Moving Forward

As news broke about last Friday's elementary school shooting in Connecticut, I experienced a range of emotions- disbelief, sorrow, fear, and anger. As a mother, news stories like this are especially unsettling, because it is instantly personalized. I asked myself, what kind of society am I raising my precious children in? Truly, I realized, we are living in a time when "men's hearts wax cold" (Matthew 24:12). I can only have faith that our children are born strong enough to meet the challenges they will be faced with.

I find great comfort in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of  good cheer; I have overcome the world," as well as Sister Burton's teaching that "All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ." The Atonement will heal our wounds.

In the meantime, I believe that these events are a symptom of a deepening infection in our country- a disregard for human life and glamorization of death/darkness. I hope that our nation can honestly, boldly, and shamelessly pinpoint the causes of this sickness (and I have my opinions about what those are, but that's another post for another day) and take the necessary steps to eliminate it for the welfare of our children and our country.

Happy Veteran's Day

When I was a child, I learned how to play "The Caisson Song" on the piano (this was the original unofficial Army song that was later rewritten to "The Army Goes Rolling Along"). Whenever I played this song within earshot of my Grandpa, he would immediately reward me with a quarter, and on one occasion, one of his field artillery pins. He was a Colonel in the army, and took great pride in his service. This song/tune will forever remind me of him and the wonderful example of hard work, discipline, and patriotic duty that he provided me.

Over hill, over dale
As we hit the dusty trail,
And those caissons go rolling along.
In and out, hear them shout,
Counter march and right about,
And those caissons go rolling along.

Refrain :
Then it's hi! hi! hee!
In the field artillery,
Shout out your numbers loud and strong,
For where e'er you go,
You will always know
That those caissons go rolling along.

In the storm, in the night,
Action left or action right
See those caissons go rolling along
Limber front, limber rear,
Prepare to mount your cannoneer
And those caissons go rolling along.
Refrain :

Was it high, was it low,
Where the hell did that one go?
As those caissons go rolling along
Was it left, was it right,
Now we won't get home tonight
And those caissons go rolling along.
Refrain :

Vote!

Today, I found this article, "Poltical Campaigns and You" from the September 1972 Ensign. It was written with the intent to educate people, particularly 18 year-olds (who would be voting for the first time ever), on how to vote. It is great! I could have used this when I turned 18! 
I've listed the checklist it provides, and some of the points it makes. It's worth reading the whole thing:

• Reason or Emotion- "Fight to drain your decision of emotion. If you feel strongly about an issue, ask yourself why. If you can’t repeat back substantive reasons for your stance based on facts, you may be motivated by undue emotion. ... Ask yourself: Does this ad portray legitimate and reasonable concern for our problems, or does it exaggerate? Am I being approached as a thinking citizen or as a frightened animal?"
• Knowledge or Folklore- "Separate your understanding into two groups: Those facts that you can verify from credible sources (knowledge), and those you can’t (folklore). Remember which is which so you won’t use folklore in your voting decision and so you can help correct distorted ideas held by friends."
• Issues: Legitimate or Contrived- "For each vote you intend to cast, write down what you believe to be the top five problems facing that officeholder... Now as you go into a campaign, write down the top problems each candidate appears to be emphasizing. How do the lists compare? Which candidate most closely emphasizes the problems that concern you and your neighbors? What solutions does each offer? How well thought out are the proposed solutions? How do they compare with what you personally would do to solve each problem?"
• Image or Mirage- "Our vote is not decided entirely upon issues. A candidate’s characteristics should also be examined. Again get out your pad of paper and write down the five top traits you believe an officeholder should possess...If you get stuck trying to decide, ask yourself: Which candidate do I trust the most? And then: Why do I trust him more than the others?"
• Strength or Weakness- "As each campaign tries to project a certain image for its candidate, ask yourself not only what they are saying, but more important why they are saying it."
• Promise or Guarantee- "Distinguish between promises of effort and guarantees of end results. A legislator can promise to introduce legislation and work for its passage, but he isn’t in a position to guarantee it becoming law if the executive says he’ll veto it. Similarly, an executive-type officeholder can promise to ask for authority to institute certain programs, but he can’t promise they’ll become fact if his legislature resists."
• Standing or Posturing- "Why is a certain candidate running for a particular office? On the basis of his past work, who stands to benefit? How sincere do you believe he is in the reasons he cites for his candidacy? Is he standing for office as a concerned, able citizen, or is he posturing for ego gratification?"
• Account or Attack- "Ask yourself: Is the charge a legitimate call for accounting or a personal attack? If personal deficiencies are claimed, would they in actuality hinder the execution of duties, or are they immaterial to the office sought?"
• Action or Reaction- "Ask yourself: Am I acting on the information I have gathered or reacting because of parents or peer group?"
• Candidate A or Candidate B- "You have now arrived at your decision. Take whatever time you need to mull over the information you have gathered and then make a tentative choice in each race. Now search out acquaintances who have made the opposite decision. Talk with them, ask them why they are voting for their candidates, and volunteer the reasons you are voting for yours. You will find out how well you have thought through your decision."

