I am an American Citizen by birth....

I hope that title makes you want to read more...so much more that you'll read what I'm going to share below. I love Facebook for the relationship tool that it is ~ with family and friends spread throughout the world it is such a gift to be able to connect with them as if we see each other everyday. I realize it's not all good, and I'd be more than happy to give instructions for keeping your Facebook page super-duper private, but when it comes to the pros and cons for me so far the pros far outweigh the cons.

One pro is the opportunity to keep up-to-date on organizations and ministries I support. Another one is to join others with like values and visions for our country and take a stand to keep America the melting pot I love so much.

Before I go on I have to clarify something ~ my love for mankind goes beyond borders, colors and any other orientation you'd like to put on someone (yes, even THAT one!). I love people ~ based on a song I used to sing in Sunday School...

"Jesus loves the little children. All the children of the world. Red & Yellow, Black & White, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world."

And before you start ranting at me and telling me I'm too tolerant let me clarify one more thing...

It is possible to love people for who they are and not love the choices they choose to live their lives by. The difference is being able to look at the person through God's eyes ~ seeing the person first and the choices second. It's something I've experienced personally. When I was pregnant the first time there were some really neat, good Christian people who chose to look at me in my wrong. They made me question the God I love and wonder if there really was hope for me.  The ones who spurred me on toward Christ, however, were the ones who looked at me and loved me for simply being a woman created in the image of God. It's because of those people I can live in the freedom of knowing Christ I live in today.

So, where is this blog going? Well, I stumbled across a post on Facebook this morning  that moved me to the point of needing to share it. One of the greatest controversies in our country right now is the Illegal Immigrant problem. (and yes, IT is the problem. NOT the people. People are people are people...the problem is the CHOICE some people are making which is creating one general problem that is becoming a huge problem on many sides.)

I have read many posts and emails that stem from hatred and anger, but as a Teacher-at-Heart who has had the opportunity to teach students from many different countries, those kinds of emails and posts and comments kind of turn my stomach. Not because I disagree with them ~ many of them are completely in line with my own beliefs ~ but because we are missing an opportunity. We are missing out on an opportunity to educate people what our country really is all about...and the opportunity to get to know about what their country of origin is about, too.

I often wonder, "What brought you here?" "Why did you want to escape your other country?" "What was so bad about it, and what can we do to make sure it doesn't happen here?"

I live in this country with an understanding that I am to live by laws and rules under a Constitution drafted to give us Freedom. True Freedom does not come without boundaries ~ it is within legitimate boundaries True Freedom comes. I disagree with giving Identification cards to illegal immigrants, and I agree with states who are simply seeing the extraordinary detriment to both their security and their financial future this Problem is having on them and so have decided to do something about it. It's interesting ~ when a friend or family member has a problem with something that is only leading down a darker and more problematic road we're led to do an "intervention." When my kids are lacking in responsibility I am required as a parent to intervene with disciplinary action that will help bring that character trait to where it should be. But when a state decides to intervene and do something about a problem that is truly wreaking havoc in their state they are called Bullies and idiots. I don't understand.

But I digress.....Many of you have probably heard about the five students who attended school on Cinco de Mayo wearing clothing with the American Flag on them. If you haven't heard, the Assistant Principal first asked them to turn their shirts inside out due to the Holiday it was. They refused. (thankfully) Lead by a fear that the flag would offend some Hispanic students, the Principal then sent those five American Flag-bearing students home.

I have joined a Facebook page based on these five students. The link can be found in the title above, or at the beginning of the post I'm sharing below. It is, quite literally, the first post regarding this particular situation I have read that made me want to stand up and cheer!!! It's not about being tolerant ~ it's about seeing people as people. It's about seeing opportunity for learning and loving and, hopefully out of the relationship built, showing people of all walks the truth of what loving Jesus is all about....being completely you because He's completely Him. I love that. I love that I can be me ~ whether people like me or don't like me; whether I always do what I'm supposed to do or not; whether I'm fat or thin/funny or angry/spacey or spot-on ~ I'm me and I am loved by the King of Kings. He's fighting for me and guiding me, and above all else, THAT is what I long to share with others. This group I'm mentioning isn't set up for that purpose, but that doesn't change anything. Afterall, people are people, right?

