The Precious Gift of Life

Watching the news of late has been very hard.
Every day some innocent person is killed.  The
accidents are difficult to accept but understood.
I cannot understand the unnecessary deaths that
occur each and every day.  It is especially hard
to listen to a report of innocent people being
mowed down by a vehicle, bombed or murdered
for the color of their skin.



Every day we live is a gift.
Treasure the gift of your life,
but also treasure the gift of each and
every life, regardless of color, station,
race or any other differences that may exist.

None of us have the ability to recreate a life,
so we definitely have no right to take a life.

That authority belongs to God alone.
Before you decide to take a life,
think of this.  You may be willing to
surrender your own, but that person has not
granted you permission to take theirs.  Please,
please, have respect for the gift of life.  It is
a precious gift granted to us all.  Love, the gift,
Thank God for the gift, but most of all, respect
the gift.  

What it means to be called an American

When we look back on our history, from our humble beginnings to where we are today, I am mindful of those who came before and how, through their struggles and tribulations, this country was birthed,  It was their beliefs and their aspirations that formed the foundation and the principals that, through the years, has governed this country.  As Americans, they stood strong and united in their convictions to insure the promise, that to every man who called America home, certain rights would always be guaranteed.  Further, these rights were established by written decree so that, without question, they would be what consolidated our unity.  This was an act of great courage and humility.   I am so grateful for those accomplishments, because I know the cost.  It was their ability to consider the greater good that brought them to the decision to write the Declaration that granted us the freedoms we now embrace.  For us, they stood as a United nation, sealing our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  That, was their promise, that was their decree.  Now, more than ever, we need  to consider our history, and decide just how much it means to us to preserve it and what it stands for.
Let us agree to stand, once again, as one nation, united for the common good of us all.  For as Americans who truly believe in the solidarity and unity that preserves our creed, this is what we should willingly do.  In conclusion, remember this:

America is not just me.
It's not just you.
It is us.
The one thing that describes us all
and unites us all,
regardless of our station or place in this great land,
Is that we are all Americans.
When we forget that, then, we forget what being an American really means.