Snowball

The more news stories I read, the more I realize how inspired the "Proclamation to the World" was when it was introduced 17 years ago. As gay marriage proponents have begun to push countries to accept their lifestyle as equal and moral, it seems that the world's stance on morality and gender in general is going haywire!

• This article reports of a couple in Canada who are raising their 3rd child as "genderless".
• These articles highlight 2 different countries (Sweden and France) that are pursuing legal roads to create "gender equality" by eliminating the words "him/her" and "mother/father" and replacing them with gender neutral words. 
• Director Nick Cassavetes (Director of "The Notebook") regarding the purpose of his new film "Yellow" and incest: “I’m not saying this is an absolute but in a way, if you’re not having kids – who gives a damn? Love who you want. Isn’t that what we say? Gay marriage – love who you want? If it’s your brother or sister it’s super weird, but if you look at it, you’re not hurting anybody, except every single person who freaks out because you’re in love with one another. ...This whole movie is about judgment, and lack of it, and doing what you want."

Strong Words About Idleness

While studying a different topic, I came across this talk by Marion G. Romney in the May 1976 Ensign (April 1976 General Conference). Romney had some leadership responsibilities in the church welfare program. The following excerpts are pretty blunt concerning government welfare (vs. the church welfare system) and its outcome. I found his quotes from President Clark particularly bold, considering the state of things 74 years later.
This speaks to me in several ways: (1) It opposes the idea that government welfare programs are "charity". There is no agency (Romney uses the outdated term "free agency") in being taxed, and paying taxes does not stem from love. (2) The effect that free living and  the absence of work have on the character of individuals (idleness/entitlement), and ultimately our society. (3) The social importance of a strong family unit.

Marion G. Romney, "Church Welfare Services' Basic Principles"

"When we love the Lord our God with all our hearts, might, and strength, we will love our brothers as ourselves, and we will voluntarily, in the exercise of our free agency, impart of our substance for their support.

"Now about work. Work is just as important to the success of our welfare services as are the first and second great commandments and the preservation of our free agency.

"We must ever keep in mind that the First Presidency, in announcing the welfare program in the October 1936 conference, said:

'Our primary purpose was to set up, in so far as it might be possible, a system under which the curse of idleness would be done away with, the evils of a dole abolished, and independence, industry, thrift and self respect be once more established amongst our people. The aim of the Church is to help the people to help themselves. Work is to be re-enthroned as the ruling principle of the lives of our Church membership.' (Conference Report, Oct. 1936, p. 3; italics added.)

"A year before this statement was made, on October 7, 1935, President Clark, in a special priesthood meeting held in this tabernacle, referring to government gratuities, said:

'The dispensing of these great quantities of gratuities has produced in the minds of hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of people in the United States a love for idleness, a feeling that the world owes them a living. It has made a breeding ground for some of the most destructive political doctrines that have ever found any hold in this country of ours, and I think it may lead us into serious political trouble.

