Well, most of you that follow this blog haven't seen too much in months except some pathetic posts by me about something I find interesting. This is okay with me because one beautiful thing about free online blogging is that there are few rules, especially about what is expected. Anyway, enough griping from me. I am writing this at 4 a.m. on a Sunday from my lodging room on VAFB, an hour before Sarah wants to get up, pack the kids in the 'burb, and drive to Olympia, WA to see her sister and their brand new addition. Sarah is taking her mom along and Shauna is flying out there next week. Sarah will spend two weeks in Washington after spending a few days with my family at a cabin, after spending a few days in Colorado Springs with Tiffany and Ruby W. as she looked at the area we are moving to, met our realtor and looked at a few houses (of which were all cut from our potential buy list...we are back to square one...I'm not too optimistic right now...).
I have another month until I graduate, then I pick up the family in Utah and head to South Dakota for only as long as it takes to out-process, then we move to Colorado Springs and into my new job in Space Command. I am really happy about the job I picked as I am learning all about AFSPC and our mission. I am really happy about moving to CO, and I am really happy about leaving SD. I am really happy about the idea of buying a house, I am really happy about seeing my family again, really happy about the short tech. school, really happy about not deploying in July like I was slated to, and really happy about the SRB I am projected to get.
As for updates from me, there isn't much. I was biking a lot when I was on dayshift, but for some reason, swing shift is really killing me. I really think my test performance is being affected, I ride much much less, and overall my productivity has been reduced to going to class - that's it.
A few thoughts though are running through my head on this early sunday morn. I didn't realized until now how much our moral and religious views show through our political uniforms we put on. I am not good at telling you what is on others' shirts through their political-see-through labels, but I have come to realize how much our religious views are implicated in the political world. One thought in particular has caught up with me. Independence as individuals is important to a lot of people. When we give, we think it is important that the people we are giving to eventually learn how to self-preserve and self-sustain. This leads to a less generous offering, leads to the shutting down of welfare programs and leads to an overall idea of less giving, more talking.
It reminds me of a question that most people get wrong. If you know that a homeless person is going to use any money that can get to buy booze, but you don't have anything but cash on you and no time, do you give them cash? Of course this is meant to be answered within, but it is a reflection of how we think as a society. Just because teaching a man how to fish is better than giving a man a fish does not make it right to not give a man a fish for a higher ideology that never comes. Or, it does not make it right even if we teach men to fish, there will still be man in need of fish, and there will always be extra fish in his neighbor's freezer, always. How on earth have we lost the meaning of our Savior's teachings? How have we allowed ourselves to vote for people that lose sight of this?
I admit, it is hard to see programs abused by the lazy, the ignorant and the selfish. But what is required of us? What is the higher path? What is it about these people that make all others want to change the system or revoke welfare? I guaran-frickin-tee that the have's in general do not care one lick about the have-nots, especially in the politically world. In the end, I am just as guilty as the next guy. I worry about the pennies I am pushing around month to month. I worry about my two-car household, about being able to buy a proper gift for my wife so many times a year. I don't give enough of my time or sustenance to those in need. I think every level of clarity we receive like the one I am writing about makes us even more guilty when we don't act upon it.
Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy...key word being might. Is joy relative? Is there true joy ever in this world when you stress your whole life about caring for your family to the point where you are unhappy about almost everything? I knew a guy once like that, very giving...service, the action of charity is where we find true happiness, right? Well I don't think it can last very long without perfect faith. As members of the church there is an elephant in the room when it comes to the economy. We never talk about it, but it requires perfect faith and frankly I don't think three-quarters of the members could live it.
I'm rambling now. a bunch of thoughts that I have allowed to be swimming around in my head for too long without getting them out. Hopefully this will give the rest of them room so I can sleep a little better. I final thought that I am relearning: All we have in this life is each other. Make the most out of the relationships you have, make them real. Give of yourself, no matter what you think you have or don't have to offer, make it genuine. I am not gonna say you only live once because I don't know that, but I will say that you won't know if you come back, so make it count. Try and have fun in this life. No matter how miserable you think your life is, somebody usually has it worse off than you. You are a child of God. Whether your definition of God encompasses an entirely different set of parameters than my definition, you are Its creation with a purpose. Crap! I sound like my mom! I give Andy a hard time when he does that! I need to go do something bad now...
