Saturday, January 30, 2010

Life and an article that made me think.

Kind of a broad title. Its all I gots right now.

Congratulations to all those that I know who are about to be first time parents. It will make a profound difference in your life, and I’m not just talking about lack of sleep.

I read an article recently that, although it deals with homosexual “marriage”, it spoke to me about other issues politically. This recent health care thing and the change of administration has made me re-evaluate what I believe and what I think might be the correct course for the country. Unfortunately, I have found our current situation far from ideal and I’ve actually had to think about what it means to be a member of this country. As it stands now, I don’t know how supportive I would be of our leaders and our country. I’ve had to think about a separation where perhaps my strongest allegiances should change. I know if there was a war, I probably wouldn’t be supportive if my children wanted to go in the military. I’ve really had to think about where our country has gone in the past 100 years.

I’m not so much a fan of political parties. I was never a fan of the Bushes. Didn’t really like them. Hoped that Heavenly Father would forgive us and our country if we weren’t justified in going into Iraq and Afghanistan. The dems considered the repubs evil…but didn’t get out of the wars, didn’t change the patriot act, and the power/freedom grab that was tried by them absolutely infuriated me. That isn’t to say I trust the Repubs. They are just as bad in many respects. Anyway, this article, towards the end, put into words what I have been thinking.

http://www.ornery.org/essays/warwatch/2004-02-15-1.html

Below is the part that really hit home.

They Think They Have the Power.

The politically correct elite think they have the power to make these changes, because they control the courts.

They don't have to consult the people, because the courts nowadays have usurped the power to make new law.

Democracy? What a joke. These people hate putting questions like this to a vote. Like any good totalitarians, they know what's best for the people, and they'll force it down our throats any way they can.

That's what the Democratic filibuster in the Senate to block Bush's judicial appointments is all about -- to keep the anti-family values of the Massachusetts Supreme Court in control of our government.

And when you add this insult onto the already deep injuries to marriage caused by the widespread acceptance of nonmonogamous behavior, will there be anything left at all?

Sure. In my church and many other churches, people still cling fiercely to civilized values and struggle to raise civilized children despite the barbarians who now rule us through the courts.

The barbarians think that if they grab hold of the trunk of the tree, they've caught the birds in the branches. But the birds can fly to another tree.

And I don't mean that civilized Americans will move. I mean that they'll simply stop regarding the authority of the government as having any legitimacy.

It is the most morally conservative portion of society that is most successful in raising children who believe in loyalty and oath-keeping and self-control and self-sacrifice.

And we're tired of being subject to barbarian rules and laws that fight against our civilized values. We're not interested in risking our children's lives to defend a nation that does not defend us.

Who do you think is volunteering for the military to defend America against our enemies? Those who believe in the teachings of politically correct college professors? Or those who believe in the traditional values that the politically correct elite has been so successful in destroying?

Let's take a poll of our volunteer military -- especially those who specialize in combat areas -- and see what civilization it is that they actually volunteered to defend.

Since the politically correct are loudly unwilling to fight or die for their version of America, and they are actively trying to destroy the version of America that traditional Americans are willing to fight or die to defend, just how long will "America" last, once they've driven out the traditional culture?

Oh, it will still be called America.

But out of the old American mantras of "democracy" and "freedom" and "home" and "family," of "motherhood" and "apple pie," only the pie will be left.

And even if few people care enough to defend the old family values against the screaming hate speech of the Left -- which is what they're counting on, of course -- the end will be the same. Because with marriage finally killed, America will no longer be able to raise up children with any trust in or loyalty to or willingness to sacrifice for that society.

So either civilized people will succeed in establishing a government that protects the family; or civilized people will withdraw their allegiance from the government that won't protect it;

or the politically correct barbarians will have complete victory over the family -- and, lacking the strong family structure on which civilization depends, our civilization will collapse or fade away.

Remember how long Iraq's powerful military lasted against a determined enemy, when the Iraqi soldiers no longer had any loyalty to the Iraqi leadership. That wasn't an aberration. It's how great nations and empires fall.

Depriving us of any democratic voice in these sweeping changes may not lead to revolution or even resistance. But it will be just as deadly if it leads to despair. For in the crisis, few citizens will lift a finger to protect or sustain the elite that treated the things we valued -- our marriages, our children, and our right to self-government -- with such contempt.

 

May heaven help us. If I’m thinking these things, and the article shows others think these things, the country better straighten up or we will be doomed.

Friday, January 29, 2010

What I've Learned So Far - by Tracy

I never thought of myself as a person who had a lot of challenges in my life. I knew people who had challenges, big, life altering challenges. Mine seemed easy by comparison. Now, as a forty year old, I look back upon my life and challenges I’ve faced, especially in the last ten years, and realize that I’ve had my share of life altering experiences.

Don’t get me wrong. I still believe that my life has been fairly easy compared to most. It’s just that now I see a bigger picture - a life time of collected experiences, good and bad, and I see how those experiences have influenced my actions, shaped my beliefs, refined my spirit. And I am profoundly grateful for each and every one of those experiences as well as for the people who have gone through them with me.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve made a point of trying to find something I can learn from every challenge I face. I’m not sure how this began or who taught it to me, but I definitely felt the guidance of the Holy Ghost every time. Sometimes, the lessons were learned easily and it was obvious what was to be gained. Other times, it was a mighty struggle find some tiny piece of wisdom or understanding, gained through pain, tears, and much prayer.

