Happy Fathers Day!

You were made to lead us,
To stand strong amidst the fight,
To pull us onward up the mount,
Ignoring its towering heights.

You were made to be brave,
To ignore impending dark,
To laugh despite the toughest odds,
Trained to hit the mark.

Your courage led me onward,
Your strength, it made me tall,
Tenacity helped me learn,
To get up when I fall.

You taught me perseverance,
To never give up hope,
And when the going gets tough,
Get going, don't mope.

You helped me be a leader,
Stay strong in all I do,
To weather hardships, large and small,
And it's all thanks to you.

You taught me by example,
I always looked to you,
Your guidance is what helped me,
To always make it through.

I've never looked at you,
With disdain in my heart,
Or felt some sort of disrespect,
Or loathing on my part.

I've cherished every bear hug,
And enjoyed every poke,
I love the way you laugh out loud,
When you tell a corny joke.

All your imperfections,
Are outweighed by the great
Things you've taught me through my life,
That are forever in my heart.


I thank God for deciding,
To give a dad like you,
To a little girl who needed strength,
Thank God that I know you.

Click it or ticket...or regret it.

   
     Most people don't see this as a gigantic problem. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I just think this is big enough to talk about. I want to warn you about the frustration, anger and guilt before it's too late to fix it.
     It was sometime in February. The night before, we had a house fire that destroyed our basement, laundry room and most of the front door area. Thank the Lord that insurance is covering that. Anyway, we were staying with some friends until we had a rental to stay in. We went out to eat at McDonald's, still somewhat surprised by our bad fortune last night. We had driven two cars, my parents and three siblings in one, and five people in the other car. I was in the five person car. Our parents sent us ahead, saying they needed to pick up a few things at Walmart.
     Joseph was driving. I'm not really sure what happened, but we ran into some slush on the road. The car swerved a little and Joseph put his foot on the brake. That didn't help. We swerved even more, Joseph trying to gain control of the vehicle. I put my hand over the two younger kids sitting next to me, making sure they didn't fall. They were terrified. To be honest, I was really scared too.
     The car spun out of control and we were flung into the ditch. I closed my eyes, but I kept my hand over my siblings, bracing myself. When I opened my eyes, everything was still, and for a split second, I thought I was still upside down. The car had flipped on it's side ; the passenger side, so the kids were on top of me. They were still screaming, but they were both alive. Thank God.

"Is everyone okay!?!" Joseph asked, looking around.

     Sammy calmed down a little, but was still really excited. He turned to me, tears running down his face and said," I got the phone! I got the phone!"
     I hugged him, praising the Lord he was okay.
   
     Joseph, since he was closest to the door, climbed out and began helping the other kids out. After the younger two were out, I laid me head against the glass, breathing slowly. I wanted to close my eyes and just wake up from this horrible dream. It's not really a feeling I can explain. Even though it was over, I was still scared.
     Adrenaline is a gift. It helps you ignore the pain and do what needs to be done in certain situations. It helps you push past your feeling of despair and pull yourself out of the ditch. I did. Thankfully, we were not that far from a friends house. So Joseph stayed behind to call the ambulance and our parents and Timothy and I took the younger two down the road. Kim (the friend) was on the phone with our dad as she opened the door.

     "Yeah, they're right here."

     Once inside, we examined the kids for any indications of concussion or broken bones. Nothing, they seemed okay. Luckily, Kim had some younger kids who were playing with Legos, and that seemed to take the younger kid's minds off the accident for a while. I fell into a nearby chair, my legs still shaking. I suddenly felt very tired and wished I could go to bed. I wanted to see my parents...and yet I didn't.
     The ambulance came before my mom did. They checked everybody out, feeling the spine and arms, making us bend our neck. Everyone was fine and the paramedic was very surprised. Why? The reason was enough to make me turn my face away in shame; the younger kids had not been buckled in.
     I wasn't just mortified, I was disgusted with myself and not a day goes by without me thanking God for keeping those kids safe. They should have been hurt, maybe even dead, but God saw it fit to bestow mercy upon me; selfish, disgusting me, who put her own seatbelt on and didn't make sure the kids were. I was the oldest, I was sitting RIGHT NEXT TO THEM!
     Later, after the adrenaline had fully worn off, my wrist began to hurt me. I had to wear a splint for three weeks, a cast for three weeks and then the split on and off for the rest of the month. Sometimes, I have to wear the splint because my wrist bothers me. And you know what? I had expected God to break my wrist, as punishment for my selfish and insistently act. But he didn't. God forgave me...he excepted my apology as enough...and I thank him for that. For his unending grace and mercy.
     I still get scared when I'm driving, and even when I'm not. I still wish I could take that day back and fix what I did. But I have learned my lesson... And you should too.

