Here are some quotes that I think exemplify the role of a mother:
A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.--Tenneva Jordan
The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.--Honoré de Balzac
An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy.--Spanish Proverb
One good mother is worth a hundred schoolmasters.--George Herbert
Mothers are life sustainers, they meet the day to day physical needs of their children. Good mothers meet those same needs, as well as the emotional and spiritual.
Mothers are selfless agents who bear their children, before and after birth. They will go without, to ensure their children have their needs met. They will sacrifice their own desires until they can be sure the children get what they must have in order to survive, and thrive.
God bless mothers everywhere, today and everyday.
*Addendum: I stumbled onto this after I posted this. You have to see this:
To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.--Thomas Aquinas
I firmly believe He lives.
This may not be the exact day he rose form that tomb, but it is the the day we honor it and celebrate it. To those who know this as I do, have a very happy and joy-filled Easter Sunday. And to those who do not, I hope you all have a great day too.
It probably wasn't this time of year and many of the customs we observe in this season were not part of that moment.
But make no mistake, there was a moment.
I can imagine a late evening when people were exhausted from the day's activity, caused by the civil decree that had went out in the land. On that evening they retired like any other night.... but somewhere in that little burg was a very small group of people adoring a newborn, in a stable with animals.
His name and purpose were not well known at the moment. And instead of lightning, thunder, winds, or any other such display of power and force, there was a stillness, a peaceful quiet that had engulfed that barn and the areas that surrounded it:
No one knew the story that was to come to pass about that little child's journeys on this earth. It hadn't been written yet. But he had a goal, an objective that was not to be forsaken along the way.
So, unto you who read this sleepy little blog, may you have a very Merry Christmas.
As uncertain as our futures may always be, we can still say undeniably and unequivocally that we have made it to another Thanksgiving. I say this because I know people who haven't.
Life is short, time eludes us. We can always make more money but can never regain time. It is our energy and our forces that make us tackle the things that come at us, as well as those that things that we cause ourselves. But if we are resilient beings and have weathered the storms we have been required to outlast, we still have life in our bodies, souls, and spirits..... and are still pressing onward towards whatever goals we have set.
Not everything has turned out rosy. There are some things that I wish I could change. And if it were in the power of my hands to do so, I would do so. But in the course of the human life cycle's maturation process, I have learned to not sweat the stuff I cannot control.
In turn it has led me to a more peaceful existence in this world. AND... it is the distinct hope that things will always make a turn for the better (at some point) that keeps me going.... even when I am feeling discouraged and defeated. The fight lives on, as long as I have breath in my body. There are no TKOs in life.
So I am very humbly grateful that I have another year on this earth to enjoy the smallest of things that life has to offer. And although I have endured a good many hardships along the way, I wouldn't trade my life for anyone else's in the world.
I was never a Marine, but I am an old soldier. Still...I have spent my life improvising, adapting, and overcoming. So far it has helped me to navigate this ship into every port I have set sail for. And I have few regrets.
This year, as you spend time with your loved ones (or just think about them because they are not near), remember... time waits for no one. It marches on and we must grab onto what we can hold of it... as it roars past. Do not let things that need to be said, stay unsaid. Say them, if you mean them, and say them with idea that it may be us or that someone we love.... who will not be here to say/hear them next year.
Have a great Thanksgiving and thank you for reading.
Let us not forget those who died while defending this great nation from those who sought to do it harm:
Let us also take advantage of every possible opportunity and every reasonable measure to ensure they did not die in vain. Because if in the end this would turn out to be the case, it would be a greater tragedy than the untimely deaths of these courageous heroes.
ADDENDUM:
A good friend of this blog, Z from Golly Geez, posted the lyrics to this well known composition in the comments. I felt they needed to be posted in the main post so.... here they are:
Day is done. Gone the sun. From the lakes. From the hills. From the sky. All is well. Safely rest. God is nigh.
Fading light. Dims the sight. And a star. Gems the sky. Gleaming bright. From afar. Drawing nigh. Falls the night.
Thanks and praise. For our days. Neath the sun. Neath the stars. Neath the sky. As we go. This we know. God is nigh.
Rest in peace our courageous men and women, and thank you all.
The editorial staff at PYY would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.
