Sisters Chat about the Institution of Marriage

Maude: In light of the marriage amendment that just passed in NC, I wanted to talk about the institution of marriage.
Esther: good idea
Maude: Clearly, marriages are falling apart all over the place. Why do you think that is? What is causing that to happen do you think?
Lizzi: I think people don't know what it's supposed to be about. They have faulty perceptions of fairytale love and don't see the necessity of commitment and self-sacrifice.
Esther: I think a lot of it boils down to selfishness. Marriage is work, is sacrifice, but putting the other's needs before your own - that is not easy.
Maude: I think it is selfishness. I think people are increasingly self-centered and don't know how to put others first.
Haha!
We are reading each other's minds, Es!
Esther:  Great minds think alike.
Maude: I read an article recently that said a scientific study had proven that selfish behaviours and attitudes increase before divorces occur. I thought, "You need a scientfic study to show that?!"
Esther: It is really easy to love someone who is loving you. But, when they're mean and not being lovely we want to kick them to the curb. No one is perfect but is much easier to shrug off my own selfishness then to forgive my husband's selfishness.
Lizzi: So true. We only feel content when we are getting what we want and when times get tough and people act human, we want to stand up for our "rights" and give up.

TransAtlantic Differences

When recently staying at a hotel in America it reminded me of something new that I experienced at the Bed & Breakfast I stayed at in Germany a few months back.  It was a recently built B&B and even though I was staying in my room with a girl I didn't know they would only issue us one key (a card key - which is easy to dupicate!) to share.  When we got to the room we found out why.  In order to use any electricity in the room one had to put the card in a slot on the wall which actuated the electricity.  This meant that we couldn't leave lights on when we left the room - makes sense it saves money for the B&B but it meant that my roommate had to sit in the room and wait while her cell phone charged and we had to really coordinate going to and from the room with each other which was a big pain.

That would never have worked in the US - especially for the rates we were paying.  But that difference made me think of some of the other differences between Europe and the US in my experience. 

Stay-at-Home Mom's Response to Ms. Rosen

I'm sure you've all heard about Hilary Rosen's comments about Ann Romney on Thursday, April 12th. By now it is old news so it may even be hard to find the original story, but her comments clearly showed her disdain for women who choose to stay home to care for their children. I know that she tried to clarify, implying that it was Ann Romney's wealth that kept her from being an "expert on women and the economy" but we all know the truth. Hilary Rosen would have had no problem with Ann Romney being an expert on the economy (and women!) if she was a wealthy "working" woman. (Well, at least if she was a liberal wealthy working woman.)  Leftist feminism wants every woman to  have a choice, as long as the woman's choice lines up with their ideology.

To Our Health

Our guest blogger today is Maude's husband.

If I may, I'd like to propose a toast.  A toast to our corporate health as a nation.  Cheers.

Wait.

What exactly did we just drink to?

If you have been listening to NARAL President Andrea Miller you might be laboring under the delusion that in some way contraception, birth-control pills, abortion-producing drugs and sterilization are integral facets of our national health.  Well, they are.  They have become our necessary placebos that delude us into thinking we've achieved some sort of sustainable level of fitness as a country.  The web has been on fire for the past few days with the Catholic church's refusal to comply with provisions in the new mandatory federal health care law requiring employers to cover services which may contradict one's conviction.  But we only allow conversations about Obamacare and separation-of-church-and-state to persist because we can't articulate the root causes of the illness which we know is out of step with the principles we claim to hold dear as a nation.

Pharmacuetical birth control destroys self-control.

GOP Primaries - Who's Your Pick?

Well, I am afraid I cannot let the GOP primaries go by without at least one (but don't hold me to that!) political post. 

Mostly I want to hear from you about your views regarding the viability of the four remaining candidates.  Here is the line-up (alphabetical by last name):

The Bonds of Slavery Not yet Loosed

I have been re-reading Uncle Tom's Cabin, by Harriett Beecher Stowe and as I sit here, a white woman in a pleasant time in a safe country, I am reminded of the devastation poured upon black people at that time, devastation that our free government both ignored and defended. God was so good to cause Ms. Stowe to write this work! I believe it played a great role in realigning a race with the status given to them from creation by God.

