O' Hillary

Poor Hillary.  She just can't catch a break these days!  First, she has that pesky Bernie Sanders nipping at her heels stealing her delegates on the campaign trail.  Now, she finds out that Harriet Tubman will be featured on the redesigned $20 bill instead of her!  Harriet Tubman?  What did she ever do?  It's supposed to be 'Hillary,' not 'Harriet.'  Oh well, maybe they can put Hillary's face on something else -- maybe a 'Wanted' poster.

Then, there's Trump's new nickname for Hillary: 'Crooked Clinton.'  Come on, Donald, you can do better than that.  I can do better than that.  A few suggestions: The Shady Lady, Ahilla the Hun, and my favorite, Mrs. Doubt-liar.  We all know she's crooked.  Better keep working on it, Donald.

It seems that everyone is picking on Hillary, especially those mean FBI agents who keep snooping around in her private e-mails.  She's already told them there was no material "marked" classified.  Why don't they believe her?  Surely she wouldn't lie about that.  The real reason she deleted all those e-mails is because Bill Clinton used that account to chat with young interns.

Hillary still faces unanswered questions about the Benghazi attack.  The conservatives just won't leave her alone.  "What difference, at this point, does it make?"  She's going to be president.  She can pardon herself, and we can all forget about those four dead Americans in Benghazi..

I know all politicians lie.  Some more than others, but Hillary even lies about lying.  When asked if she's ever lied, Hillary said she's always "tried" to tell the truth.  She lies so much that if she writes an autobiography, they'll have to put the book in the fiction section. 

Hillary has been through more gates than an angry bull at a West Texas rodeo.  There's Travel-gate and Huma-gate, Whitewater-gate, Pardon-gate, and don't forget File-gate, Benghazi-gate, E-mail-gate, and the list goes on.

The election is still more than six months away, and a lot can happen between now and then.  So don't start packing those pretty pantsuits yet, Hillary.  Instead of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., your new address may be Cell Block B.

Movie's Message Presents Challenge

I'm convinced that nothing happens by accident.  While God gives us free will, some things are simply out of our control.  They are part of a bigger plan set in motion by God before we were even born. 

As Psalm 139:16 says, "You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."

It's comforting to know God has a master plan for each of us, but it also raises a lot of questions.  Why do people get sick and suffer? Why do some get healed and others don’t? Why this person and not that person?

The movie Miracles From Heaven tackles these and other tough questions.  It is the true story of a Texas family whose daughter had a life-threatening disease. After months of pain and suffering -- and fruitless treatments  -- Anna fell 30 feet down the inside of a rotten, hollowed-out tree, and miraculously, she had no broken bones, no injuries (except a few scratches)…and furthermore, was completely healed.

It’s a story anyone can relate to as this family fights to find answers and, at the same time, wrestles with their faith, trying to make sense of their struggles.

The movie doesn’t try to answer the unanswerable, but it also doesn’t shrink from admitting the hard questions. Anna asks her mom why God hasn’t healed her yet.

That's the question that really struck a chord with me.  I've often wrestled with the question of why I haven't been healed.  I believe very strongly in divine healing.  I've seen it happen in the lives of others, and I have prayed for it many times.  I've wondered am I doing something wrong to block the healing or is this just part of God's plan for my life?

I've heard people say it's always God's will to heal.  I've tried to believe that.  I want to believe that.  Still, I have to wonder if God has a purpose for me just as I am.  I choose to believe the latter based on Romans 8:28: "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

In the movie, while Anna was sick, she had opportunity to share Jesus with her roommate in the hospital. Her little friend, Haley, died, but her father shared that, even though he lost her, he saw an amazing change in his daughter. She was peaceful and not afraid to die. Her father saw such a change that he gave his own life to Jesus as well.

I believe God sometimes uses our trials to bring others to a life-changing experience with Himself.  After my back surgery in 2014, I spent three months at a rehab center.  While there, I met some great people, and I had the chance to share my story with them. 

Thanks to my mom telling everyone that I had written a book about my life and faith in God, I sold several dozen copies of the book.  Some said reading the book helped them find their own faith.  One nurse in particular who bought the book for her mother said it impacted her mom's life and gave her a new outlook on life.   

That reminds me of something I heard from gospel singer/pianist Gordon Mote, who was blind from birth.  He said people are always asking him if he wanted God to heal him.  I wish I could remember his exact words, but he said something to this effect:  "Sure, I'd love to be able to see, but if God can use me as I am, I trust Him.  God does know best." 

