growing up free.

I think growing up is an interesting adventure for everyone. As I'm sure with every sibling rivalry, being the youngest and the only girl meant that I was not only stupid because I was too young but I was also stupid because I was a girl. I could never say the right thing, listen to the right music, or intelligently contribute to any conversation. Of course, this isn't true - or so I keep telling myself. I think I've been able to do a few things right in my time. And, in the end, my brother's were able to "convert" me to their favorite music (kinda)!

I like to think I listen to a wide variety of music. Looking at the playlist I often play, I have Ace of Base and All-American Rejects, Aretha Franklin and the Beatles, Rent and Hairspray, Bon Jovi, High School Musical, Shania Twain, etc. I listen to everything. Laugh at me if you will, but some of the most relaxing music that I love to listen to the most is Celtic Woman. It's old people music (or so my brothers continually tell me) but those girls have outstanding voices. They are so pure and quiet and peaceful.

Before my dad passed away, my parents had offered to host my cousin's wedding reception. As a hostess gift, my cousin and her husband gave my mom two tickets to the Celtic Woman concert. My mom, dad, and I had gone to their first concert a couple years ago and my mom has been dying to go again. They are phenomenal in concert. While there, the released their song: O, America.

Music: William Joseph

Words: Brendan Graham

O, America you’re calling,

I can hear you calling me:

You are calling me to be true to thee,

True to thee… I will be.

O, America no weeping,

Let me heal your wounded heart:

I will keep you in my keeping,

Till there be… a new start.

And I will answer you, and I will take your hand,

And lead you… to the sun:

And I will stand by you…do all that I can do,

And we will be… as one.

O, America I hear you,

From your prairies to the sea,

From your mountains grand, and all through this land,

You are beautiful to me.

And… O, America you’re calling,

I can hear you calling me:

You are calling me to be true to thee,

True to thee… I will be.

And I will answer you, and I will take your hand,

And lead you… to the sun:

And I will stand by you… do all that I can do,

And we will be…as one.

O, America you’re calling…

I will ever answer thee.

The lyrics are what I'm all about too. I am so sick of people recently complaining about this, that, and the other; about how the world is going to hell in a hand basket and America is going to be the one leading. The US has so much to offer and I am so thankful to be living here. I love the freedom I am able to enjoy and I applaud those with the courage to fight for those freedoms. The land is beautiful and the opportunities wonderful (although currently dwindling).

I am proud to be American.

*end rant and end random post*

history [in the making...]

Updated:

I just read on the same blog mentioned below that a fellow blogger passed away. I'd been praying for her for a while now. She was the mother of 10 kids and had been fighting a good battle with cancer. Please keep her husband and children in your prayers. I know they could use it right now! It's hard to believe I was in there place just 5 months ago. It's hard to wrap the mind around...

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Original Post:

This morning is a huge day. Bill Clinton has successfully rescued two journalists from North Korea and they are just arriving home. Not going to lie, I was a little concerned about his trip over there. I was skeptical he would be able to do it. And in the end, I should eat my words because he was successful. Watching them reuinte with their families is a very emotional/exciting thing and I am glad to be a part of it (and by that, I mean -- able to watch it play by play on the Today show)! Seriously, I'm sitting here on the bed with tears coming down my face. I can't imagine not seeing my family for 4 1/2 months, thinking it'd be 11 1/2 more years and spending it in a foreign country half way around the world. It's crazy to think about. It is definitely an important part of the United States and will be a part of our history.

And it's really interesting: my mother always tells me that I have seen more devestation than she ever has. One crazy lady from church keeps telling me the end of the world is coming any day because of all the devastation in the last several years. But, looking back on history - my parents saw a lot of devastation as well. They witnessed the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Brown v. Board of Education and the Civil Rights Movement, John F. Kennedy Assassination, Vietnam War, Martin Luther King, Jr. Assassination, Roe v. Wade, 1973 Oil Crisis, and Watergate. My parents saw a lot in their childhood/young adulthood. (I stopped their timeline shortly before they started having children).

In my life, there has been the first (Desert Storm) and second Iraqi War, the dot com bubble, and the 2001 terrorist attacks. I'm sure there will be more to come in my lifetime (unfortunately or fortunately?) but it is crazy to see that the world and society is always evolving. Maybe all the devastation wasn't as public to my parents or maybe they were sheltered but bad (and good) things still happened back then. Life isn't suddenly going to Hell in a hand basket as some would like you to believe, but negative things do continue to happen.

So what can we do? I, personally, do not want to sit back and just witness bad things happen. I want to make a difference. I blogged about The Rescue in April held by the organization Invisible Children. Invisible Children dot com is trying to spread the word of the children soldiers in Northern Uganda. Check it out -- you won't regret it. Another thing I wanted to bring to my readers' attention (all what? one or two of you?) is some more devastation in Africa. I follow a blog of a Christian mother of many and find a lot of comfort in her messages and she just posted about the abduction of 4 boys in Uganda. Check her blog post out. These poor boys are believed to have been kidnapped to be used in child trafficking. It makes me sick to my stomach to think about.

What makes the news today doesn't even touch the iceberg of what is happening in the world today. Thankfully, the media is drawing attention to some things - the war in Iraq, kidnapped reporters, economic struggles everywhere. Even more, thankfully there are organizations like Invisible Children trying to gain the publicity with the media of the struggle in Northern Uganda. I am itching to make a difference in this world and even though I may not have any idea yet on how, I know I can pray. I can pray for the hurt, the suffering, the grieving, the orphan, the homeless, the hungry. It's a start - a pretty good one I think. We'll see where I go from there...

This blogger brought the following scripture to my attention and it totally fits. Check it out:

34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'  37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'  40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Matthew 25:34-40