Author Archives: carolesaysso

What is the Norm?

There’s a lot of talk around the 10 minute Mike Brown EyeWitness Crime Scene Video. The press is all over the background conversation that starts at minute 6:30 because of the witness’ report of Mr. Brown “turning back” and attacking the officer. Before you watch it again, I’d like you to consider something that many overlook.

At min. 6:30, the witness is sharing what he saw, while the listener expresses shock as it begins to register in his mind that the man was shot by a police officer. He (and a few others) are floored at this account. He is so stunned, that he asks for the information to be repeated several times. The shock continues for many minutes. It continues on into minute 8:50 where the listener begins to share his own thoughts after he heard the shots go off. 

The listener says that when he heard the shots go off, he thought it was a black person who was “dumpin’ [his gun out] on somebody”. He heard the gun going off from his more distant location, and made that assumption. He then carried that assumption as he walked out to the scene of the crime to investigate the happening. 

He sees the man laying in the street, and the people surrounding the police tape, yet nothing from the scene changes his original conclusion. In his mind, that man is laying dead in the street, because a black citizen killed him.

He then seeks out a witness, and asks for the details around what just happened. He listens to the entire account through the lens of his original assumption. Not until minute 6:55 does it click in his mind that the shooter was not a citizen, but a police officer. He is in complete disbelief for several minutes, asking several times to confirm that this new data is accurate. You can listen to his thoughts on the situation as he shares his original conclusion again with the witness. 

This section of the video should not be ignored. This section should not be dismissed. This section proves two very distinct “norms” that have been adopted by members of this community: 

#1 If you hear gun shots, it is probably a black citizen shooting another black citizen. 

#2 It is shockingly rare for a citizen to be shot by a police officer. 

We should remember these norms when we hear people using this case to sell the idea that the “police are out to kill black men”. Listen to the conversation on this video. The energy of *shock* enters because this shooting is outside of the norms of this community. This is a rare event.

Don’t lose hold of that truth. If it is found that this officer did something tragically wrong in this case, we must remember that this case represents an outlier. Repel the energy that would dare to change your mind on what you know is sound truth. Our society empowers police to serve and protect the citizens. If officers are acting outside of that power, then we remove those officers from their service. We don’t suddenly declare something that is normally “rare”, as “common”. It is not common for police to shoot and kill citizens.

If we can be honest with this, maybe we’ll move to a place where we can stop accepting something that *has* become common in our communities. Maybe we will be ready to change our feelings around Norm #1.

The One Who Detected It, Ejected it!

About the article, about the movie Lucy (in theaters now) — SPOILER ALERT!

Rebuke the message in this article. You don’t have to live in the world this woman is perpetuating. She is playing to the fleshly desire to see racism where it does not exist.

Remember, you always see what you are looking to see. And if someone can see it, that means they have it in their heart to see it. And the white-guilt filled, liberal, author of the above article is a prime example of that statement being true.

Read the article… I’ll wait….

Now, there’s so much to attack about the writing in this article, that I don’t even know where to begin. Can we please see the story for what it is? Lucy is not the most evolved human in the movie as the author suggests. She was a drug mule that went on an accidental drug trip, and then died!

In fact, ALL of the white characters in the first half of the film are portrayed as drug addicted, helpless idiots. If you remember, each of the mules are white. Her white room mate was a dolt. Even the white dude on the airplane who witnessed Lucy disappearing was the stereo-typical fat, balding, impotent, business-class white male. But those images are completely ok with this author, because they are white people. The author only cares about people of color and how we might feel about Lucy and her “enlightened blue eyes”. Though I remember Lucy’s eyes turning reptilian green at the point where her mind opened, but accuracy is never necessary when trying to invoke a feeling. MORE… the most BRILLIANT, unDrugged, unaltered mind in the movie was a black man (Morgan Freeman) who was sought out by Lucy for his help. You see, even though Lucy was becoming more “advanced”, she still needed the man (or “black man”, for the color-focused) to explain it all to her. In addition, she needed an Arab man-of-color to help her “remember what its like to be human”. (Maybe the feminist should really be angry.)