My pastor echoed this sentiment when he said our plans aren't always God's plans, but God's plans are always best!!   He said, "We have a limited view.  We need to realize that our momentary judgment on the situation is colored by our own human limitations.  We cannot see what God can see.  He sees not only today, He sees tomorrow too.  He doesn't do things the way we think He will, but His plans are always best."

Miracles From Heaven is a must-see movie.  It will make you think and give you hope.  It's definitely worth your time!

Trumpery

We have a saying here in the Panhandle: "If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes, and it'll change."  Donald Trump supporters should have a similar saying: "If you don't like Trump's position on an issue, wait 15 minutes, and it'll change."

Trump shot his mouth off again last week when he was asked about abortion.  He said women who have an abortion should be punished criminally for their actions.  Less than three hours later, he was backpedalling, saying the doctors who perform the abortion, not the women, should be punished.

This is just the latest example of Trump's waffling on the issues.  Trump's supporters say they like him because he says what he thinks.  The problem is, he doesn't think before he speaks.  He blurts out the first thing that comes to mind and often has to backtrack.

I know all candidates flip-flop on the issues, like Obama who said he'd "evolved" on his support of gay marriage.  Then, there's Hillary, who changes her mind more times than I can count.  But Trump's flip-floppery outdoes them all. 

A quick Google search turned up just a few of his reversals:

He loved Hillary Clinton; now he thinks she's the worst. He was very much in favor of abortion rights before he opposed them. And he might be running as a Republican today, but he was once a registered Democrat who called for legalizing drugs, a huge tax on the wealthy and staying out of wars that didn't present a direct threat to the U.S. In many ways, he's been to the left of Clinton and even Bernie Sanders on some issues.

The truth is we really don't know what Trump stands for because he says what he thinks the voters want to hear at the time.  That's all the more reason to be skeptical of him.  He can change his stance on anything at any time, and that can leave the country in a mess of trouble.

Gotya, Cupcake

It's good to laugh.  We go through many heartaches in life, and laughter helps us through the hard times.  Laughter is good for the soul.  Proverbs actually says a merry heart is good medicine.

I'm thankful I live in a place where there's cheer and laughter.  If you follow me on Facebook, you've seen the back-and-forth pranks between me and Nicole, one of the therapists at Panpa Nursing Center.

It all started when I "caught" Nicole eating pizza, which she said was not on her diet.  I made an innocent comment on my Facebook page that I'd like to be on that special pizza diet.  I didn't even mention Nicole's name in my post, but she thought I was "ratting her out."  Then I aggravated her more when I posted a picture of the giant chicken fried steak I ordered at Logan's Roadhouse.  This time, I used her name and said, "Hey, Nicole, is this on your diet too?"

From then on, it was on with Nicole vowing to get me back!  Sure enough, when I got back from eating in Amarillo that day, Nicole and her accomplices had toilet-papered my entire room!  They must have used two or three rolls of toilet paper.  It was pretty funny!

Of course, I couldn't let her get away with that.  I wrote a satirical "crime" report in our monthly newsletter, asking for information on the culprits who trashed my room.

Things were quiet for a few days after that until I came back from a ride one afternoon and discovered my room had been targeted again.  This time, my room was covered with something worse than toilet paper.  The walls were covered with Vote for Hillary signs and pictures of Hillary everywhere.  Hillary was even in my bed.  That is so wrong!

I'll admit that was a good one, so I had to come up with something even better as payback.  I waited until last Friday, April Fool's Day, to strike again.  I watched and waited for Nicole to come back from lunch, then, I made my move.  I put a For Sale sign on her car.  I even put Nicole's cell phone number on the sign.  Then I waited.  It didn't take long until she started getting calls about the car.  She naturally blamed me and promised to get even before the day was over.

I was cautious, watching my back the rest of the day.  I thought she had given up when she left the office about 5.  I was feeling pretty good, thinking I'd gotten the last laugh.  Then, I went to supper.....  I had a special cupcake on my tray.  I noticed that none of the other residents had a cupcake, but I didn't think too much about it.  I started eating it.  About half way through, I noticed a strange taste but I kept eating.  After a few more bites, I saw it.   Mustard in the center of the cupcake!  Nicole had gotten sweet revenge (It wasn't so sweet for me eating the cupcake).

We weren't the only pranksters on April Fool's day around here.  Several staff members had their offices decorated with shredded graffiti and their cars adorned with Peeps candy.  The activities director had her car wrapped with Saran wrap and the doors taped shut.  Funny stuff.

I'm glad we can laugh and have a good time.  But remember, Nicole, he who laughs last, laughs best!