Please read the post below ~ I hope it's what I would have done had I been the Assistant Principal in that school.....

 In Support of the Live Oak High School Five

Mary BeckerUpdated: 05/17/2010 08:56:43 AM PDT

The students at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill have had a very busy week. It seems five students wore T-shirts to school depicting the American flag on May 5.

Why was that a problem? Because it was Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican holiday and the assistant principal decided that wearing the American flag might be offensive to some Hispanic students, causing violence to erupt in the school. The principal asked the five students wearing the American flag to turn their T-shirts inside out for the day. At least one student responded that he thought it would be disrespectful to the flag to do so. That is when the assistant principal sent those five students home.


What should the assistant principal have done? I think I know how my uncle, who was an award-winning teacher and principal would have handled it. He would have summoned everyone to the auditorium, and then he would have called to the stage the students with the American and Mexican flag T-shirts. He would have encouraged them to talk about why they wear these flags, he would have asked the American flag wearers to share their ethnic backgrounds and he would have spoken of his ancestors and why they came to the United States.

Then he would have suggested to the Hispanic students that although their allegiance to Mexico was strong now, in a few generations those ties would lessen and eventually cease to exist. They would feel no more allegiance to Mexico than his family now felt to Germany.


He would explain the conceptof E Pluribus Unum, which translates to "out of many, one." He would have also spoken about the American melting pot and how important it is for these students to acculturate themselves so that their children will have a better life here. He would suggest to the students that the real strength of America is that we do have people here from all over the world, and that is what makes our country so special.

He would also encourage them to honor their roots, but understand they are not the first or last immigrants to this country and they need to follow the example of earlier transplants that came legally and learned English.


Unfortunately, the assistant principal at Live Oak did not have the intelligence or commonsense to identify this valuable teaching opportunity. Instead, he decided that if the American flag might offend some Hispanic students then we should banish that flag. I would like to remind the assistant principal that he is living and working in the United States, not Mexico.

If any flag is to take second place here it should not be the American one and I was very offended by his actions as I'm sure many Americans were. It seems clear to me that this assistant principal is not up to his job and should be terminated.

I'm not sure when insane political correctness overtook our country, I only know it has. To suggest that any American not wear or display our country's flag on any day is absolutely ludicrous. Several years ago I traveled to a country that shall remain nameless. I found the people there to be intolerably rude and they were extremely offensive to me. However, I did not expect this country to change to accommodate me. I did not scream in the streets how offended I was. I did not tell them to change. I did not suggest they fly my flag instead of their own. What I did do was get on a plane and go home, never to return.

I want to say this as nicely as possible. If you are offended by Americans in America flying or wearing the American flag; perhaps you should do as I did and return home. You might be happier, I know I will be.

Mary Becker is a former San Francisco business owner who now lives in Lake County. Contact her at mbnorthernlights@gmail.com.

So close....

The end of the school year looms on the horizon ~ so close. It's hard to believe the 2009-2010 school year has passed already. It's been a year of growth, introspection, discovery and pain.

*inner conversation alert:*
Ummmm, doesn't pain always come with those previous three?
Yes, yes it does. However, I've seen some people just have the pain without the other three because they don't want to hurt. Little do they know those first three take care of the pain in an amazing way. It may not always go away, but to know you're better for it changes the face of the pain....
So the pain of this past year has been a bad pain in a good way?
That pretty much sums it up!
*back to the outside world...*

I had an interesting conversation yesterday with one of our pastors at church. I rambled on and on way too much, but in the midst of the conversation he shared with me some sage advice that had been shared with him in regards to where people "belong" in their service. We were talking about how hard it has been to come to some of the conclusions I've come to this year ~ ie: realizing I am a much better cheerleader/idea person than manager!

