that we can have differing opinions and not demonize each other.

With that out of the way...

We're just days away from Super Tuesday, and every time I watch the news, read the latest articles, or hear anything about the Republican Presidential race, I get depressed.  We're only a few states in (with exactly 5.38% of Republican delegates assigned) and already they're calling a winner - Trump.

But I think we're being bamboozled.  The race isn't over.  It's hardly begun!  The media would have us believe it's over despite the fact that only about 125 delegates out of 2,472 are committed to candidates.

IT'S NOT OVER - THAT'S A LIE THEY'RE TRYING TO CONVINCE US OF!!!

It takes 1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination and Trump, the leader, has 82 at the moment.  I wouldn't exactly call that a huge head-start.

I wonder how many of us are beginning to change our minds, "settling for someone who is electable," rather than standing behind who we really want in the Oval Office?  Last night, I was in despair and almost swayed to do that very thing.

When I look at the current Republican primary field, I cringe.

  • Trump - he's done extremely well in business (obviously), but I don't exactly see him standing with the Founders pledging his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor.  In their time he'd be more likely running blockade runners of goods through embargos or own 1/2 of the cotton farms in the South.  He's an opportunist, and I just don't see much sacred honor there.  He's all sensationalism.  
  • Cruz - from all I've been able to find, he struggles to be able to bring people together.  It's Cruz's way or the highway.  Much as I want someone with strong convictions in the Oval Office, I also want someone who can stand in those convictions while still getting along with and finding common ground to move forward with people who disagree.  I'm pretty sure the Declaration and the Constitution would never have been written if people with different opinions hadn't come together, conversed, made compromises, and found common ground. 
  • Rubio - he seems to me a young buck with a lot to prove and perhaps the moxie to do so, but he seems to have a chip on his shoulder, and a need to defend himself and sling a bit of mud, and a memorized schpeel rather than a reasoned, civil response.
  • Kasich - I'll admit, I know very little about him, but I'm underwhelmed for sure.
  • Carson - this guy is different to me.  Here's why...

1. He didn't spend his life gunning for the Oval Office.

He didn't dream as a 25 year old of being President.  He went to med school, became a leading physician in his field, did ground-breaking work, learned to work with and speak respectfully to those with whom he disagreed.  In his career, he faced heartbreaking circumstances head on, and he knows, precisely, the value of a life.  And he has held in his hands thousands of lives over the years.  And in each of those cases he was held to the highest standard by his patient, their family, his colleagues, and his peers to do the right thing.  If ever he didn't, someone died and his career was on the line.

People kept coming to him, and he kept getting put in charge of more and more, not because he was black, not because of his alma mater, not because he was impressive to look at or talk to, but because he was good at saving lives.

I realize there is a huge difference between a doctor and a general, and I'm NOT saying that I think doctors are the people who should, generally or by default, run for office.  But in this case, this doctor has a lot in common with a general in the military - he had to bring teams together, make a plan of attack, work together to save lives, and he put himself in incredibly uncomfortable positions in order to do so.  Those all seem like good qualities to have in our Commander in Chief.

Dr. Carson's track record shows that he's a lifelong learner, innovative, and that in crunch times he makes the right decisions.  If that weren't the case, some 15,000 patients wouldn't be spread across America and around the world.

2.   He makes the decision he believes to be right, no matter what, and I trust his gut because it's been conditioned to hold to a standard and make good decisions.

Doing what he believes is right is exemplified by the fact that he's still in the race at all.  Conventional wisdom would have had him drop out long ago.  He's only got 4 delegates to his name, and Trump has a whopping 82 at this point.  But both are sorely short of the 1,237 required to earn the nomination.  

I read an article in Time where one of Carson's head staffers was asked when Carson would drop out.  The staffer responded that Carson would take into consideration the advice of his staff, what "We the People" wanted, and pray about it.  Then Carson would do what Carson believes is right.  The staffer said he had no idea when or even if Carson would ever drop out - it was entirely up to Carson and what he believed to be right.

That impressed me.  To not be swayed by the masses, to buck conventional wisdom, and to do it because you believe it to be the right thing.  And let me say here that I fully understand that you can sincerely believe you are right and in that you can be totally wrong.  For example, you may sincerely believe with all your heart that Justice Scalia is still alive (oh how I wish that were true!), but you would sadly be precisely wrong about that.  So a sincere belief isn't the thing that I love about Carson.  I love that he derives his sincere beliefs from a relationship with the Lord.

