Switching gears...

     When I started you are mine, my goal was to provide information and reflection about American history, current events, faith and simple living. It was going to be a helpful, hopeful one-stop-shop for people who see the need for God in their lives... and who fear for our republic.
     In that time, I have tried to ring the bell about the trouble America is in. And perhaps you have shared the information with your friends. But I am about to switch gears a little bit for the remainder of the year. I urge you to go to The Blaze and Romantic Poet, as well as other sites in my sidebar for the latest news and information.
     And when you read the news, please remember to watch for what the other hand is up to. And always follow the money. Look for the connections, because they are there.
     Consider some recent stories...
     The Wikileaks story? George Soros's Open Society, Code Pink, Bill Ayers, and Movement for a Democratic Society are all involved. See the motives and connections, here.
     The TSA story? It has been the goal of this administration since the beginning to unionize the TSA. All the trouble started right on the heels of the president giving them the nod to unionize. The 24/7 media attention. The not-so-suitable-for-humans scanners. The naked images. The invasive pat downs for those passengers opting out. More media hype about TSA bad behavior. The public outrage. No wonder morale is sketchy.
     The unions to the rescue. Why does the TSA need the unions? Why do any federal bureaucrats, for that matter? Why can't the TSA just improve the working conditions themselves? Because this administration wants them unionized. Remember top down, bottom up, inside out. Anarchy. Chaos. Then government control.
     How about the Food Safety Bill that was pushed through the Senate in a hurried lame duck vote. Control of the food supply. Monsanto stands to profit, and who do you suppose is a huge Monsanto investor... George Soros.
     And despite their Obamacare waiver, SEIU has dropped children from their insurance plans, and put them on the path to a single payer healthcare system. They say the system is overloaded. Remember Cloward & Piven?
     And what a coincidence that UAW is the biggest winner in the GM stock sales. Union payoff. Workers of the world unite. These things are all connected. And once you know what to look for, you can see it all, plain as day.
     Stay awake, and do what you can to protect your remaining freedoms.
     As for me, I will be posting more faith meditations throughout Advent. For where my treasure is, there my heart also will be. More simple living too. It is time to look ahead toward self sufficiency, with an ever-deeper reliance on God's providence. So look for more posts about preparing my heart for Christmas. And preparing my home for the year ahead.
     May God bless you abundantly. And may the peace of Christ be always in your heart and in your home.

Knock and the door will be opened...

     "Knock and the door will be opened" typically refers to Jesus's simple offering. However, lately, it seems to be the motto around our house, as we have had various house guests staying with us these past couple of weeks.
     So with all of the activity, I haven't had much time to post. I miss it.
     Still, there's lots to click around on and read anyway. See my sidebar.
     I am also going to be away off and on until school starts... I'll still try to post, but if you think it's light, you'll know why.
     May God bless you, and may the peace of Christ be always in your heart and in your home.

Funny Guy Friday... And now, a word from my funny hubby...

  Now that my wife has completely bummed everyone out with her scene from the movie Up... I thought I would lighten the mood as her first-ever guest blogger.  By the way, I have never seen Up, but after I watched the clip of that poor man’s wife passing away, Cheryl tells me that the rest of the movie, unlike that uplifting scene, is “kind of sad.”  Wow... can’t wait to see the whole movie!

  This whole blogging thing is new to our family, and quite frankly, I don’t like it.  You see... I used to have a wife that, at the end of the day, would love to kiss me good night, snuggle in bed, and then in the morning, she would open her eyes and be the happiest woman in the world because the first thing she would see would be the love of her life lying next to her (that would be me).  

     Alright, not the exact scene in our home.  In fact, it is not really all that close.  Typically, at night, I would go to bed and turn on a game while she cleaned the kitchen or fell asleep in our son’s bed.  When she finally came to our bed, she would either tell me to turn the TV down (even if it was inaudible to a dog) or, no matter what the situation was in the very important game that I was watching, she would ask, “Do you want to watch Glenn Beck?  I taped it today.”  Really?? You taped it today??  Judging from the fact that our DVR is 100% full with Glenn’s rants, my guess is that you tape it EVERY day.  