What he said was something to the affect that there are those who are meant to be in the public/political arena because they can "play the game" with integrity and grit without being completely drained by it. Then there are those who are meant to be on the other side ~ standing alongside those in the arena and reminding them why they're doing what they're doing. We need both kinds of people.
It was such a balm to me personally. I firmly believe God has a plan for our lives. We have free-will and can make the choices we make, yes, but for those who consistently seek His guidance and strive to be in tune with where He is working and leading...well, I believe He puts us exactly where He needs us to be.

Sometimes it's to use us to reveal a problem and then let someone else come in and fix it.
Sometimes it's to remind us Who is really in charge.
Sometimes it's to get us to the place where we must ~ MUST ~ surrender our will for His.

Whatever the reason, I believe this year as PTA President was a part of His plan for my life, and I'm thankful for the lessons I've learned. There is a freedom in knowing who you really are. There's even more freedom in knowing WHOSE You are and that He's "got yer back."

Well, this is just one of those "gotta write" entries, and the sun is shining on the boys playing ball in the backyard ~ I best go do my favorite part of being a Mom...PLAY WITH MY KIDS! Have a great day!

My newest challenge

Okay, here it is Mother's Day and as if I didn't have enough challenges already, I've decided to take on another one! Can I hear a "Woop! Woop!"?

This one is actually a really fun one, and if you'd like to join me on it you are most certainly welcome to. Let me know if you do so I can follow your journey, too, okay?

My husband and I tend to post a lot of pictures to our Facebook walls in the effort to keep friends and family far and near connected to all we're up to. The last few weeks I've thought about the fact that there is something every single day that moves me ~ either to tears, to laughter, to thought or to deeper devotion/conviction ~ so why not take a picture each day to capture one of those moments? Well, I stumbled upon the blog/website that I've linked through the title of this post today and knew it was time to start. You know...you hear something once, okay...you hear something twice, it catches your attention...you hear it again and again in a matter of days/weeks, it's time to take action. So, I'm taking action.

After reading the first few posts of her first few days of pictures I grabbed my camera and headed outside to where the boys were wrestling (loudly) with their friend. Here's what that looks like:

This captures them ~ active, physical, laughing, close, and spontaneous. I love every bit of them!

And, as many of you probably know, I have a difficult time picking a favorite of anything, so here are a few of the others I captured from today... (don't forget to leave me a comment and let me know if you join me in my journey of a picture a day!)

See you tomorrow!

43 days...but who's counting?

Whew! What a year it's been! I know some of you don't live your lives in the September to August year, but when you've got two boys in school and you've been involved in school of some sort of fashion for 36 years of your life you tend to think of a year in such terms. Actually, my year goes from September to June and the two and a half months of July and August (and half of June) are simply bonus time! :o)

Whatever year you want to be thinking of I just have to say it's been quite a year!

I could complain for a bit, but that's what coffee with friends is for, so instead I'll just share a bit of what God's been doing in my life over this year that has been QUITE a year....

Top 10 Lessons learned in 2009-2010 School Year:

10) Baseball games in ANY weather are really worth attending. Both boys are playing Little League (CJ in AAA and TacoBoy in AA), and that means practice for one on Monday-Wednesday and the other Tuesday-Thursday with games usually on Mondays, Tuesdays or Fridays, and always on Saturdays. And in the Pacific NW the weather can be wet, cold, windy and horrible one day and sunny and warm the next (or, as we've experienced many times this Spring wet, cold, and windy one moment with warm sun and blue skies the next!)

9) As children get older the energy needed to care for them and train them up in the way they should go is a different kind of energy...and I'm mentally exhausted!

8) Training up two young boys at the same time as you're trying to deal with adults who have a real love of Jr. High Drama means that no matter how hard you try your house will NEVER be clean because the mental exhaustion is so great that all you can do sometimes is sit in a chair and pretend you're growing gorgeous fields of healthy vegetables and creating delectable gourmet meals with those veggies through the simple click of a mouse on Farmville and Cafe World. LOL! (for my non-Facebook friends, those are games on Facebook that I have been ribbed about many times by a certain uncle.....)

