MHS Class of 1982

I can't believe that September is in its last full week. It seems like just yesterday the kids were getting out of school for the summer and here we are.....well over half way through the first nine weeks of a new school year. As of late...it has started to really feel like fall too. We have gone from 90+ degrees during the day and only getting down into the 70's at night to 70+ degrees during the day and getting down into the 40's at night. Of course with weather change comes sneezing, sniffling and coughing. It has hit Z the worst...but still we muddle through.

For those of you that read all my blogs, a couple of you seem worried since I have been posting more in Do I Look Like a Celery Kind of Girl? Apparently to some From Beginning to End....is your favorite and there was fear that this one would be abandoned for the other. Not to worry. Trust me...I have enough verbiage and wisdom for all my blogs. None will be left in the dust.

As I woke up this morning, it dawned on me that I am just days away from my 30th class reunion and I couldn't help but wonder how time had gone so fast. It really doesn't seem that long ago, because I can still close my eyes and find myself right back in the halls of the old MHS. I can smell the lunch room and Mike Coffey's Bruit. I can hear Bio Joe saying "Jacques this is my class not yours so quit talking to Poteete!" I can hear the bustle of the commons and the stillness of the library. I see Mrs. Jaax, Mr. Mason and Mr. Gifford....all who impacted my life in such a major way. I can hear the pep rally cheers, the class yells and see the athletes dressed in their game day best. So how is it possible that 30 years has passed since I walked those halls and left it all behind only to fade to memory?

I feel very blessed to have been a part of the Mulvane High School Class of 1982. Although I am sure we had some rocky times....for the most part all I remember are the good. It is for this reason that I look forward to seeing familiar faces and catching up on three decades worth of careers, marriages, kids and grand kids. As it goes in a lot of small towns....many of us who couldn't wait to flee this place 30 years ago, have gradually migrated back to raise our families here. Some I see often and others just as rarely as if they lived a thousand miles away. Others did move away to make lives in other places only to return on rare occasions. Sadly too, we have lost members of our class over the years and I am sure when conversations of the old days come up....their presence will be greatly missed.

Yeah...it is hard to think of 30 years passing so quickly when it feels like little if any time has passed at all. Then I look in the mirror and I wonder if the face staring back even resembles the girl I was all those decades ago? There are more lines on the face, more pounds on the body and more experience in life....but the wonderful thing is.....the heart and the mind still find themselves on occasions in Mr. Mason's creative writing class, running to the office for a hall pass during Mrs. Jaax yearbook or having lunch in the commons with my friends. So here's to the MHS class of 1982 whom in our hearts will remain....forever young.

Warren

I am still trying to recover from a 2 week migraine that comes and goes. Sigh! I sit here on this Sunday afternoon and listen to the noises in my house. Z is playing music, David is watching Spongebob and I am wrestling with trying to process the events of the last couple of weeks. It has been a strange and sad time.

I always tell my kids that life throws you enough unexpected curve balls that you have no control over....that you have to make good use of the things you do have control over. In other words....don't make things more difficult than they need to be. Recently...the curve balls have been flying. The last couple of weeks I have felt like the rug has been pulled from me emotionally and I have lost all sense of balance.

A little over a week ago I got the call that my cousin Warren had suffered a major stroke. I was shell shocked and gut punched all at the same time. The funny thing is...Warren and I had not seen each other since 1989 at his dad's funeral. In reality I had not known him for years, but immediately all the memories of childhood came rushing back. Warren's  family and mine were very close mostly because of proximity and also because our mothers who were sisters. were very close. Warren was the 4th child and 1st born son of their family and he was about 5 or 6 years older in age than I was. The greatest times in my life were going to their house...mostly because I was the oldest in my family and had no siblings to look up to and because the rules seemed different at their house. When you have five kids as opposed to two....things are much looser or at least they seemed that way at their house.

