Truth or Scare

I know coronavirus is real.  I know coronavirus is deadly.  I also know coronavirus is politically motivated and has been blown way of proportion.

As of July 10, the CDC has reported 3,106,931 coronavirus cases in the U.S.  That means only 0.94% (less than 1 percent) of Americans have even contracted the virus.  That's if you believe the numbers.

I have issues with how the cases are counted.  In some places, the numbers get inflated when a person is tested more than once.  For instance, when a person is hospitalized with the virus, that patient may be tested three or four times during his hospital stay.  Each time the test comes back positive, it is sometimes counted as a new case.  Death counts are also being fudged with people who test positive counting as COVID deaths even if they died in an accident.

Coronavirus is bad, but is it bad enough to shut down businesses, close schools and cancel many events?  That didn't happen during the H1N1 and SARS outbreaks.  So why now?

It's part of the plan to create fear in a majority of the U.S. population.  But citizens aren't afraid of the people in power who are responsible for the removal of their freedoms.  Instead, they're fearful of their friends and family.  The government has shown how easily people assimilate to "guidelines" (that have NO scientific premise whatsoever) when they are fearful.

No one wants to get sick, but most people are smart enough to take the necessary precautions. 

We don't need the government to tell us what events are acceptable or unacceptable to attend. Riots are OK, family funerals are not. Standing in a graduation line is a "safety hazard", but feel free to line up at Walmart, Lowes and Home Depot.

The government successfully dictated the closing of family-owned businesses while granting authority to large corporations that they have invested interests in.  Sen. Rand Paul said the closing of businesses did little to stop the spread of the virus but crippled the economy.  

When the economy started to bounce back too quickly, states began another round of closings in an attempt to sabotage the economic recovery and hurt President Trump's re-election chances.  It's all about politics, stupid!

Then, there's the mandates to wear masks even though the New England Journal of Medicine confirms that masks do little to nothing to prevent the spread of the virus in normal interactions. It requires a prolonged interaction to exchange the virus.  

I can't believe so many people do not question authority because they see that authority as "all knowing." It's even more terrifying that these same people rely on corrupt "leaders" to be led.

I don't want anyone to get sick or die from the virus, but there's more at stake here than our health.  Our freedoms are under attack.  I hope people remember that when they go to the polls in November.   

Good vs. Evil

If you only listen to CNN, you think Donald Trump is evil.  If you only listen to Fox, you think he's a saint.  I figure he's probably somewhere in between... Just like most politicians.

A lot of my liberal friends hate Trump.  They think everything he does is bad.  I understand how they feel.  I felt the same way about Barack Obama when he was president.  Obama wasn't all bad.  I'm sure he did some good things.  I can't think of any right now, but there must be something in the eight years he was in the White House.  There must be.

There are some people who are completely bad people.  Hitler.  Osama bin Laden.  Hillary Clinton.  These are evil people.  They're wicked to the core.  But most people have some good qualities.  That includes Donald Trump. 

I don't like everything Trump does.  Sometimes, he says and does some really dumb things.  His tweets often cross the line of decency.  Sometimes, I think "I can't believe he's the president."  But other times I'm glad he is our president.

I support Trump because he's a patriot.  He loves this country and wants to make it better.  He puts America's interests first.  He wants to protect the country by building the border wall and deporting illegals.  I support him because he supports Israel.  I support him because he's working to protect our religious freedoms.  He's working to protect our Constitution.  He's working to bring our troops back home.  He keeps his campaign promises. 

To all my Democrat friends (if I have any left), I would ask that you give the man a chance.  Good or bad, he's going to be president for five-and-a-half more years.  We survived Obama's two terms, and you'll survive Trump's two.

Another Year

I turned 51 on Saturday.  I'm thankful that I made it another year.  I view each day as a gift from God.

My life isn't perfect.  It's not about being perfect but about being the best I can be every day.  Each day is a new opportunity to become a better person and to grow. It's a chance to make a difference in someone else's life.

