Did you know you can be heavily fined and/or go to prison for harming the eggs of a sea turtle or bald eagle. That made me think to myself, what IS the value of an unborn or aborted human life compared to that of a turtle or eagle egg?  Is it about choice at conception or choice at termination?  Should I remain silent on these points and just let others discuss them? Has my silence implied consent?

When I heard talk about ending the Electoral College, I had to refresh my memory on the purpose of the process.  That led me to an interesting comparison, the map of sanctuary cities and the electoral votes for the 2016 election.   The cluster of pin points has an interesting link to the population density in those cities, which then relates to the number of electoral votes allowed.

Weirdly enough on the same day of my search, a post by Mr. Kevin Bowe listed some facts that sort of blew my mind because I had no idea.  (And yes, I took an hour out of my life that I will never get back, to fact check all his points, which were all true.)

“For all the people who fell asleep in civics class

It’s (the Electoral College) a safety net so that EVERYONE’S vote counts.

1:  There are 3,141 counties in the United States.  Trump won 3,084 of them.  Clinton won 57.

2:  There are 62 counties in New York State.  Trump won 46 of them.  Clinton won 16.

3:  Clinton won the popular vote by approx. 1.5 million votes.

4:  In the 5 counties that encompass NYC, (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Richmond & Queens) Clinton received well over 2 million more votes than Trump.  (Clinton only won 4 of these counties; Trump won Richmond)  Therefore these 5 counties alone, more than accounted for Clinton winning the popular vote of the entire country.

5: These 5 counties comprise 319 square miles.  The United States is comprised of 3,797,000 square miles.

6: When you have a country that encompasses almost 4 million square miles of territory, it would be ludicrous to even suggest that the vote of those who inhabit a mere 319 square miles should dictate the outcome of a national election.

Large, densely populated Democrat cities (NYC, Chicago, LA, etc.) don’t and shouldn’t speak for the rest of the country.

And this is WHY you have an Electoral College.”  (posted 3-20-19)

After reading this I looked into a map that popped up in my search, that of the county vote in the 2016 election. 

Obviously every person in every county didn’t vote Republican, but a majority in those counties turned them red.  It appears that people in the smallest of areas, want their voices to be heard.  Eliminating the Electoral College would eliminate those voices.

Believe me it’s a very helpless feeling having no voice in elections (residing here in California), or being silent on topics of controversy in hopes to avoid hurt feelings or angry backlashes.

I have worked with and lived near very sweet people who are liberals. These individuals do not have a problem speaking or posting their beliefs online. And, for the most part I have stayed silent (except to fact check of course, ’cause that’s just me…). I envy their boldness.  After leaving the Democratic Party in my 30’s I became a quiet polite Conservative.  This didn’t mean I wholeheartedly believed or supported what each President had to say or enacted, but I tried to stay true to ‘my’ beliefs. Moreover, I didn’t speak up or post things when I disagreed with the previous President’s policies, I quietly waited and hoped my vote would eventually speak for me.

Make no mistake, though, my silence on many issues does NOT imply my consent…

• Changing the Constitution to suit the needs of the few – this document has stood the test of time for 230+ years and many countries have tried to emulate it.
• Supporting the killing of the unborn and newly born.
• Ignoring the Bill of Rights.
• Eliminating the Electoral College.
• Allowing non-residents to vote for anything or anyone in this country.  People worked hard to become citizens don’t devalue their journey.
• Prosecuting accused individuals in the media for all to hear without undeniable proof.  Blindly attacking people via social media behind a screen where it is safe.  Where has our sense of decorum gone?

With all of these issues filling every minute of the news and social media, it’s understandable why so many young adults are confused and are so incredibly unhappy with this country and their lives.

Has our silence in teaching them the positives in this country, rather than highlighting the negatives, failed them? Has our silence allowed an entire generation to be ungrateful?

Have we been silent about religion and God for too long? Young adults aren’t taught to believe in something greater than themselves.  If they fail, the whole world is a failure since they – ARE – their whole world. Should we keep being silent or should we take the burden of being a ‘god’ off their shoulders?