But all that is cast aside by this author because some people are blinded by Lucy’s blond hair, and they can’t get passed their own limitations around how they ACHE to see racism in everything.

Can we just watch a movie for the message? Can we just see it for what it is, entertainment? No… we have to count the black people… count the women… count the gays… make sure everyone is represented fairly. We have to look at things with our simple, little minds, based on colors and groups. (There were no little people represented! CALL THE ACLU!)

This white author is being shared over and over on FB as “a hero”,  a “deep thinker”, an “ally”. When she is nothing of the sort! Don’t hold her up the way she says Hollywood holds up other white women. She is not the deepest thinker among us. She can’t even see that SHE IS THE VERY LUCY SHE HATES. But this article has been shared on my news feed by MANY black people. And of course, black people will continue to share this article, because we are trained in that color-focused world to always celebrate white people who are on “our side”.

I say reject the whole thing. Reject that world. Don’t let someone MAKE you see racism in this film, when there is no racism.

Remember, there are people who are still trying to keep your mind enslaved in a racially controlled world where they still have all of the power. That’s the world of the 10%. Don’t go back there! Let that world die! When you see a blond woman in a movie… choose to see a HUMAN in a movie! Who cares the intentions of the messenger, when you have power over your own mind to take what you WANT from the message.

(Say that again!)

When you have power over your own mind, you can take whatever message you want from a movie, no matter the original intention of the messenger. Now, that is FREEDOM.

In this way, you will never be a victim, but always victorious. You won’t have to walk in “protection mode” from the evil powers-that-be, because you will be flourishing in a world full of unlimited potential focused only on possibilities, not stifled by trying to control the motives of others. This is the world available through the use of more of your brain! This is a message from the real science behind the movie. And this is the opportunity you can easily lose just by allowing someone with the old, label-focused thinking to bring you back into their world. Choose to transcend that thinking. (God can show you the code!)

When you think of the movie Lucy, forget the skin color of the actors, choose instead to focus on Morgan Freeman and the words his character shared throughout the film. Open your mind to the possibilities for all of HUMANITY; for all of God’s creation.

Open your mind to an existence beyond your melanin!

Because we can use more than just 10% of our brains.

Jesus Takes Away Your Sin

Have you ever thought about what our kids (protected from seeing violent TV shows) might be thinking when introduced to the crucifixion and resurrection of our Savior, Christ Jesus? I think about it from time to time. And I’ve told them parts of it on different occasions. But… Well, this just happened….

My kids learned a more intensive lesson on the sacrifice Christ made for our sins today in Vacation Bible School. At the end of the day, all of the children and leaders met in the sanctuary to go over the sacrifice one last time. This gathering included a visual where a man, dressed up as Jesus, walked though the crowd and the kids were suppose to give their sins to him so he could take them with Him to the cross. Since the cross was set up on the stage, the whole thing was sure to be memorable.

I looked to see if my son was understanding, and all indications told me that he was. But when I scanned the crowd for my daughter, I saw the back of her head. She was being held by her group leader. I thought maybe she was tired, but then she turned around and my heart broke. She was sobbing! I ran to her and tried to see what was going on, yet she was almost inconsolable.

I thought so many things as I tried to speak with her; way too many to capture them all here. Mostly, I traveled through the blame of wondering if this was something she was too young or too sensitive to see. I thought, maybe the idea of the whole thing was too violent for her mind. I started counting the number of mommy-failures this scene represented. The truth is, I wanted to run away. Yet here she was needing to be comforted, and here I was needing help on where to begin.

Since the leaders did such a great job of focusing on “love”, I started there in my discussion with her. We went over “why” He chose to do this for us. And when I was finished, I told her, “Precious, I know its hard to think about, but you don’t need to worry about his death, because Jesus rose from the dead!”