7) PTA Presidency, Little League, Music Studio, Classroom Volunteering and a husband who is Small Group Liaison and Coordinator for our church, Sunday morning Video Techie at church, Small Group member and Regional Manager who travels a lot equals coordinating life FAIL.

6) Email, Telephone, smartphones with text and picture messaging as well as friends and family who offer grace for the lack of interpersonal connection due to the above equals tremendous BLESSING.

5) Seeing my boys faces when we set everything aside each Friday night for pizza and a movie as a family...PRICELESS!

4) Surprising my husband with birthday tickets for he and our other Dodger fan to the Dodger's Home Opener in LA for the two of them and his Dad and brother was the easy part. Convincing said husband that vacations are a necessity to sanity and this was all put together for his sanity was a lot harder than it should have been...but worth every repetition of explanation until he really got excited about this exciting day!

3) Having the opportunity to speak to a group of women about accepting who God has created you to be, and having them respond actively, is more wonderful than I dreamed it would be. Continuing to pray for them is the real blessing.

2) Being given the opportunity to work with a beautiful woman in her Fabulous Fifties who has always known she was meant to sing but has had life's lies thrown at her too many times to believe she could is downright spectacular. I can't think of any other word. The weekly lessons where more and more of her shell is pulled away and her voice is strengthened in praise and confidence humble me and encourage me to be more, do more and live more than anything else in my life.

1) No matter how many times I may think I fail; or how many times others let me know I didn't live up to their standards; or I see what a mess I've made of something God tunes my mind into the fact that I make mistakes, but I'm not a mistake...that I am not living for the praise of others, but for the Glory of my Heavenly Father...and that no matter what kind of mess I'm in on earth in HIM I am held together. No matter how bad this earth can seem...in HIM I find my true HOPE and Promise of a future that will blow my mind.

Well, there ya go ~ the Top 10 Lessons learned this year. There are more (MANY more) but those are the toppers. In all the hardship of this year we have had so many reasons to laugh, and for that I am thankful. We've also had many reasons to cry, and I'm thankful for those, too, because in those moments I am reminded of how very much we need each other. Here are a few quick snapshots to show you how we survive...

This was taken at the end of December during a Letterboxing jaunt (similar to geocaching, but more of a "clue" hunt than GPS based. Check it out at letterboxing.org)

We've had the opportunity to see a few movies in theaters this year (mostly thanks to the discovery of the "cheap theater." One of our absolute favorites was, "How to Train Your Dragon." Here's a picture of our two crazy dragons doing what they do best ~ make me laugh.

This one is VERY important...Heritage Dr. Pepper made with REAL SUGAR!!!! I hate (read: HATE) High Fructose Corn Syrup, and although the advertisement says it's fine in moderation I find it difficult to actually be moderate in the consumption of it when it's in absolutely-freaky-everything!! ahem. Sorry...stepping off my soapbox....let's suffice it to say that finding my favorite drink the way it should be made ~ with real sugar ~ has been a blessing straight from Heaven! :o)

We all know the value of good friends, great imaginations, and free time. This was taken just a few weeks ago on a Spring Teaser day that the neighborhood kids decided to take full advantage of in our backyard.

And finally....

We learn to laugh at ourselves. To explain this picture...It's Taco Tuesday and the boys and I had been to the theater with our friend, Jenny, to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel" followed by a trip to the Barnes and Noble bookstore next door. As Scott perused the book CJ had gotten I suggested to Jenny she take a picture of the two of us for my Facebook profile. Scott had no idea I had my fingers behind his head...and Jenny happened to snap the picture just as I made this face! (there is no noise ~ it's just the face. LOL!) It's one that makes us laugh again and again and again.

Well, until we meet again....have a great "rest of the year!"

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Some of you will be receiving this in your inbox, but thought I'd post it here, too. Here is to wishing you a VERY MERRY and BLESSED CHRISTMAS! I've got thoughts rolling around in my brain that must be written...watch for a new blogpost soon.

Love to you all....

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