Dear Terrorists,

Dear Terrorists,

You haven’t won. 13 years ago, you tried to break the American Spirit and again with the Boston marathon bombings. You thought that, by taking the lives of our loved ones and knocking down buildings, you could beat us. You thought that you could destroy our hope, our ideals, and our faith. You thought that you could win by killing American people and demolishing American symbols.

You were wrong. You didn’t break our spirit; you made us stronger. You made us mourn people we loved, but in mourning we discovered how much love we still have. You forced us to see our landscape swept of some of our landmarks, but we realized that we don’t need those landmarks to be Americans. You showed us your hope, ideals, and faith—your desire to force yourself on others; your inability to thrive without destruction—and that showed us that our hope, ideals, and faith are not knockable. You thought you won. You didn’t win.

Instead, you showed us how to persevere through tragedy, how to turn to neighbors and countrymen to give and receive support, how to mourn but carry on. You showed us how strong we really are. For every life you took that day, we have rebuilt lives. For every stone you knocked down, we have shored up our emotional monuments: the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; the ideals of freedom and brotherhood; the strength of spirit and hope that will never desert us.

So, terrorists, remember this: You haven’t won. You will never win. And we will never forget the lessons you have taught us.

And on that note, I forgive you. Not on behalf of the whole nation, and not for your sake. I forgive you for what you did to me and others on those days, and for my own sake; in forgiving you, I free myself to continue living. In forgiving you, I remove from you any speck of victory you had over me. I release the hold you may have had on my heart. In forgiving you, you lose, I win.

Sincerely,

An American

Humanities (For a Friend)

Have you noticed that the world seems to believe that a humanities degree is worthless? This is frustrating for those who have these degrees and whose interests and passions lie in the humanities. While an English major may not directly prepare you for the increasingly high-tech, math- & science-heavy workforce, it does help you develop an open and flexible mind. It also fosters creativity and critical thinking skills. In the last couple of decades, these traits have become less important in the work world, but it's a mistake to discount them. ("Big mistake. Big. Huge!")

Is having read the works of Shakespeare, Dante, Dickens, Twain, Sophocles, or Poe going to help you in our society? Does the ability to write a strong essay or a beautiful poem, or understand Beethoven's music, or paint a breathtaking sunset get you anywhere economically or employment-wise? Does knowing the origins of sayings like "sword of Damocles" or "Catch-22" make us valuable employees? No. But it's still worth reading, writing, making/listening to music, and painting. In the end, these are what make life worth living, not your income, employment status, or what bank you use. It's frustrating not to earn enough to live off of, not to be able to afford your medicine, to feel oppressed by the people who seem to control our world; however, none of that should make us try to change our fundamental interests or desires. Let's not lose who we are just because society tells us what our interests or desires should be. These are a big part of who we are as individuals, and it's tragic to degrade that because there's more money in technology than in knowing classical mythology and being able to quote Austen.

Thanks to my friend she has opened a door for me in the literary world that most Country girls do not pass through.  Prayers on your interview this week.

Adam Lanza and the Newtown shooting

It has been mentioned that Adam Lanza, who recently killed his mother then went on to kill students at school, had Asperger's Syndrome (AS). I'm not going to get too deep into the issues surrounding if AS would cause a person to do these things. We all know that having AS doesn't directly equate to being a violent psychopath, however I'm not going to shy away from the fact that it might be a participating factor, especially when combined with other mental health issues. I'm sure there are already lots of blog posts on this subject already telling people that those with AS aren't violent people...but saying that those with AS are not violent is just a big a generalization as saying that those with AS will end up on a mass shooting spree.

I think what is important to realize is that mental health isn't direct cause and effect, it's not a binary system of people with "this" do "that". No single thing causes someone like Adam to decide to shoot people dead, it's an amalgamation of a lifetime of experiences, probably combined with one or more mental health issues. However people are keen to dissect everything into constituent parts and put each part into a pot and depending on their own prejudices they blame a certain pot, as if that pot can be treated in isolation. People who are anti-gun will say it was his access to guns that did it, some people will say it was his mental health issues, some say it was his loner attitude...everyone wants to focus on one thing and blame it rather than accepting that it was a combination of lots of factors, not the result of a single thing. We have to remember that this is a person who shot his own mother in the head 4 times...I don't know exactly what his issues were, but I think it is safe to say he had them, and had a lot of them.

What prompted me to write about this issue was an article I saw in a UK tabloid newspaper called The Sun. It was an opinion-piece written by The Sun columnist Denise Welch. You might not be familiar with Denise Welch so I shall fill you in on who she is. She was an actress in soap operas on UK television and went on to appear on a show called "Loose Women" (if you're American, it is like "The View"), which is a show that popularizes and celebrates misandry. Denise had an affair during her first marriage, her second marriage was to someone 15 years her junior, and during "Celebrity Big Brother" she got into a hot tub topless (at over 50 years old) to flirt with men half her age whilst exposing herself to the nation. Basically, she is what we Brits refer to as "a real class act".

Denise has also suffered from depression and is quite outspoken about mental health issues in the media and tries to use her celebrity to bring attention to these issues. Altruistic? Or just trying to get people to pity her, and to excuse her her transgressions? Regardless. She choose to do a column on this shooting, and what drove Adam to do these things. First up was his mental health issues. Denise used this as an opportunity to bring up her own depression and the stigma society has around those with mental health problems. She was quick to point out that not everyone with mental health issues are "nutters", so she dismissed that this shooting was a result of his mental health.