Cayden: I know that. But, I still don’t like it.
Mommy: Honey, I know, but Jesus did it because He loves you.
Cayden (Yelling): Mommy, I know that! I don’t like the other part!
Mommy: What other part, baby?
Cayden: The part where Jesus takes away all of my skin.
Mommy: SIN honey, He took away all of your SIN.

My daughter thought the man dressed up in the white robe walking through the crowd was coming to collect her skin. No wonder she was terrified!

Nancy Pelosi IS Miss Millie

When Nancy Pelosi (the quintessential “Limousine Liberal”) went down to the Mexican boarder this week and declared “I wish I could take all those children home with me,” I was reminded of the many movies and books depicting the white slave owners in the south, perusing the auctions as though black people were pets.

They’d just browse though the crowds, casually pinching the cheeks of the children, smiling and petting hair as their mothers clung to them tightly, praying that they wouldn’t be separated at the sale. Its the same spirit of the elite, privileged, progressives looking down even years later when there was still separation between Americans based on melanin. That same spirit where the Nancy Pelosi’s of the day (ref. Miss Millie from The Color Purple) were a protected class, ruling over the “poor innocent blacks” who “don’t know any better” and always “need our help to survive”. I mean, where would we be without those loving elite?

Even now, they tower over the rest of us as though they, in their place of power, have control over the very life and death of another human being. How fitting that its the same Democratic Party bestowing their progressive compassion back then to blacks (earning their multi-generational unwavering support) now doing this same routine with Latinos hoping to again garner the same result.

Back then, the Republicans stood for freedom and equality, so the people who were focused on content of character had a place to go in support of like-minded liberty. Yet now, the Republican progressives are just looking to be the better “master”. Even though the Democrats are more practiced at ruling people-of-color, the Republicans are hoping that if they join in and drop all of the principles that created this nation, the new “freed Latinos” will serve them instead.

Have we as free people learned nothing from this human cycle? Could we choose in this moment, at this opportunity to say “NO” to being ruled and manipulated by the self-imposed elite class? Can we see that this problem at the boarder is created by the very people who are positioning themselves to “save” us all from it? Don’t look at the surface… dare to consider there is more at play here. Don’t pick between two slave masters. Become the “indivisible, under God” (not man) that our collective ancestors fought for us to become.

Nancy Pelosi IS Miss Millie. And in a country focused on the opportunity for each individual, to her progressive patronization, we should all say, “HELL NOoo!”

Watch: Miss Millie – Hell No!

Miss Millie

 

He’s Alive!

Christians, imagine what you would have done back then, on this day, when the Lord was crucified. The Son of God, doing what He told you He would do… dies for the sins of the world. Would you trust that in 3 days he would be back, a conqueror of death? Or would you have fear that you would be rounded up and crucified right next to him for standing with Him, and following Him all these years? I have to admit… I would be torn.

Those 3 days would be full of a lot of pacing and speculation. My favorite song for this time of year is “He’s Alive!” I love how this song (sung through the eyes of Peter) captures both the dread and the hope a follower of Christ would feel after His crucifixion. The best line is when Peter admits he denied Him, just as Jesus told him he would. And then he says, “Even if He was alive… it wouldn’t be the same.”

It’s almost like he hopes Jesus doesn’t rise; because then, he won’t have to face his own betrayal.

I have felt that with a friend before. I did something that hurt my friend, and the consequence of my action was the end of a friendship. I remember wanting the friendship back, but I was too much of a coward to face what I did and just apologize… and ask for another chance. I think about that with Peter. Peter was actually friends with the Son of God. Peter knew the forgiveness and the love that was harnessed in this “God-Man” (as my son Connor calls Him). Yet even then, Peter played with the idea of it all being a figment of his imagination… the idea that maybe He wasn’t God and wouldn’t be back… because then Peter wouldn’t have to face Him. He wouldn’t have to admit his own weakness… his own failure.

