So first thing’s first, it’s been a LONG TIME (almost 2 years!) since Richard or I have posted to our blog. We let a lot of things go to the wayside in the last few years and this certainly was one of those things. What can I really say about it? Well there was a lot of changes going on in our lives, both good and bad. My mom’s death kept me reeling for quite some time and I can’t say that I miss her any less today than I did the day after she died, you just learn to cope differently. Richard got promoted and then changed positions twice in the last few years. He officially starts his newest position in about two weeks. We removed ourselves from an organization that we felt was unhealthy for us to be involved in and I don’t regret that decision. It was a hard one for us though because we had been with the organization for quite a while and believed in it’s purpose even if we didn’t agree with the direction it was going. Sometimes it can be pretty hard to face the way things are compared to they way things once were or the way you wish them to be.

On a positive front, Richard’s change in positions gave us the time this last year to get a few things done around the house that needed to be done but were constantly putting off because we didn’t have the time. We also had the time to do a couple home improvement projects that we had been wanting to do for some time. It is good that Richard switched positions when he did because we found ourselves taking care of my dad alot this last year. He had to have 4 surgeries/5 procedures this past year and needed a lot of help at times. He even had to go into a nursing home for a short period of time but he’s back at home, done with rehab and getting around as well as can be expected and I thank God for that.

It’s the beginning of a new year and we find ourselves yet again at a crossroads. We’re making positive changes in our lives for our future and we are excited about those. We’re working on changing our lifestyles and our environment to be one where there is less stress, more peace and a healthier, happier Richard and Mindi. We find ourselves evaluating the things in our lives and the importance of them. Things that used to be very important to us are not so much anymore. And things that got pushed to the side previously are now front and center. Again we are in a position to possibly cut some strings to things that are weighing us down but were once very emotionally attached to…and although making those decisions can be painful, living in those situations are even more painful.

We’ve determined to change our lives this year for the better and to do that is not always easy, but I have no doubt it will be rewarding. I’ll leave you with a quote Richard likes that he applies to his job, but I think it’s a good one for life in general: Change is inevitable. How you deal with change is controllable.

Current Mood: Reflective

Well, it seems Planned Parenthood has sunk to a new low.

http://www.lifenews.com/nat1597.html

Excerpt:

Under a headline “Help Those Affected by the Hurricane,” Planned Parenthood admits that “100% of your tax-deductible contribution will go directly to helping Planned Parenthood affiliates.”

“Your support is particularly important right now because Planned Parenthood is facing a truly tremendous number of challenges in the courtrooms, in Washington, D.C., and in our clinics,” the abortion business says on the hurricane donation page.

Ever have one of those times in your life where you feel totally out of sorts? Well Richard and I are in one of those times. We are people who tend to over-extend ourselves, we have a lot of ideas and *generally* work well together. However, we have recognized that we do tend to be super busy and are striving to bring some things back into balance. All work and no play and all that. Plus, we want the things we do participate in to have meaning and be fruitful to the causes in which we believe.

Now here is the hard part, what do we get rid of and how do we extricate ourselves from things that we were once committed to, but seem to be no longer functioning well or giving any benefit? And by benefit, I don’t mean benefit to us, but benefit to the purpose of the activity. Here is where the problem that we face lies. As a Christian it is very hard sometimes to draw the line when enough is enough. Admittedly, Richard is easier at this than I am. I have a very strong sense of commitment and it’s very hard for me to extricate myself from anything I feel I made a commitment to, no matter how invalid or dysfunctional that thing now has become. But I would say overall we are not people who take commitment lightly and try to hang in there through good times and bad.

Our frustration with some of the activities in which we are involved is astronomical at this point. Between seeing little or no results, both to the issues that plague the activities and the activities’ purpose, and dealing with incompetent people, we feel our talents are best served in other arenas. At the same time, we worry that if we leave those activities that there will be no one to pick up the slack. And if that is the reason we have stayed, is that a valid reason to continue beating our heads against a brick wall? At what point is it best to start pursuing other activities to achieve the same goals and leave behind the activities that just aren’t working? At what point to do we have to remove ourselves from the personal aspects of those activities and take a hard look at the practical achievements of those activities? These are our dilemmas.

