Country Savvy

Now that we are into a new year, it is time to get back to doing what ever we do.  The holidays were great, saw all the family at one time or the other, and enjoyed Christmas with my Mom.  But now it is the regular humdrum of winter and must do other things.

I have had a few thoughts cross my mind, mostly they are on issues of the day or issues that I think should be discussed.  I will start with a few observations.  The first of which is political views.  It seems that there has been no let up on the failures by President Obama and his corrupt administration.  There also seems to be a continuing attack on the Democratic controlled Congress.  Secondly, we have a few issues around athletes.  Tiger’s tomcating around, Gilbert Areneas’ gun incident and a National Championship Football game that was less than anticipated.  I certainly am not qualified to voice opinions on all these, but as a private citizen, I can express my views.

All of the aforementioned items with the exception of the football game are really centered around one thing.  The lack of believing in the values and morals of a Christian.  Our values have swung so far to the left that we now have a San Francisco City Council member who has even said he will use profanity in every meeting.  The President is spending our money on foolish vacations, is not addressing our national security issues in a timely manner, and Congress is about to pass a Health Care bill that is against the wishes of the American majority.  Not only does the bill approve of abortion, but has so many riders that the corruption in them would make the Mafia look like choir boys in comparison.  Will the Tea Parties have enough impact to prevent the continued deterioration of the underlying principles that made this nation great?

Then why does a talented, athlete have carry a gun, unless he is prone to visit places that are not considered safe.  A well conditioned young man should be able to protect himself without having a gun.  If he were to evaluate his lifestyle, he would not place himself in a position of needing to carry a gun anyway.  Do not get me wrong, I do advocate the right to carry a concealed weapon, but along with that right comes a responsibility to handle it properly.  When a person is being paid millions of dollars, then I would think it would change his circle of friends, visit classier places and avoid places where he may be harmed.  This is just an observation, as is the lack of morals by Tiger.  Bret Hume mentioned that if he become a Christian, he could be forgiven his sins.  If he were a good Christian to start with, he would not be losing his image, his family or his great income.

As far as the National Championship game, I was so looking forward to having each team at their best.  With the injury to Colt McCoy, it placed a cloud over the victory by Alabama.  I will admit I was rooting for Texas, but win or lose, the game was changed by not having both teams at their best.

Now I don’t even know what the year will bring, we can only pray that each of us will have a good year.

God Bless

Within the next few weeks, we will experience a holiday that should be like no other.  It is the celebration of the birth of Christ.  We must remember the true meaning and give thanks to God for sending his Son to us, for it is through belief in Him that we are granted everlasting life.

With this in mind, we then celebrate by being with family and friends.  We exchange gifts, eat too much and enjoy the presence of our families and friends.  Some years, Christmas is better than others.  We must share our loved ones with other families and this leads to being without anyone to share our joy. I have had many Christmases when I was alone, and many with the house full with love and cheer flowing freely.

As a child, we lived next door to my Grandmother.  Christmas was always fun, there would always be lots of people at her house.  With the eight children she had and their children, plus my Grandfather’s large family, we always had more than there were beds.  Some years the whole living room floor would be covered in blankets and kids.  It would be warm, the house would be decorated, and there would be more food than an army could eat, but there was always love and happiness.

As I grew older, I left home, went into the Marine Corps and could not return home each year.  The extreme change was really hard to cope with the first few years.  Although I had a few friends that had not gone home, it was very lonely not being with family.  When I got married, though Christmas was not the same, it was enjoyable to have my small children and sometimes others of my family with me.  As they grew and were no longer around, once again, Christmas changed.  Now it is, go here or go there, seldom stay home and have everyone together.  The distances that families live apart and the work and activities the children and grandchildren are involved in all contribute to less frequent family gatherings, especially at Christmas.

So as we celebrate this Christmas, let us express our love to our families in whatever way we can to let them know that we are thinking of them this Christmas. Let us remember to keep our Faith and give our thanks to our Saviour for our many blessings.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas, and may you enjoy the presence of all your family and friends.  And if you travel, my the good Lord give you a safe journey.

I know that as we were growing up, our parents tried to teach us to show appreciation when we received a gift or a favor from someone.  We were supposed to send a thank you card or say thank you in person for whatever was appropriate.  But there is a time when it seems some people go to far, almost to the point of embarrassment. And I know that for some people it is necessary to express their gratitude often and in many ways.  But for others a simple vocal thank you is more than enough.

Let me illustrate a few examples of how some people express their appreciation for a deed done for them.  Let’s say that you have the skill to help them with a task that would otherwise have cost them to get accomplished.  Now taking the time to do for a friend or neighbor is something we all do, usually a thank you will suffice, but when that person not only says thank you, they send a card then also stand up in a group meeting an announce that you had done a wonderful deed, it is too much.

Or if you do something as simple as recording a TV show for them, a simple thank you is enough once they have offered to replace your DVD disk even when you refuse the replacement.  But to add a thank you card, and purchase candy or some such item to give you, is considered to much.

It is important that you understand the person that is the target of your appreciation.  When you over appreciative, then it tends to make that person not want to help you in the future, we do not like to be embarrassed.  If a person likes to receive many thanks and you do not express it enough, then that person will be less likely to help in the future also.  After a time or two, it should be apparent as to the personality you are dealing with and you should express your appreciation appropriately.  But to say that you know they don’t want thanks and then do it anyway is, in my opinion, going way too far.

Now, I happen to be one of those people who would just soon you say a simple thank you and then forget about it.  I don’t mind helping people and doing things for others such as the Church or an organization, but I will back away when the appreciation is overly expressed especially when they know that is not to my likening.

An act of kindness is given from the heart, not for worldly publication as to how good a person you are.  When you give a gift from the heart, the appreciation you get is in the knowing inside that you have given of yourself and that is all the appreciation you really need.  There is no need to stroke an ego, or to need accolades to build your self worth.

I guess what I am trying to say is that you simply know the person you are dealing with and accept their values when it comes time to thank them for a gift or deed. It will enhance your friendship and should you ever need help again, you will get a more willing response.