To Warren....I am sure I was the gawky little cousin who was a pain in the neck. I was always clamoring for attention and trying to follow him and his brother Mark around. To me....Warren and  Mark were the older brothers I never had but so longed for. When at the their house I was treated as an equal in both the good and the bad. Warren's favorite thing was to wait until his little sister Susie and I were watching tv and then sneak up behind us and scare us. He was ornery and as I remember.....at times a bit cocky and...... I adored him. Although I am sure when he knew my family was coming over he probably wanted to run for cover....he never showed that. I never felt unwanted or unloved over there. To the contrary....I felt at home.

Growing up my mother instilled a sense of specialness in me for belonging to the family I did. She never let me forget that coming from the Dougherty line was something to be celebrated and respected and I felt that way too. I was at the young end of my 40+ cousins but I always felt so special and such a part of something so big when I was with my cousins and being so close to Warren and his family just made that specialness even bigger.

As happens...Warren grew up and moved out on his own. Although I still spent a great deal of time with the family....I didn't see him as much. When I did though...I remember him being handsome and smart and very funny. Warren went to college, started a family and eventually moved away. The times I got to see him were less and less. In 1989, Warren and his siblings lost their father. It was a tragic time and one of the funerals in my life that truly had a resounding effect on me. I was not at the time aware that this would be the last time I saw my cousin for if I had known this I would have been mourning more than one loss that day.

Through the years my information of Warren and his life came through stories and second hand accounts. He had done well for himself as I knew he would (he was always smart to me) and apparently he never lost his sense of humor. He was the father of two remarkable kids and grandfather to a darling little boy.

Five years ago Warren found that he had what everyone in my family lives in fear of. He was diagnosed with colon cancer. When I heard I (like the rest of our extended family) immediately flooded heaven with prayers for his recovery. They were heard and he did have a full recovery. He was given five years to live, laugh, love and appreciate all his life had to offer. I kept telling myself that one day I would see him again....maybe it would be at a family dinner or possibly a family funeral, but one day I would see him. I guess it was not meant to be in this life.

Warren's stroke left him on life support and after all of his tests and many prayers from far and wide, the prognosis was there was no hope and the difficult decision had to be made by his family what to do next. On Friday at about 2 p.m. he was taken off life support and he died about 4. When I got the call I was sucker punched for a second time. I had so held out hope that he would be the miracle that someone needed to see. God had other plans. I have complete faith though, that Warren did not leave this earth one second before his time and that before he left he had accomplished everything he was suppose to. As I hung up the phone....memories flooded my mind of the Warren I used to know....... him scaring me and Susie and thinking it was so funny, seeing him and my cousin Mark at our grandfathers funeral and thinking they were the two handsomest men I had ever seen, seeing Warren on his wedding day and most of all...hearing Warren laugh. I remembered him walking to the pool with us, going to grandpa's with us and my mother teasing him when he was a teen about his long hair and him saying, "oh Aunt Janey," with that crooked grin he had. I also have no doubt that when he left this earth....he was not alone for his dad, his sister, his grandparents and many aunts and uncles were there with him walking him into the arms of Our Lord.

So as I sit here thinking about all of this....I realize that I will see Warren again someday....maybe not in this life but definitely in the next. So for now I say....RIP dear Warren until we meet again.

The Breaking Point

A friend asked me today what was going on and if I wanted to talk. I really did...but there were just no words. I know you probably find "no words" coming from me quite comical...but honestly that is how I felt. I felt completely drained of everything...yes...including words.

I knew eventually that I would hit a breaking point and when I did....that all hell would break loose. I was not wrong. Since January I have been going at full tilt trying to make everything okay for everyone. I have tried to be super caregiver, super friend, super planner, super mom and now I have added super student to the list and the bottom line is...I am not super anything. No this is not self pity talking here. It is self realization. I have run around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to please and placate and sometimes I think the person I tried to please and placate the most was myself. I was trying to prove that I could do it all, that I was this person that other people seemed to think I was. The truth is though....I have never been that person and if you don't believe me, just ask my kids.