'I fear,' he continued, 'we need not be surprised if some blood shall run before we of this nation finally find ourselves.'

"In his conference address of April 1938, President Clark said this:

'I honor and respect old age. I would not see it suffer from want, not from disease that can be helped. It is entitled to every care, to every act of kindness, to every loving caress which a grateful community and a devoted family can give. 'I have every sympathy with age. I know the difficulties which age has in fitting into modern, economic life. …

'Some plan must be devised that shall make certain that no aged person shall be cold or go hungry or unclad. But the prime responsibility for supporting an aged parent rests upon his family, not upon society. Ours is not a socialistic or communistic state, where the people are mere vassals to be driven about as animals from one corral to another. We are freemen. So still with us the family has its place and its responsibilities and duties, which are God-given. The family which refuses to keep its own is not meeting its duties. When an aged parent has no family or when the family is itself without means, then society must, as a matter of merest humanity, come to the rescue. This is perfectly clear.

'But it is a far cry from this wise principle to saying that every person reaching a fixed age shall thereafter be kept by the state in idleness. Society owes to no man a life of idleness, no matter what his age. I have never seen one line in Holy Writ that calls for, or even sanctions this. In the past no free society has been able to support great groups in idleness and live free.' (CR, Apr. 1938, pp. 106–7.)

"And I’ll say to you that no society in the future will ever be able to do so.

"And in a private letter five years later, President Clark wrote:

'You must remember that back and behind this whole propaganda of ‘pensions’, gratuities, and doles to which we are now being subjected, is the idea of setting up in America, a socialistic or communistic state, in which the family would disappear, religion would be prescribed and controlled by the state, and we should all become mere creatures of the state, ruled over by ambitious and designing men.'

"What has happened during the third of a century since this statement was made testifies to President Clark’s prophetic insight.

"Prayer in schools has been dealt a fatal blow. The integrity of the family is being undermined. Unemployment compensation, Medicaid, aid to families with dependent children (AFDC), food stamps, and hundreds of other transfer-payment programs for veterans, widows or widowers, and children are today all supported, totally or in part, by federal and state/local tax revenue.

"Little is said or done in these programs about the obligation ... of recipients to work for what they receive."

Normandy Beach

It's amazing to think that this was once the of view soldiers defending an evil regime, and waiting to stop the work of freedom.

It's amazing to think that this serene beach was once hell on earth, with the sounds of gunfire, bombs, and wails of dieing men filling the air.

It's amazing to think that this was once the view of what seemed an impossible victory, and that this sand once held the 

footprints and bodies of soldiers... not tourists.

It's amazing to consider the young men willing to sacrifice their lives in defense of Freedom.

"We've been so fortunate by the accident of birth to be Americans. And having had that great fortune, our primary duty is to make sure that this country survives [and its freedoms]. That ought to be the primary objective of every American every day of the rest of their life."

- 'Medal of Honor' recipient

(I wish I could tell you his name. He was in a documentary playing at the Hazy Air and Space Museum last year, that had the stories of multiple Medal of Honor recipients)

Recent Rants

I don't feel like my blog has been very topical lately, so here are two of my recent rants concerning women and our country ("topical" is being used loosely, as both subjects are fairly old news):

First, and most recently, is a comment made by Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen about Ann Romney in which she questions Romney's input on economics by stating, "she never worked a day in her life."
My Rant: My complaint has nothing to do with the working mom v. stay-at-home mom argument. My complaint is about the insinuation that stay-at-home moms are not intelligent and have no valuable insight on the economy. If you are living on one paycheck, and working to stretch your husband's paycheck for bills, grocery shopping, clothes shopping, etc. then you know firsthand how healthy (or unhealthy) the economy is. It doesn't take employment to understand that. Does a woman that works at McDonald's have more credible input on the economy than a homemaker, by virtue of being employed? To me, this just shows a true condescension that exists in viewing women who choose to be stay-at-home moms as uninformed and unintelligent with nothing valuable to offer.
It brings to mind the comment made by Hillary Clinton in March 1992, "You know, I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession..."