I wonder if Peter felt his betrayal was so over the top that God couldn’t possibly forgive him for it. I know I’ve felt that before. But God can forgive… and He did forgive. We just need to accept it, and walk in that forgiveness. For me, I finally did swallow my pride and I asked for forgiveness from my friend. What I once thought was so unforgivable, turned out to be forgivable, after all. Now I’m left thinking of all the time apart, wasted on worrying, when we could have been together, laughing!
Hmmmmm….

So friends, I send you encouragement from my journey. On this day. where we think of the sacrifice made on our behalf for true reconciliation… If you are avoiding a conversation with someone in this world due to fear of your own “unforgivable sin”… Or worse… If you are avoiding a conversation with God due to something you think is “too much” for Him… If you think you’ve lost your chance at His love because of something you’ve done. Stop. Just stop. Accept His forgiveness and then… talk to Him. Accept His forgiveness and all the relief that comes with it, and then… call your friend. He’s Alive! So, let this be the start of a new beginning!

Sending you love from “The Lake House”.

Listen to this song: “He’s Alive” by: Don Francisco

The Picture of Your Frequency

OK – I was hit with some deepness this morning and I HAD to share…
Recently, in my walk I have stumbled upon a truth:
EVERYTHING HAS A FREQUENCY.
Everything… Both living or non-living.

The universal truth is this: no matter how you tap into it, via sight, sound, taste or touch, we respond to the frequencies of everything around us and we create the picture of those frequencies through our choices and our actions.

Think of how you begin to feel and how you carry yourself when you hang out with a negative person. Think about the bounce in your step after being around a positive person. You are creating the picture of those frequencies with your body and your mind.

This thinking has been amazing to me. It has changed the way that I look at everything in my life. My desire is to remain in the frequency of Christ. I am working on finding what that looks like. What is the picture painted by that frequency? What does it sound like? This is where I am in my walk. Maybe you are there as well.

Take a look at the video below. It’s a visual lesson that something real is created by each frequency.
What picture are you creating today with yours? (CMP – 7/28/09)

Click here: Sound Waves

Daring Discussion: Abortion

Over the course of 7 days, I chatted with a friend on a normally tough topic. We chatted about abortion – from two different sides. We could have avoided the whole thing, or ended it at any point. But we were brave, and the chat was respectful… even healthy. I am glad for the result, yes. But, regardless of the result, I am thankful we both stayed at the virtual table, and had the talk.

*Day 1*

Carole: What would you label yourself in politics? What fits you most closely?

Kim: I consider myself a Democrat.

Carole: Can you tell me why Democrat?

Kim: Mainly because I am pro-choice and for gay marriage.

Carole: Wow – then yeah… you are in the right party. Ok. What is your Religion?

Kim: Christian.

Carole: Now that’s interesting, Kim. How do you reconcile Christianity with Pro-choice?
Its hard to tell someone’s tone in chat… but I really am just curious – I am not trying make you feel like you have to defend anything. We can agree and disagree – you know that. :)

Kim: I totally get that.

Carole: Soooo, please share… How do you reconcile
.

Kim: I think if a woman chooses to end a pregnancy, no matter the reason, that should be between her and God.

Carole: All choices are between you and God. Interesting…. but as a Christian… you have decided to have a general opinion that its ok? In general, you say its ok if they choose.

Kim: Yes.

Carole: Wow. What in Christianity says its ok to make that choice?

Kim: Just because it isn’t something I would do I don’t think it is appropriate for my beliefs to be a factor in someone else having the freedom to do so. Same thing with same-sex marriage if you don’t agree with it then don’t marry someone of the same gender it’s that simple.

(Long Pause)

Kim: Are you too outraged to speak to me?