Oh yes....my  kids. Perhaps I should put a disclaimer here before I continue. Mainly because in the mood I am in....things could get ugly. The disclaimer: I DO love my kids. I have always loved my kids, but honestly there are those days when I do not like them one little bit. The truth be told...I am sure the feeling is mutual. In fact...I am getting told that more and more. In all fairness to my kids...they have been through a lot in their lives. Their normal was shot the day I went into labor with my youngest (David) almost 12 years ago and it has never been the same since. Much of what they have dealt with just pure and simply sucked, but they seem to forget that they were not alone....it was not picnic for me either. Since that day sometimes they have gotten the mother they needed and sometimes they have just gotten a mother holding on by a thread and barely able to function. Thus is the price paid when you suddenly find yourself doing it alone with no set of instructions or road map to guide you through.

Over the years my children have challenged my authority, my patience and most of all my sanity. My oldest fought me at every turn, disrespected me and my home and somehow was amazed that he was no longer welcome. And then....as all kids pushing buttons do...he turned it around and suddenly it was all my fault and I was a horrible parent. Being stuck between single parent guilt and wanting to help my son....I caved on several occasions which opened us back up for a repeat of fighting and disrespect. Of course once again it was all my fault and I heard just what a horrible person I am. The constant worry, trying to do it right and never succeeding in anyone's eyes has taken me to my limits and caused me at times to become a hard and much colder person.

Now I am dealing with the 16 year old. Honestly....I have heard so many people talking about their 15/16/17 year olds and telling horror stories about how they talk and act and I was truly happy that I wasn't dealing with that. Don't get me wrong....he was not up for sainthood by any stretch but he was really a good kid. Suddenly though....he has changed. He is angry at me and it seems that the more I try to do for him...the angrier and more hateful he gets. I know that many would say that these are red flags for drug use and alcohol abuse in teens. Trust me....it has all gone through my head. I think though....the issue is that he really has decided he hates me. Yes...I said "hate!" 

Yesterday I was sick...really sick. It had been coming on for over a week but I had fought it with school and trying to get ready for a back to school party for said 16 year old. Now before I go further....let me say that the 16 year old has been a major help with his little brother over the years. He has picked up a lot of slack that in most situations another parent would do. Not a day has gone by that I have not been grateful for this and so now that he has turned 16, I have tried to give back. I have tried to take everything off of him so that he can enjoy being a teen. At any rate yesterday because I was sick and irritable I called him on something and it didn't set well with him. It went from me telling him to do something to him telling me that I had no control over him and from there it just got worse. Before it was all said and done he had told me in detail just how much he hates me. My heart is truly broken. It changes a parent to hear that. It makes me wonder why I try. It also makes me see him through much different eyes.

Am I a perfect parent? Is there such an animal? Like most parents on any given day...I do the best I can with what I am given. I have never done drugs, I rarely drink or go out. I make sure my kids have everything they need and as much of what they want as I can give them. I try to listen when they talk, be there when they need me, to support them through everything they do and to help them however and whenever I can. My kids ALWAYS come first which is why I am probably still doing this all by myself, and I have fought for and right along side my kids, for their grades, their dignity, their health and yes even their lives.....but today....today I feel like giving up. I feel as if they see me as someone to walk on or walk over with no respect for who I am or what I have tried to do for them. I feel that I  am worth more than fights and name calling. I am worth more than being used with little given in return. I am worth more than doing it all by myself just to be told I am hated. Yes...I think I have hit the breaking point.

Here's To Us

I was told the other day....by someone who has only known me for just a few years, that I had really changed. The person told me that I was in no way the person I was when they first met me. I was not sure whether this was a compliment or not....but in fact I knew this to be an accurate statement. I have changed so much in the last few years in fact,  that I hardly recognize myself and barely remember the person I used to be (which actually might be a good thing). Heck...I have even changed a lot in the last six months. I can't say that it is all for the good, but then again....I can say that I like myself more today than I ever have. 

Yesterday was my wedding anniversary and although I wasn't in the depths of grief....the knowledge that once again I would not be spending the rest of my life or growing old with my best friend was brought home to me like a hammer. I fought the tears most of the day....but I must confess I shed a few anyway. Then I remembered.....he (Tim) of all people would want me happy and in the big scheme of things I really am. The reason for this in great part, is due to my friends.

