I am an American.

I read his today, it says what I feel about the medias coverage of these events, why give them the coverage, exposure, and make them the entire focus ..  focus on America on the GOOD not the bad. 
Kate

Thank you John Glen, for sharing your feelings and opinions, and helping the rest of us say  it too.

I don't want to know his name. I don't want to see his face. I don't want to know his life's history, his back-story, who his family is, where he went to school, or what he liked to do in his spare time. I don't want to know what "cause", if any, he was fighting for. I don't want to know why he did it, or may have done it, or what possessed him to carry out his actions. I don't want to know. Because that's what he really wants. I'll be damned if I'm going to give him what he wants.

Put him on trial, but don't cover it. Tell me when you decide to jail him for three lifetimes - because that number matters. That's the number of lives he has to now pay for. That's all I want to know about him. Nothing else.

Instead, tell me about the first responders who ran towards the fray, within seconds, fearless. Tell me about the ones wearing the yellow volunteer jacket, or the neon police vest, or even the ones in the regular everyday t-shirt who became a helper. Tell me the story about the first responder who held gauze over a wound until they made it to the hospital. Tell me the story about the volunteer who held the hand of the injured spectator until they got into the ambulance. In six months, tell me the story of those who lost a limb, who beat the odds, pulled through countless surgeries, and are learning to walk again. Tell me the story about the love, the compassion, and the never-ending support of thousands, millions, of people who support the victims here. Tell me their stories. Tell me everything you can, because they are the ones that matter. Tell me of the good that they have done, are doing, and will continue to do, regardless of... No, not regardless of, in spite of. In spite of that someone who would do them harm. Because that's what freedom in this country means. It means coming together in the hardest of times, even in the face of unfathomable adversity, to make life better for all those around us.

John Glen

Positive vs. Negitive...

  We have all heard that we learn from our mistakes, however I think its more important, and certainly more productive to learn from our successes, we feel better about ourselves, and are more willing to move forward, with conviction that we will succeed again and again. Simply learning from our mistakes tends to make us learn to keep making them.
  Mistakes are indeed a learning process, don't get me wrong, but when we focus on the negativity of our mistakes we don't move forward, and instead feel rejected, stupid, and useless for making those mistakes in the first place. So for every mistake we make, learn, move on and make a success out of it, a positive outcome. Feel good about ourselves, and keep moving forward.

Kate

Life is a dance..

...and those who were seen dancing
were thought to be insane by those 
                          who could not hear the music...                      

Neitzche      

     We dance.. all of us, weather its movement or simply day to day things we do, everything is a dance, we move forward and move backward, in everything. Relationships are a dance, emotional, commitment, love, hate, compromise.
     My life is a series of dances, juggling all the complicated steps I need to take to keep my family grounded and moving forward, but even then we stumble and fall, and that again is all part of the dance. We learn from stumbling and falling, those experiences allow us to learn, to grow, We learn more complicated steps, and become better people and we fly..
      In these lyrics to a John Michael Montgomery song say it in a nutshell.
 "Life's a dance you learn as you go, sometimes you lead sometimes you follow,Don't worry 'bout what you don't know,life's a dance, you learn as you go."
      I think a lot about the phrase, take one step forward and two steps back, but it should read you take two steps back, and make one forward, eventually we will all move forward, so don't let the two steps back be a negative experience, but instead a learning one, sometimes in that learning process, we find the path forward we have set ourselves on is not the right one and a correction of course is needed for happiness.
     So.. I hope you dance, don't listen to those telling you, you are insane for the joy of dance.. they just can not hear the music.

Kate

Love and respect...

 I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer.  ~Jim Carrey

   A very deep and interesting statement from Mr. Carrey, what then is the answer? 
For some strange reason most of us dream of being rich and famous, why then isn't that dream worth making come true?
How about  simply that dream lacks one major thing humanity needs to make us all happy.
That's right,  just one thing..LOVE. Without Love we can't really be happy, no amount of false Fan adoration or excess funds makes happiness. 
   Granted we can justify the use of funds, and adoration to imitate love but deep down, at the end of the day, the fans, and cash flow go away. (And no you really can't buy love, not real love anyway). We as  human beings need a measure of comfort that  some one loving us affords, the deep innate need to be cared about by another life force. ( And yes, cats and dogs count),  Man or Woman, or Child.
I for one need to know that some one, out there some where loves me. No matter what, I am loved. And for me that makes it OK.  I am not sure that  having a body in a bed is all that necessary, but I do need to know that you love me. It give me a sense of security , and that no matter what, I can make it through any hardship, hateful situation, bullying, or nastiness that creep out of the dregs of life. 
I intern feel also that everyone is deserving of my love and affection, no matter who they are, or what they believe, or how they choose to live their lives, they DESERVE my love and respect. Period. No exceptions.
We see so much in the media, about marriage equality,  and the world striving for equality in all things, My personal belief is of course everyone deserves those things, and who am I to deny anyone the right to love, and family, and all the other rights afforded to any one else on the Earth.
I know so many people believe that we should pick and choose who gets those rights based on sex, color, age, or race, but truthfully no one should have the right to disallow any other human being the rights to happiness and love. Stop using the Lord as a reason NOT to allow people to love each other, Hes not the one using that voice. Dumb people are.
I love many men, and women, I have some very dear and loved friends, My love and respect for them does not depend on their sexual identity, place of residence, time, religion, or hair color.
All of you know who you are.. I love you deeply and dearly. forever.

My philosophy, if indeed I have one, is love one another, because we can, and respect each other because its right, all life is important and deserves a voice. 
Kate

Loving your pets.

                                 This is Lilly and Noddy, they are my beloved puppy kids.

Regardless of your dog’s age, you play a key role in helping him or her combat illness and remain as healthy as possible. Remember, your dog cannot describe symptoms to you, but they can show you signs of disease. Awareness of the signs of the most common diseases is one way to help reduce your pet’s risk of being affected by them. It’s a little scary to consider that 10% of pets that appear healthy to their owners and their veterinarians during annual checkups have underlying diseases.
The top 10 signs that your dog may be ill are:

1. Bad breath or drooling
2. Excessive drinking or urination
3. Appetite change associated with weight loss or gain
4. Change in activity level (e.g., lack of interest in doing things they once did)
5. Stiffness or difficulty in rising or climbing stairs
6. Sleeping more than normal, or other behavior or attitude changes 
7. Coughing, sneezing, excessive panting, or labored breathing
8. Dry or itchy skin, sores, lumps, or shaking of the head
9. Frequent digestive upsets or change in bowel movements
10. Dry, red, or cloudy eyes

If your best friend shows symptoms of being ill, you should contact your veterinarian immediately.

                                                  This blog is dedicated to Lucy

Pay It Forward...

I have been reading several posts about paying it forward, helping those in need, and caring about humanity as a whole, I know I have said in the past that its is so easy to do these things simply because you can, how did it feel? Did you think about your act of kindness before you did it? Was it compassion the drove you to help? Did it take anything away from you to do these things? Did you expect a thank you, or payment in return? We are as a whole a "ME" society, we tend to think of ourselves, and our Families first, as well we should, but we should also think of those who don't have family, or anyone that thinks of them first, and simply act.. and in that single compassionate act we become one family, one people, and love grows. Kate

Greatness..

The most prolific days of your life won’t likely be easy. It’s not in the serenity of your comfort zone or the inactivity of a lazy day that drives greatness. Great demands drive the growth of great virtues. Contending with great challenges forms the foundation of greatness.

Kate