The Morning After

Wow. Yesterday's election in Massachusetts was another "Boston Tea Party". I guess you might say that Bostonians know how to shake things up. Here is this simpleton's 'take' of the events last night viewed from afar.

Thank you David Gergen -
David Gergan, the CNN news guy/former Washington DC political advisor/professor at Harvard Kennedy School, provided the perfect opportunity for Scott Brown to win the hearts of the people in Massachusetts. In a debate several weeks ago, serving as the moderator/questioner, he asked Scott Brown about his chance of claiming the Kennedy seat in the Senate. Scott Brown's reply won thousands of votes. His reply was, "It is not Kennedy's seat, it is the people's seat." With this comment he drew even and took the momentum of the campaign to his side.

Acceptance Speech -
Scott Brown gave a good acceptance speech, thanking all the right people. It was noticeable that he profusely thanked the independent voters of Massachusetts far more than he thanked those in the Republican party. Perhaps this was because the RNC (Republican National Committee) did not contribute much money or hope for his election. This is the second election in a row in which the RNC looked like absolute hayseeds emerging from a cave. In the congressional election in upstate New York a couple of months ago, the Republican party elites backed a liberal republican only to find her tanking as the voters were backing a conservative independent. Only at the last second of that election did the RNC jump on the bandwagon. The same scenario played out in Massachusetts. The RNC thought Scott Brown had no chance so why invest in a losing cause. Only in the last weeks of the campaign, after the momentum had clearly swung in Brown's favor, did the RNC get on the bandwagon.

"Tea Partiers" -
Those most happy on the morning after are the "Tea Partiers". Scott Brown mirrors them. More independent than republican. Not ready to swear allegiance to the Republican Party but will use the party as the only viable outlet at this time to effect political change. If the Republican Party does not get it's act together, "Tea Partiers" will go another route as there is little loyalty to the Republican Party. And this is so with good cause.

One Down, Ninety-Nine To Go -
Only 99 more senators to replace! Even the Republicans need to be replaced! The Republicans in the Senate under Bush did exactly what the Democrats in the Senate are doing under Obama. Bush started the bailouts (with Republican Senators support.) Obama simply took the blueprint and ran farther and faster with it.

The Real Winner -
Amid the speculation of whether the White House 'learned a lesson' last night and how it will respond, the health care debate will go forward by the White House with greater urgency. The Democrats 'lost' that precious 60th vote last night. But remember, in November they bought the 60th vote from Senator Mary Landrieu, securing it with a $100 million gift to the State of Louisiana. Then last month they bought the 60th wavering vote from Senator Ben Nelson, securing it with a gift of indefinite millions of dollars to the State of Nebraska. So, dear friends, it will not come as a surprise when the 60th vote is bought again. And the winner is . . . The state of Maine! With Maine's two liberal Republican Senators, the courting (buying) of just one of their votes will be awesome to behold. It is just too bad no one will be behind the closed door to see the deal being made.

Well, I'm off to have a great day. I hope your day is great too!
Blessings

Leaving Seattle

It's 30 minutes before I board the jet to whisk me away from Seattle and back to home in the Lone Star State. I'm heading into frigid temperatures so Seattle looks real good right now. Lasting thoughts on Seattle before I leave. It was fun to wake up each morning to the sound of sea gulls (amidst the sound of downtown Seattle). In the Mackinesso language the word 'Seattle' means "land of night shadows". This is because you never get to see your shadow until night fall. How can that be? At night they turn on the street lights and as you walk under them you can actually see your shadow. In the daytime you are deprived of shadows.
The Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges surrounding Seattle form a natural beauty. But as a "prairie man" myself the mountain's beauty takes second place to the high plains' beauty. Perhaps the sunshine has a part to play in this.

I got some neat Christmas gifts from my two daughters so my trip to Seattle was great in every way.

As I close this blog, my next step in this venture is learning to post pictures in the blog. "It's easy once you know what to do", say those who know how to do it.

