Saturday, March 27, 2010
I Met Glenn Beck!!!
Got to met and talk to Glenn Beck today at his American Revival tour. Then he gave me a big bear hug. Very cool. Will blog about the experience and the young man sitting next to my friend and I later. Let's just say...it was an amazing day.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
It's A Small World After All
Last Thur. I felt very strongly that I needed to go back to DC yet once again. My DH wasn't really on board with it. "It won't matter to them." I know, I know. But it matters to me, to our children, to our future grand-children, and to all freedom loving Americans. So Fri. I booked my ticket. I was sick, had little to no voice because of my cold, hadn't slept much for the past week because I've been so stuffy, but I dragged my sleepy butt out of bed at 4:30am to make my flight in Orlando.
On the bus from the airport the excitement was palpable. There were many of us heading to the Capitol to protest. A few rolled their eyes at us and I couldn't help but want to smack them, but I refrained. "Go ahead and give your liberties and freedoms away," I thought, "I will not do so." The bus had to stop early because of the road closures due to the event, so we headed to the Metro. On the Metro a mom about my age got on with her young son and sign in hand. She sat across from me so we started to chat.
"You were here on 9-12 with your four children, by yourself, from Florida, weren't you? You went to the Holocaust Museum after the rally?" she asked. I was floored. Out of the millions of people there that day in Sept. and the hundreds I happened to speak to, she was one of them, and she remembered me. We parted ways after the Metro, but later that day around 4:30 I ran into her again. She wanted to know if I was staying for Sun. too. "No, my SIL is visiting me from UT so I need to head back tonight." She looked at me and said, "You're LDS aren't you?" "Yes," I answered, "and you must be too or you would've asked me if I was Mormon."
Yes, she is LDS too, lived in Jacksonville until a few months ago, and now lives in TN. Her husband is and ENT. She has 5 children, the youngest a beautiful little boy they adopted from China while her husband was there performing cleft lip repairs. He was one of the young children that he did surgery on. We continued talking and imagine both of our shock when we figured out that we had both lived in Pocatello and went to the same schools. She moved away when she was 12 and is 3 years older than me, but we know many of the same people.
I can only think that God's hand was in on us meeting up again, because really, what are the chances? We have FaceBook friended each other and are excited to keep in touch.
Another woman that I met that day was also quite remarkable. As I was sitting on the steps to the Longworth Office Building I noticed her looking through a book that someone had compiled of the many Tea Party Rallies, and had it published. It was simply pictures of the many people and their signs. We started talking about it and she let me look at it. In all honesty, if I had looked at her and not taken the time to talk with her, my first impression of her would've lead me to believe she was a homeless bagwoman. She was in multiple layers of dirty clothes, her hair was matted and very oily looking, covered in a hair net. She had poor dental care and was obviously not a wealthy person in terms of monetary, but she was smart, intelligent, well spoken, and there fighting for her freedoms and liberties. She could've so easily been one of the many looking to the gov't for a hand out, but no, she works two jobs and came in from Maryland for the protest. Her sign really drew my attention too. It was a crudely hand written one that said, "Read Ayn Rand and learn," or something very similar to that. As I had finally started reading Atlas Shrugged a few weeks ago, we talked for a very long time about the book. She told me a bit about her family and we talked about high german and swiss german. It was truly and amazing experience that has further ingrained into me "Don't judge a book by it's cover."
I know this monstrosity passed and has been signed into law by a Congress and President who don't care about the Constitution of our great land. But do not give up hope. They have won one battle, the war is not yet over.
Here is a FB message I received from an old college friend today. It brought tears to my eyes and made me know that I did the right thing in being there, for the 3rd time, even if "they" didn't listen.
"Chris,
Just wanted to let you know I went to dinner last week with a buddy of mine. His girlfriend was in D.C. on vacation getting ready to take a cruise.
She called him during dinner and went on and on about how she had walked into a tea party protest and how cool it was and how much she wished she had the courage to have done that for a vacation instead of the cruise.