Right...let's take a moment to digest this. Here is a man with a known history of mental health problems who shot his own mother then went on to gun down innocent children, then kill himself...and because Denise has suffered from depression she thinks it was nothing to do with mental health issues? Is she serious? I don't want to trivialize depression, or claim that there is some form of "pecking order" to mental illnesses, but to equate depression with severe personality disorders that drive people to kill? I was speechless. Because Denise has suffered from depression and hasn't gone on a killing spree, no killing spree is the result of mental health issues?

So what does Denise blame this tragedy on? What did spur Adam on to cause this atrocity, in her opinion? Video games.

Denise, I know you think you're helping by bringing attention to mental health issues, but when your opinions are as whack as this, you're really being no help whatsoever.

The Voice 4

The New Team 

Judith Hill & Sarah Simmons have left the building of  Voice 4, folks!  And now there are 6 contenders for The Voice 4 crown. There's Amber Carrington ( Team Adam Levine) , Michelle Chamuel ( Team Usher ), Shasha Allen (Team Shakira), Swon Brothers, Holly Tucker and Danielle Bradbury ( Team Blake Shelton ).  I seriously felt a little tiny bit sad that Judith Hill did not make it because I felt she had a very good voice though. I think, the crowds favorite would be country girl, Danielle Bradbury. I would be quite surprised if she didn't make it to the finals. I guess, that's the beauty of a singing competition - lots of twist and turns.

All are quite good, actually. I do enjoy the performances of these aspiring talents and you just marvel at some of these talents.

They really can sing and sing well indeed. In a challenging career like this, all these budding talents needed is a break like this and they would be on their way to rewarding recording deals. My prediction for Voice 4 would be Danielle Bradbury to win it with dark horses from

I do like Shasha Allen because she is one classy act too while The Swon Brothers are just as competitive. The Swon Brothers with their cowboy swagger and country music should bring in a number of votes but their harmony and performances are not too bad,actually.  So, let's see what happens , shall we? 

I Am

Kind

Considerate

Understanding

Friendly

Faithful

Diligent

Overachiever 

Workaholic 

Nurturing 

Spiritual 

Athletic 

When you are asked to speak about yourself it is hard, because you don't want to see like you are boastful or conceited. Yet when you apply for any job you must sound as if your shit don't stink. I have named a few of my attributes some of which people have said that I am and some I know I am, but I think my way of really expressing who I am comes on the list I have listed below.

I am a Country Girl

(A Country Girl That Loves These Things)

I am a Little bit Country & a Little bit Rock & Roll

I love to dance

I love my Country the USA 

I Love Jesus

I Love Mama

I Love Daddy

I Love My Brothers all 3

(Dylan, Dawson, Dalton)

I love to ride my HD

I love to do burnouts

I love to ride for all my charities 

(Toy Runs, MDA, Safe Harvest, Poker Runs)

I love to travel to bike rallies and events

I love to go dirt biking or 4-wheeling

I love to workout, run and weight training

I Love the smell of rain

I love the smell of fresh cut grass

I love to see the Magnolias in bloom

I love to eat honeysuckles 

I love watching lighting bugs at night

I love to lie beneath the night sky and count the stars  

I love to hunt deer, turkey, and rabbits

I love to fish both river and saltwater fish

I love to go deep sea fishing

I love to go Skydiving 

I love to go Para sailing

I love to go Snorkeling

I love to Travel 

I love romance

I love a guy that will send flowers for no reason

I love a guy that will write me a poem  

I love a guy that will serenade me even if he cannot sing

I love a guy that will open a car door for me

I love the smell of a baby's head

I love to cook

I love to Play Guitar

I love to sing

"BUT MOST OF ALL I LOVE TO SMILE & WATCH AS PEOPLE SMILE BACK AT ME"

I AM SMILING AT YOU!

  

convalescing

·My Style / The Convalescent (1932) by Tamara d

Nothing much going on here in my world at the moment nothing really news worthy anyway. The only thing really going is I am convalescing ( that sounds like I am a old lady) But, yes I am on the mends and getting stronger with each passing day. I have so many great friends that has brought over food for daddy and I and some have even brought over take out and calls to see what I am in the mood for. I really do not like people spending there hard earn money on me, but I have learn that they will not take no for an answer. I have had friends to come over and clean my house a couple times already and I know they will until I am well enough to do everything myself.

My daddy has been here with me but he is not one for domestics anymore although he did everything around the house when I was growing-up. He does take Cara and Orion out for there walks, but hates to bag there doodles haha. He also takes out the trash and picks up his beer cans (God) I love that man. He was very mad at Blake for a while, but he realizes that Blake has really been there for me throughout this ordeal. Daddy and I have spent some very needed quality time together since I have been sick. Now don't get me wrong daddy will wait on me hand and foot and has beckoned to my every whim, but he does't want to cook, wash dishes, but will do the laundry. We have played card games, watched movies together and although I have a lot of channels including premium, and dvd's daddy has a thing about Redbox and supermarket deli's.  

My bff Haley will be here with her daughter Madison (My Goddaughter) on Tuesday to care for me so daddy can head back home to Cali. It will be so good to have Haley here with me to hang out and do girl stuff :) Oh the things that Haley and I have been through together growing up together. We have always had each others backs and she has always been there for me as I and my family have always tried to be there for her. Haley is such a good friend that when I had surgery she didn't have the money to get here, so she pawned her tv to do so. (Now that is a true friend) I have many friends and there are many that I don't have on facebook, because of all the drama, whining and negativity they create. I must admit that there are some people that you can add as friends that lift you up and add creativity and joy into your life. I have a few people on facebook that I do not really know and they have been kinder to me than people I have known my entire life although I do not accept many people these days unless I know them personally or they are a friend of a friend.

As I lay here I think of how badly I need a spa day hmmm I am a mess I hate this. I take care of myself always, and I am in need of grooming.I think tomorrow I am going to at least apply my makeup :)

Well Goodnight Reader