There were several characters highlighted in Ms. Stowe's book who showed indifference, or at least, inaction toward the slave trade. The most noteworthy of these was Augustine St. Clare. His inner being was in great turmoil over slavery and he was constantly battling within himself about it. But, he did nothing. In fact, he was a slave owner himself, and while his slaves were treated very well as pampered "servants" (a way to ease his conscience and make himself believe they were better off than free), still they were not their own men and women. Their everything was his and their fate rested solely in his hands. How could that be better than being seen as what they truly were- equal men and women? What could be more damaging to a race than be seen as second-rate and unable to stand as the people they are? St. Clare saw the cases of abuse and tyranny, he saw the forced fractures of families as they were torn from each other for the sake of profit; yet he closed an eye and pushed the topic away. It was too complicated, too controversial to speak up.

As I look at his character, I find myself thinking, "Would I be like that?"

Book Review- My Grandfather's Son

I have just finished reading a book that is one highly worthy of recommendation. I have also decided that it will be required reading for my children when they reach the age to understand the assignment. The book is 'My Grandfather's Son' by Clarence Thomas, one of the Associate Justices of the United States Supreme Court. I had been introduced to the book's premise through an interview with Justice Thomas that I read in Hillsdale College's 'Imprimis' newsletter. It is fascinating, not only because of the hard-working and determined nature he exhibits, and the incredible feats he accomplishes in his life, but also because of the great impact his grandfather's influence made in his life.


It was captivating to read about his journey from destitute beginnings in Pin Point, Georgia, dealing with the trappings of racial degradation, and observing how his grandfather, patriotic amidst discrimination, refused to let young Clarence sit idle. He was very tough on him, not accepting any excuse or delay in obedience. But I believe, (and so does Justice Thomas) that this man's example was what enabled Clarence Thomas to press on amidst his life's greatest challenges and adversity.

Sisters Chat About September 11th

Maude: Well, let's get started. This week I thought we should talk about September 11th since we just remembered it on Sunday

Esther: I think that is a very good idea Maude!

Maude: My first question is:

Where were you On September 11th when the airplanes hit?

Lizzi: Well, I remember we were sitting around the dining room table for homeshooling

and got a call from our sister at work

She let us know that the first airplane had hit and so we turned on the tv

Maude: I am glad we had tv at that point in time.

Lizzi: I remember thinking it seemed like a joke... not real, you know?

Maude: very surreal

Lizzi: Especially when we saw the 2nd plane hit...

It took a few minutes for it to sink in

and then it was like a sick feeling in my stomach

Maude: Before the second plane everyone thought it was just a mistake

Esther: It is funny. I was just 12 years old and I cannot remember all the details of how we were told to "turn on the t.v."

I just remember all of us were glued to the the t.v.

I was thinking "what does this mean?"

Lizzi: Yeah, it was after the 2nd plane hit that everyone started realizing what it was

And by then the whole nation was watching

Esther: You're right Maude, it seemed like a freak accident then the other building was hit

The Federal Debt And You (and me too!)

I found a fantastic booklet on The Heritage Foundation's website here,  http://www.paramountcommunication.com/heritage/slay_the_beast/, if you want to order one.  It is a primer on the affect the Federal Debt has on our everyday lives, especially anyone aged 5 - 30.

They name anyone between 5 - 30 years old the Debt-Paying Generation and claim that we will be "the generation that improves the least from the time we start to work to the time we start to retire." 

Where are we at right now with our National Debt?  "Total debt was at $9.1 trillion at the beginning of 2011... This debt will double in just the next ten years."  In addition to this is the looming crisis of the Baby Boomers retiring which will cause the government to borrow more to pay for their Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.  Our debt will skyrocket even higher in a few short years.