President Obama’s Speech to School Children

Did you see President Obama’s speech to school kids last week? 

Were you one of the voices in protest to this speech, calling for it to be kept out of the schools?  Did your school district ban, censor or limit the availability to see the speech in school?

I have a different point of view and it all boils down to …R..E..S..P…E…C…T

Where has the respect (we should have as a nation to the office of President of the United States) gone?

The speech itself was harmless, non political and focused on the importance of children to stay in school.  Doesn’t matter what your political party is, a concerned and conscious parent can not argue with the message of this speech.  And parents know that we can’t hear or reiterate the importance of that message enough to our children.

In my lifetime I’ve seen speeches from Regan, Carter, George H. W. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush, and first lady Nancy Regan.  Never in my history was there ever outrage or protest to a sitting president who addressed school children!

President George W. Bush was addressing school children at the very moment planes were hitting the World Trade Center in NYC!

The outrage and protests to this speech simply amazed me and makes me think one thing…President Obama does not get the respect that the office of the President historically holds because he is black.  I know just writing that or saying it out loud is controversial in and of itself…but how else can you explain it?

We aren’t in the midst of election.  President Obama is our president whether you voted for him or not.

What this tells me, a person of mixed culture and races, is that this country is still relatively racist and people who have been hurt by our government, long before Barak Obama became president, are using any opportunity to lash and blame and discredit our current sitting president.

So many emails floated around discrediting our president with false facts about his US citizenship, the proposed contents of the speech and the ideology behind it.  All of it to cause dissention and outrage.

I live Texas.  The majority of Texas is considered a “red” state.  Bush country.  And the outrage here was very loud. 

Those of us who are educated about politics and research issues and policies were just shocked that this speech on education was such an issue.

I wish people would pick their battles carefully and be educated about their debates.  I wish even more that news outlets would be wise and diligent enough to choose carefully the people they feature or quote.  Ignorance can be an epidemic and false claims and outrage makes for good news.

I want people to stand up for what they believe in and understand why they believe what they believe and why they’re so angry and hate-filled over their “cause”.

I consider myself conservatively liberal.  I did not agree with the Iraq war.  I have not voted for a republican in more years than I can count.  And I’ve always respected the office of the President and considered this nation ONE nation under God no matter what my political views were.

I work with republicans and democrats on healthcare issues and cancer advocacy issues and I’ve seen first-hand how we can all work together to make things BETTER.

Those I saw on the news stations were not educated, used words like socialism, facists and communism but couldn’t back up their claims.  What they ended up sounded like were bigots and racists.

I read a comment by Ms. S. Urrutia last week that I loved.

“The bottom line is this: If people are sure of their values and ability to instill them in their kids, then why are they so afraid of their kids hearing something they don’t agree with? Better be ready to follow them around for the rest of their lives and censor everything they hear/read/think!!! If that’s not fascism, I don’t know what is!!!”

This speech was the perfect opportunity to speak to your children about your morals and your beliefs.  It was a great opportunity to explain your views without attacking someone’s character or to show your children that you respect your President, even if you didn’t vote for him.

Former First Lady Laura Bush commended President Obama on his speech to school children. 

She also said she thought he was doing a good job amidst the difficult situation he found himself in when he entered office.

She doesn’t like the partisanship that is playing into almost everything these days.

We should take our cues from her.

It’s all about RESPECT.

Losing your parents, finding yourself…

It’s a new book I’ve just begun reading- “Losing your parents, finding yourself” . I have no idea if it will be worth the read since I just started it, but I’ll def. let you know.

A friend of mine named Jill commented once that unless you’ve lost your parents you can’t fully understand what it is we go thru emotionally. Based on the original study by Secunda, it is only when our parents die that we truly come into our own as “real” adults.

It’s been 6 years to the day that I lost my dad. He wasn’t even close to being perfect, he had many flaws but he was mine and I was his…always his little girl. He made me feel safe and loved and important- if only to him. The last year of his life we grew even closer and I learned more about him during those 11 months and 21 days than I had in 29 years.

It’s been 2 1/2 years since I lost my mom. She was a mother to many children but when I was with her I felt like an only child. I was the youngest- I think, perhaps by the time she got down to parenting me she had learned many things, become a better parent and a better person. She respected me as an adult, she protected me and guided me and we had a very special relationship. We lived a mile apart. She was my best friend. I saw her everyday. She was involved in every part of my life.

So you can just imagine my shock and loss at a life without them ever in it again.

My heart actually hurts for people who don’t have that relationship with their parents or who argue, fight and disrespect them. They don’t know what they’ve missed out on or what they’re wasting away…

For me, it’s not about absolute grief anymore…time does heal and life gets good again and life keeps us busy…you go from grieving daily that first year or two to grieving just at anniversaries and special occasions. It comes and goes…

What I think all “this” is about is the astounding and unexpected changes that occur in people when their parents die. You discover your own strengths and become much more self-reliant, your relationship with others change as you are finding your way in this “new” world. You learn to be brave and take chances and what it really means to be at the Top of your generational ladder…

The death of your parents is a defining point in your life, much like childbirth, whereafter nothing is ever the same again. I will never be the same.

My father died 6 yrs. ago today. I feel loss and sadness when I think about it- all aspects of it.

Yet, today was also a good day.

I miss my mom a hundred times a day- In the past, something as simple as shopping I never did alone. It was something she and I always did together. I’ve been learning to do it alone. And after two years, most times it’s enjoyable again…and I do things I used to do with only her, with my spouse, my kids and new friends.

Most days are really good days.

I am hoping that out of my loss can come some unforseen gains– that on the other side of sorrow, I can discover new hope, wisdom and strength.

I am different. I am stronger.

But that doesn’t mean that there won’t be times that I grieve or feel weak.

Such as the first day of school, or during today’s baptism -that neither of my parents could be a part of…when I’m hurt or lonely, injured or sick…when there is wonderous news to share, when life or a situation sucks eggs and I need the unconditional love of a parent…those are the times that I will grieve and fully feel my loss.

Thank you for letting me grieve the past couple of days.