The second, is inspired by my loose following of the Sandra Fluke controversy several weeks ago. Fluke is a Georgetown University law school student (a Catholic institution) who testified before House Democrats in support of an insurance mandate that covered birth control. She argued that even institutions with moral objections to contraception should be required to give coverage, stating that the cost of contraception can be an economic hardship on students.
My Rant: First, Biology:101: Sex is a choice that has a consequence- the possible result of pregnancy. When women start demanding that the government has a responsibility to help them avoid this risk, they are shifting the focus from the accountability of their choices to demanding that they be provided the means to maintain a certain lifestyle. It's as if they are victims of their reproductive powers and somehow the government owes them prevention, simply because they have female parts. If you can't afford cable, then you don't buy cable. If you can't afford The Pill- and you don't want to become pregnant- perhaps you shouldn't be sexually active (or use cheaper contraception methods). Nor should institutions that morally oppose contraception be forced to provide it.
I am aware of certain health conditions in women (unrelated to family planning) that require the treatment of birth control. This is not the issue at hand, although it has been pulled into the argument. The center of this argument is contraception- intentional prevention of contraception and pregnancy.

If All The World Were Blind

"The real comforts [necessities] of life cost but a small portion of what most of us can earn. Dr. Franklin says 'It is the eyes of others and not our own eyes which ruin us. If all the world were blind except myself I should not care for fine clothes or furniture.' It is the fear of what Mrs. Grundy may say that keeps the noses of many worthy families to the grindstone. In America many persons like to repeat 'we are all free and equal,' but it is a great mistake in more senses than one.
"That we are born 'free and equal' is a glorious truth in one sense, yet we are not all born equally rich, and we never shall be. ...
"...[Y]ou will not get ahead in the world, if your vanity and envy thus take the lead. In this country, where we believe the majority ought to rule, we ignore that principle in regard to fashion, and let a handful of people, calling themselves the aristocracy, run up a false standard of perfection, and in endeavoring to rise to that standard, we constantly keep ourselves poor; all the time digging away for the sake of outside appearances. How much wiser to be a 'law unto ourselves' and say, 'we will regulate our out-go by our income, and lay up something for a rainy day.' People ought to be as sensible on the subject of money-getting as on any other subject. Like causes produces like effects. You cannot accumulate a fortune by taking the road that leads to poverty. It needs no prophet to tell us that those who live fully up to their means, without any thought of a reverse in this life, can never attain a pecuniary independence."

-P.T. Barnum, 1810-1891

Under My Skin

If I hear another sentence begin or end with the phrase "In this economy," I might just go drive my car off a bridge.

Not really... but it's getting old. Is there change in sight?

A Whale of a Tale

According to this article, PETA is now suing Sea World on the grounds that they are violating Amendment 13 rights by "enslaving" their killer whales and forcing them to perform for Sea World's profit. Just a few questions regarding applying human rights to animals came to mind after reading the article:

1. Do animals deserve human rights if they have no accountability?
2. Could the same argument be made toward any pet owner? (No doubt PETA members have pets...)
3. Does this mean we can prosecute animals that kill people (or other animals)?

I was remembering a time a few years ago, when I was leaving a zoo and protesters were handing out literature on the evils of zoos. I thought about their argument, and I decided that these people might be a little short sighted in their argument. I can't think of a better way to produce affection or love of animals, than to make them accessible to the general public... and especially children.
After my son saw a Sea World show, his love for orca whales blew through the roof. Obviously, I believe that animals should be cared for appropriately, but these Sea World shows just might be the best PR the orcas could ever hope for.

