Thursday, February 24, 2011

St. Francis of Assisi


"What we are looking for is what is looking."

“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.”

“Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self.”

“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”

Monday, February 21, 2011

Obama and Hitler?

I just wanted to drop a letter in the mailbox at the post office so it would go out early tomorrow morning after the President's Day Holiday. And then there were two women standing there over a table. They had a poster image of President Obama taped to the side of the table and one of them had drawn a Hitler moustache onto his upper lip. "Do you want to save the country from Obama?" I was stunned. Our country is in need of being saved from our president? Obama no less? It took me a minute to realize the inference they were making and I was overcome by their ignorance and the language they were using. Not to even mention their equating Hitler with Obama. I lamely exclaimed in what I thought was a neutral tone, but was probably in more of a condescending manner: "The office of the president can't act alone, it takes cooperation and the work of many people in office to run our country." One of the women seized the moment to begin a verbal launch into history and how Roosevelt, or a president from the past, was instrumental in doing it alone. I waved and shook my head and left. "Good Luck" I offered. I could feel within me the war, the dictator in me exclaiming how ignorant these women were. How could they make a connection between Hitler and Obama? They needed a reality check. I was so upset by their views and opinions that I had to buy me a piece of chocolate--just to make that raging woman in me calm down, enjoy the moment, let it all go. I want to be politically involved, yet I seem to have little tolerance for such destructive inferences such as these women were engaging in. Spare me these debates. Show me where we agree and what we have in common. Show me where no one is wrong and we are all wanting the same things. I am still working to calm down...breathing is good...chocolate is nice too. I will try a walk as well. Nature is the healer in all things. See you there?