Celebrate Your Right To Love on the 4th of July!

Tomorrow is the 4th of July.  Independence day for the USA.  I am proud to be an American (most of the time).  Many of my family members are military and I am thankful of what they have done for our country.  I don't always agree with our government or our military.  I think it is run by a bunch of schmucks for the the most part.  I do believe that as a member of this country it is my responsibility to take upon myself to see change happen.  It is my freedom to do so.  My right to make a difference. 

Many people think that they are free to do whatever they want or have this right or that.  However, they want to do nothing for it in return.  They want clean air but drive an SUV.  They want freedom to practice their religion but disrespect other religions.  We want all these rights but without doing anything to get it.


We are free but not truly.  We are in fact slaves to our own wants and desires.  As Americans we want the biggest car, the fanciest house, the largest soda, the newest electronic.  We desire to be number one at everything we do.  Our clothes must be the nicest.  Our children the smartest and most talented.  Even our tv shows reflect the slavery we hold ourselves to.  The Real Housewives, really?  Fake women being paid money they aren't worth to spend money they don't care about on crap they don't need.  But its their right. Their freedom.


Freedom used to be about the right to happiness.  To be free of dictatorship.  The right to practice your own religion without persecution.  The right to love someone of a different nationality or race.  Now we fight to be able to love someone of the same sex.  We fight so we can be able to love.  Is our country messed up or what?  We fought so that anybody could sit at the lunch counter or anywhere on the bus that they chose.  That is what Independence Day is about.

Yes, we are free to want what makes us happy.  The "American" dream.  I am an American and this is what I dream of: I dream of a country, no a world, where my children will know love.  A love that is not decided by color, nationality, money, sex, fame, education but by the person as an individual.  As a human being deserves to be loved.  I dream that our freedoms will not ruin our world with our love of excess.  I dream that our happiness will not be based on what we have but who we love and the love they return to us.  That is what freedom is about.  Not the right to bear arms.  Not the right to freedom of speech.  The right to love.  The most important freedom we have.  This is what we should be fighting for.  Without love we are just slaves to what we think are our rights.

My Mother Taught Me Better Than That

I just want to state that I am sitting on my front porch swing, drinking a cup of coffee and enjoying the cool breeze. Yes, I said cool. Now, onto today's post.

Yesterday, August 15th, was the 9th anniversary of my mother's death. My mom, Margaret, was an incredible woman. She raised my 3 younger sisters and I. She worked full time. She lived with a very painful illness. She was a girl scout leader. She sang practically every Sunday at Mass. She was hilarious. I get my sense of humor from her.

My mother taught me so much. She taught me how to be a mom. Now she wasn't perfect and neither am I as far as mothering goes. But I'm not striving for perfection. One very important thing my mother taught me was to be a woman of God. Not just a good Catholic woman but a woman of God. Yes, I struggle with that daily. Who doesn't? But being a woman or man of God means that we are to love all of God's people. Not just those we deem worthy.

I try to watch the news and keep up with what is going on in the world. I am not into politics and actually hate it. Recently, I have been hearing more and more about this mosque that may be built near Ground Zero. First, please do not send me hate comments cause I will just delete them and then pray for you. Second, this is my opinion. If you don't agree with me that is fine and your right. Just respect my rights.

I am all for a mosque being built near Ground Zero. My reason is this: We were not attacked by the Muslim faith. We were attacked by al-Qaeda. The more I read about this issue the stronger I feel that I need to speak up. I am a practicing Catholic. I raise my children to be Catholic. I am not a pedophile. Because of what some priests have done, catholics are given a bad name. This happens all the time to all different kinds of groups or religions.

We live in a country that boasts about its freedoms. We the people have to fight for them. Every religion has the right to practice. And if its near Ground Zero, so be it. We really need to think about who we are persecuting. Many Muslims died on September 11th too.

That day was a horrible day. I didn't just cry for the Catholics who were killed. I cried for my country and that includes those who are different than me. I know my mom was looking down on us and crying as well. She wouldn't want me to hate a group of people because of what others did just because they shared similar traits. It just doesn't make sense to me.

I am trying to be the woman my mother and father raised me to be. I am trying to raise my children the same way. But it breaks my heart knowing that each day as my children go to school and say the pledge that our country could turn on them in second if given a chance. We have the power. We are the PEOPLE. Take the lead and open our hearts to our American brothers and sisters. You don't have to agree with them or believe what they do. But please respect them. Respect each other. Cause if we don't then we never learned anything when those planes crashed.