Carole: No – I have a friend here… so I am multi-tasking — But, Kim I do want to challenge you a little about what you said… just a slight, healthy challenge on what your role is as a Christian. So, yes I agree that we shouldn’t tell another person what to do…. but there are principles that humans agree to in this world. We have agreements about whether or not its ok to walk into someone’s home and take over. We have agreements about what is ok to eat – you can eat a cow… but not dog. We have societal rules and we have laws about walking up to someone and hitting them across the face. There are rules and laws that we all agree to uphold, and people always have the choice to break them… but there are consequences to breaking these agreements. Some severe and some minor. So consider abortion… yes, everyone has the choice… but as a society, what is it YOU want our society to say about abortion? I want a society where we say that ALL life is precious and worthy of an opportunity at an existence. I want to live in a society where the baseline is holding the only kind of life, innocent God-given Life at the height of sacred honor. What comes next is personal choice…. but as a society and in conversation and in my own life and as a believer in Christ I state with passion that abortion is wrong. Period. I don’t see how a Christian can think otherwise…. which is why I ask you to further explain… so I can see how you reached YOUR conclusion.

*Day 2*

Carole: Now… did YOU get offended? lol

Kim: No no. For some reason I only got the first sentence of your message yesterday so I was like okay…there’s nothing to respond to lol. The rest of the message just came through anyway…my best friend’s niece gave birth to a baby boy a couple months ago. Which at first glance sounds lovely but there is more to the story. Caitlyn was 13 when the baby was conceived, the father was 35. He is sitting in jail right now and will probably be there for a long time (which is exactly where he belongs). Caitlyn along with her Mom and older sister have been in and out homeless shelters her entire life. She was molested by more than one of her father’s friends from the age of 6. She has also dabbled in drugs, promiscuity, truancy, etc. So when I say I’m pro-choice that’s the kind of scenario I have in mind. Only God knows what will become of Caitlyn and her son- statistically, the odds are not in their favor. Now I’m not saying she should have aborted her baby, she made the right choice for her but, that might not be the right choice for another girl in a similar situation.

Carole: I get it, Kim. I have stories too… I am just presenting the “principle” of it. Here’s an example… So I was writing on a blog about gun control and a woman said that she has a gun for protection but she is “not one of those freaks who shoot first and ask questions later” she said, “If they come in my house, they can take whatever they want from the 1st floor, but if they come upstairs I would shoot them!” Ok… so I paused at that because YOUR house starts at the door. But she has compromised her principles to draw the line at the second floor. Why concede, and set that as her baseline for a robbery that may NEVER happen? Why not hold you principle at the door and then make a decision at the time of the robbery whether or not you are going to let them have the first floor before you shoot? When it comes to rape and incest, they make up lest than 3% of all abortions. I think our principles should be at valuing life and then taking those 3% on a case by case, individual basis, don’t you? Why open the door to a value base that ALL abortion is ok because of the rare, awful cases of the 3%? Abortion has been happening since the beginning of time… can you agree that we should have a standard for everyone that we hold to… and then we deal with the outliers as they happen on an individual basis with love and compassion?

*Day 7*

Kim: So, who would make the decision about the 3%? Would women have to go before a committee and disclose what happened to them and explain why they think they should be allowed to terminate a pregnancy? Would they have to sit on a bench in a court house or something waiting to hear the committee’s decision? I don’t think any woman has walked into or out of an abortion clinic with a big smile spread across their face. I’m sure it is a very difficult choice to make, women should be allowed to decide for themselves because no one knows better than them about their life. 100% of them deserve the same love and compassion. I don’t think being a Christian and pro-choice are mutually exclusive.

Carole: Well, we disagree. God created life… We aren’t to take that life away. I encourage you to consider the 97% and if you want to escort the 3% through the process to justice – well, that might be your calling. Help them personally. Don’t create legislation for the rest of us to pay for killing babies as birth control. BTW – I have seen with my own eyes more than 1 women leave an abortion clinic with a big smile on their face. I know of a person who has had 9 of them. So, this issue is personal… not hypothetical for me.

Kim: 9?

Carole: Yep. Disgusting.
When she was scheduling her 7th, I had just found out that I might never have children.
Needless to say, the conversation got ugly.

