I feel like writing something today. So I will.

As you can tell there are weeks and even months when I don't post anything here and then there are weeks when I just feel like writing. This is one of those, apparently.

The big 30th birthday celebration for Holly is today (tonight at 7:00) somewhere in Utah County. Cindy will be there (is there) for the gathering. Eric (Holly's spouse) was trying to plan this without her knowledge. Planning a surprise party in this family is impossible. Someone always forgets and says, or writes, something at the wrong time and the beans are spilled. Holly handed me a physical invitation to the celebration so I know she is in on it. My second middle child is turning Thirty years old in a few days. Amazing how quickly time flies. I remember the snowy wind blown day when she was born. She was about 2-3 weeks overdue and we were headed to St. Anthony's North Hospital for medical intervention to get things moving. Cindy was hooked up to that IV for most of the day with not much happening. The doctor checked in on her after his office closed for the day and they decided to give it a little more time before sending us home. Not too long after he left things quickly progressed - he rushed back in and she arrived. Number 4 of the Cindy and Mike hit parade. December 9th is the actual date. I have 6 favorite children - she is among them.

We had our Mount Sneffels Ward Christmas Party last night. A very pleasant evening with friends and family. Great food, a very enjoyable program, with a gentle reminder of why this celebration is so important. The women who organized the party decided that there would not be any Santa Claus for this gathering. Just an expression of why. It was great. Each organization in the Ward had a role to play to prepare for the evening and all did an outstanding job of filling assignments and making the evening enjoyable. What a great group of people we have the opportunity to associate with.

Yesterday morning, as Cindy was getting everything packed so she could hit the road after work, I could see the look of distress in the eyes of our dogs. They don't like suitcases and when they come out there is a degree of stress associated that I find interesting to view. It is greatest when the suitcase is on her side of the bed. She takes care of them, they are bonded with her much more than me. I'm not even sure they consider me an adequate substitute. I leave them outside longer than she does. I only feed them dog food without any supplemental juices or other additions that give more flavor. She doesn't always baby them either, but, is more likely to give them a little extra treat on occasion. If we are both home, and they are inside, they will move around the house on her heels and around her feet no matter where she goes. I find it amusing the grudging looks I get from both when I call them as they are headed after her down the hall. They will come back to me but upon receipt of some loving they immediately head back down the hallway to find her.

When she is out of town I feel the same way. I don't know about anyone else but this fellow was not meant to be alone in this world. Thankfully she found my heart and pierced it in a way I never imagined possible. Hurry home!

I don't have any expertise in the area of law, law enforcement, or government so I am reluctant to share my thoughts here regarding any of the things that weigh heavy on my heart (and yours I suspect) this week. Dreadful things happening in this world and nation right now. Our political leaders becoming more polarized than ever before in my lifetime. I'm not sure if its that some just don't want to acknowledge reality, or if they think that by espousing an opposing perspective that reality will change. Everything that happens shouldn't be political. Yet, it seems that everything is being portrayed as such. The preamble to the Constution of the United States of America says;

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. 

It seems to this observer that we are losing sight of that perfect Union that the founders of this once great nation envisioned. My fear is that we will continue down the road we are on and we will lose any opportunity for justice, domestic tranquility, and the blessings of liberty.

Friends, there is a way for each of us to make an impact in this process. That is to get involved. Work locally in hopes of influencing our elected leaders to remember the important values that we once all believed in. Find a candidate or a cause you can get behind and go to work. We cannot continue to sit idly by while others work to destroy what we hold dear. Most of us are comfortable. Some are in harms way (both here and abroad). We all need to become active in preserving our freedoms and opportunities before they are lost. We cannot leave it to the professional politicians any longer.

I just stepped off my soapbox.

Thanks for checking in. More to come soon. See you then.