May this Christmas find all of you and your families in good health. May the joy that comes with Christmas find each and everyone that graces this blog, throughout the year.
Here are some great traditional carols to help celebrate the birth of Christ:
This is a beautiful song, no matter what the language. This is German:
I truly hope this holiday message finds all of my readers well and in good spirits.
Life has a way of keeping us humble, especially when things aren't always going well. I know that in my life, I wish there were some things that were a little different from time to time. But then again, when I take a minute and think about it I have to conclude that I do not have it nearly as bad as many people I see on a daily basis.
Bottom line is, I have much to be thankful for and one of those things is the fellowship we have had here at PYY the past few years. People have come and people have left. But the core group of you, who still hang out here and add your two cents worth now and then, have brought much to the discussions. I have enjoyed it immensely and look forward to many more, as time goes on.
Today is Veterans Day, which is usually filled with some measure of celebration. Parades and other gatherings will take place across the country today, some will give speeches and many will hear them. Maybe there will be music, food, and something to drink as we remember those who served as protectors of the nation. And as always, I would exhort all who read this to thank a veteran if you know one. I know that the vast majority do appreciate it, even though many are quite humble about it.
But this year as we go about our day, I would like to ask that all who can, please stop if only for a moment. Stop and say a prayer for those who are grieving the loss of the 13 soldiers at Ft. Hood. This is not a day in which those families will feel like watching a parade, hearing a speech, or hearing music blaring from trumpets and other horns. They are mourning a significant loss in their lives and deserve to be in our thoughts and prayers.
Thanks to all who read PYY, and please have a safe day.
Since Independence Day 2009 comes on a Saturday, I have decided to merge a holiday post and the weekly musical, Another Blast. Music is all well and good. But in the end, music is only a tool or a means to communicate an emotional appeal.
This is the one day when we "the people" can stop, reflect, and (hopefully) honor the birth of this great nation. But as reflection and honor goes, I am sure not all Americans really care about the importance of such a thing. To them, it may mean a big barbecue/party with fireworks or even worse, it may not mean anything at all.
As for the Sunsett household, we see it differently. Therefore, it is our profound hope that our activities of the day will be helpful to noble causes larger than ourselves, causes that will guarantee many more.
Loving one's country, despite deep reservations resulting from the direction the current leadership is taking, is important. Despite the fact I think this is the case this year, I still love my country and always will. That does not mean I cannot grieve for it. And at the same time, it does not preclude me from making what I feel are vital statements, in order to preserve it.
It is for this reason today that it is our plan to attend the local tea party. It is our hope that many others will do so anywhere and everywhere, possible. I believe the long term viability and prosperity of this nation will depend on the next few years and it is imperative, to help facilitate an awakening to the common sense principles this nation was founded on.
You cannot possibly communicate all of this in one song/video. But if it were possible, one of the integral tools I'd use could/would easily be this song:
Like I have said many times, I do not agree with the current course our government is taking. I see too many similarities with other failed courses we have seen taken in the past. The short period of time known as the Carter years is not alive in the minds of most people born after 1969, and no amount of persuasive speaking would have stopped this demographic from buying into the programs of the present company. I have said it before and I will say it again, every generation deserves a Jimmy Carter to wake them up to the consequences of unchecked and unbalanced liberalism., with weak foreign policy and horrendous domestic agendas that hurt the average citizen more than they help.
Once we woke up from our lethargy and saw fit to treat the malaise that has overtaken us, out self esteem began to reappear, almost instantly. It wouldn;t be easy, but we did undo much of the damage done by carter and his band of southern hilljacks, who masqueraded as intellectuals capable of leading a nation.
Today, we have nothing more than a Chicago gangster mentality running both the Congress and the White House. But if we look to the future, we can/will see that a greater hope lies beyond the false hopes communicated by this bunch, who are causing the present damage. Then we will once again be able to sing the words of this song, with joy and hope:
Enjoy the music and enjoy this day. And above all, please be careful, do not drive if you have been drinking.
ADDENDUM: For an outstanding Independence Day narrative, visit Leslie at Blunt Politics or Mustang at Social Sense. Both of them did an outstanding job, it is well worth the ten minutes or so it takes to watch it. (Do it now. Don't be the only one NOT to watch it or we will all laugh at you.)
