"Tyranny, pure and simple"

                                                                     


1st Amendment to The Constitution of the United States of America:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, confirmed Jan. 20, 2012, that church-affiliated hospitals, agencies and universities will be required to provide contraception and sterilization in the health insurance they provide employees.

Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, expressed disappointment that the religious exemption had not been broadened to shield social agencies as well as rectories.
“Catholic Charities agencies are first and foremost Catholic institutions — a manifestation of the Gospel call for charity and justice for all people. As such, remaining faithful to Catholic teaching is not a matter of choice; rather, it is essential to our identity. With the existing restrictive definition in this mandate, the ministry of Jesus Christ himself would not be considered a religious entity.”


Thomas Farr, director of the Religious Freedom Project at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, also challenged the position of the HHS secretary.
“What we are seeing here is precisely what the First Amendment was intended to prohibit: state action targeted against the religious consciences of particular religious communities, and intended to attack their conceptions of justice, equality and the common good. It is tyranny, pure and simple. The stakes go beyond the questions of contraception and abortion to the very meaning of American democracy,” he added.


Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/hhs-secretary-sebelius-church-groups-must-provide-contraception/#ixzz1ko19BTAS


The belief that all life is sacred is not something that will change. It is not something that can be cast aside for convenience. The Catholic Church will not change this fundamental belief. We may lose hospitals, social services, charities, etc. It's not just Catholic agencies, but many faith based entities are angry and amazed that the right to practice one's faith is taken so lightly, actually not considered legitimate at all by the current administration.

America was founded by people who left Europe because they were not allowed to practice their faith without government interference. This administration is taking us backwards 236+ years. Right now it is my religious freedom, but tomorrow it may be your freedom. When a government begins to take away certain constitutional rights and freedoms, none of us are safe...and certainly we are not free!

Represent'n

You probably didn't see or hear any stories about the March for Life in DC held last Monday. Thousands of pro life Americans marched and showed their support for the unborn.
I am always amazed that 3 "occupy" wherever protesters can make the top news story by sitting on a park bench speaking nonsense, but a group over 100,000 strong barely gets a mention on the nightly news or more than 5 lines in the paper. Sad.

Tomorrow, Lincoln NE will hold our own annual March for Life. Bede and I will be there for the 8th year in a row. Catholics, all people of faith and everyone who respects life, from birth til natural death needs to represent! The time has come for us to speak up, to be present, to make our voices heard. We will not quit. We will never change our minds. Life is sacred, always has been, always will be, no matter who is making policy. Life is not POLICY.
Wherever you are, in whatever way you can, be a part of the Pro-Life voice.

Money , Mitt & Double standards

When did it become EVIL to be rich? It seems to me that for generations, one of the beloved aspects of our great country was that anyone has the oppurtunity to become successful. So when did that change? Why is Mitt Romney a bad guy because he's rich and successful? I can understand if you don't agree with his politics, but why do you hate him because he's rich. He just released his tax records for the past 2 years. The man has made a boatload of money, no doubt! He has also paid all the taxes he was legally obligated to pay! Do you pay more to the IRS than you have to? Does anyone? If they do, in my humble opinion,they are indeed crazy! Is Warren Buffett evil? Is Michael Moore evil? How about Brad and Angelina, Nancy Pelosi, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama... What about, dare I say it...Oprah? Is she evil? They are all very wealthy people. I would bet my grandmother that they do not pay anymore taxes than they have to legally. So why is Mitt Romney the new poster boy for the evil rich? Oh....wait...is it because he's a Republican? Because he's a conservative? I get it now! It's not the rich that are evil, just rich Republicans! It used to be said that the only certainties were death and taxes. Now it''s death, taxes and political double standards!

Grandma? Grandma!

I have been asked by many, since hearing the news that we are about to be grandparents, how do I feel about it? Well...if you had asked me 8 months ago, I would have told you that I was much too young! I would have told you that "grandma" is really an awful title, nothing glam about it, brings to mind a gray haired, stooped little old lady...

Then I found out my daughter is pregnant. Grand baby #1 is due in late Feb. Immediately I became a grandma! No qualms, no pretense that I am of the proper age or not. ( I have been old enough to be a grandma for many years). I am going out to stay with them nearer the due date. I can't wait to hold that baby in my arms. It is indeed a very new emotion I feel, knowing my daughter is soon to be a mother. She has been an amazing  mom to be. Very little complaining, very calm, probably because she has no idea really what is to come. To know she will soon feel that same unconditional, boundless love for her child that I felt for her, for all my children, still feel for them, makes my heart swell.
I remember well, when I found out I was pregnant with her. She was our 2nd child. I wondered how would it be possible to love another child as much as I loved the 1st. How would it be possible to make room in my heart that was so full, bursting with that love. As all mothers of more that 1 child know, there is room, there is infinite room. The minute I saw her I fell in love all over again. That's the wonderful thing about LOVE. It is boundless. It is limitless. It multiplies.( Kind of like compound interest.) It just keeps on growing.I have been surprised that there is still room in my heart for more of that love. I feel that same limitless love for my grand daughter to be. I already know she will be special, perfect, the best grand baby ever! Until the next one comes along and then we will have another special, perfect, best and so on and so on and so on...