My silence and the appearance of consent stops now…

• I didn’t ask to be conceived – but I’m grateful I was.
• The Hennessey, Baumgarten, Ross and Larsen families chose this country to call home!
• I don’t consider myself a racist, sexist, homophobic or a feminist, rather I am a woman of the human race, a Christian, and a conservative. I also have a lot of other human-type friends I am grateful for.
• I have sinned but believe I have been forgiven. Although knowing that, doesn’t mean I want to push my luck and run out of any additional “forgiven” possibilities.
• I believe that since I was born, I am actually a person of privilege; the privilege of being alive.  Born in a generation that wasn’t at war their entire lives, as in other countries.  Brought up in a country of abundance, opportunity and diversity. It has scars but is always learning from them and shouldn’t be looking backwards, but rather forward.

What I’m asking for, is the adults in the room STAND UP. Perhaps read both sides of an argument and use your common sense to choose a side or parts of a side that make sense for the entire country. Stand up for the trials you’ve gone through, the sacrifices you’ve endured and the work you had to put in to become the person you are today. 

I believe for too long our silence, as logical and experienced adults, HAS implied our consent.  

Grateful for you and being here,

Sheree

I was once again honored to be the recipient of my nephew Henry’s Santa Letter.  We’ve gone paperless this year and I received it via email.  Gmail is a wonderful thing when trying to hide the identity of a great-aunt from the nephew – no postmark. 

After reading through it the first time, I was amazed that with all the negative news and mindless ramblings on TV and social media that the mind of this 4^th grader had not yet been tampered with.

He asked how I was, plus the elves and Mrs. Claus.  This could have been to butter  me up for the wish list, but he then explained how he’s working on being respectful and keeping his hands to himself at school. Should this be considered a minus to the wish list since he obviously had been called out on a little “bad” behavior? But he did come clean with me after all….

Next in the letter was the melt your heart stuff; one of those questions to which I better answer correctly or scar the kid forever.

“I have one question before the wish list this year, is there really such a thing as good kids get presents and bad kids get no presents and coal in their stocking?  He went on to say “I think it’s, good kids get presents and bad kids get less presents because that whole no presents thing is just not kind.  All kids deserve presents even if there [they’re] bad.”

Crap, I believe I’ve said that “no presents and coal in your stockings” to my kids.

I actually might still say that to my adult-kids.  I had to delve deep down into my soul and question myself… should bad kids get presents?  Are those kids really good all year long but only bad during December?  What do their parents threaten them with during the other 11 months if they are bad?  And who made them bad afterall?

I came to the conclusion that children aren’t inherently bad.  And that, yes, their parents actually do assist in the bad behavior, whether they know it or not.  Why does it appear that they act out more in December?   And why do we hold a jolly, white-bearded old man over their heads when all he really wants to do is make them happy?

Maybe we’ve forgotten to teach them the original reason we’re supposed to be good, caring, and genuine for all 12 months instead of just one month?  Perhaps the whole giving and getting of gifts has lost its meaning?   Maybe we’ve become a little too lax on the lessons taught to us by a SON, who was born and gives gifts to us everyday of our lives. We just need to recognize them.

On Giving and Getting Gifts…

I believe the idea of “getting” gifts should teach us how to receive graciously, be humble and grateful.  And maybe, just maybe by taking the time to shop, wrap and give we’re actually being given an amazing gift to ourselves; a glimpse into the essence of pure JOY.   

So, I was honest with Henry and told him that all children should get presents.  And parents threaten their kids because they are frustrated with their misbehaving especially when they want to make things so perfect for Christmas.   I also shared with him that I hoped ALL children could be as caring as he was. 

I then told him that Sprinkles, his Elf on the Shelf, does report back to me.  Just great — this sweet child will now be thinking there’s a stalker in his house!  I’m thinking pretend Santa’s can possibly do a little damage of their own…..

Have a blessed Christmas filled with gratitude and JOY!

Grateful for you,

Sheree (pseudo-Santa)

It’s not hard to observe the lack of respect today. Nearly every day there is something written about it, posted about it or filmed about it.  Why do children seem so disrespectful?  What happened?

How did the noun – respect – become such a bad word?

I’ve asked friends how they were taught respect. We all agree there was a very fine line between respect and fear when growing up.  I understand why you shouldn’t respect someone because you fear them, but we were definitely raised on that fine line.

We feared disappointing our parents and the consequences for misbehaving.  We were taught to respect the law or there would be hell to pay. As children we respected our elders no matter what race, sex or ethnicity because we were told to.  As I grew I then understood why we should.  In the hierarchy of the family we were placed at the bottom; we were definitely seen but not heard when adults were speaking.  We feared our teachers but most of all the fallout from our parents.  There seemed to be a direct hotline from school to our homes.  Our parents knew the things we had done before our feet even hit the door step.  And I love this one – our parents gave permission to our teachers, in front of us, to discipline as they saw fit.