     And, before blogging, when she woke up in the morning, it was usually because I would wake her up and ask her to iron my shirt.  Typically, she would roll over and go back to sleep until one of the kids came in and woke her up.  Usually... eventually... sometimes... she would get to my shirt.  It was not the most romantic routine in the world, but it was our routine.  Blogging has changed all of that.

  At night, my beautiful wife is on the computer reading up on the news of the day, or reading the daily readings from the USCCB website, or watching that crazy Vortex guy... I am not sure why I don’t care so much for him and his silly pencil spinning routine, but I don’t.  She researches Founding Fathers... She researches famous quotes... She researches scriptures... She researches Founding Fathers quotes about famous scriptures.  The whole thing has gotten out of hand.  

     In the morning, she wakes up, and when she finds the laptop -- do other families misplace their laptops, or is that just us? -- she logs on, and no matter how late everyone is, or how wrinkly my shirts are, she changes the date on her blog, and looks for an appropriate quote for the day.  None of this helps get anyone ready.  In fact, there are mornings when she asks me to turn off Sportscenter, so she can focus on the task at hand.  Turn off Sportscenter... This is madness!!! 

  Well, I have read her stuff, and I must say that I am impressed.  There has been more than one occasion where I have accused her of plagiarizing because it sounds too good.  I mean, we talk about this stuff, and she never sounds that good when we talk.  It is not that I think that she is not smart... she is.  She is one of the smartest, most clever people that I have ever met.  It is just that this is not what I married.  This blogging thing has changed her.

     Truth be told, other people are now able to see how smart and how talented she really is, and I am very proud of her.  Now... can any of you iron my shirts? 

  One final thought...  It would be really cool if I got a lot of great comments and new hits on her blog.  It is not that I am competitive... I just want to be better than my wife... and I didn’t even have to do any research.       

If a tree falls in the woods...

Morning after morning... amid sips of vanilla coffee and hugging my husband and kids as they head out the door... I log on to my blog, change the date at the top, and joyfully update my quotes for the day.  But sometimes I wonder... Am I the only one who ever looks at this thing? If I blog... will they come??

This reminds me of the age-old question: If a tree falls in the woods, and no one is there to hear it...  does it still make a sound??

I guess I have to ask myself... Does it really even matter?  I mean, after all, of all the qualities of a tree, noisemaking just doesn't spring to mind.  Trees don't really require a lot of feedback, if you know what I mean.  They don't exist to be recognized by passersby.

More importantly, however, they are created to help breathe life for the world... provide shelter for those in need... grow a little each day... bear abundant fruit... and stand tall and point to God.  Some are even transformed into something more lovely and useful.  Just like us.  Every day.  Even if nobody notices.

Welcome to my blog... Feel free to look around...

For several months, I had been thinking about how I could use my gifts in a positive way, to reach out to people who might need what I could share. From time to time, I would send out an email with a Gospel reflection, or some helpful information about an issue or an event, but I really didn't want to junk up people's in-boxes again and again.

Some people said I should blog... but I always thought, "Not me. I don't really have the time. What would I say, anyway??"

Well... I think I am called to do this, after all. I see my gifts of sharing my faith, praying, inspiring and encouraging others, researching and ordering facts and ideas, creating, and writing, as the perfect ingredients for this blog. I have named it after the song You are Mine, by David Haas. God says, "Do not be afraid, I am with you... I have called you each by name... Come and follow me... I will bring you home... I love you and you are mine."

So, I have created this site to be both uplifting and informative... including links & information about Faith, American History, Current Events, Politics and Simple Living.

I welcome readers of all faiths. Since I am Catholic, in my section on Faith, I will include links & information about the Catholic Faith, in particular. I hope this will be helpful to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. My Catholic Faith is a big part of who I am. The Faith portion of my site will also include prayers, Bible Readings of the Day, spiritual reflections, and recommended reading.

American History will include information about the U.S. Constitution, our Founding Fathers, and recommended reading.

Current Events will link to the news of the day.

Politics will link to my favorite sites for political news and commentary, and will contain links & information about Constitutionally conservative issues & candidates.

And finally, Simple Living will link to information you may need to create a warm and restful home and a self-reliant lifestyle... things to help you and your family to live simply.

Thank you for visiting you are mine ... Feel free to look around... I invite you back anytime.

You Are Mine ~ David Haas