Happy Anniversary, Constitution

In honor of the signing of the constitution in 1787 (tomorrow), here are some really neat quotes from the talk, "The Constitution- A Glorious Standard", by President Benson (I have tinkered with the formatting). Also, here is a link to the National Archives and some neat Q&A's about the constitution.

"To understand the significance of the Constitution, we must first understand some basic, eternal principles. These principles have their beginning in the premortal councils of heaven."

1. Agency
• "The war that began in heaven over this issue is not yet over. The conflict continues on the battlefield of mortality. And one of Lucifer’s primary strategies has been to restrict our agency through the power of earthly governments."
2. The function and proper role of government
• (Quotes D&C 134:1-2,5) "In other words, the most important single function of government is to secure the rights and freedoms of individual citizens."
3. The source of basic human rights
• ‍"Rights are either God-given as part of the divine plan, or they are granted by government as part of the political plan. If we accept the premise that human rights are granted by government, then we must be willing to accept the corollary that they can be denied by government."
4. People are superior to the governments they form
• "‍Since God created people with certain inalienable rights, and they, in turn, created government to help secure and safeguard those rights, it follows that the people are superior to the creature they created."
5. Governments should have only limited powers
• "By deriving its just powers from the governed, government becomes primarily a mechanism for defense against bodily harm, theft, and involuntary servitude. It cannot claim the power to redistribute money or property nor to force reluctant citizens to perform acts of charity against their will. Government is created by the people. The creature cannot exceed the creator."

Lessons I Learned from 9/11

For my high school graduation present, my parents took me on a trip to New York City (a tradition that had started with my older brothers). Among the activities on our itinerary was a trip to the World Trade Center. The day we visited the towers was overcast and gray. We took an elevator ride to the very top floor. The room was surrounded by floor to ceiling windows, and you couldn't help but stand as close to the window as you could to see the view below. I remember my knees weakening and catching my breath a little as I looked down to the street. It was truly staggering. The cars below looked like little matchbox cars. Unfortunately, due to high winds, we were unable to access the obeservation deck on the roof that day. "Oh well," I thought to myself, "I guess that gives me a reason to come back." I would have never in a thousand years guessed that I would never be able to visit these buildings again. In a few years, the World Trade Center buildings were gone.
I was in college when it happened. I was walking home from an early morning class, and as I approached my apartment building, some girls passed me on the sidewalk and told me some news about an airplane flying into one of the World Trade Center buildings. Not realizing the magnitude of the accident, I responded, "What, is the world coming to an end?" When I reached my apartment, the girls across the hall had their door open and were watching the news. As I watched the story unfold, I realized the gravity of the situation. I sat for an hour glued to the TV screen watching reporters describe events that were, up until then, only imaginable in the movies. Except, this was real, and real people were suffering. A fear, insecurity, and vulnerability I had never experienced filled my heart. The wickedness and hate it took to carry out this assault was unfathomable. When I could watch no more, I walked to my room and prayed for peace. I decided to take a shower and get ready for the day. Even though I knew that my university was at the bottom of the list for a terrorist plot, I still felt unsafe. While I showered, I actually worried that my apartment building would be leveled while I showered, and that my body would be found naked in the rubble. I couldn't imagine a more humiliating way to die- so I took a fast shower. Later, I listened to some comforting words, and the process of healing began.
A couple of years earlier, I had began the application process to be a volunteer at the 2002 Olympics. In 2001, I had received my assignment. I would be stationed in Solider Hollow with the cross country ski events. After the events of 9/11 unfolded, I began to worry that the Olympics, with an international crowd, would be the next venue for a terrorist plot to take place. I talked with a friend who strongly encouraged me to move forward and not to let fear guide my decisions. In the end, my fear won out and I did not pursue my volunteer assigenment any further. This is a decision I still regret.
Now with the 10th anniversary, I have reflected on the event and how it has shaped my life. I can think of two ways. The first, is that now I know that you can't depend on anything to be there when you come back. Now I try to take advantage of things when I can, and enjoy them as if I will never be able to again. The second lesson, is that fear should not be the method by which you make your choices. This is actually something that is easier said than done, but when you understand that sometimes opportunities only come once, fear will only lead to regret. 9/11 was an awful day, but hopefully, instead of reopening and nursing old wounds each year, we can instead choose to grow stronger from the lessons it has taught us, accept each day as a blessing, and then take advantage of the opportunities that each day gives us.

