I have mixed feelings about [this] health care legislation.

Having worked for a time with young children with severe handicaps (and coming to love many of them like my own) I know the need for health care reform was clear and desparate. I have beloved family members who haven’t received adequate care for many years because they can’t afford it. One, a single woman in her early sixties, has crippling debt as a result of a recent heart attack. The stress of the financial difficulties significantly elevates her blood pressure, a frightening situation in itself, and creates a cycle that puts her at even greater risk. Yet even she says the way this health care legislation was done was not right. There are aspects of it that are not in the best interest of those it claims to serve, namely us.

Now it’s peculiar to me that we women may choose to ‘terminate’ our baby for any reason, but may no longer choose whether or not we will have health care. Doesn’t that seem off?

I have another family member, another single woman in her early sixties. She uses alternative therapies and hasn’t been to a doctor for more than 20 years. Now she will be forced to pay for health care out of her limited income, or face penalties.

If I choose not to pay for car insurance, I can always walk, bike or take the bus. Must I now pay for health insurance simply because I’m alive? Anyone who is pro-choice for abortion should have been pro-choice for having, or not having health insurance. I guess they are selective about which choices they want to keep.

Now you can’t say I am only against this because I’m wealthy and afraid the government is going to raise my taxes. We spent ALL of Saturday and busted more than a few knuckles replacing the fuel pump in our old beater truck (we are the mechanically challenged!) because we couldn’t afford $700 to have the mechanic do it after putting down over $1000 to get Becca’s teeth fixed. (Hey, what about dental/orthodontal reform?) That ate up the last of our tax refund and my business hasn’t made a penny this year.

And seriously folks, the way the media has portrayed all who oppose this legislation as being opposed to health care reform in general is a despicable lie. If this legislation is as great as they say, why are so many good hardworking Americans opposed to it? All I can say is I’m deeply concerned.

 

Don’t you hate it when you’re sitting at your computer so long your legs fall asleep?

Don’t you hate it when you can’t get to sleep because you’re dreading having to wake up in the morning?

 

Our own Exodus

“I am YHVH who brought you out of Egypt…”

God identified with his people by reminding them of what he had done for them in the past.

We who follow him have our own stories. If reading the words in the book were enough, then many more people would choose to follow his way. What holds us close to him, what makes us continue on this path are the memories of how he has revealed himself to us personally. In the following days I’ll post some of my Exodus stories. For now, I need some sleep.

 

Valentine’s Day

This year Valentine’s Day was extra special. We went into Seattle to the Experience Music/Sci Fi Museum. Becca and I have been there before, but Jim and his mom hadn’t. The Sound Lab is a blast! It was cute playing with Gramma on the Jam-O-Drum. And she was so impressed with the Jimmy Hendrix exhibit, such a part of her own history.

We ate lunch a few blocks away at a vegan (except for a little egg in the fortune cookie) restaurant called Bamboo Garden. It was delicious! Even the serious carnivores in our group enjoyed the meatless sweet & sour “chicken”. (I thought the Mongolian “beef” was the best.) Next we had to try the doughnuts at Top Pot because we saw them on TV. (That’s a good enough reason for me.)You might wonder how any doughnut could actually be superior to a fresh Dunkin or Krispy Kreme, but Top Pot pulled it off, with a dash of Seattle’s typical urban charm.

We took Becca to Magic Mouse Toys (our favorite) where we managed to avoid being hit by the flying monkeys, this time. We ended with our family tradition of fudge from Rocky Mountain Chocolate. We were so sleepy we stayed in the car on the ferry ride home, and were still too full at the end of the day for any special Valentine’s dinner! A good time was had by all.

 

The Republican Ladies meeting

I was invited to a Republican Ladies meeting last week. The speaker was a fellow who had been to Iraq and then wrote a book. I am for life and small government so I do typically vote Republican.  It was interesting, and lunch was delicious, especially the cheesecake!

The funny part was the Q & A afterward, when I mentioned that my husband is reading the Qur’an. One lady’s face went completely weird and I laughed inside, then added it’s for a college course. Oh, how our prejudices are written all over our face. (Sigh) We have a lot of work to do.

If only “What would Jesus do?” was more than yesterday’s catch phrase!

 

post 2 on my newborn baby blog

What have I done lately? I’m working on designing a website for the missions department of Christ Memorial Church. I’m having a blast! The pile of laundry over there is mocking me. I think I’ll kick it into the closet for a day when I don’t have anything fun to do.

My new therapist is a sweetheart. He understands creative loony types, like me.

I promise to get more serious about my content… Maybe by the time anyone is here to read this.

 

Hello world!

This is my first blog. (Yay!) I’m very excited. I hope to do a lot of blogging, because I always have so much to say!

Tootles…