Kim: That person needs to be in an institution bcuz that is absolute insanity!
Do you believe in the death penalty?

Carole: You don’t have to tell me! And in the next breath, I say she doesn’t need to be a mom! That’s for sure! But there is something to consider… if she was surrounded by a society of people who valued life and didn’t present abortion as a form of birth control… maybe she would be forced to be more responsible. Maybe she would make better choices if she was faced with more responsible consequences – or at least had to face a culture of people and neighbors and friends who made her feel like crap for being so trashy. Maybe we would all rise to a better life if we were all held to higher standards. But not now… sex is like taking a dump – you can do it anywhere with anyone – and children are a choice… not a blessing from above.

Carole: Yes – I believe in the death penalty. I hope you aren’t comparing innocent life with the consequences of the worst evil in our society? Why do they both get the same “punishment”?

Kim: No I am not comparing them, I was just curious what your thoughts were.

Carole: Oh – ok

Kim: Would you consider adopting or becoming a foster parent?

Carole: Of course – Chris and I were talking about that yesterday. My parents took in children throughout my childhood. I have had over 14 foster siblings. Some of them still call today.

Kim: You definitely should. I would like to do it once I am married and more settled.

Carole: Will you consider holding the opinion that abortion is wrong. Hold that one close and then show compassion to those who need help with rape and incest situations? Will you consider being Pro-life as a baseline?

Kim: 7 years ago I was in a downward spiral, I was in the grips of severe depression. I was irresponsible and made some poor choices. In the midst of all that I found myself pregnant. I walked into an abortion clinic laid on the table and as soon as the doctor came into the room I jumped up, got dressed and ran out of there. A few weeks later I ended up having a miscarriage. When I think of how scared, alone, and desperate I felt in the days leading up to almost terminating the pregnancy…

Carole: Kim… you almost compromised a value base that I think you still have. You are a woman… a protector, a holder and a giver of life! To even think otherwise goes against our genetic makeup! No wonder its hurtful to our spirit.
I am not talking about miscarriage.
I am talking about a society that we work together to create; one that has PRINCIPLES!
We don’t compromise on them! We stand firm on innocent life having value! 
Can we stand there together?

Kim: This may sound awful…but I feel like who am I to take away someone else’s choices when even I could have done the same thing. I can’t do anything to help a woman facing an unwanted pregnancy.

Carole: Who are you? You are a mother! You are a friend! You are a fellow human being! Its ok to say NO to something. Who are you to take away a “right” of a man to rape a child? You are Kim, that’s who! And some things are not ok. People have the “right” to make many choices… but we have a responsibility to decide which ones will craft our society; which ones are an abomination to God and his creation. Rape is one… and murder is one… and there is no way around it… abortion is murder. Life was there… now it is not. Don’t talk yourself out of it. You know.

Kim: I suffered another miscarriage several months after having the first…not a day goes by that I don’t think about those babies…what they would have looked like…who they would be today…I even named them…

Carole: I am so sorry Kim.

Kim: I see now that I was wrong

Carole: This is not miscarriage we are taking about, honey.

Kim: I get it

Carole: So – will you stand with me as a pro-lifer?

Kim: I will

Carole: YEA!!!!
 We have a principle! 
Oh…. I feel good!

Kim: Me too. 
It doesn’t make me a hypocrite to say that something is wrong even though
I almost did it?

Carole: NEVER! 
It makes you a better witness to talk with someone on your old path!
You know what it feels like! Who better for God to use!
Does it make me a hypocrite to talk about how great marriage can be when I’ve been divorced?
Never! Because I know! I am an expert! And you are too.

Kim: I understand

Carole: Kim – I am crying. You blessed my heart
I am so proud of us for talking about this topic… its a topic most people avoid like the plague! But we did it! We had the discussion and we still love each other. We were loving throughout… even before you said you would stand with me. I am so proud of us.