     They say seat belts save lives. I believe it.

     "Failure to wear a seat belt contributes to more fatalities than any other single traffic safety-related behavior. 63% of people killed in accidents are not wearing seat belts. Wearing a seat belt use is still the single most effective thing we can do to save lives and reduce injuries on America's roadways."(car accidents.com)

     The only reason my younger siblings didn't get hurt is the because God wanted to give us another chance. He wanted us to do better in the future and maybe save you guys from a few injuries...or lives. Take my advice; don't get in the car and think you don't need to worry about it because it happens to "somebody else"...because to everyone else, you are "somebody else".

History Test; Part four

    

 "HBO’s “John Adams,” despite fine drama, excellent acting and impressive production values, is – sadly and unnecessarily – seriously compromised as a depiction of history." (HNN.com)


     When I read those words, my heart sank. I loved the HBO drama "John Adams" and thought it was very well done. Unfortunately, the screenwriters felt it would be more "emotionally appealing" to audiences.
This has been proven true to me over and over and over that people don't like history. From "The Patriot" to "John Adams" to "Braveheart". Countless times, we are told "history" stories and think we have a pretty good grasp of history and historical fiction.

     We have heard of Molly Pitcher, the brave woman who fired the cannon of her fallen comrades in war. Though we would like to believe she is real, she was not; http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1999/summer/pitcher.html

Remember "The Patriot"? Remember all the historical inaccuracies? Probably not; http://www.studythepast.com/patriotreview.pdf

How many of you knew "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" wasn't half as exciting or romantic as the real thing; http://www.historynet.com/paul-reveres-true-account-of-the-midnight-ride.htm

     What has happened to make us want to change history? Why do we feel the need to change true events for a more entertaining story?

     I think I just answered that question.

     Ever since the art of storytelling was invented, people have yearned to entertain with stories of nobility, romance and excitement, whether true or fictitious. Ever since Hollywood, we have wanted to tell stories how WE want to tell, whether true of fictitious.
     I have been a huge fan of Joan of Arc ever since I was a little girl. I have read tons of books and papers on her, so when I heard they had made a movie of it, I immediately jumped at the prospect, begging my mom to let me see it. While I waited for her to make her decision, I decided to look up a few reviews on it. I was heartbroken. Apparently, the acting was bad and so was the story. They completely ruined the character of Joan and her story and faith. Why? Because it wasn't "exciting" enough or the screenwriter thought his idea was better then what actually happened. Same thing happened with Beowulf. Beowulf is one of my favorite poems and I wanted to watch the movie. But, of course, the screenwriters thought their idea of an adulterous, low down "hero" was better then the upright, Christian man Beowulf was in the poem.

     For some reason, people tend to feel like it is an "obligation" to twist facts in order to entertain audiences'. After all, history is "boring",

    "If one were to adhere to historical accuracy all the way, you'd probably have the most boring two hours on earth, but firstly it's entertainment and we've taken license with history to make it more compelling." Mel Gibson talking about "The Patriot"

     Firstly, I think something is wrong with us if we don't find the American Revolution "exciting". Exciting as in, 'I'm not bored'.
     Second, is entertainment an excuse to exchange truth with lies? Yes, twisting facts and presenting them as "history" is lying.
     Third, if you don't want to make a two hour boring movie, don't make a movie!

     Remember that quote I had at the beginning of this series?
     “Do not let our posterity be deluded with fictions under the guise of poetical or graphical license.” John Adams (Stern, hnn.us)

     In other words, don't even think about changing history for what seems more exciting, entertaining or romantic. And guess what? It's not just our Founding Fathers who wanted us to remember history as it happened.

     "And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out of Egypt, out of the house of bandage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten." Exodus 13:3

     In the next couple of verses, Moses goes over with the people the feasts of Passover, saying they must remember what the Lord did for his children.