I would not be the person I am today without the people around me. Yes..of course I am not forgetting my family whom have been what makes my world go round and who have shaped and molded me for both the good and bad all these years. However...I could not have made it through all the low spots nor would I have enjoyed the high spots nearly as much.....had it not been for my friends. I realized of late just how blessed I am in the friend department. I have many and I found this out when David was about to have surgery. Those that stepped up to help out were amazing. I cried more tears of gratitude in the last few months than I think I have cried my whole life. 

If you have read my blog...you know that this time of year throws me into an emotional whirlwind and as happy as I have been this year, the emotions are still sparking high. This year amongst all the other emotions I have had the honor of watching David recoup, recover and rehab in amazing ways. In the last week he has shown me in no uncertain terms that he is on his way to walking....with a vengeance. Even more wonderful than that his seizure activity is completely controlled by his current meds. This hasn't happened in over three years. Living with a miracle takes a huge toll on your emotions. Trust me. Lucky for me....I have people who I can share his every triumph with and I have no doubt I am not the only one who has shed a tear or two watching my young man achieve. 


This week coming up is going to bring me close to friends that I have known for years but only a couple of times a year are we able to connect. For some of us...it is distance and for the rest of us....it is just time, schedules and life. It doesn't matter though because when we do get together....no time has passed and we always have fun. These people I have known before my children and my husband. For some reason God chose to give me these people early on in my life knowing that someday they would be as important to me as family and that I would love each and everyone of them unconditionally just as I know they love me. I can't wait to see these people and spend time with them knowing that no matter what we do or who else is around....we share a bond that no one can touch.

Are you wondering why the sappy emotional blog? Well, I heard a song today that reminded me that time goes by so quickly. For my friends and I, the last 30 years has raced by in the blink of an eye and before the next 30 years pass...I want those who are important to me to know just what they mean to my life. Without the friends I have I would never have made it out of my teens let alone to today. I would never have laughed to the point of crying or been able to find humor in the sad. I have called you in the middle of the night and had you race to the emergency room, you have taken care of my children, fed me when I was too tired to feed myself or my family. You have guided me with your wisdom, made me laugh at your antics, you have gotten me drunk, sobered me up and yelled at me when I needed it. You have traveled great distances to hold my hand and sat next to me in silence when no words were necessary. We have laughed, we have fought and we always find our way back to each other. Most importantly though....I know that if I needed any of you.....for any reason at all......each of you are only a text or a phone call away. And that folks is what makes my friends the greatest friends of all. Berty, Thiry, Chris, Allen, Marni, Phil, Kevin, Steve and Jim.....to all of you I dedicate this song. For the sake of decorum (I have very little) I will put the family friendly version on here. I will also give you the link to the heart felt version.

So my friends.....Here's To Us!

Heartfelt version. Here's To Us!

Venus Flytrap

What an interesting day I had! I know you may find this hard to believe but I tend to whine a little alot! So you see....I was whining the other day about my hair. It is long and don't get me wrong...I like it long, in fact I have worked hard to get it this long, but it is also hot and thick and heavy. I was saying that I needed to cut it (as in trim) and color it and financially I just don't have the money. I actually left out the money part but mentally that is what I was thinking. Anyway...out of no where a hair angel appeared (don't laugh...you know who you are!) The hair angel appeared with low and behold....MONEY and said "I want you to go get your hair done...BUT, there are conditions to me giving you this money." Darn! Always the conditions! Condition #1~I must not tell anyone who my hair angel is. This is doable. I can keep a secret. Well I CAN!!!! Condition #2~I had to go to this salon in Derby that my hair angel insisted I try out. No problemo! I mean it is free and although I am somewhat attached to my hair...if worse comes to worse it is just hair. It will always grow back. Right?! And finally....Condition #3~after my salon experience...good or bad...my hair angel asked that I write a blog about it. Hmmmm....good or bad???? I could definitely do that! So begins my hair story......

I was thinking that I would wait until next week after the kids were in school and I had some real time to get my hair done. As fate would have it though.....I woke up with REALLY bad hair today and decided that if possible....I would make the time right then and there. My hair angel had instructed me to try this salon in Derby. I had passed by it a million times and had even run into and had a conversation with one of the owners awhile back. Her name was Erica and she had intrigued me from the first moment I saw her. She was quite pretty in an edgy sort of way and very nice and personable. I saw she was carrying some info with her shop name on it and so I asked her if she worked there. Thus the conversation began and as I said....she was intriguing from her tattooed sleeve to the very way she spoke. I mentally made a note to someday just go into her salon and check it out. As life goes though....I never did.

