Category Archives: Faith

Facebook + Politics = Inferno

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At which point I remove Facebook from my phone.  Again.  And am taking the time to completely re-evaluate my friend’s list and purpose of my Facebook usage.  However, one should never act in the heat of the moment and in these next few months……pause might be a better reaction.  Rather than just slice and chop right now.  Maybe. Just maybe.

Here’s my political take, from a non-political and non-confrontational person.

I am a registered Republican and in the past that party has most closely represented my beliefs.  Most closely.  Not perfectly, but in comparison, the people in that party, voted more often like I did than Democrats.  I say this because, although a registered Republican I don’t believe that EVERY Republican deserves my vote.  I have voted Democrat in elections.  Whomever is closest to representing ME gets my vote.  Period.  End.  So, for me, there isn’t a huge die-hard party vote.  And quite frankly, I think that’s how it should be.  (My blog, my opinion)  You vote for who represents YOU, party shouldn’t matter.

Right now, I am not alone in daily having to pick my jaw up from the floor at the absolutely insanity of our choices for PRESIDENT. OF. THE. UNITED. STATES.

ARE.  YOU.  EFFING.   KIDDING. ME????

Anyway, back to Facebook.  Because I feel SO strongly against our Democrat and Republican nominee choices,  and again, I am not political……I believe that people will choose one or another because that’s what we do and when your choices are poop and crap, you pick one.  The people that drive me INSANE are the ones who actually STAND BEHIND one party and rail against the other, publicly and obnoxiously.  Like their person is the good one?!?!?  Is there a good one???  News flash:  no.  Which makes me wonder how in good and serious conscious can ANYONE even pretend their person is good and worthy of being President.   It is flabbergasting to me.

So, what does one do at this point if you are sorely lacking a cave or sustainable compound in the White Mountains?   For me, I just have to step back.  WAY.  BACK.  I need to re-evaluate who I have on my friend’s list and what I use Facebook for.   While I am friends with a wide variety of people, I am finding SO many “friends” with such toxic posts that I am realizing that I don’t really like them and so, well….that probably doesn’t make a good friendship.  Right?

At the same time, I have to truly sit down and look at ALL the choices and trust me, I am looking hard at the Libertarian choice for the first time in my life.  Which is so much work.  WTH is the Libertarian party?  I obviously slept through that American government class.  (Transparency here, folks….I gave full disclosure at the beginning as to my non-politicalness) So is that a vote wasted?  Well, not if enough people feel like I do.  At the end of the day, if I can live with my choice and vote my conscience and not the mob mentality, I’m ok with that.  At least I’ll know I voted MY values and beliefs and didn’t blindly follow the psychopathic circus.  And if I do….well I dang sure won’t be bragging about it.

I am Tracy and I approve this message.

Peace!

That’s a wrap!

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Sunset tonight brings our vacation to an end.  We finished up with the monumental task of buying a new (to us) vehicle–about as much fun as a visit to the dentist.  Once we get a few things adjusted and it sits in our driveway it will be a little more fun, for now though it is a bittersweet moment for this sentimental sap.

We’ve had our “Green machine” since our oldest daughter was a baby.  14 years, 240,00 miles, countless park visits, potty training, beach days, sports practices and games, concerts, friend visits, family visits, school bus, taxi, girls weekends 2 new drivers, and longevity and dependability during the toughest season of our marriage.  She was and is a faithful girl.  She might currently be a little rough on the aesthetics (Florida sun and failure to wax regularly are a real thing) and drinks a little oil, but she is solid and beast!

Fortunately, to soften the blow, she will go to our oldest son as an alternative transportation for work and days when his motorcyle isn’t the best choice.  Which means the morning vehicle shuffle is about to get all kinds of interesting up in here and a car key hanger is going up ASAP in the kitchen for easy access.  In the grand scheme of life, these are minor inconveniences and not even worthy to grouse about.  Three cheers for our Yukon, well done, good and faithful servant and greetings to our Enclave.

May this next season be as fruitful and faithful as this one.

GREEN MACHINE

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

     There is an appointed time for everything,
    and a time for every affair under the heavens.
 A time to give birth, and a time to die;
    a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
 A time to kill, and a time to heal;
    a time to tear down, and a time to build.
 A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
    a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
 A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
    a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
 A time to seek, and a time to lose;
    a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
 A time to rend, and a time to sew;
    a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
 A time to love, and a time to hate;
    a time of war, and a time of peace.

Summits and sunsets

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Today we put our boy on the plane back to Florida for a few days rest and lawn mowing before he heads to the Keys with his girlfriend’s family.  Tough life, right?  However, that also marks the downward slide of this amazing vacation.  And that’s ok.  It’s been phenomenal.  A favorite compliment to us this week was “we look like we belong here”.  True.  You never know what God  has in store for us and looking back 10 years ago, I would never have pictured this.  Ever.  Man,  God IS good.  And full of surprises.  So, who knows!