I like to say life is like a journey.  It's a long and winding road to reach our destination. There's many things to see along the way, but there's also some bumps in the road.  There may even be a few detours along the way.

I read some good advice from motivational speaker and syndicated columnist Rick Kraft that I wanted to share:

"Wake up each morning and tell yourself you are going to be the best version of you today. You have only a few hours to accomplish this before putting your head back on your pillow and forever closing out your day. Don’t strive to be perfect, but make good individual choices to be better than you were yesterday." 

Kraft also said, "Each day strive to improve and grow. Improve your relationships and learn something new. Use your gift set to help others to leave behind something when you are gone."

That's good advice.  I don't know what the next year will hold, but I want to make the most of each day. I want to be a better friend, a better Christian and a better person this year than I was last year.  The goal is to finish strong, and that's something I think we should all strive for.

Rememberng A Friend

One of the hardest things in life is losing a friend or loved one.  It is part of the cycle of life, but that doesn't make it any easier.  I lost a good friend recently.  While it makes me sad to think she is gone, I remember the good times we had together.

I met Claire through the independent living center when I lived in Amarillo.  We were both a part of a Saturday night activity group for people with disabilities.

Claire had cerebral palsy, so we had a lot in common right from the start.  Although she had physical challenges, she never let them hinder her.  She always had a smile on her face and an infectious laugh.

I like to tell people I picked her up on the side of I-40.   Actually, our Saturday night group was eating at a popular restaurant on I-40.  I had just gotten my pickup.   As we were leaving the restaurant, Claire noticed the shiny new truck and fell in love with it. “Take me for a ride!” she exclaimed.  I drove her home. After that, Claire wanted me to pick her up and take her home whenever our group went out, and, of course, I was glad to do it.

Claire's parents, Pat and Yvonne, were understandably nervous about her riding with me at first. After they were around me more, their fears were put to rest and they let her go with me. They took me in and treated me like one of the family, inviting me into their home for meals and buying me gifts on my birthday and Christmas.

Over time, we became good friends, learning to help and support each other.  We were quite a match.  I am 6-foot-1, and she was about 5-foot-5.  We had a lot in common, though, so we could help each other.  Claire could speak more clearly than I could, so she often ordered for both of us when we went to eat.  I had the truck, so I could drive us places.  I always liked to be on-the-go, and Claire did, too.  I'd pick her up, and we'd take off, going to movies, concerts in the park or just ride around town.  

We kept each other company.  At a time when I didn't have many close friends, I cherished Claire's company.  Claire liked to stay busy and did volunteer work at the library and at the Girl Scout office.  She was athletic, too, participating in Special Olympics bowling leagues and bocce ball tournaments.  She loved taking care of her dogs.

One thing I loved about Claire is she liked to tease and be teased.  She could give it out as well as she could take it.  We kind of lost contact with each other the last few years when I moved back to Pampa, and Claire and her mom later relocated to the Houston area to be near family. 

Claire was such a blessing in my life.  She was a true friend.  I will miss her greatly, but I know she is now fully healed and dancing in heaven.

Debate

Send in the clowns!  The Democratic candidates for president faced off last week for the first round of debates.  YAWN!!  I admit I didn't watch much of it.  I had better things to do with my time... like playing Candy Crush.  I saw enough of the recaps, though, to know it was a real circus.  In case you missed it too, here's a few highlights (or lowlights).

Bernie Sanders looked like he was up past his bedtime.  Elizabeth Warren sounded like she had been smoking something, and it wasn't a peace pipe.  Joe Biden was on his best behavior.  He didn't grope anyone on stage.  Pete Buttigieg was disappointed that Biden didn't grope him.  Bozo O'Rourke was the biggest clown of all.

I could mention the other candidates, but why bother?  They're not going to be around long. 

It will all come down to about six players.  I divide them into two categories: the Old and Senile (Biden, Sanders and Warren) versus the Young and Dumb (O'Rourke, Castro and Buttigieg).  There might be one or two other wild cards like Harris or Gillibrand, but their chances are very slim.