Skip to today. You know....horrid hair day and all. So I look up the number for the salon and called......and low and behold I talked to a wonderful girl named Allie who said that she could indeed get me in within the hour. Yay me! The salon I am referring to is a little pink place in Derby right on the main drag (Baltimore). The salon is called Venus Flytrap. As I said...I have driven by this place a million times over the last year and always wanted to stop. At first I didn't even realize it was a salon. I thought it was just a funky little boutique with it's pink and black and visible animal prints in the window. I love places like this. As I walked in...I was not disappointed. You could imagine that before these girls took hold of the place that it was cement and drab, but with the magic of Nikki and Erica the owners....this little cement hole had been turned into fresh and fun. The decor is black, gold and pink with vintage or vintage looking pieces throughout. It houses a quaint little sitting area/boutique and then three hair dresser stations. The walls are an eclectic array of colorful pieces along with salon co-owner Nikki's artwork. Just sitting and looking around was half the fun.

On meeting the stylists Nikki and my stylist Allie...I was very impressed. Both were dressed casually yet fun (there goes that word again) and both had gorgeous hair which always impresses me. I love going into a salon where the stylist show not only their dedication to others hair....but also their own. Both also had gorgeous tattoo's which as anyone who knows me knows that I love tattoo's!

The salon is a busy little place with customers always coming in and out and the phone constantly ringing. In my book...that spells a good salon. Immediately Allie asked what I was wanting. Funny thing...I always think I know what I want on the way to the salon, but once there....I feel as if my tongue is in knots and I don't have the verbal skills to form a sentence. I think my part of the consultation went something like...."Hair cut! No! Trimmed. Color! Cover gray! All gray! Red throughout!" Apparently Allie understood incoherent idiot as she quickly got to work putting on the all-over color and then bleaching out the pieces which would later be red. While the color processed I sat and watched the line of customers coming in and out. I saw women of all ages and the cuts were wonderful. No one walked out with the standard set and style and no one over 60 walked out looking like they were wearing a helmet. I love seeing an older woman (yes....older than me) with fun (I know...that word again) spikey hair. I saw no one walk out dissatisfied. In fact what I saw were people who were very happy with not only the cut/color/style they walked out with....but you could also see the physical/mental lift the new do gave them.

Once the bleach had processed Allie gave me yet another consultation. You see...I had visions of BRIGHT red streaks in my hair. She had visions of a client who had not saturated her hair with box color over and over again. Neither one of our visions was correct. Allie explained that in order to take all the color out that I would need to and put in the color I wanted....my hair would have to process to the point of breaking off and falling out. Ummmm.....NO! She also explained that the condition of my hair was due to box hair color. Mental note....box color BAD! She also explained that the color I wanted would likely only hold its brilliance for a couple of days and then turn pink. Now I love pink....just not sure that is the color I wanted in my hair. She then showed me a color red that was actually red red. She said this would be a better choice with the condition of my hair and also as it faded I would stay a red and not fade to a pink. As much as I hate not controlling....I deferred to her expertise and we went with the red red. Boy was she right!

After the color had set and all was washed and ready to go....she then trimmed the dead ends, layered it up (something I had fought against for awhile) and framed my face. I loved it!!! The finale was when she not only gave me soft loose curls, but showed me how to do it myself.  Yes...I am almost 50 and still have issues with curling irons! The finished look was awesome. She then made me promise to return for color and NOT go near another box of color!!! Sigh....is there a 12 step program for this????

I also found out that Venus Flytrap is moving. They have found themselves to be just too much funky fun for this small building. As of Sept. 1st they will have relocated to just down the way from Riverside Cafe (another one of the places I have blogged about).

So I couldn't have asked for a better hair experience and bonus.....my hair angel took care of the cost for me. Of course I have upheld my end by abiding by the conditions....and I am pleased to say that I will return to Allie and Venus Flytrap again. And now that my work here is finished..... I think I will go admire my cute hair!