Well as many of you know, the Supreme Court recently said that city government can take your land from one private owner and give it to another to get greater tax revenue or other economic benefits. With this is mind, Logan Darrow Clements, CEO of Freestar Media, LLC, faxed a request yesterday to the Code Enforcement Officer in Weare, New Hampshire seeking to start the application process to build a hotel at 34 Cilley Hill Road, the location of Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter’s home.

A quote from the press release about the hotel states:

The proposed development, called “The Lost Liberty Hotel” will feature the “Just Desserts Café” and include a museum, open to the public, featuring a permanent exhibit on the loss of freedom in America. Instead of a Gideon’s Bible each guest will receive a free copy of Ayn Rand’s novel “Atlas Shrugged.”

To read the full press release go here.

Broken. That’s the word that perfectly describes how I feel. I feel like I am broken inside, my life is broken, my heart is broken…I’M BROKEN. Nothing is the same without my mom and nothing and no one can ever ‘fix’ that. How do I move on from losing my mom who means so much to me and was so much a part of my everyday life? I may not have seen her every day but I talked to her every day on the phone at least once, normally several times before the day was over. She instilled in me my love of crafts, of playing games, of being generous, of not being afraid to be different, of being selfless, of not being afraid to try new things, etc…..she made me the person I am today. How does one get over losing that person in your life? This weekend I spend my first birthday, my 30th birthday, without my mother and no matter how hard I try, it is anything but happy.

Many of you may be wondering where we have been and why we haven’t been posting. To be totally honest, I haven’t felt like writing. You see my mom passed away suddenly on April 21st and I don’t know if I will ever fully recover from it. My mother was more than just my mom-she was my best friend, my hero and, most importantly, my heart. I’m use to talking to her every day, if not several times a day, about anything and everything. My mom was a wonderful woman with a heart bigger than anyone I have ever known and I hope I can be even half the woman she was. The biggest compliment that anyone can ever give me is to say that I am like my mother.

Mom, I love you and I miss you terribly. Words could never express the depths of my sorrow right now, nor could they ever describe the greatness of my love for you. You will live on in my heart forever……

We’ll we haven’t had a chance to write or respond to anything lately. My mom has cracked two vertebrae in her back. At first it was just one, but then a couple weeks after that another one cracked. Today they had to take her to her dialysis appointment in an ambulance because she’s in too much pain to get in and out of the car. The whole thing just breaks my heart as mom and dad have had so many blessings lately and they deserve to be able to enjoy them!

We’ve also had a ton of other things happening in our lives-Richard’s job is hectic, Shrapnel is hectic, Right to Life stuff is hectic-everything is hectic right now! As I often tell Richard, I want to go run away to a deserted island for a week. Where there are no TVs, computers or phones!

Well with everything going on in our lives, I am just now getting around to finishing up our taxes so they can get postmarked by Friday. I hate waiting until the last minute, but for some reason this year it seemed inevitable. And how depressing is it that we always end up having to pay at least one entity, whether it be federal, state or local. Correction, we ALWAYS have to pay local. Local taxes around here are something akin to being raped.

First off, Richard works in another city and we pay their city tax of 2%; however, Lancaster’s tax rate is 1.6%. Now you would THINK we would/should get credit for 2% we are paying to the other city and even if we didn’t get a refund for the .4% difference we would at least not have to pay Lancaster out of our pocket after withholding each year. Not so, says Lancaster, who only allows you to get a credit for 1% of the tax rate you pay to another city.

Now you would think it would be bad enough that we end up having to pay 2.6% local income tax when really we should only have to pay 1.6%, BUT unlike most income tax, Lancaster’s local tax allows you NO exemptions. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. So that .6% extra that we pay is on our gross pay, period. Which makes that .6% more like 1-2%

Oh how I hate the tax system, please, PLEASE can’t we just go to a flat sales tax!!!

So much has gone on in the last week that I am not even going to attempt to catch up. Terri’s death, the Pope’s death and some of my family members being in town has caused me not to be able to post this past week and frankly I am still trying to keep up with it all. However I will pass along the following information about a Zogby poll which I believe shows just how far the public was misled about Terri’s situation. If you listen to the media, the majority of the public supported Michael Schiavo’s efforts to starve his wife. But this recent poll showed that when the question was asked “Michael Schiavo should turn guardianship of Terri over to her parents, considering he has had a girlfriend for 10 years and has two children with her?”, that 56% of the respondents agreed with that statement, while only 35% disagreed (9% didn’t know). I think the media did a lot to mislead the public, casting this man as a devoted loving husband trying to fulfill his wife’s wishes, but when the public is told the truth about the situation the majority of Americans did NOT support Michael Schiavo.