Religious Freedom

"Religious freedom cannot be reduced to freedom of worship, nor even freedom of private conscience. Religious freedom means that religious groups as well as religious individuals have a right to exercise their influence in the public square."

- His Eminence Francis Cardinal George

An American Panda

After a fun day at the National Zoo, my kids and I were waiting at the Metro for our ride home. The following heartwarming conversation took place:

Me: "Do you like your new stuffed panda?"
My Son: "Oh yes. I love it."
Me: "You and your sister are my little pandas."
My Son: "And you are our panda mother, cause you have a panda stomach... a little bit."
Me: [Forced smile]

Things I Learned in D.C.

• While swimming in the hotel pool, it is possible to go up/down the elevator 5 times in a one hour period, allowing a total of ten minutes of actual swimming before it thunders. 
• A one bedroom apartment is a luxury suite compared to a hotel room, when traveling with kids. (And a nice, big closet technically counts as a second bedroom for baby!)
• If you are without paperclips or bobby pins, the straw on a can of WD-40 can be used to pick a bathroom lock.
• Most everything in D.C. is FREE!
• You can request free tours of the White House, Pentagon, Capitol, etc. from your state representatives.
• Renting bikes on the national mall is a great way to see the monuments and memorials...
• ...If your baby hates the Burley, her wailing is a great way to clear the sidewalk of pedestrians ahead of you, and attract the sneers of judgemental people.
• Aersol sunscreen is considered a potential terrorist weapon when visiting the Capitol and will be disposed of mercilessly, even if it's hot as blazes outside.
• The Capitol dome is actually two domes: the exterior dome, and a smaller interior dome.
• The statue on top of the Capitol is named "Freedom".
• George Washington was 6'2".
• Martha Washington was a widow with two children when she married George. She and George had no children of their own.
• The Washington D.C. temple's majesty never fades.
• The 2 pandas (Mei Xiang and Tian Tian) in the National Zoo are on loan from China for 10 years... just like a lot of our money.
• The original Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence are on display in the National Archives.
• The National Archives also has a really cool gift shop.
• The Arlington Cemetary holds the remains of over 320,000 servicemen and women.
• Martha Washington's great granddaughter married Robert E. Lee (their home is now part of the Arlington Cemetary).
• The White House tour is very family friendly, and does not allow strollers, diaper bags, or purses.
• Anything that happens in D.C. can be increased in significance by titling it, "National". For example: If, while parking, you scrape your car on the garage wall, you can call it a "National Owie" (I give credit to my son on this one!).
• There is a metro stop called "Foggy Bottom". This is a hit with young children... and some adults.
• Even if you expect to walk a lot, you have understimated the amount of walking required when visiting D.C.
• It is impossible to see everything there is to see in D.C. within a month's time.

Government is No Robin Hood

While on our trip, I read the article, "Punishing the Rich is Impractical, Unethical", by Michael Medved in USA Today. I am not familiar with Medved, but I found this article very interesting. Here are some of the points I liked (in my words):

