Free Topic

The snow is beautiful! But not when its so thin that you can see the grass poke through then the ground just looks like a balding head. I don't like that. There was a status on Facebook today that said "Why do people keep treating snow like acid? If you step in it it won't hurt you. You've been living in Minnesota for how long? And your still not used to it?" :). I like it! Yep, it's cold, but until you're eighteen you can't move out on your own so get used to it. Snow is not even that bad, yes its cold and makes makeup run and hair frizz, but what if you were one of those Californians who have never seen snow in their life? Then you'd love it. If I moved, I wold definately miss the snow. And driving through the snow swerving on the ice helps make you a better driver because you'll know how to drive in any condition. I love the Minnesota snow!

Courage

Courage comes from within. Sometimes you don't know you have a lot of it until you are put in the situation where you need it. I was watching The Ant Bully yesterday and at the end of the movie, of course, Lucas finds the courage within to stand up to the bully. I don't think anyone is necessarily lacking in courage, it may just not be utalized. Even the littlest things take some courage. How about answering a question? You have to get the courage to respond with how you really feel instead  of say, "going with the flow". Courage cannot be taught in school, it's a human instinct. Sometimes courage is discouraged in school. Say you have the courage to pop jokes in class! That may be disouraged by teachers. Oh and faith! Don't ever talk aout your faith in shool if you're a Christian! Yep, don't be courageous to do that!

Free Topic

I love to watch shows on illegal immigration control.:). Like Border Wars. It's a good show because the guards show that they are human when they listen to the immigrants' stories about wanting a better life or maybe wanting to see a family member who lives in America. I feel strongly against illegal immigration because it is not fair that our tax payers' money goes to supporting their lifestyles. And what if they make a social security code off the top of their head and it's someones who cannot afford to have this extra baggage on their account. The Cartel hire scouts to watch for weaknesses in the border so they can send more people and drugs across. Many people wishing to cross the boarder have to pay dues to the Cartel's workers, "Coyotes" to help them get across. The fees are up in the thousands. The Mexican president had some nerve to make a public speech that Arizona has no right to start pulling cars over just because the driver looks Mexicano. If they are going to come and be violent why can't we make a precautionary law?

Leadership

Leadership is very important in everything you do. A leader can make sense of a hectic situation. They give direction and motive to get the job done. But a leader can also be corrupt, for instance, Kim Jong-Il. He has led his people to believe that he is to be praised and loved like a leader should be even though he does not do things a loving leader who loved his people would do. No one from other countries are allowed to take a vacation to North Korea. You are allowed to go if you have a purpose, like the news team from America did; Catarax surgery. Many of the people in North Korea are going blind and have stunted growth because of under nourishment. How could a leader do that to their people? If a person escapes from North Korea and it is made known that they left, the family they left behind will be murdered, that is the punishment. ANd even after all of this horrible treatment, the people of North Korea are taught from their earliest years to praise and worship "The Great Leader". I think there have been greater leaders!

Giving

In my opinion, giving should be done privately and personally. It is so much more special to the receiver when it's done in the secret when maybe their poverty won't be exploited like some fund raising done by organizations who want their reputation to be boosted. When an organization makes the family to which they are donating known, that is rude and embarrassing to the family. Although, I will say that even though sometimes these efforts are in vain, it still gives the family something they didn't have before. A person who gives in secret is very special because then the family feels no pressure to put up a show for that person. Yes, holidays are a time for giving, and giving should be done... but it should be done right!:)

Free Topic

On Friday nights, my church hold a Kids' Church. The numbers range between in the 20s to all the way in the 60s. These are the kids who are, well, street kids. They come from dysfunctional families with multiple sets of siblings from different dads or different moms. We get the privilege of loving on these kids and giving them something fun to do on a Friday night. I have become quite close with most of these kids and usually know when a new kid is visiting. This past Friday a relatively new child had come to Kid's Church. His first offense was  probably talking to his friends excessively so that resulted in getting moved to a different pew in the sanctuary. This usually wouldn't be a big deal for a child. But this one just seemed set out to be a trouble maker! It wasn't long after the move that he took out his phone and started texting, (something not allowed during Kid's Church). A worker tried to confiscate the phone but he would not give it up. This resulted in yet another move and a talk from the leader herself. during the talk the child became belligerent and rude so the child was to be sent home. When the child refused to tell our workers what his address was so he could be sent home he became violent so the police were called to take the child home. Eventful night? I think yes!

Hope

Some would maybe say that hope is the reason or the will to live. If you have no hope, then you are not living. Or perhaps you have lost hope in a situation that is not between life and death, then maybe hope has a different meaning for you. But when you're talking about a life or death situation, if you hang on to even the tiniest bit of hope then you will survive in every sense of the word, but if you lose hope... then you have nothing to hold onto. No will for living. No reason to continue. Life throws many curve balls your way to get you to lose hope, to knock you to your knees. Hope must be kept if you are to survive and persevere. Today at church, we learned of a young single mother who just had to deal with the loss of losing her young child. Now, this is where hope comes into play, she can either let this break her, or keep hope and keep going on. Hopefully she keeps the hope. (I am hopeful she keeps hope;) ).