The disciplining thing happened to some of “us” in the family, more than others…

We were grounded, had things taken away and if the family couldn’t afford something, we didn’t get it. In a home that didn’t have central air conditioning, our parent’s bedroom had the window AC unit; we had to sweat ourselves to sleep. In a family of six, we had to find our own way to events or school; our parents were the only ones who used the car in our family.  Phone conversations were present for everyone to hear because the corded phone was in the kitchen.  We had curfews and hand-me-downs and ate what was served at dinner, period. Going out to a nice restaurant was about once a year and it was a treat to drive 12 miles for fast food every month or so, if that.

My parents weren’t my friends…

They weren’t my friends until I was in my mid to late 20’s.  I often told my children when they were growing up, that I wasn’t their friend either, I had plenty of those.  But I was assigned the task of parenting them which didn’t allow us to be friends – until later.  Thank God they’re old enough – I love hanging out with them now!

I need to make something perfectly clear; I do not blame the disrespectful children of today for their behavior. How can you, they didn’t come out of the womb with an attitude.  But somehow many parents stopped the whole fear/respect thing and decided it was easier to be friends with their offspring than to teach them hard lessons.  Life at home was easier if they defended their child’s bad behavior rather than standing up for the teachers who are with them all day.   Giving in to tantrums or shoving an electronic device under their noses was easier than taking the time to speak and interact with them.  And it appeared to be easier to give and give until the checkbook said $0.00 than to say no.  A lot of parents believe their children are perfect, polite and kind when in reality their children are imperfect, rude and disrespectful.

Children should have a voice, after they’ve gained the respect to be heard.

Good behavior, good work ethics, good deeds, and responsibility earns respect.  A kind heart, respecting themselves and others, plus animals, property and laws, earns respect.  Learning to fail, to try, fail and try again, earns respect.  Being grateful for whatever is laid before them, earns respect.

And although I sound like children aren’t being taught by their parents or the adults around them, oh, they are. Children are observing their parents yelling at their teachers, flipping off people, cutting each other off in their cars, and hiding behind electronic screens while rudely attacking another person’s opinions with offensive and hurtful replies.  They’re watching adults ignoring laws and proceeding through life with an “I do what I want” attitude.  They are also being taught that they are not as important as the cell phone, that never leaves their parent’s hand.

Children look up to us as role models, and we as adults often search out the worst in people, their faults, their imperfections, and their differences. We’re addicted to see which person will be kicked off the island or who the latest victim in the headlines might be.  We’re the examples these children emulate.

When did we, the adults, lose our sense of respect?

We need to begin practicing respect –  like holding doors and saying please and thank you, plus letting those last minute cars merge in without having a heart attack. We need to actually read what we’re commenting or posting and stop to think – “Is it true?” and “Will it help?”,  then hit delete if either answer is NO.  We’ve got to reintroduce ourselves to the often forgotten world that’s just outside the door – nature.  We need to realize it might not always be around if we don’t respect the earth.  And maybe it’s time we all respect the fact that we are pretty damn lucky just to be here, in this moment, in this country and on this planet.

We need to start respecting ourselves more, too. Besides the obvious of eating better, drinking less and exercising more, we need to disconnect.  We have to begin to think our own thoughts rather than the thoughts that are constantly being infused into our heads by the news, social media or acquaintances.

We need to be quiet, talk less and listen more.

A neighbor shared with me two words from the sermon at her church – Taste and Talk. I thought, ok….?  She went on to explain how the priest shared that in today’s world we care so much about what goes into our mouths, the TASTE of food or drink, but we think nothing of what comes out of our mouths when we TALK, words that are full of anger, untruths and cruelty.  His observation was so precise!

There has to be a breaking point where common decency, respect and courtesy returns. The youth of today won’t find it in social media or the news.  They won’t find it in adults who break the law or who only think about “me.”  They need to be shown by their family, their neighborhoods and their schools.   They need to experience the reward of a job well done or owning and taking care of something, plus they need to experience the consequences for their lack of respect.

We don’t need to be friends with these little darlings; we just need to be better teachers of the word: respect.

Grateful for you,

Sheree