An unbiased viewpoint . . .

I was visiting my neighbors today and we got to talking about religion, faith, etc. They are Protestant and I am Catholic but we enjoy each other's company and share the differences rather than argue about them.

We were talking about how we observe Holy Week and I mentioned how some of our priests prefer having boys serving Mass rather than girls. One of my friends bolted upright and said, "Excuse me? Did you say GIRLS serve Mass at your church? That just doesn't sound right! Does your Pope ALLOW that?"

I said that Rome had allowed girls to serve but it was sad how it chased away some of the boys who might be missing out on a vocation because they never get to be that close to the altar. My friend just kept shaking her head over it.

We then went on to agree that males and females are different and it was a shame the world kept trying to make them one and the same. She said she worked because she was a single mom and had to in order to support her daughter. She said that when women just work 'to find themselves' or to buy a bigger house or fancy cars, they could be taking away a job that a male head of the household needed for basic support of his family. She wondered if pushing females into the service of Mass could also be pushing males aside.

Personally, I'm for teaching my girls to emulate the Blessed Mother and doing so does not include serving Mass, being a reader, or an extraordinary minister. I did not, however lead this particular conversation on and it was interesting to see how our liberal Catholic ways are seen by someone outside our Faith. Not starting a debate here but you have to wonder how it will all turn out.

Hard to Understand . . .

Has anyone else found that the more orthodox the person, the more judgemental they can be? We are dealing with a situation in our family for the last couple of years and it is very disheartening that so much hurt can be dealt by people claiming to be spiritual and good. The Pharisee and the tax payer parable seems to come to mind a lot these days. You have to wonder how hard it is to be sensitive to others? Going a bit out of one's way is the way to Heaven. Guess a lot of people want their comforts on earth and heck with the people they either work with or go to school with. I always thought (actually hoped!) that such behavior will diminish with the onset of age and maturity. Doesn't seem to be happening.

Worse and worse . . .

Ninety-four percent of the 'ProLife' Democrats voting on the health care bill this past weekend voted for it with all it's anti-life agendas included. ProLife and Democrat just can't be used in the same context. No such thing as a true ProLife Democrat. The president is supposed to write an Executive Order to amend the wording re. tax payer funding of abortions, BUT . . . his EO doesn't override the voted in bill and will make no difference. Once again, the majority was ignored and we were all sold down the river. Just remember, this November and every November that involves a vote from now on should be approached with this fresh in our memory.

The day after . . .

If you really want to see this horrible healthcare bill overturned and repealed, now is the time to contact every candidate up for election or re-election in your districts. We need to tell them that we want a STRONG platform of repeal and that your vote for them depends on how they are reacting to yesterday's vote in Washington. It is easy enough to Google the various candidates and many of them have an e-mail on their page where you can instantly send them your thoughts. Never think that one letter doesn't matter. You never know who will read your message and be moved. Also, you can't complain (TOO much!), if you don't make an effort for legitimate change. The taxes on obamacare begin in January and who needs the burden of more work and less pay coming in.

No matter what we are promised in this bill, it can be instantly changed by weak politicians. We need to consider the unborn's rights as well as our own. Sure, obama promised an executive order re. abortion words but how many promises has the man kept in the last year.

Typical politicians . . .

The obamacare health care crisis is coming to a head this weekend. Seems that going by the rules only applies when the Republicans and Conservatives want to see a change. The Dems seem bent on making sure that ALL ways are THEIR ways no matter how they have to dismiss the Constitution.

What I don't understand is how these Senators and Congressmen can know that the majority of citizens are against this massive explotation of the American people yet deem it right and proper to go ahead with it anyway. I suppose they figure they are safe because, even if they lose their seat next election, their medical insurance won't fall under the travasty being visited on the Americans at large.

If the federal government wasn't a bit much to cope with, we have our wonderful California government. The governor's constant refrain when running for election was NO MORE TAXES and he soon proceeded to tax and tax and tax us. We have a severe unemployment problem and the answer is to pass a bill for the mythical global warming issue that would cost millions of Californians their job.

Makes me glad that I'm a 'from scratch' cook because I foresee a future of trying to make something from nothing and I sure ain't God!

You know, after the Great Flood, God promised Noah that He would never destroy the world by water, again. Everyone seems to expect fire for the next punishment. Hey, seems to me that politicians and stupidity are our next 'flood'. Can't build an ark against that although their political promises and speeches certainly floods the airways.

A saint was once asked what he would do if he knew his personal end time was within the next hour. He said he would just keep on doing what he was doing at that moment in the best possible way. I'm trying to keep that mind set and keep home and family as happy and fed as I can in any given circumstance and trust in God.

Why is it . . .?

I love to cook and bake. During Lent, we, as a family, give up sweets. Why do so many interesting cake and cookie recipes cross my path when I'm not supposed to make them? Do you suppose it is my sweet tooth zeroing in more precisely because it wants feeding?

I guess the only way to deal with this is to finally start putting together my baking book for my children. Makes sense that I won't get any grease marks on the computer as I can't have a cookie near by to help me keep up my strength!

I've collected recipes for years and always get stopped short when I try to organize them. I'm thinking about starting with cookies and subtitling them with all the different ones that pertain to a certain method or ingredient. Since oatmeal cookies are a favorite, I think that would be my starting place. Actually, I need a bakery as I tend to bake more than our family can or should eat! Blessed are my friends for they shall be given cookies!

Speaking of cookies, my husband found out that when you surf the Internet for airfare, a 'cookie' is left at the site and when you come back, it automatically increases the cost. I suppose that this gets you to make a final decision lest it go up even further. I'm not a computer whiz but I guess it would be your 'browser' you'd clear in order to rid the site of the evil cookie track!

Facing the possible demise of our health care . . .

It has been going on for months, now. I'm wondering how it will all turn out or if we are facing the possible demise of our health care as we now know it. You have to wonder about the media who slavishly cater to the outright lies coming out of the discussions in the Senate and Congress over the proposed legislation. It just doesn't seem right that what the politicians think is good enough for the population at large, won't be one they will have to work with for their medical attention.

I read that countries who already have the one-payer system are aghast that the United States wants to change something that works to something that will gum up everyone's life for years.

Fretting won't help, however. Naturally, I'm contacting my representatives and praying. God's Will but I hope the world wakes up to the situation before it is too late. Lies and overspending won't save anything!