Value

WE hold these truths to be self-evident...

In a country that barely reminds me anymore of these lofty words, it stirs my heart to read them again. It so much feels like today that our attitude is much different. What can I get for nothing? How can I get out of working and still live? Of course I fight these feelings daily myself (and might be the reason I am blogging now, and not working...ahem...but I digress).

She may be 235 years old, and we may have become so accustomed to freedom that we take it for granted. I am certain, however, that this is the best deal on the planet.

We gathered together on Independence Day to hear the Declaration of Independence read aloud on the courthouse steps. Fine words. What passed through my mind was the gravity of the meaning of this document. Pledging, "our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor" to this cause, 56 men solemnly vowed. For decades, and even centuries since, people from all walks of life have invested the same, for the future of this country. It is only because of those willing to sacrifice, those willing to lay down their own comfort for the benefit of the rest, that I am able to enjoy the freedoms I do today.

I salute them.

God Bless America.

"...The best day of my life! "

The first day of Fresh Air started out slow. THIS time, I had arrived on the bus with the kids, too! THIS time we had two children come for a visit. D, our favorite girl, and J our first boy in years! So it took awhile for the mama to get herself caught up on life. Particularly since we didn't get home until just before sunset.

Of course we were out of waffles and pancakes, so we pulled out the irons...
























...and made waffles! (I tripled the batch, so hopefully there will be enough to last a day or two)


















But the children found ways to entertain themselves...

a snake....


















....a moth























Then I remembered Grand Caverns was having a special discount for Library Card holders under 18.
So we packed up and went!

Photos in the museum...

Then home for a late supper, and a brushfire,
(thanks to my life scout)
and bonfire...with the requisite s'mores....

Sitting on the patio my new visitor exclaimed "This is the best day of my life, ever!"

I guess it turned out all right ...

It's up to you, New York, New York! ....

I just returned from New York. My 5th visit. Ever. First was the summer of 85 with a church sponsored high school youth conference. We were there to tour the UN. Right.
Most of what I remember can be summed up as such:

• Seeing the Statue of Liberty from a distance as she was completely covered in scaffolding.
• Sweeny Todd at the NY State Opera house
• The Tap Dance Kid on Broadway
• Getting lost in a smaller group, in the middle of the wholesale district.
• Going to the top of the World Trade Towers right before sunset and staying until dark. (...ah..ma...zing...)
  
• People of New York were rude and hated tourists. We tried our best to "fit in" and go as undetected as possible (in our tour group ...lol) I learned all kinds of tricks to blend in..

• The subway was dirty, full of graffitti, and scary...(and they REALLY hated tourists!)

I've made several more visits. Each one was nice in its own way, and full of sights and sounds and culture of Urban America. Nice. This time was a bit different. One of my traveling companions had never been to the city before. (how fun!) Rather than attempt any of the "normal" tourist spots, she had two pages of information from a friend who had recently relocated from NYC. And they both had an interest in food. So it was full of "if you go to this area, this is what you should do".... for apparently every borough of the big apple! Since the rest of us had been before, and had no real agenda, we agreed to try out as much of this list as possible! And it was fun.

It included two of my downfalls. Bakeries and Cheese.

It also took us to places off the well-traveled streets of midtown surrounding Times Square and into some of the more residential areas and shops. What fun. Glad I wore my walking shoes!

We also took the subway. A. Lot. Wow. I can say that much has changed, thanks to Giuliani and 9-11. Everything was much cleaner. Gone was the graffiti and grime. People were much more pleasant, and honestly, friendly. More than once we stopped to check our maps or the one located at the station, or on the train. Many, many times people would come UP TO US and ask if they could help us at all. Sometimes I really felt like saying "no" because I wanted to figure it out myself...but my desire to get there quickly and accurately won out each time.

I love cheese. Especially real aged cheese. Ohhhhh.... And of course we were told exactly where to go. And she was so right! In my promise to keep posts short, I'll tell about this later. (I end up skimming when posts are too long... good writing is not always about length... and I love succinct writing. That is another soapbox I won't get on today. )

One thing I have missed, I have not been to Ground Zero for a few years. I had been photographing the changes during each visit, but twice this year I chose not to go. I wish I had, now. In my scrapbook from HS is the brochure from our visit to the twin towers. (I didn't have a camera then, and usually bought postcards and saved brochures, etc. ) The slogan on the brochure was this:

The closest some of us will ever get to heaven......

Interesting, huh...?

The first year I went after 9-11 (summer of '02 or '03 I think) the site had a "hallowed ground" sense to it. There was a tangible hush and a feeling of awe and mourning laid heavily on each person present. I wept and took photos and video of the site (heavily covered with fencing) and the remembrances and memorials placed everywhere. It was heartbreaking.

The next time I went, there were more permanent memorials, and activity had begun to occur deep within the hole that was left. Although still sacred, hope was starting to beat in the heart of New York.

I wonder what I would have thought this year? I will look next time.

Believe it .... or Not.

Believe it or not, here I am. Writing has been placed upon my heart again, not because I missed it terribly, but because it won't leave me alone. :) Again and again, the ideas come, and yet, if I try hard enough, I can suppress them for awhile...but like bad eggs, no matter how many times you push them below the surface, they continue to return as soon as you turn away.

So I'm here again.

No fanfare. No hype. And no promises. MAYBE I will be baaack. Maybe not. Only God can see into the future clearly. But I will try. Again.

Some of my hesitation has been that so much has happened over the time period of missing posts, and I feel I should write chronologically. So I officially give myself grace for that. I will not force myself to go back, but if you have a question, or something doesn't make sense, please send me a comment, and I will be happy to fill in the blanks.


And so, with hesitation and shaky hands, here we go.....