Anyway, God is good and life is good.
Blessings

Seattle Days

I'm enjoying the week in Seattle visiting my two daughters. It's a nice change of pace from Valley View in many ways. Most notable this year is the weather. Most of the places I have lived (Kansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Texas) have used the phrase, "If you don't like the weather, stick around a day, it will change." This phrase is not used in Seattle. The phrase more likely to be used is, "If you don't like the weather, leave. It will be the same tomorrow." Yesterday we were walking in the mist - which is Seattle's version of rain - when my son-in-law commented that he knew what broccoli felt like in the super market. You know, every so often those misting devices come on to keep the produce moist. That is Seattle during the winter and spring and fall. Having endured nature's misting machine for two days now I think it is time for a change. Maybe a dose of sunlight would be good. Here's hoping for a sunny day so you can at least see the Space Needle. What is a visit to Seattle without being able to see the it's historical icon?

By the way trivia - Did you know that Dallas gets more rain annually than Seattle? It just comes in bucket form in Dallas rather than in misting form in Seattle. Uncle Woody's old fashioned Carmel corn cost $6.99 for a 12 ounce bag. It was good but too pricey. It was not good to eat the whole bag at 11:00 PM. Corinne's Carmel corn is much better. I am starting my third day in Seattle and have yet to enter a vehicle of any kind.

It's time to enter the world of Seattle. Hey, it's only partly cloudy today!

Blessings

Welcome 2010

Five minutes into the new year and I was experiencing a first. I was actually 'toasting' something with a group of friends. We were 'toasting' the new year. You know the routine. We were supposed to go around the room and each person/family give a toast to the new year and everyone sip some champagne with each toast. The first toast went something like this. May 2010 be better than 2009. The second toast (with a slight variation) ended with may 2010 be better than 2009. The third toast (after skipping me due to the obvious "bad" year I had experienced) brought the same toast, "Here's to a better year than last." By now you get the picture. Everyone was thinking what a stinking year 2009 was and glad it was over. So with a slight pause someone chimed in for everyone, and said, "For all of us, may 2010 be better than last year." I must admit I was at a loss of what my impromptu "toast" was going to be.

Driving home a few minutes later found me pondering those past 20 minutes with the toast. Why was 2009 so bad? What happened during the year that made everyone glad it was over? In pondering this, the common thread to the answer to this question was difficult situations arose in which we would rather not have been a participant. Each family around the room had their own set of circumstances which made life difficult in one degree or another (and most had a crises thrown in to boot.) And so it was easy to let circumstances dictate our view of 2009.

By the time I arrived home I had a toast to offer the new year. "May 2010 be as good as the last year."

Let me explain my heart. In one sense 2009 was a "bummer" due to the death of my wife, Joyce. This experience does bring about pain and major readjustments to life. But in walking through 2009 and even the two prior years leading up to Joyce's death, there has been an incredible presence of the Lord and His peace upon us through those difficult times. The Lord did promise that He would never leave us. Indeed, I have found this to be so in such a very real way that I do not ever want to "miss" His presence again. I believe my 'awareness' of His incredible nearness only came through those difficult experiences. For me, 2009 was defined by His presence much more so than any year of my life. For this I am forever grateful. For this reason alone 2009 was the best year of my life.

Difficulties, hardships, crises - whatever you want to call them - serve at least two purposes. First, they reveal what is in our heart. Second they deepen our faith in what we truly believe. Without the difficulties, we remain ignorantly blissful and shallow. Some things can only be forged in tough situations. Difficulty, hardship, crisis - they all will visit us again in 2010. This is part of life. But they do not have to define our year or life. I choose to define my year by the presence of the Lord which brought peace, joy, even contentment in the midst of the difficulties and hardships faced.

So here's to 2010 - More difficulties, more of His presence, more of His grace, more of His character forged into my life!

Blessings