     "And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. And it shall come be for a sign unto thee upon thy hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord's law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand the Lord brought thee out of Egypt. Thou shalt keep this ordinance in his season from year to year." Exodus 13:8-10

     That's a problem we lack today. We don't REMEMBER. We failed at teaching our children what we accomplished during the American Revolution...what God accomplished. And it doesn't stop with the birth of our nation. Even before then, we didn't tell our children. Don't believe me? Riddle me this, how come the bible has survived our these hundreds of years, but our history is still screwed up? Because Christians knew God's word HAD to be remembered and they took it upon themselves to see this done. They taught their children, they taught their friends. They remembered and they shared it.

     We need to remember what happened. Today, of course, it's a little easier too. We have TV, camera's, etc...But no excuses. Don't leave it to the "professionals". You do it. You tell your children. It is your responsibility, your God-given duty to ensure we remember. Do not forget.

And for the record, I never liked "The Patriot".

Bibliography

St. George Jr., William R. "The Patriot; Movie Review." Study The Past. Web. <http://www.studythepast.com/patriotreview.pdf>.

Stern, Jeremy. "History News Network." History News Network. HNN. Web. 27 Oct. 2008. <http://hnn.us/articles/56155.html>.

Goodbye cruel world!

Yes, I am leaving blogger.:( But I am joining Wordpress.:) The link to it is http://thegoodthebadthecurious.wordpress.com/ Happy Reading!
EDIT: Okay, nevermind. Worpress was too difficult for me to understand.;P So, I'm staying on this site...if you guys have any comments about the design, let me know.

History Test; Part Three

     “And I hereby further declare all indented servants, Negroes, or others (appertaining to Rebels) free, that are able and willing to bear arms, they joining His Majesty's Troops, as soon as may be, for the more speedily reducing the Colony to a proper sense of their duty, to this Majesty's crown and dignity.”

     -- Lord Dunmore's Proclamation

     Whoa whoa…wait a minute. Lord Dunmore? Lord Dunmore was appointed as a Royal Governor of the Colony of Virginia…meaning, he was on the side of the British. But, the British were the bad guys and were against freedom. America was the “Freedom Fighter” giving freedom to colonists and slaves alike…right? Haven’t we been told, in history textbooks, school and movies that America was the one who offered to free slaves? After all, America is “land of the free”.

     “A few American slaves, for their service to the rebels were rewarded with liberty, but the operative word is few. For the most part, slaves who fought for the rebels remained the property of their masters. Anglo Americans were fighting for their freedom, but not for the freedom of their slaves. Those who sided with the British were told, more or less, that they were manumitted and would be given land and self-government. They had a better hope for freedom with the British than they had with Americans.” (History.org)

     Their were a few slaves who join the Continental army, and some were blessed with freedom once the war was over, but not many.

     In the movie, “The Patriot” a slave by the name of ‘Occam’ enlists in the Continental army in place of his master, Benjamin Martin. Later, as Occam is waiting at the camp, he spies a notice posted up for all to see:

     “By order of GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON and the CONTINENTAL CONGRESS, all bound SLAVES who give minimum ONE YEAR SERVICE in the CONTINENTAL ARMY will be GRANTED FREEDOM and paid a bounty of FIVE SHILLINGS for each month of service.” (The Patriot)

     For those of you who were unaware of this, the idea that George Washington (a man wise beyond his years) and the Continental Congress (made up of many intelligent men) would offer freedom to slaves so early in our nation’s beginnings, is a stupid and foolish idea. Think about it; America, an infant nation at war with Great Britain, decides to free all slaves if they join the continental army, hoping, that just maybe, slave and plantation owners would NOT get upset and rebel? Uh…no.

     “Had Washington and the Continental Congress truly offered freedom for a single year of service…slaves by the tens of thousands would have rushed to sign up. This would have seriously disrupted Southern society…” (Raphael, pg 177)

     Another problem; who would pay the slave owners? I mean, if the Continental Congress was offering freedom to slaves, didn’t that mean slave owners should be compensated for those lost workers?  

      “It has been estimated that between the years 1775 and 1783 the state of South Carolina was robbed of twenty-five thousand negroes, valued at twelve million five hundred thousand dollars.” (Raphael, pg 179-180)

     My math skills are pretty bad, but that estimates about five hundred dollars PER SLAVE. Imagine if slaves really had been offered freedom and had left their masters. Lets see…in 1775, an estimated 450,000 slaves were in the 13 colonies. So if each slave was about 500 dollars, the Continental Congress would have had to reimburse slave owners a total of 225,000,000 dollars. America, in the beginning, could not afford to pay slave owners for their slaves.