• The top 5% earn 35% of adjusted gross income but pay 59% of all income taxes.
• It is normal to want to emulate people who are wealthy. It is wrong to want to "annihilate" them.
• The rich generally work hard, earn money, pay taxes, spend and invest. We should not want to discourage this pattern.
• Instead, we should focus on ways to break dysfunctional behavior that leads to poverty (help teach new skills, better schools, safer neighborhoods, etc).
• The government taxes tobacco heavily, and has reduced smoking rates. It also subsidizes loans and grants and has tripled the number of people able to gain a college education. It does not make sense to penalize them.
• Tax hikes will not penalize the already existing millionaires and billionaires (who live off investments). Instead, it will place obstacles in the way of those trying to become millionaires and billionaires (by taxing income).
• And in Medved's words: "Though progressives trumpet 'fairness' as their priority, there's nothing fair about government conferring generous dispensations on dysfunctional, dependent conduct and imposing onerous encumbrances on those who enrich both themselves and others. It is both unwise and, at the deepest level, unjust to promote hatred and resentment where gratitude is due and to offer indulgence for values that require correction."

The idea of encouraging good behavior and fixing dysfunctional behavior makes sense to me. I think America's dream is that we all have a chance at wealth. It is wrong to demonize that desire, and the path to wealth should not be discouraged.

Back to Reality!

For the past month, my family has been living in Washington, D.C. My husband had a month long course he had to attend there, so the rest of us decided to tag along and make the most of it. We had a great time packing in as many of the sites as we could- and there are a lot of sites to be seen!
We returned just in time for the first day of school. It was a great experience, and all of us (except perhaps the baby) have grown a fondness in our hearts for our nation's capital... a fondness that was quickly tempered by two hours of traffic on our return trip.
I expect my blogging will be back on track this week because, 1.) I have lots of fun stories and ideas to post, 2.) my baby's naptime is once again my alone time, and 3.) a smartphone is no longer my primary means of accessing the internet.

Happy New School Year to All!

Goodnight Moon

Smoke trail from Atlantis- 5/14/10 (personal photo)

The shuttle program is deeply rooted in my childhood memories. From a young age, space exploration captured my imagination, and has always been a thing of awe and wonder. Man in space bringing home perspectives of our world unlike any other, and views of the mysteries of space... incredible.

As a little girl, I remember watching videos made by astronauts, and laughing as they ate bananas and sent the peel spinning through the anti gravity air. Our family would often drive to the local high school's parking lot and search for the orange glow and smoke trail of a launched rocket on the horizon. Later, I was able to witness in person a rocket light up the night sky like the sun- an unforgettable experience. Visiting the Kennedy Space Center is where the beginning stirrings of patriotism grew in my heart. Nothing can make your heart swell like an IMAX film on our space program set to Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man".

Shuttle launches are perhaps something I have taken for granted, yet a tradition that I had hoped to share with my own children. My husband and son have seen launches from a distance, but nothing in person. Now with Atlantis' final mission, I mourn the end of a chapter in my life and in our nation's history. I can only hope that, like a good sequel, it will be back so that my children can exeprience the same pride and wonder in man and in our country.

America For Me

'Tis fine to see the Old World, and travel up and down
Among the famous palaces and cities of renown,
To admire the crumbly castles and the statues of the kings,-
But now I think I've had enough of antiquated things.

So it's home again, and home again, America for me!
My heart is turning home again, and there I long to be,
In the land of youth and freedom beyond the ocean bars,
Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars.

Oh, London is a man's town, there's power in the air;
And Paris is a woman's town, with flowers in her hair;
And it's sweet to dream in Venice, and it's great to study Rome;
But when it comes to living there is no place like home.

I like the German fir-woods, in green battalions drilled;
I like the gardens of Versailles with flashing fountains filled;
But, oh, to take your hand, my dear, and ramble for a day
In the friendly western woodland where Nature has her way!

I know that Europe's wonderful, yet something seems to lack:
The Past is too much with her, and the people looking back.
But the glory of the Present is to make the Future free,-
We love our land for what she is and what she is to be.

Oh, it's home again, and home again, America for me!
I want a ship that's westward bound to plough the rolling sea,
To the blessed Land of Room Enough beyond the ocean bars,
Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars.

-Henry Van Dyke

Happy Memorial Day

Oh, beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life!

-Katherine Lee Bates, "America the Beautiful", vs. 3