Their messages are all the same.  Open borders.  Universal health care.  Free college.  Sanctuary cities.  Pro-abortion.  (Democrats used to label themselves "pro-choice." Now, they're "pro-abortion" because they have gone all in for abortion.)

I'm going out on a limb and predicting Pete Buttigieg will be the Democratic nominee.  He's young. He's one of the most extreme leftists, one of the most immoral, and he's gay.  When conservatives start attacking him, we'll be called homophobes and haters.

Buttigieg is perfect for the godless Democratic party.  Remember, this is the party that voted to take God out of their party platform in 2012. 

I sure hope I'm wrong, and Buttigieg isn't the nominee.  Biden is still the clear frontrunner, but the race has just begun and it's a long way to the finish line.  Buckle up.  It's going to be a wild ride!

Live for Today

People spend a lot of time planning for the future.  We plan a party.  We plan a vacation.  We plan for retirement.  It's good to plan for tomorrow, but what if tomorrow never comes?

In the last week, I've read at least three newspaper reports where people in this area have died in car crashes.  Without all the details, it's hard to know what caused the crashes, but in one wreck, it appears to be an unavoidable accident.  The driver was on the highway late at night and hit a black bull that was standing in the road.  The driver survived, but a passenger was taken to the hospital and died from injuries in the crash.

You'd never expect to see a bull on the highway in the middle of the night.  You can't plan for something like that.

In another crash, a driver crossed the center lane on a busy Amarillo street and collided head-on with another car.  One driver was 65 years old.  The other was 24.  Both died at the scene.  In the third wreck, a 19-year-old died in a one-car rollover near Stratford.

I'm sure none of those people got into their cars thinking that would be their last trip.  While I know God protects His people, sometimes the unexpected happens.  No one knows what tomorrow will bring.

James 4:13-15 says, "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.' Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”

 

Each day is a gift from God. None of us know when we will take our last breath. All we have is the present moment.  

 

My challenge to you is this: Plan for tomorrow but live for today.  Make sure your heart is right with God and that your family and friends know how much you love them.  Make the most of every moment and live each day to the full.

Five Years And Progress

There's an old saying, "Time flies when you're having fun."  It hasn't been all fun, but the time has passed quickly.  It was five years ago this week when I came to live at Pampa Nursing Center.  My life has changed a lot since then -- mostly for the better.

It was 2014, and I had just had surgery for spinal stenosis and had spent three months at a rehab center in Amarillo.  I had stayed at Pampa Nursing Center briefly before the surgery and decided to come back to be closer to my family.  It was tough leaving my own apartment and really tough giving up some of my freedom, but it has worked out.

After the surgery, I couldn't do much.  I had to learn new ways to do things.  I couldn't raise my right arm to lift a glass of water or feed myself.   I couldn't use the keyboard to type.  That was really hard because I depended on the computer so much.  With months of therapy and God's grace, I have slowly regained much of the use of my arm.

Today, I'm thankful to live in a good place where people care about me and help me.

I've met some neat people here and also have been reunited with people from the past.  My eighth-grade history teacher, Mr. Porter, is here recovering from a stroke and learning to walk again.  I learned about the Constitution in Mr. Porter's class, and he had us memorize parts of the Bill of Rights and the Gettysburg Address.  I guess you could thank him (or blame him) for some of my political beliefs! 

The nurses and caregivers here are really good to me and make my life much easier and fulfilling.  When some of the staff found out I use the computer, they started asking me to make fliers for their activities.  I also design and produce the center's monthly newsletter, which I enjoy doing very much. 

I really have the best of both worlds.  I have all the help I need, plus I have the freedom to still get out on my own to take a ride if I want.  I'm so blessed!  It may not be the ideal situation, but I'm thankful I have this place.  It's been a wild ride so far, and I'm anxious to see what the next five years will bring.