    “…but to free slaves without compensating their masters would surely have provoked an outright rebellion among Southern whites. The union would have collapsed at the very beginning had Washington and the Continental Congress followed the plot line of ‘The Patriot’.” (Raphael, pg 177)

     But...why? What was the purpose behind this myth? I think Samuel Johnson, English writer and dictionary writer, answers our question very well with his own question,
     "How is it that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty among the drivers of Negroes?"
    It seems ironic, that the colonies, who were fighting so adamantly for freedom and liberty, didn't want to let the slaves go. That was a generalization; a logical fallacy. Excuse me and let me amend my previous statement; not everyone wanted to keep slaves 'slaves'. The reason it wasn't put in the constitution in the very beginning, was because many of the founding fathers were unsure whether slavery was morally right or wrong and knew that, by freeing these workers, they would face great southern economic hardship.
     Today, slavery is viewed as "the epitome of evil" and is a pretty touchy subject to be discussing. (Slavery, contrary to what many believe, is not wrong. I will discuss this in a later post.) So why would we want to tell our children about America's daring fight for freedom and but also tell them about the hundreds of slaves still in bondage? Does that make sense? No...so, instead of telling our future generations what really happened, why don't we tell them a fabrication of what we wished happened. Does that make sense? Uh...no.

Bibliography

Dobyns, Lloyd. "Colonial Williamsburg." Fighting... Maybe for Freedom, but Probably Not : The Official History Site. History.org, 2007. Web. 20 May 2012. http://www.history.org/foundation/journal/autumn07/slaves.cfm.

Raphael, Ray. Founding Myths: Stories That Hide Our Patriotic past. New York: New, 2004. Print

Happy Mother's Day!

     Dad asked me to write a poem for church about a week ago. Of course, I procrastinted and put it off, saying, "Oh, I've got time. I can do this. Don't worry." It wasn't until two days ago that I actualy started writing it. *blushes*Anyway, happy Mother's Day to my mom and all the wonderful mom's I know. (You know who you are)

Mothers sometimes frown at kids,

They dislike how they play,

“These children do not appreciate,

How we put our dreams away.”

“They do not care for us one bit,”

The mothers snort and huff,

“They do not know how much we work,

They do not care enough.”

Mother’s, if you ever thought,

Such disruptive things, then STOP!

Let me put those fears to rest,

And bring our “Thank You”s to the top.

Who said you don’t have value?

Who said we didn’t care?

We treasure every gentle kiss,

Upon our tousled hair.

We thank you for the rough nights,

When you refused to leave our side,

We thank you for the strange times,

When we made you mortified.

God bless you for the trials,

And hardships you endure,

You helped me make it through those times,

And always reassured.

Though we would have our hissy-fits,

When we couldn’t have our sweets,

You never gave up hope in us,

Did not accept defeat.

When you were faced with darkest night,

That never seemed to end,

You spat in it’s face and vowed to all,

That you would never bend.

Your faith, it kept me going,

Your strength it held me up,

Your humor made the bad days good;

You laughed at life’s hiccups.

You taught me the important things,

From history to math,

What it means to be a winner,

What it means to really laugh.

You taught me how to clean my room,

And how to cook a pie,

You taught me how to clean a wound,

And how to care for Sty eye. (which is really gross...believe me, I had it once)

You always read the best of books,

To us when we were young,

You always red us one more page,

Though you could hardly feel you tongue.

But the greatest thing you’ve taught me,

Wasn’t about math or books or pie.

It’s the example you have been to me,

Praising the Lord on high.

You have shown me what is wisdom,

How to be prudent with my words,

To listen first before I speak,

And to be strong when hurt.

Without a doubt, I would be lost,

If it weren’t for you,

God bless you for the things you’ve done,

And everything you do.

We love your smile and laughter,

We hate to see your tears,

We love it when you love us back,

We love you, mother dear.

     Anyway, that was a bomb of a poem, but at least we can make up for it with these strawberries.

Sherri's Berries.com (Picture couresy of them)

     Don't those look so good? I know she'll like them. These strawberries came from Sherri's Berries.com if anybody is interested. We could also attach a card...for free! Booyah!
Dear Mother,
     We promise we will not ask for one teensy, weensy little bite of you deliscious, big strawberries.
Sincerly,
     Your beloved Spawn.