Venus Flytrap

It Was a Good Summer

Today has been a day of reflection. First of all it was a Monday....and Monday's seldom please me. As Monday's go though....it could have been much worse. All worked out (or at least I have hopes it will work out) for the best.

As I was hanging clothes out on the line after begging, pleading and losing my temper with several people on the phone....in the hopes of accomplishing my ability to finish up my Associates degree in the fall, it was as if a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I could feel the warmth of the sun hitting on me as I carefully and lovingly hung my clothes out to dry. Trust me though...it is the ritual of the hanging that causes the love and care...the clothes are just a vessel. At any rate I found myself thinking of and planning this blog and also thinking about the summer of 2012 which will be quickly coming to an end if not calendar wise, then school wise..... next week.

I couldn't help but think of all the summers that have started and ended in what seemed like the blink of an eye, with little to show for them except maybe some color to the skin and a growth spurt. As a kid the anticipation of summer was almost too much to bear only to have it swiftly gone in the midst of too many mornings allowed to sleep too late after too many nights of staying up too late. First it was playing outside until well after the street lights came on, then it was Dragging Douglas and river parties, then it was the lake and hanging out anywhere but our small town. When my own kids came along the summers went from going by quickly to having a warp speed that even Captain Kirk would be proud of......and again...little to show for the experience. Some summers have been filled with just plain day to day family life, some with grief and some with seizures and hospital visits. I can honestly say that more summers in my life have come and gone in the haze of break neck speed than I care to or even can remember. This summer though....it has been different.

My mother in law told me once that the earlier the locust start buzzing, the earlier the fall. I have watched and she seems to know what she is talking about. If that is truly the case then we should be going headlong into fall quite early this year as the locust hum has been a fixture around here since early June. Another sign are the leaves. With the 100+ degree days occurring almost daily and no visible precipitation the grass has become like straw and the leaves have dried, turned brown and are already carpeting the ground. Yep...fall appears to be just a cool breeze away.

While fall is typically my favorite time of year with the beauty of the seasons changing and the brisk, rejuvenating air along with the hustle and bustle of the new school year...this year, I am not quite ready to see summer leave. Although we went into summer fresh from David's surgery and not knowing what to expect from his recovery or how our life was going to be.....things just seemed to work in a way that brought my family closer together. Maybe it was the realization of how blessed we were for David to even be able to have the surgery and then the even greater blessing of him surviving it. Whatever the case...it put a different feel into this summer. And it wasn't just me....Z seemed to feel it too. While he did hang with friends quite a bit, I also saw him draw closer to family. He was the first one to suggest ideas in the yard and we planned our days instead of flying by the seat of our pants.......so that nothing would be missed. For me there was realization that in just a couple of years I would be preparing Z for college and his attention would be anywhere but home. Perhaps he felt that too and again....also knowing what wonderful things that were now possible in Davids life gave our family a light that had not flickered in a while.

We also had the blessing of my oldest coming back into our lives with real change in tow. He too had some life epiphanies that were starting to mold and change him and having the young man I used to know reappearing in our lives especially this summer made for joy I hadn't felt in years. As a family we were able to barbecue, swim and actually reacquaint ourselves with each other. It was truly many prayers answered and some answered that I wasn't even aware that I had asked for.

So this evening....I sat out on the porch and just listened. It was all the sounds of a small town in summer. The locust busily hummed to one another as the lightening bugs began to move and flash their tails around the yard. Couples passed by on their evening walks and down the street kids could be heard laughing as they ran and played under the street lights. There were smells from close by of barbecues preparing dinner and music coming from an open window. It was a summer evening at its finest and I was privileged to be there for the show.

Sitting there....I realized that I think I slowed summer down just a bit this year....or maybe I just paid closer attention. I made as many minutes as I could count and I spent a great deal of time counting my blessings. Most years as summer ends I am more than happy to say good bye to yard work, send the kids back to school and be rid of the constant heat, but not this year. This year I will miss the days in the yard working with Z and talking about the future. His hopes, his dreams and what lies ahead for us all. I will miss quiet moments hanging clothes on the line or sitting on the porch in the evening listening to all that summer has to offer. I will miss afternoons in the pool and pushing the mower around our endless back yard. I will miss bbq's and outdoor games and I will even miss the heat. I believe next week there might even be tears as I send my boys off to another year of school and watch each leave the house a little taller and each a little closer to the time when their school years will be behind them.