How do I know he has a relationship with the Lord wherein the Lord reveals "right" decisions to him?  I can't really say why I believe it to be true exactly.  I can say that he's never been shy about his reliance on the Lord throughout his life.  I can say he talked about it in his writing long before becoming a presidential candidate ever crossed his mind.  I can say he's had some extraordinary experiences that either prove he's extremely lucky or Providence is guiding him.

So whether religion is your thing or not, it matters a lot to me, and he's the only candidate in the race whose faith I admire.

3.  I trust Carson with my children.

Like, I would trust him to come to my house and babysit my 3 kids tomorrow night when Chase and I go out.  This may seem like a weird one, or one that shouldn't matter that much - after all, we're selecting a President, not a babysitter.  But if you want to know the most difficult job in the world to get, it's watching my kids.  I am intensely protective of them, and I will stay home with them and send you on your way if I have even the slightest level of discomfort about you watching them.

We all know people (whether we know it or not) who have been or are being physically and sexually abused by people their parents knew, loved, and trusted.  My circle of people who pass this test is very small.

And even within that circle, me loving you dearly and trusting you implicitly is not enough for me to trust you with my kids.  You see, they are more valuable to me than my own life.  I will do anything to provide them a safe place with reasonable opportunities to grow, develop, learn, and thrive.

And that last sentence is the most important reason I'm voting for Carson.  When I go into that voting booth, I'm not picking a babysitter, but I am picking the person who will help shape the world in which my children will grow, develop, learn, and (I hope) thrive.

Carson values life, which means he will value my children's lives.  Carson believes we can have different opinions and not blame, accuse, libel, or defame one another, which means he will not teach my children by his example to do those things.  Carson learns and adapts as situations crop up, which means even if he hasn't been in politics all of his life he can be capable of being a good President.

I don't know if Carson will win or not.  But I do know that someday I may have to explain to my children why I voted the way I did in this election.  And the only answer I can live with is that as long as Carson was an option, I voted for him.

You don't have to agree with me.  But if you do, please ignore the media.  Put your money where your mouth is and give a little to the candidate who you believe will do the best job of securing the future for ourselves and our posterity.  Because this democratic republic won't last forever on its own.  It's up to us, one by one, to preserve it, one vote at a time.  








Saturday, February 13, 2016

Worship and the Angelman Girl

Today contained a couple of really big, important questions for Lily.

Lately (despite the fact that it's not Christmas), we've been singing this song randomly because it's just so catchy - Hush, There's a Baby.  (Be careful - if you click that link it WILL be stuck in your head all day/week!)

So this afternoon Lily was singing it as she played around the house, and then came the question, "Mom, what does worship mean?"

...Uh... 

Thankfully I was brushing my teeth so through the sudsy toothpaste and brush I mumbled, "Mmmmm mm mmmmm." Which she understood meant "just a minute."  I took my time finishing up, trying to figure out what to say.

Maybe she didn't really say what I thought she said?  "Lily, what did you ask?"

"What does worship mean?"

"Worship?"

"Yes."

"Oh.  ...Well...  Worship is how we show God that we love Him.  Like when we pray to Him or sing songs to Him.  He likes that, that's how we show we love him.  That's worship."

 Now, if you dared to listen to the song, you'll know that the line is, "Worship with the wise men.  Bow right down..."  So Lily responded...

"The wise men brought Jesus gifts, so that's how we worship?"

"Yes, we worship God when we bring him gifts."

"So we worship our friends when we bring them gifts?"

...Uh...

"No...  We only worship God.  But we do show our friends we love them by giving them gifts.  Worship is like praying or singing or giving gifts to God, but only to God."

"Only to God and Jesus?"

"Yes."

"Only to people in Heaven?"

"No...  Uncle Chet is in Heaven, but we don't worship him.  We only worship God and Jesus."

"Oh.  Ok!"

Lily is 4, and her little mind is amazing!  She takes things in, processes, wants to understand, asks questions, and has the ability to grasp concepts far beyond what I anticipate she can.

We shouldn't underestimate our children - they are sharp, perceptive, intuitive, but they need direction.  Chase often says, "Kids are good observers, but they're terrible interpreters."  Kids notice what happens around them, but they don't always understand what's really going on.  They need adults to patiently take time to explain, answer questions, and help them learn to interpret the world around them.

This evening was the perfect example...

We went to the pancake feed at the elementary where I work.  Many of the families there had kids Lily's age - all of her little friends were there - and there was about 10 of them (ranging in age from 2 to 6) running the length of the gym all in a herd - back and forth, back and forth.  (Thank goodness for plenty of space to run!  These kids have been cooped up inside because of the cold weather for far too long!!!)