Kim: Yeah, I was worried that when I first put my opinion out there that it would get nasty.

Carole: No. But its a touchy topic. I mean… it’s innocent life. People respond to that with passion. But they should, right?

Kim: Right. Every life is precious. Regardless of how they came to be. Honestly I don’t think there is such a thing as unplanned pregnancy, it may be a surprise to us but God has plans for each of us long before we get here.

Grow Up Carole!

Have you ever said something and thought, “Wow! That was my mom coming out!” Sure you have. We can admit that pretty easily. But what about the times when you open your mouth and your 16-year-old self makes an appearance? Or even your 12 year-old-self? Or that bratty 2-year-old self throws a temper tantrum all up in the conversation? Yeah… that happened to me today. My 16yo Carole presented herself; but this time I said, “Not today, girlfriend!” and I nipped her in the bud.

What’s funny is that, I like 16yo Carole. She’s kind of cool, actually. She’s spunky; she’s a bit of a smart-ass; she’s witty; and she’s not burdened with caring about your feelings… because 16yo Carole is right (about everything) and you’re wrong! End of story.

Yeah, I am practiced at being 16. I can be 16 all day. I might even go so far as to say that I was so good at 16, that I chose to be 16 for my 17th year, most of my 18th year, and part of my 23rd year!

But this is what I learned… 16yo Carole had her time. She did it. Now she can retire and watch… and learn about being… yes, older and wiser. Today is not her day…. 16yo Carole is “played out!”

I realized (finally) that just because I am good at being 16yo Carole, and just because all of her 16yo responses to life’s circumstance are “comfortable” to choose, it doesn’t mean I should let her run the show. And if I keep letting her speak, in her 16yo voice… I could end up being her forever! Nobody wants that – ’cause seriously, that girl is cray-cray for real!  So she needs to sit her 16yo butt on down and let the grown folks talk! (SMMH=Shaking My Mature Head.:))

Christmas Traditions

Ahhhhh, the holidays are here again. And this year I have about 3 ideas for “New Traditions” for my family. I’m excited about them, but this seems to happen every year. I come up with THE best new tradition that will be the one to take into old age with my kids and their kids. I picture an 80yo version of myself (wrinkle-free of course) sitting on a rocking chair receiving honor and praise from my kids and grandkids saying, “Isn’t this the best tradition ever?! Thank you Grandma-ma for starting this so many years ago!” But, by the next year, I have forgotten what I started the year before, so I start something else. Again, with complete optimism, picturing the rocking chair and the grandkids and I think, “THIS IS IT! This is the one that will stick.”

So today, I came up with a third tradition to start for this year, and I showed it to Chris. Being supportive of all that I do, he said, “Oh, that sounds great, honey. What did we do last year at this time?” I sat there staring…. I couldn’t remember (still can’t). It’s downstairs in a box somewhere.

It seems, the most traditional thing about our holiday traditions is the fact that each year we make new traditions!

The Perpetual, Traditional, Always Original, No Residual, one day Inheritable, maybe Edible, Aboriginal, Pearson Family Christmas!

An Effort to Create It

If I try really hard, squint, and turn my head to the side… I can almost feel what it would be like to be FREE of all the ethnic/gender/age/etc. labels that hold me back from my dreams. I can almost feel what its like to live in a country where none of that matters. Where we evolve to a people who look to God for our identity and we go after our purpose in this life – with full focus and vigor!

If I lean back a little… I can almost see a world where we move forward in our calling… each one of us, overcoming our individual challenges. Experiencing the successes and failures that come with the journey. The only time we slow is to support one another. The only time we pause is to recognize a violation of the rules we all agreed to follow… together. But after justice is achieved, we are back in full pursuit of our life-offering to The Creator of this Universe. No person, government, or religion could stand in our way as we honor God by honoring each other – by giving our very best to one another.

It could be something amazing! I can see it… I can smell it… I can almost taste it…. WOULDN’T THAT BE INCREDIBLE?!