We're The People

I watched an old movie on television, recently, about hardships and loss. Not only loss of all material possessions due to a depression, but loss of life of family members, as they pursued a way to survive, and not only to survive, but to find a better way of life. Along the way, they were faced with having their dignity taken away, and along with that, their very freedom. Throughout it all, in spite of all the difficulties, they faced everything with a stoicism worthy of admiration.

As I watched the movie, "The Grapes of Wrath" I was struck with the similarities of the possible events facing our country at this time, and of the fears of many of the people today. To say that the events portrayed in a movie could never happen in real life is equivalent to hiding one's face in the sand. Certain events are already happening, but many are still unable to see it, or refusing to admit that our nation is undergoing changes never imagined in this lifetime.

It is easy to despair when one looks around and sees the hardships happening all around us, on a daily basis...loss of jobs, of homes, and families being torn apart because it is no longer possible, financially, to stay together in one place. Instead of getting better, as promised in campaign promises, they are only getting worse, and we are losing, along with homes, and jobs, many of our freedoms.

I hope it is not too late to turn our country around again, but in order to do so, we must all work together to see that we have the right people in places of power...people of moral character, whose interest is in seeing that all people are treated equally, and fairly, and not denied their God-given right to freedom--people who are in office, not for their own personal greed, but to work for the rights of all citizens, no matter the color of skin, or whether they are rich or poor.

Believe it or not, I do have a little glimmer of hope, as I sit here, thinking of the very last line spoken in that movie.

As what is left of the family is in the old truck, moving on to whatever else faces them--the old man sits there, despondent, and feeling that he has failed, but his wife, as stoic as ever, explains to him the differences in themselves, as man and woman, and how it is that they get through life, each in his, or her, own way, She has not lost her dignity, nor has she lost her hope, as she says: "We'll go on forever, Pa--'cause WE'RE the PEOPLE!"

Yes, let's remember that we ARE the PEOPLE. We are diverse, our ways of living and coping are different but we are "WE, THE PEOPLE" of this great country of ours, and nothing, NOTHING, should ever change that! With God's help, we WILL go on FOREVER as a country under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for ALL!

Thinking Of My Friend

(Click on image to enlarge text)


We've all had those moments of anguish, sorrow, and defeat, and for some of us, it is not moments, or hours, days, weeks, or even months, but an indeterminable time of that feeling of total despair, and emptiness.

Those times when it feels that we are walking completely alone, no matter how brief the time span, when we are hurting to the very depth of our being, it can seem an eternity.

Our only consolation comes from knowing in Whom we have believed, and being fully persuaded, that He is able to keep that which we have committed unto Him. 2 Timothy 1:12

This one thing we know: God loves us with an everlasting love, and He knows our weaknesses, and our strengths. His word says that He will never put on us, more than we are able to bear, and He will be there by our side to help us, and to carry us when we are too weak to walk alone.

I love these words from the song, "The Love of God," because they are so true:

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

This was written by Frederick M. Lehman in 1917, based on the Jewish poem, "Haddamut," written by Cantor Meir Ben Isaac Nehorai, in 1050, in Worms, Germany.

As I write this, I am thinking of my friend, Z, of geeeeeZ! blog. She is going through a difficult time right now, but she will be sustained by her faith, which was shared by her beloved husband, Mr. Z.

He knew, and experienced, the Love spoken of here.

I love you, Z.

Proper Attribution For Essay By Author Lee Pitts

To any of my readers who read a post I did awhile back, by the title of "Dirt Roads," I would like for you to be made aware of the fact that Paul Harvey is not the author of that wonderful essay, as I had thought. It seems that Mr. Harvey was very fond of the piece, and read it, publicly, quite often, but always gave Lee Pitts, the author who actually wrote it, proper credit for it...unfortunately, others like myself, not being aware of the real author, did not give Mr. Lee proper attribution. The essay is only one of many, in the book, "People Who Live at the End of Dirt Roads," and illustrated by Don Dane.

I apologize to Mr. Pitts, and recommend that if you haven't read the essay, that you will read it now, because it is so full of wisdom, and a wonderful memory jogger. If only what he wrote about those times were still true, today. Perhaps, somewhere, they still are, and I hope so, but I wonder.

You can check out information about the book here, and here, where you will be able to see that it is now a collector's item, but some used paperbacks may still be available.

Thank you, Mr. Pitts, for calling this to my attention. Now, I know that there is a whole book filled with these wonderful essays.

That's a picture of the book at the top of the page, found on Amazon.com and when you click on it there, at Amazon, you will be able to see the titles of all of the essays in the book.