Yesterday, we let the kids sleep in and then spent the day at Mt. Cranmore enjoying the ropes course and zip lines (ok sort of—it was a great workout, but a few of us are not height fans and were thrilled to be done with that part!), ski lift (amazing views, cool breeze and lost sunglasses found again after a return trip up the lift), mountain coaster and general enjoyment of the ski resort during summer.  We were able to spend time with Hubby’s cousin at his super cool home followed by a yummy Chinese restaurant afterward. We were fortunate enough to catch the sunset on the way back home on the Kancamagus Highway.  It was a wonderful way to cap off the day and end the boy’s mountain vacation.

cranmore

Mt. Cranmore-summer fun

The boys summited Mt. Washington the other day.  I still have no pictures yet, but they had a tremendous experience.  Adequately prepared, they experienced the crazy weather that accompanies an enormous mountain from 70 degrees at start to 30 degrees and socked in with wind at the summit.  Periods of visibility to less than 200 yards to completely clear within 10 minutes.  Lunch in the AMC shelter and a break from the weather with 25 other hikers.  8 hours of hiking.  Both agreed they were glad to experience the highs and lows of the weather and the challenge it brought as it made the glory of the summit that much more appreciative.  If that isn’t a great analogy for life, I don’t know what is.  Nothing worth having comes easy.

Today we will explore a bit more locally again, light hiking with the pup and prepare to head to PA tomorrow to visit with my mom and her husband again before we head south and home.

So, for now, I’m going to continue to soak up this porch, this weather and this time.

Blessed.  Truly.

sunset

Sunset fun

Romans 8:18 

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

 

 

 

It’s all about the journey

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Yesterday, we had a pretty chill-day.  It’s actually incredibly difficult to force down-time when there is so much to see and do, but mother nature helped us out with a rainy start and finish to our day.  Although we did manage to sneak in a walk through town and a quick walk on the river trail in-between storms.  A little driving around and napping, too.  It was good stuff.  However, even on a “chill day”, I didn’t have to try hard to get my 10,000 steps in.

This morning started out at a brisk 57degrees and cloudy; a temperature that my brain and body are still trying to compute.  The boys were planning on heading up to hike Mt. Washington and the girls and I were going to do some shorter hikes and then it just was dreary, cold and not looking so promising.  They decided to go for it anyway.  (and at this moment, have just summitted).  They will eat their weight in pizza for sure at Fabyans.

We picked an “easy” hike up Lonesome lake trail to Lonesome Lake and to check out the huts that you can stay in.  1.6 miles.  Straight, friggin’ up.  Easy?  I don’t even believe those AT trail people and their descriptions anymore.  At one point I honestly just started praying out loud the old stand-by of “Come, Holy Spirit” with a Hail Mary to round it out because our youngest daughter was so hangry that I was about to go Mommy Dearest on her.  Fortunately, prayers don’t fail and we made it to the top with our family intact. And what a view.  Hangry passed and going down was FAR EASIER than going up—although my rear end will be talking to me later today. So….. at 1:30 p.m. and 13,000 steps already, our hikes (plural) have turned into A HIKE (singular)  and now we will clean up and explore before we pick up the boys later.  And that is A-OK.

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What an amazing world we live in.

Oh, and on the way down, we passed folks heading up to stay in the huts with full backpack gear, but the most impressive was Mama toting a toddler on her back.  I told her that she was my hero, because a practically empty teensy backpack was all this Mama could do.  Awesome!!

To each his own

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We have just come off of graduation season.  And we have made it through our first of 4 (God willing!) in the next few years.  I have to tell you.  It did not look like I thought it would.  While I struggled with this in the beginning, as I processed it and opened my eyes to what was happening,  I was able to embrace it.  Slowly, I was actually able to relax in this and chuckle in the reality that our plans must be so much entertainment for God.    When we do actually step back and look at the big picture, sometimes we get a little better idea of living the plan God has in mind for us rather than struggle to keep our own agenda alive.

In these 18 (almost 19) years of parenting, I am CONSTANTLY amazed at the differences in each of our children.  There are similarities to be sure, but the differences between the kids and between us as parents has me always trying to readjust my view of life based on our kid’s perception, my husband’s perception and we ALL have a different outlook.  Isn’t that the way it is in life?  So why does this frequently catch me off guard in my own family?  The struggle of being human is real, I tell you!

Any time I am able to detach my will from any given situation it’s crazy what I can learn.  Things that I view as important to take care of RIGHT!  NOW?  Not always the case.  Emotions and hormonal struggles of the teen life?   Those require a stepping back and dusting off the brain recall of that truly tough transition in life from little kid to big kid.  Raising up humans is constant motion, assess, re-assess and alter course.  There is no black or white.  That is the constant reminder to myself; we are all different and there are many, many ways to live this life.

Bearing all this in mind, when I am able to reconcile these truths the reality is that when your kiddo has a different view on school and finishes 6 months early, graduation holds no interest for him.  Appeasing his mother for graduation pictures for announcements is a compromise.  The time to sit in graduation ceremonies will come and will come on multiple occasions but for now we sit back and watch this kid grow into a young man on a path that I never would have even imagined and  yet it just feels right for him.  Once I put my own agenda down and allowed God to take control (I’m always playing tug of war with control), my eyes were opened to yet another path and truth that God truly does have this.  These little humans are HIS.  On loan to us.  And HE does a WAY better job of taking care of them than I ever could.  And THAT is awesome.

So, Jesus, I trust in you.  Take the wheel.  I’ll try not to take it back , but we both know I will.  So have patience with me and I will continue to work on that, too.