Michael Schiavo is planning to go through with plans to cremate Terri’s body (against her parents wishes and her religious beliefs) and to have the ashes buried secretly in Pennsylvania. He also plans to keep the location of the burial secret from Terri’s family so they won’t even be able to go there to pay their respects. Michael is trying to justify this action by saying that the Schindlers would show up and cause a spectacle, but yet again Michael is putting his wishes over those of Terri whom he claims to act in the best interest of.

“We’ve already said goodbye,” Bobby Schindler said when asked about not knowing where his sister would be buried.

Concerning Michael’s latest decision snubbing his family, Bobby said, “He’s been doing this kind of stuff for 15 years. What would make him stop now?”

On top of everything else, Michael’s attorney recently blasted the Schindlers for basically not being nicer to Michael during this whole 15 year struggle for Terri’s life. And now Michael’s family have come out blasting the Schindlers on Larry King Live last night and saying that the Schindlers need to apologize to Michael because he’s been vilified.

As a backdrop to this situation is the Pope’s health issues which have included the need to have a feeding tube put in (I guess we should starve him instead /sarcasm) and now he’s basically had a heart attack on the very day Terri passed away. Richard and I don’t really believe in stuff like this being a coincidence and we hope that maybe some people will recognize the parallels between the two situations. Perhaps God is trying to send a message, if we can only see it.

Our fear at the moment though is that if the Pope dies, will a more liberal priest become his replacement? Even though we are not catholic, we recognize that the Catholic church has been the leading church in the fight for the Right to Life. If somehow they abandon that plank or put it on the back burner, our fight will be much harder and more and more Terri Schindler Schiavo will be an regular occurrence instead of a one time national disgrace.

As always, check out Life News for more in depth coverage of these events.

I don’t think there’s really much to say today. Terri Schiavo, a woman without an advanced directive, was murdered by her estranged husband and the courts today. Her evil (sorry I call it like I see it) husband even disallowed her parents from being in the room this morning when she passed away-kicking them out 10 minutes before Terri took her last breath. The Schindlers pleaded with the Michael Schiavo, through the police, to be allowed to remain in the room as Terri was about to pass. But Michael told the police to threaten them with arrest if they didn’t leave and even had them escorted clear off the hospice property, not just out of Terri’s room. Less than 10 minutes later, it was reported that Terri had passed away. I’m sure not having her family with her when she died was really what was in the best interest of Terri. *sighs*

Terri hasn’t had food or water now for over 11 days and all I can say is that she has to have an amazing spirit to have lasted as long as she has. That alone should say something about this woman. If she dies (and it’s looking like no one is willing to come to this defenseless woman’s rescue) it seems Michael has heard enough outcry from the family and the public to agree to an autopsy. Originally it was feared that any abuse (broken bones, etc) might be covered up by cremation by Michael, but as of now (and lets face it, that could change) he has agreed to have an autopsy. He also finally gave into the communion request on Sunday. So either he realized that the Schindlers could have pushed the religious rights issue or he’s caving into public pressure. In either case, he finally agreed to give her the same rights someone on death row would have had. I suppose he expects the family and the public to be grateful now and forget about all of the years of abuse. Yeah it’s so easy to be magnanimous now, isn’t it Michael? Now that Terri almost for certain is going to die.

Tomorrow is Easter and time is running out for Terri. Terri has been starved now for over 8 days. You have to notice the irony of the timing and wonder if God is trying to send his people a message….this is what happens when we sit idly by and do nothing.

A favorite quote of mine:

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Edmund Burke

A judge in Florida has rejected a petition by Govenor Bush to transfer custody of Terri Schiavo from Michael Schiavo to the state. *sighs*

The Supreme Court rejected the appeal by Terri’s parents. Some people are saying Gov. Jeb Bush may still be able to step in but that possibility is likely. Without a miracle, Michael Schiavo will succeed in murdering his wife. Something that many people feel he was trying to do to begin with that landed her in this situation anyway.

Terri has now been starved for almost 7 days…and somewhere I feel God is weeping…

A sentence to death and other headlines:

A federal judge on Tuesday refused to stop Terri Schiavo’s painful starvation death and allow doctors to reinsert the feeding tube that provides her with food and water. The judge said attorneys for Terri Schiavo’s parents had not demonstrated enough of a likelihood that they would succeed in winning their case.