I ran across this poem recently, it is credited to a Jimmy Fortune and John Rimel. Although I have heard of neither, these words gave me some cause to think:
Name On The Wall
by Jimmy Fortune and John Rimel
I saw her from a distance as she walked up to the wall She laid a wreath of flowers, then her tears began to fall
She took out pen and paper, as to trace her memories She looked up to the heavens, and the words she said were these:
"Lord, my boy was special, and he meant so much to me And though I'd love to have him, just one more time to see
All I have are memories, and monuments recall So Lord, let me know he's not just a name upon a wall"
"He's really missed by family, being home on Christmas day He died for God and Country, in a place so far away
I remember just a little boy, playing war when he was three But this time it's for real. He wont be coming home to me"
"You know my boy was special, and he meant so much to me And though I'd love to have him here, I know that this can't be
So thank you for the memories, and the moments I recall And please just tell him he is more than a name upon a wall"
On Memorial Day, we take time to remember those who sacrificed their lives that we may live free. But in our holiday events and ceremonies, all too often we look past those people whom the brave men and women left on this earth.
This year, maybe we can take the time to thank one of their loved ones who remain with us. Each man and woman, whose name appears on a monument or wall, had a life somewhere. In the giving of their lives, they left someone they loved dearly and in turn, loved them.
Women know the way to rear up children (to be just). They know a simple, merry, tender knack of tying sashes, fitting baby-shoes, and stringing pretty words that make no sense. And kissing full sense into empty words. -- Elizabeth Barrett Browning (from the poem, Aurora Leigh)
It's the little things that seemingly make a difference in a child's life. To kids, life is made up of these little things and we have no way of knowing which things they will remember, when they get older. Good mothers have known this from the beginning of time.
Good mothers have more than willingly assumed the role of nurturer and life-sustainer. It's not an easy job and at times, it may appear to be almost impossible.
But those who persevere will reap the many rewards that will certainly come, from doing the best job possible. To those of you who read PYY and have made (or are currently making) these sacrifices of which I speak, I hope one of those rewards comes today.
I just wanted to wish all of my readers a happy and safe celebration, this evening. Please do not drink and drive, it's just not worth it. Jails, hospitals, morgues, none of them are very much fun.
And if you are on the road, watch for those that have been.
I wish all of you good health and prosperity for the coming year.
Despite the madness and uncertainty in the world, the Christian world is pausing for Christmas, the second holiest of days on the calendar. The pagan world may have initially sanctified this day as a celebration of the Winter Solstice, but throughout time it has come to signify the birth of Christ. That is how we mark it, that is how we celebrate it.
I am sure His birth was never as dramatic as we have made it look in our imaginations. There were no choirs, no decorations, and none of the other things we use as tools of celebration. But somewhere, some place, in the City of David, in a stable, was born a child that would redeem the world someday, saving the people from their sins. There was a moment in time, there was a reality.
And despite the absence of these things, on that day somewhere, some place, there must have been a heavenly host of angels, who knew the significance of that moment in time even though the world did not. If we could have heard them at that moment, this is no doubt what they would have sounded like:
THE MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR
Hark The Herald Angels Sing Once In Royal David's City While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night
Handel's Messiah
THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The First Noel
THE ST. OLAF VIKING CHORUS
Oh Holy Child
CHARLOTTE CHURCH and PLACIDO DOMINGO
O Holy Night
FromtheSunsett Familyto your family, wewishyouall averyMerryChristmas.
One of things I am thankful for is the fine group of people that come here to vent, reason, and share their thoughts and opinions. This is truly one the best groups of regulars on the internet and in the blogosphere, and I am not just saying it to be saying it.
I wish all of you the very best Thanksgiving Day, and I hope your coming holiday season is a great one. Who knows what we face ahead? But we will all face it and endure it together, we will persevere.
Thank you all again for your contributions here at PYY.
To all that have served in any of the branches of the military, in war or peace, PYY thanks all of you for your service and wishes you the best on this day.
One can say many generic things about Veterans Day and what it means, and much of it will be said at ceremonies across the nation. But suffice it to say, we do appreciate the sacrifices of all individuals that put their lives on the line for the defense of this great nation. It is a noble calling and one that should never be forgotten.
So, a hearty crisp hand salute to all veterans that grace this blog with their presence.