Can't wait to see this new little member of the family. Can't wait to watch her parents, a couple, become a family. Can't wait to welcome her into this world, to love her, cherish her and watch her grow into a wonderful person, like her mother. God Bless baby, mom and dad. Thank God for the opportunity to be a grandma.

Life's little blessings...

It was 24 degrees here today...for our high! On my way to work it was 3! But I am not feeling sorry for myself, not one little bit. Nope! It's sunny and dry here, albeit frigid. My daughter, who has occasionally teased me about her warmer weather in the
great Northwest, has been dumped on by "snowmageddon".  Where as her normal annual snowfall is less than 4 inches, they had several inches, close to a foot this week. She lost power at her house last night. Thankfully it came back on in the middle of the night. She is about 4 weeks from delivering our 1st grandchild, a baby girl. Last week they had a plumbing issue in the (old) new house they bought and she was unable to shower for a couple of days. She's a trooper, is thankful she works from home and that no one sees her unshampooed, and slightly disheveled. So anyway, my life is pretty darn good. Very little snow, all the electricity I need, and I'm NOT having a baby!
I have to admit, I was worried all day about her, picturing her cold, alone (husband at work) and without phone, as they are like so many folks now who have no land line. No power, no way to charge those phones. So when I got the news that power had come back on in the middle of the night and all was returning to "normal", I was relieved.
I also realized today that now, not only do I still worry about my adult children, but I have a grand baby to worry about as well! This parenthood thing is perpetual, never ending...
Thank God for the opportunity. Thanks for the kids, and now the grand kids. I will glady worry and fret over them, as I also get to love and enjoy them. Nothing is easy or free! The trade off is PRICELESS!

View from her office window.

61 fantastic degrees here today in the middle of January. Love It!!!!
After work I went to Wyuka cemetery and took some photos. It's a beautiful place, right in the heart of Lincoln.

I just had to be outside. Tomorrow reality hits as actual winter temperatures are predicted. But today I played outside.

I am 55 years old.
Happy, content, not ever wanting to be a younger age.
Especially when I come across a gem like this.
What was my mother thinking...why would she have let me out of the house with this hair, and on picture day?
 Did we not own a comb?

When you have an embarrassing or humiliating incident, and some well meaning person tells you "one day you will look back on this and laugh",

                                                                  You really will!

I've been scanning old family photos with the intention of getting everything digitized and making cds for everyone. It's slow going because frequently I stop and reminisce... or just laugh out loud like I did when I saw this vacation shot of 2 of my brothers.

Camera practice

I got a new camera almost a year ago. Finally decided to read the users manual! It's amazing how much can be learned by reading! Lots of stuff I had no idea I could do, or was doing incorrectly. 223 pages of info. Lots to learn. It's kind of like going to school! Here are a couple of pictures I took using some of the settings I just learned about. Makes Christmas look a lot different.

Christmas biscuits

Bede Sr. and Jr. cooked Christmas dinner. We had a roast, green bean casserole, potatoes, gravy, and biscuits! Bede Sr. made the biscuits all by himself. The dinner was fabulous...the biscuits needed just a little help. Here is a picture of them before we added a little more dry ingredients! We also enjoyed a delicious cake sent from Texas from Brittany's mom,Penny. It was so good.




Thanks for cooking guys! That was one of the best gifts ever. I just had a glass of wine, well, maybe two and sat out in the sun while dinner was prepared. I think we may have started a new tradition!

Christmas 2011

Great Christmas Day here in Lincoln.
Lots of interesting gifts. Andrew gave Bede Jr. a vintage rotary telephone.
Bede Sr. and I felt vintage ourselves as we grew up with these phones!
Kelly came over bright and early to join in the festivities. We all enjoyed the great basket of coffee goodies from Brittany in Texas.
Even the doggies got treats from Santa.
Treats that were reduced to pieces of fluff on the floor within minutes.

Hello! Hello! Hello! Can you hear me now?


New sweaters for the boys!






To make the day even better, the weather was fantastic. Warm, sunny, nice enough to sit out on the porch for a while in the afternoon.


We missed Joanna and Andy. Hopefully next year we will all be together for baby's 1st Christmas!