Terri Schaivo’s parents have appealed a Tuesday morning ruling by a federal judge refusing to stop Terri’s painful starvation death. Attorneys for Bob and Mary Schindler have asked the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to issue an immediate injunction allowing Terri’s feeding tube to be reinserted before she dies.

A former nurse for Terri Schiavo who treated the disabled woman in the mid 1990s says Terri would interact with her family and staff and would even say some words in an attempt to communicate.

Carla Sauer Iyer is a registered nurse who provided Terri with care at a convalescence home from April 1995 to August 1996 and told Fox News in an interview that Terri was alert and aware. “Her cognitive abilities including laughing, talking, letting you know she was in pain,” Iyer told FOX News. She said Terri could say words like “mommy,” “help me,” “hi” and “pain.”

To read the full stories go to Life News

Terri has been starved now for 4 days…..

WASHINGTON, March 19 /Christian Wire Service/ — Two-time Emmy winner and New York Times best-selling author Patricia Heaton pled for the life of Terri Schiavo today as Terri’s life-sustaining feeding tube was removed. Heaton serves as Honorary Chair of Feminists for Life of America.

“We must not let Terri Schiavo be starved to death,” said Heaton. “This deliberate and painful destruction of a woman’s life cannot be justified or tolerated. Terri deserves better.”

Fifteen years ago Terri’s husband Michael testified in the medical malpractice suit he filed: “I believe in the vows I took with my wife: through sickness and health, for richer or poor. I married my wife because I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I’m going to do that.”

But after being awarded $800,000 for Terri’s rehabilitation and lifetime care and $640,000 for his loss, Michael had a do-not-resuscitate order placed on his wife’s chart and repeatedly denied her treatment for infections. He now lives with a woman by whom he has fathered children.

The star of Everybody Loves Raymond says she is outraged. “By his actions Michael Schiavo has demonstrated that he should not be the one making the ultimate life or death decisions for a woman who, only in legal terms, remains his wife. His belief that this was Terri’s wish counters the views of Terri’s family who, no doubt, know Terri well. Removal of a feeding tube will result in a slow starvation that is cruel and painful.”

“Feminists have always challenged the idea that married women have no rights of their own,” said Heaton. “A husband should not be granted absolute control over his wife’s fate, especially a disaffected husband with dubious motives.”

“Terri has parents whose unselfish desire is to simply love her, care for her and let her live. She is not in a comatose state and she is not suffering from terminal disease. Terri may no longer be perfect or complete but she has a fundamental right to life. Her feeding tube must be re-inserted.”

The starvation of Terri Schiavo will take at least seven to ten days.

Feminists for Life opposes the killing of a disabled woman under a so-called “right” to die. We believe there is no justification for the deliberate destruction of human life. FFL opposes all forms of violence, including euthanasia, as they are inconsistent with the core feminist principles of justice, nonviolence, and nondiscrimination.

Feminists for Life of America (www.feministsforlife.org) is a nonsectarian, nonpartisan, grassroots, 501(c)3 organization that seeks real solutions to the challenges women face.

Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube has been removed.

LifeNews Article

Peggy Noonan: If Terri Schiavo is killed, Republicans will pay a political price.

Bills designed to protect Terri Schiavo head to the full Florida House and Senate after clearing their final committee hurdles in both chambers. If passed, the could prevent Terri’s estranged husband from starting a painful week-long starvation process that would ultimately kill her.

Committees in both chambers endorsed competing legislation on Tuesday.

“It is a statement of public policy that, in this culture, we don’t starve people to death,” said Rep. Dennis Baxley.

To read more about it to to LifeNews.

Well Richard gets rid of the pager tomorrow and it couldn’t have come one day later or else we both may have wanted to scream. It’s been a really bad week and a busy week. Richard has been awaken by the pager in the middle of the night for about 5 of the last 6 nights and right now Richard is working over to help resolve an issue. So I hope the moment he gets home and gets to sleep he doesn’t get paged. Shrapnel is busy, Richard job is busy, Right to Life stuff is busy…..basically EVERYTHING is busy right now and we NEED a break. Hopefully this weekend we can relax a little, but I tell ya I don’t have much confidence in that!