Revolution, the movie, and a Tuesday at the Welcoming House...

Good morning, everyone! How is your week going so far?

Mine has been crazy, dealing with the fall garden produce coming in, the stress of starting teaching here at home, both with school and piano, taking care of toddlers who are bent on destruction of the world as we know it, and the Wonder Mill challenge over at the Grain Mill Wagon site. If you did not get a chance to see my recipe for Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Nutmeg Cream Cheese frosting, head over there and check it out by clicking HERE.

We put the fall garden to rest last night after looking at the week ahead, and dealing with a frost warning for our area.

I am sad to report that many of the things in my garden did not do well thanks to the extended drought we had in July. Out of 40 tomato plants I only ended up with about 200 Lbs of tomatoes, with some plants not producing more than five or six tomatoes the entire time they were in the ground.

Tough luck when you are waiting for those tomatoes to make all your salsa and spaghetti sauce!

I am thankful that right now we can go to the grocery store, switch things around a little, and buy a bunch when they go on sale next week. Having a well-stocked pantry has been a huge money and time saver for us here at the Welcoming House, as we deal with the cost of food rising, gas rising, etc.

Did you get a chance to watch the new show that came out called "Revolution"? My mom and I, years ago, faithfully watched the show called "Jericho" and it is still a favorite of the family....so I was eagerly anticipating the release of this new series, and hoping they dont cut it off mid-stream like they did with Jericho.

 I was pretty disappointed.

While I thought it was a good entertainment show, it just seemed like it was not that strong of a plot, and the progression of the show was sluggish. HOWEVER, all that being said, I will watch the next couple of episodes before I make my final opinion about whether or not I want to spend an hour of my evening devoted to it each week.

And the commercials surrounding it were really disturbing. It gave me a really clear picture of how quickly our society seems to be unraveling when a movie is rated PG-13 that looks just as awful as "Exorcist" was when I was a kid, and the most popular video game involves blowing people up, crushing them to death, shooting people point blank and making it clear that is okay when blood comes out of their mouth, etc.....and then insinuating that while it is rated "mature" it is okay if the parents approve kids younger than that to play it.

Holy Buckets.

Seriously.

I came away from that show convinced of two things:

One----I am REALLY glad that since I moved here we no longer have cable tv, or dish, or whatever, because I cant imagine all that coming into my home every single night, my children seeing all those things, and being so numb to it (as my dear mother is since she has the tv on all the time) that you dont even recognize how horrible it is.

TWO--- that I am incredibly thankful we strive to keep the atmosphere of our home fun, sweet, and uplifting, and that my kids would be just as horrified by what I was witnessing. Now, you may mean that my kids are too sheltered, but I assure you, my kids see real life all the time. I want my home to be a haven from all that stuff out there, and I want them to be equipped to deal with it every moment they step outside the door, or eventually go to college. However, I dont want them de-sensitized to the world that is around them, but rather to see it clearly through the light of Scripture, and recognize heartache, sin, and to walk with compassion.

It has been a disturbing week behind us as a nation. I have not addressed a lot of the things I have seen because I have been working through it in my own heart and mind. Appalled, disquieted, and heartbroken would be three of the words I would choose right off the top of my head.

But I would also choose the words outraged, disgusted, and determined to describe what is going on in my heart and mind as I witness these things.

I begin to wonder if Americans could possibly believe the lies that they are told every single day on the news. I am sorry if this offends you, but perhaps I have more faith in the average American than most people. I dont believe we are stupid. I dont believe that we simply accept what people are telling us about the reasons behind things, just because we are told over and over and over, almost as if we are being forced to believe it or else.

I think many Americans would use those same words to describe what is going on in their hearts and minds right now.

And I dont believe in coincidence.
Sorry.

So when I am told over and over and over that somehow, someway, a random film, that most of those people have never seen, just HAPPENED to cause rioting, murder, anger, filth, and rage, burnings, shootings, etc, on the ANNIVERSARY of the worst attack on American soil since the Revolutionary War.

No matter how many people you parade in front of me, all saying the same thing over and  over and over.....while the REST of the world says differently......

I am not going to believe it.

I would simply say: "prove it".

And personally, I dont think that it can be proved.

Because it is a false statement.

We lost four Americans in a single, outrageous attack on sovereign American soil, and we have heard nothing but poor excuses and deafening silence when we need someone to stand up and actually DO SOMETHING.

We have had a base attacked and the noble young men and women who step forward to protect our freedoms injured and attacked, and we have done NOTHING.Or very little.

We have watched our flag, the sacred symbog that represents the freedom, unity, and determination of our nation from the founding to today, ripped to shreds, set on fire, and heard the soundbites of people chanting "Death to America".

And we do..........nothing. Not really.

Am I more patriotic than the next person? I really dont believe so.

I believe it is time for the sleeping giant to awake, to return to strength, to show that we are solidified and united against ANYONE who would treat our soldiers or American citizens, here or abroad, with such arrogance and disdain.

Because when you try to appease a tyrant, all you end up doing is showing them you are weak.

And America has never, ever been weak.

I understand that some of you will not agree with my point of view, and I am ok with that. I have many friends from all over the world with different viewpoints, and I would encourage you, if you dont agree, then state it respectfully. No one was ever won over by argument, but rather by someone proving their point. I have had this building up inside for an entire week, and finally had the chance to put my voice into the fray. I want you to know that I pray for you all, pray for blessings in a hard time, that fear would not consume our nation, but that we would find our resolute spirit return and bond together against a common enemy. 

Many Blessings to you and yours,

Heather