Happy Mother's Day!

History test; Part Two

“Give me liberty or give me death!”

      Everyone has heard this phrase, even if they haven’t read the whole speech. The speech can be heard or listen to it hear:
http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/133/historic-american-documents/4956/patrick-henrys-speech-to-the-virginia-house-of-burgess-richmond-virginia-march-23-1775/. (I would advise your read it or at least skim over it)

     In the year 1805, 30 years after Patrick Henry gave his memorable speech, an attorney by the name of William Wirt decided to write about the life (and speech) of Henry. This would be a difficult task, however. Even though Henry was widely popular during his time, there were no copies of any of the speeches that he made. In 1815, William Wirt wrote to his friend, discussing the difficulties of chronicling Henry’s life,

     “It was all speaking, speaking, speaking. Tis true he could talk- Gods how he could talk! But there is no acting the while…And then, to make matters worse, from 1763 to 1789…not one of his speeches lives in print writing or memory. All that is told me is, that on such and such occasion, he made a distinguished speech….[T]here are some ugly traits in H’s character, and some pretty nearly as ugly blanks. He was a blank military commander, a blank governor, and a blank politician, in all those useful points which depend on composition and detail. In short, it is, verily, as hopeless as a man could well desire.” (Raphael, Pg 147)

     But Wirt continued and in 1817, he published his book, “Sketches of the Life and Character of Patrick Henry”. His purpose, in writing this book, so that “The present and future generations of our country can never be better employed than in studying the models set before them by the fathers of the revolution.” (Raphael, pg 148)…and in selling books.

     42 years after the actual speech, and 18 years after Patrick Henry’s death, his speech was now known to America. But how accurate is Wirt’s rendition of the famous speech? And how did he get his information if, as he wrote earlier to his friend, there were no actual copies of Henry’s speeches?

     Wirt spoke with many men who had been there that memorable day of March 23, 1775, but only thanked one for his help on “remembering” the speech; Judge St. George Tucker.

     Here is how I explained it to my family:

     Left index finger is Patrick Henry. He made his famous “liberty or death” speech, but nobody had written anything about it…or if they had, nobody knew about it.

     Now Mr. Thumb over here is William Wirt, who decided to write about Patrick Henry’s/left finger’s speech. But he needed help.

     So he recruited the help of Judge St. George Tucker to help. (he’s the right index finger) Unfortunately, Tucker didn’t write the speech down either or take any notes, so he could only go off of memory.

     I don’t know about you, but I can hardly remember President Obama’s State of the Union Address that he gave last year. Imagine trying to remember it…30 years after it happened! Unless your, I don’t know, GOD, you wouldn’t be able to remember the speech word for word. You might be able to remember parts of it, but the whole speech? Nope. Even Tucker commented that he didn’t fully remember what was said.

     “In vain should I attempt to give any idea of his speech.” (Raphael, pg 149)

     Anyway, Wirt collaborated with Tucker to write Patrick Henry’s speech. Then, out of the blue-

      POOF! In walks James Parker, (pinkie) a person who was there and actually wrote out what Henry said…while he was saying it;

     “In a letter dated April 6, 1775, James Parker wrote to Charles Stewart, ‘You never heard anything more infamously insolent the P. Henry’s speech; he called the K--- a Tyrant, a fool, a puppet, and a tool to the ministry. Said there was no Englishmen, no Scots, no Britons, but a set of wretches sunk in Luxury, that they had lost their native courage and (were) unable to look the brave Americans in the face…This creature is so infatuated, that he goes about I am told, praying and preaching amongst the common people.’” (Raphael, pg 150)

     But why the change? What was the purpose behind this change? Well, let's compare the two speeches. One, the very opitome of patritism. The other, the ranting of an angry, oppressed man. Which sounds more appealing? Remember, Wirter wanted to write something that would inspire generations to come. If Wirter had written exactly what Patrick Henry said (if he had KNOWN what he had said) would it be as famous as the "liberty or death" alternative? Would we still be teaching this speech in schools today? Would people write books or papers on the speech? Most likely not.

     It's like a quote I once heard, "If you don't like the news, get out and make your own". If we don't like the history, the stories of our beginings, why not change it?

Bibliography

Raphael, Ray. Founding Myths: Stories That Hide Our Patriotic past. New York: New, 2004. Print