Yes....it was a good summer!

Chick-Fil-A. Hypocrites and a Youtube Video

Can I just say right here and right now how much I despise hypocrites? I do! We all have our moments I know, but darn....some have more than their share. I had really and truly intended to put this whole Chick-Fil-A thing to bed and leave my last words on it as my last words, but what I am seeing makes that just darn near impossible.

When I made my original post about Chick-Fil-A...it had more to do with free speech than it did with the issue at hand. The issue really should have been free speech but it turned into a big debate about my personal views on the issue of gay marriage. As someone succinctly put it...my views amount to very little as I would not jump parties to vote for one issue, so my view point and a quarter won't buy you a cup of coffee, nor do anything for the cause at election time.YES I vote!

The issue at hand was free speech and the lines you saw at Chick-Fil-A's all over the country yesterday....I believe were in support of just this. YES people....get used to it. This country is still a faith based country full of Christians who believe in God, His word and the bible. As much as that is a fact...there is also the fact that people are realizing that in the last four years our freedoms are slowly being taken away. Perhaps the belief is that if they are taken in small pieces we will never notice. The few are trying to control the many and in some cases it has been successful. Maybe people have been being pushed towards a breaking point and this was it. Maybe also, when Mr. Cathy spoke up and spoke out about his beliefs (as he had the right to do in this country) and their was such outrage (at least the media told us there was) that he had done so, the many decided that they were tired of being told expressing an opinion different than the opinion of the few was wrong.

Does anyone else see the hypocrisy of the left running a muck here? The left claim to be a people of tolerance and fairness....right up until the time someone disagrees with them. Then they become a people of great intolerance and an unfairness that borders on fascism. What brought this point home so fervently was a video I saw on facebook through youtube. First I will let you watch it and then I will EXPLODE my feelings with all the zeal my 1st Amendment rights allow!!!!

When I watched this video, it literally made me sick. Granted he has the right to free speech as well as Mr. Cathy did but he did not have the right to a) film someone without their consent and b) "try" (I say try because he couldn't have been more unsuccessful) to humiliate and degrade both her and Chick-Fil-A on video.

This young woman handled herself with grace and dignity as Mr. Smith hurled insults about Chick-Fil-A and this woman's job at her. She also told him she was not comfortable with him filming her and yet he continued. He also tried to make her ashamed of working at Chick-Fil-A. REALLY? In this economy anyone who has a job should consider themselves lucky and to try and shame her for doing said job and doing it well.....I would say this gentleman's tactics backfired on him and made him look like the pompous, intolerant as.....er individual that he truly is. If I were him rather than put this on youtube as triumph for whatever cause he thought he was supporting by acting in such a shameful way, he should have tucked tail, erased the tape and realized he only showed how intolerant and uncaring the left really are to those that don't jump on their bandwagon. Lets face it...Mr. Smith couldn't have been a better political tool for the right had he tried. Free speech for all.....except for those that disagree with me! Right?! Perhaps we should all thank Mr. Smith for his ability to show the left as they truly are and not as they try to sell themselves (you know....tolerant and all!)

The bottom line is...whether anyone agreed with Mr. Cathy's beliefs or not....he was entitled to them. In fact if he had wanted to get on the rooftop of Chick-Fil-A and scream his beliefs to anyone listening....he was also entitled to that. As a free country where free thought and speech should be valued above all things....we should have rallied behind Mr. Cathy and supported his ability to think and feel as he does. Instead...the media tried to make it a war and the current administration tried to use it as political tool for the upcoming election. If you were watching the news yesterday.....I think we are all aware of just how badly both the war and upcoming election ploy failed. In fact....if Chick-Fil-A was any indication of how this country is feeling....if I were the current administration....I would be afraid come November! VERY afraid!