It’s All About The Freedom
Lee Murray
While there are many benefits to living in the United States, one that sets us apart from the rest of the world and the reason why untold numbers of people continue to risk their lives to come here, is because of our freedoms.
None of those come close to the rights expressed in the first amendment. Adopted into the Bill of Rights in 1791, it guarantees among other things, the right of freedom of speech which shall not be abridged. That right has been tested on numerous occasions, yet the Supreme Court repeatedly has sided with the Constitution as it is expressly written.
It makes you wonder why this right is so difficult to swallow in practice. For example, if your neighbor starts to opine politically and expresses a point of view that is the exact opposite of how you feel, your first thought might be, what planet is this guy living on. And yet, he may feel exactly the same way about you.
As long as someone isn’t making it personal or advocating for violent takeover of the government, it’s all right to disagree, even in a spirited way. And that’s okay. Think how boring it would be if every person you encountered felt exactly the same way you do.
It is not heretical for a person to hold a particular opinion different from yours. As long as someone is expressing their views peacefully, it’s important to let them have their say rather than just shutting down before you’ve heard them out.
If we just sit and listen to each other, we will find that we have far more on which we agree than we thought. The opposite tack is to immediately tune the other person out as either a crazy left wing lunatic or right wing neanderthal which gets us nowhere.
We all want a good economy because it benefits all of us and moves the country forward. Likewise, with education, our children are our future and in order for us to continue to prosper as a nation, we need good schools. Who doesn’t want less crime in our communities, good healthcare, a strong defense to keep us safe. Those goals are universal.
We may disagree on how to achieve those goals but those differences can be worked out. Compromise, as in marriage, is the key to success. It all starts with having dialogue with one another whether you agree politically or not. It’s entirely possible that the guy down the street whom you immediately labeled as a right or left wing zealot has far more in common with you than you realized.
Agree or disagree, let’s all celebrate the semi quincentennial and wish a happy 250th birthday to the greatest country in the history of the world.
Moonbeams
She found the moon enchanting. She was intrigued by its soft glow, the rhythm of its waxing and waning, and of its quiet strength moving the tides of entire oceans. She often searched for it in the night-sky and smiled when she found it. How wonderous, she thought, though the moon would never shine as boldly as the sun, there it sat quite content in soft splendor.
Sometimes the moon felt like a light shawl upon her shoulders, other times it made her smile to see the twinkling stars giggling happily around it. She especially loved the moon after a cleansing rain, and those times the Supermoon lit up the entire night. Even its playfulness playing peek-a-boo during an eclipse made her chuckle. Yes, moonbeams brought her joy.
Then while sitting under the moonlight just recently she remembered a gift the moon brought to her shortly after losing her son. Sitting outside missing him desperately one night all those years ago, a pure thought came to her. Perhaps from the heavens above Ro was also looking at that same moon while smiling down at her. She remembers feeling a shawl of comforting love around her shoulders, and for a delicate moment in time, she felt her son sitting beside her.
Talents
Ernest D’Godor
I have a dog of many talents. She can tell the time of day: she knows just when we are supposed to take a walk. That’s when she comes and sits right in front of me. Looks deep into my eyes, even if I am reading the newspaper, and telepathically tells me, “It is time for a walk.”
She also knows that when it’s time for a nap: we have to go to bed and snuggle.
She doesn’t beg for food but will gently remind us that her food dish is empty by going to the dish and looking to see if we put anything in it. If we have not, she will look at us, eyebrows raised. Not accusing, just a gentle reminder.
She smiles a lot, like if there is a treat in my hand. She also smiles when I go to the closet to get the leash out. She smiles when she gets petted. It is an ear-to-ear contented smile with her eyes closed.
She is good at making new friends. She is not like those young dogs who can’t stay out of your face. She just slowly makes her way up to the new friend. Wags her tail ever so slightly and barely touches noses. I never realized that dogs gave Eskimo kisses.
She tells us when the snows will pass. We can always tell that winter will soon be over by the mountains of dust doggies on the edges of the room.
In our home, my wife fills the silent spaces with interesting tidbits about the neighborhood. My children help to unload my wallet, so I don’t have to feel weighed down. But it is our dog, who, though she can’t communicate in words, manages to give purpose to our lives and smooth out the sadness with her kind attention.