On Tuesday April 22, of this past week, I went to our monthly meeting of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) in Fayetteville. This is a wonderful organization of men who have traced their lineage back to those who were a part of America’s very birth as a nation. I am proud in the best sense to be a part of them.

STORY NUMBER ONE

Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.

I am a people watcher. My wife and I care very deeply about the directions our society takes. This watching is not done from a vacuum or from an unfair critical position but from a perspective of love and the caring for the souls of mankind. It is a perspective that believes deeply in the dignity of man, and the worth of the individual. This perspective is spiritual in nature and formed in the Christian faith in its message here on earth that through Christ, you are loved, forgiven for the past, and somebody special.

Last night I watched our country’s State of the Union Address on TV, where our president spoke for about an hour. It is no secret to anyone who knows me, as to where I stand on George Washington Bush Jr. It is also no secret where I stood on President Clinton and on Hillary running for president, should she get the nod.

You Democrats in the Alito hearings remind me of the O.J. Simpson trial. Day after grueling day, all of America was glued to the TV to witness the mounds of incriminating evidence against O.J. Simpson. Everyone in the court room knew without a doubt that he was 100 percent guilty, but the total disrespect of law and evidence made no difference.

I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape, so after I got my doctor's permission to join a fitness club and start exercising I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors. I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But, by the time I got my leotards on, the class was over.

My wonderful son Robbie is a student at Gordon College in Barnesville. Five days a week he gets into his car and drives the 50 minutes each way to and from his college classes. Those of you who say, “It’s only a piece of paper on the wall,” don’t have a clue of the days of utter drudgery and sacrifice a degree takes. It’s like Pig Pen in the Charlie Brown series in the Sunday comic section who always had a storm cloud over his head.

I received this some months ago and filed it away for future use. Now 2005 is drawing to a close. This would be a good time to talk about where we are headed as a nation.

This was sent to me on the Internet. I cannot improve on it. Author unknown.

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,

Surely December is a strange time of the year! At our church we have a large outside trailer where we store all of our equipment for our church. It houses the riding lawnmowers, lawn signs for everything from turkey shoots, to an outdoor journey to Jerusalem signs, to journey to Bethlehem signs, Rodeo for Jesus signs, and of course, our Christmas outdoor manger figures.

I would venture to say that most Americans have memories that flood their minds at “Thanksgiving.” Like many of our “religious” holidays certain ideas come to mind during these seasons. Personally, I like “Thanksgiving” as well as Christmas because it is, for me, a time when it “turns my heart toward home.” In fact Dr. James Dobson made a film entitled “Turn Your Heart Toward Home” in which he reminisced the times he and his father would go out into the woods and hunt and be together. He mentioned that of all the accolades and awards and degrees he obtained, these memories remained at the forefront of his childhood..

I received this off the Internet and I can’t improve on it. I print it here in the form I received it.

The other day, my nine-year-old son wanted to know why we were at war. My husband looked at our son and then looked at me. My husband and I were in the Army during the Gulf War and we would be honored to serve and defend our country again today. I knew that my husband would give him a good explanation.

As many of you may know, I love history, all kinds of history. I love history because I love people, and am serious about the way we treat each other. History is very useful because when you overlay that with Christian thought, and the words and practice of Jesus, you have quite a different approach to life.

Many of us have been through the passing of a mother or father, and to say that this is the worst day of your life is a gross understatement. It is often far greater than the word “worst.” I believe God uses the family unit and the parent-child relationship to do His work here on earth.

I love to read history of all periods, and I continue to study the human condition and how we all treat each other. We all have different capacities for this people watching and certainly our backgrounds and life experiences contribute greatly to this endeavor. It is also interesting to watch how people in the world get what they want and at what price they pay in foisting human suffering on others to get it.