I’ve not been very good at writing down the lessons I’ve learned and I’m sure that I’ve forgotten many of them. But, many have stayed with me, becoming a part of who I am and how I live. Since the last two years have been some of the most life altering years of my life, I feel that I need to record the things I’ve learned before I forget them. Keep in mind, I’m still in the process of trying to sort through things, but these are some of the thoughts so far -

Grief is horrible, but don’t avoid it.

Don’t be afraid to ask others for the help you surely need.

My Savior loves me and understands completely every thought and feeling I have.

My Heavenly Father is always mindful of me.

Never doubt that Heavenly Father will bless you with the righteous desires of your heart in His own time, in His own way.

Miracles do happen, but they can cause anxiety before the joy comes.

NEVER take those you love for granted because you can’t be certain how much time you’ll have with them.

Cancer sucks!

Hard decisions are easier to make if you don’t have to make them alone.

Taking care of someone’s physical needs can bring some of the sweetest, most tender and loving moments you’ll ever have. Remember that when you’re feeling scared or burdened.

You can learn a lot by watching your children serve others.

Reach out to others and connect with them. It’s good for you and for them.

Guilt makes life very difficult to live happily.

I am OK. But even if I don’t feel OK right now, I will, at some point, be OK.

Sometimes it takes losing a loved one to fully realize what a profound impact they’ve had on your life.

Children bring a special kind of sweetness to life that make any sacrifice you make for them completely worthwhile.

If I have a wonderful experience and I don’t have anyone with me to share it with, in that moment, the experience is no less wonderful to me.

So, that’s what I’ve learned so far.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Trip Out East

Well, busy couple of months in the Groesser household. Tracy took a trip to DisneyWorld and my Mother came to visit by bus. Disneyworld is best addressed by Tracy but a week before my mother came to visit, I took Ellie and Hayden to see where the bus station was. The side benefit was that we went to the Public Library and got sucked into some community thing that was going on there. That kept the kids occupied for a few hours and then we went to Millennium Park. I’ve never been there so it was interesting for me too. We finally got to see The Bean. Interesting piece of work. It was very cold during my mother’s visit and it took some time to get the busses running after the cold and some storms. She left a few days later than she expected to.

In early January, I took Madsen on a trip out East. I did it to visit a friend of mine as well

as go to three states that I never visited before. I now have only 4 states that I haven’t visited. Maine, Oregon, Alaska and Hawaii are the only remaining ones.

The trip out was uneventful and long. I did finally get to West Virginia and the snow hit. It was rough going until mid Maryland.

You know, the panhandle of Maryland is a lot longer than you would think when your top speed is 40MPH. After a day of visiting with Doug and Marivel, I took off to get to Delaware. We visited the Temple there and then we hit the road again. Flat tire on the Beltway. Oh Joy. After a few hours waiting for a fix at the Firestone, I learned that the wheel was actually punctured. So…off I was on the road with a spare. Delaware was uninspiring. Cool bridge getting there though.

 

The bridge-tunnel across the bay was very cool. http://www.cbbt.com/ I wish I did it during the day though. As it was, it was around 9:30. After crossing, I stopped at a 7-11 for some gas. After filling up, I looked at the map to see what I needed to do to get to North Carolina. As I set the map down, I noticed a very angry woman running at me and stopping in front of my car. “I want my s*** back!” I looked at her with

my hands up and open, wondering what the issue was. After being sworn at for a few moments, I wondered if the gas meter didn’t charge the card, as I noticed that she appeared to be an employee. Another woman was back towards the store with a phone in her hand. “Great, now I’m going to spend the night in jail.” Was my only thought. She started reading off my license plate and then stopped, looking in the car. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She then ranted on to the other woman and I decided I better just get away from the situation.

After a wonderful 3 hour nap at a Motel 6 in North Carolina, I headed on the road again at about 5am. I traded the car in Charlotte and headed to South Carolina. I finally got to head home around 1pm. Long, long drive back. I-40 was closed by a rock slide and I took a long, winding US 25 through the mountains. Fun road. I did get home around 1am. All told, I drove a very long time. Glad it is done.

December-January_Barry




Friday, January 1, 2010

The point of a journey is not to arrive.

Anything can happen.

...are two parts of a song by Rush. In this instance I was watching the "Show of Hands" DVD last night and these phrases hit home. At the risk of spending too much time in a particular part of my life, I have a strong emotional reponse to this album/concert video. Rush is my favorite band and on my mission, the last part, they came out with the "Hold Your Fire" album. Yes, I bought it while I was on my mission and it sat on my shelf, I think until I left my mission. I listened to it constantly on the way home along with a Fleetwood Mack album, "Mirage". I really needed some good music after so long without much input.

The song, "Prime Mover" was specially important to me. It really lifted me up to take the chances and meet the challenges before me. I vowed not to be so introverted, to get a job and work my way through school. I had a lot of work ahead of me and this song just hit the spot.

I set the wheels in motion
Turn up all the machines
Activate the programs
And run behind the scenes.

I set the clouds in motion
Turn up light and sound
Activate the window
And watch the world go 'round
Anything can happen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjlU6lC_CmY

Another song that I thuroughly enjoyed on this disk was "Turn the Page" for some pretty obvious reasons, at least to me.

Every day we're standing in a time capsule
Racing down a river from the past
Every day we're standing in a wind tunnel
Facing down the future coming fast.

It's just the age
It's just a stage
We disengage
We turn the page.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E0m0Gcblp0

If I remember right, one of the reasons Tracy and I bought our first VCR was because this concert came out on video.

This album, and perhaps Cinderella's "Night Songs" defined my 3rd year at BYU. What a freakin' great time in my life.