I told my buddy that I knew someone who was there and who attended many of the rallies. Both him and his girlfriend said to say thankyou and keep up the fight. "
And those stories are really the reason I was there. We are America. We love our freedoms and liberties no matter how different our backgrounds and experiences. As we surrounded the Capitol building and had a prayer I couldn't help but think if we could bring God back into our gov't all would be okay. "One Nation, Under God, Indivisible." So that really is the battle, for with God, all things are possible.
On the bus from the airport the excitement was palpable. There were many of us heading to the Capitol to protest. A few rolled their eyes at us and I couldn't help but want to smack them, but I refrained. "Go ahead and give your liberties and freedoms away," I thought, "I will not do so." The bus had to stop early because of the road closures due to the event, so we headed to the Metro. On the Metro a mom about my age got on with her young son and sign in hand. She sat across from me so we started to chat.
"You were here on 9-12 with your four children, by yourself, from Florida, weren't you? You went to the Holocaust Museum after the rally?" she asked. I was floored. Out of the millions of people there that day in Sept. and the hundreds I happened to speak to, she was one of them, and she remembered me. We parted ways after the Metro, but later that day around 4:30 I ran into her again. She wanted to know if I was staying for Sun. too. "No, my SIL is visiting me from UT so I need to head back tonight." She looked at me and said, "You're LDS aren't you?" "Yes," I answered, "and you must be too or you would've asked me if I was Mormon."
Yes, she is LDS too, lived in Jacksonville until a few months ago, and now lives in TN. Her husband is and ENT. She has 5 children, the youngest a beautiful little boy they adopted from China while her husband was there performing cleft lip repairs. He was one of the young children that he did surgery on. We continued talking and imagine both of our shock when we figured out that we had both lived in Pocatello and went to the same schools. She moved away when she was 12 and is 3 years older than me, but we know many of the same people.
I can only think that God's hand was in on us meeting up again, because really, what are the chances? We have FaceBook friended each other and are excited to keep in touch.
Another woman that I met that day was also quite remarkable. As I was sitting on the steps to the Longworth Office Building I noticed her looking through a book that someone had compiled of the many Tea Party Rallies, and had it published. It was simply pictures of the many people and their signs. We started talking about it and she let me look at it. In all honesty, if I had looked at her and not taken the time to talk with her, my first impression of her would've lead me to believe she was a homeless bagwoman. She was in multiple layers of dirty clothes, her hair was matted and very oily looking, covered in a hair net. She had poor dental care and was obviously not a wealthy person in terms of monetary, but she was smart, intelligent, well spoken, and there fighting for her freedoms and liberties. She could've so easily been one of the many looking to the gov't for a hand out, but no, she works two jobs and came in from Maryland for the protest. Her sign really drew my attention too. It was a crudely hand written one that said, "Read Ayn Rand and learn," or something very similar to that. As I had finally started reading Atlas Shrugged a few weeks ago, we talked for a very long time about the book. She told me a bit about her family and we talked about high german and swiss german. It was truly and amazing experience that has further ingrained into me "Don't judge a book by it's cover."
I know this monstrosity passed and has been signed into law by a Congress and President who don't care about the Constitution of our great land. But do not give up hope. They have won one battle, the war is not yet over.
Here is a FB message I received from an old college friend today. It brought tears to my eyes and made me know that I did the right thing in being there, for the 3rd time, even if "they" didn't listen.
"Chris,
Just wanted to let you know I went to dinner last week with a buddy of mine. His girlfriend was in D.C. on vacation getting ready to take a cruise.
She called him during dinner and went on and on about how she had walked into a tea party protest and how cool it was and how much she wished she had the courage to have done that for a vacation instead of the cruise.
I told my buddy that I knew someone who was there and who attended many of the rallies. Both him and his girlfriend said to say thankyou and keep up the fight. "
And those stories are really the reason I was there. We are America. We love our freedoms and liberties no matter how different our backgrounds and experiences. As we surrounded the Capitol building and had a prayer I couldn't help but think if we could bring God back into our gov't all would be okay. "One Nation, Under God, Indivisible." So that really is the battle, for with God, all things are possible.
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