My conversation with some other moms was interrupted when Lily came up and tapped on my leg.

"Mom, there's a girl over there who just watches us run.  She just laughs and watches us play."

I looked over to where the kids were playing, and there was a girl in her late teens watching the kids.  But this girl isn't a normal teen - she has Angelman Syndrome, a genetic disorder making her function more like a baby who has just learned to walk than the teenager she is.  This girl is well-known in our community and extremely joyful - always happy.  And she was having a ball watching the kids run.

"Lily, that girl just likes to watch you run.  You can just keep running and she'll enjoy it.  Her mom is over by her, so she shouldn't bother you, but she'll really like to watch you play."

"Should I ask her to play with us?"

"You can, but I think she probably just really likes to watch you run."

Lily took a moment to consider, then headed back over to be with her friends.  I knew we'd be talking about this before bed when we got home, so before we left the pancake feed I made my way over to the mother of the Angelman girl.

The mom dove right in, "She is loving watching the little kids play.  The kids were all at one end here kind of confused about my daughter, so I just told them that she has Angelman Syndrome.  She can't talk, but she loves to laugh and watch them play.  I told them that we don't know why, but that God made her this way..."

We talked for a while and the evening went on.  We came home and as Chase was getting Lily and Connor into their jammies, I was feeding Spencer and sitting near the baby monitor.

Here is a bit of what I heard through the monitor, "Dad, she only laughs now, but she'll talk in Heaven!"

Tears welled in my eyes.  Can you imgaine?  She will talk.

What would that be like as a parent to care for 20, 30, 50 years for your child and then after all those years to hear them speak?  What a glorious, marvelous, indescribable day it will be!

As I watch my children take in and process the world around them, I see the need to help them establish a solid framework within which they can categorize, process, and store information.  They need to be taught good and bad - worshiping God is good, being kind to people who aren't like us is good.

These little everyday experiences piled one on top of another on top of another are what will eventually make the woman who will be my Lily.  I am privileged to walk these days with her.  May I always speak truth to her and blessings over her and all my children.

Saturday, February 6, 2016

With this ring, I thee wed

Yesterday, Lily decided at some point that she wanted to plan a wedding for Chase and me.  Not our real wedding, but a pretend wedding.  She would be the flower girl, and I would wear my dress, and Chase would wear his tux (she settled for his suit), and Connor would be the ring bearer, and Spencer would watch.  And we’d do it at Grandma’s house. 
 
We’ve been sick all week until today (fevers started last Sunday and made the rounds until today, Saturday, we’re all “healthy” save for a couple of runny noses), and we didn’t have anything planned, so we went with it.  Lily planned it all, made the “flower petals” she threw down the aisle, selected rings from her dress up box for us to exchange, and instructed Connor on how to be a proper ring bearer.  Here is the result:
 
 
The wedding planner models her shoes.
 
The jewelry selection.
 
Dressing the bride.
 
The processional.
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
I take you to be my wedded spouse,
 
to have and to hold from this day forward,
 
for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health
 
to love and to cherish, forsaking all others,
 
till death do us part, according to God's holy ordinances. 

This is my solemn vow.

Well done, little one.
 
For richer.
 
RECEPTION FOOD!!!!
 
 
 
It was really the sweetest experience.  I hope this and so many other experiences in life prepare my little girl for the very special day she may one day have.  A day where she is pampered, and beautiful, and FEELS beautiful, and cherished, and where a man worthy of her waits at the end of a long aisle to pledge his life to her and hers to him.  And I hope that her experience in marriage will be like mine: blessed.
 
A few notes –
  1. That is really my dress and I actually still have the shoes I wore too.  It was nice to get another use out of them!  And to my bridesmaids/attendants who tied up the bustle – NICE WORK!!! That was complicated business!
  2. Lily and Chase spent part of the morning making the flower petals Lily threw.  The world nearly ended when Connor messed with them a couple of hours before the wedding.
  3. My tiara (Snow White crown), clip on green flower earrings, and Hello Kitty necklace were loaned to me by my wedding planner.
  4. We walked down the aisle to Cannon in D, compliments of Chase’s iPhone.
  5. Please excuse the state of my mom’s house – she’s painting the living room.  But house renovations can’t get in the way of true love.
  6. In lieu of wedding cake, we opted for cotton candy.  Thanks Aunt Kayla and Uncle Tony for the cotton candy machine!
  7. There was a brief dance party afterwards - this is different from the first wedding where we did not have a dance.  But thanks to Nicole getting married this summer, Lily pointed out that weddings had dances after them.
  8. Photo credits:  Becky Deichmann