Seperation of Church and State: Christmas is not a patriotic holiday...

I've spent the last two days struggling with whether or not I wanted to write this blog. I have obviously decided in favor of it, because I was born in America, and I am blessed enough to have the freedom to speak my mind no matter who it offends. 

Let me begin by saying I love my country. I am so thankful to the men and women who have fought for my freedoms This blog IN NO WAY is meant to offend our military, government, my fellow Americans or supporters of all of the above. With that said, I will begin my rant. 

I logged on to Facebook about a week ago and I was greeted by a picture of an American flag and this statement...

WHAT A CROCK OF S**T..... We can't say Merry Christmas now we have to say Happy Holidays. We can't call it a Christmas tree, it's now called a Holiday tree? Because it might offend someone. If you don't like our "Customs" and it offends you so much then LEAVE I will help you pack. They are called customs and we have our traditions If you... agree with this...please post this as your status!! I AM A PROUD AMERICAN!... MERRY CHRISTMAS, and I WILL BE SPENDING MINE AROUND MY CHRISTMAS TREE.....................Just sayin !!!

I am fine with and even supportive of the statement until about halfway through. The statement loses me at "If you don't like our "Customs" and it offends you so much then LEAVE I will help you pack. They are called customs and we have our traditions If you... agree with this...please post this as your status!! I AM A PROUD AMERICAN."

Wait what? This statement, as a Christian, offends me for numerous reasons.

The first reason I will touch on is the origin and world-wide celebration of Christmas. Christmas is NOT an American holiday, nor does it "belong" to any other specific country. Christmas is a Christian holiday originating in ancient Rome in celebration of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christmas is celebrated on December 25, again, thanks to ancient Rome. In those days Pagans celebrated Saturnalia. Saturnalia was a week long period of lawlessness and sexual indulgences in celebration of Saturn the God of harvest/agriculture. During this time food and drink were plenty, gambling was legal for all and businesses and schools were closed. Roman Catholics moved to deem December 25th Christmas day in hopes of breaking up the Saturnalia celebration and perhaps convert some Pagans to Christianity.

As for the Christmas customs...

Kissing under the mistletoe? In SCANDINAVIA, mistletoe was considered the "plant of peace." If enemies met underneath mistletoe in the forest, they laid down their weapons and maintained a truce for at least one day. Mistletoe was also regarded as an aphrodisiac and a fertility herb.

Santa Claus? Well, good old Saint Nick was born in TURKEY. His remains are in ITALY. And the commercial portrayal of Santa Claus that we know and love, with the big fat belly, red suit, white beard and hat... that image was created and painted by a SWEDISH commercial artist.

Christmas is celebrated in a majority of the world's countries, many of them recognizing the day as a state, national or public holiday. I even made a list of each country and how that country recognizes Christmas, but it's late and I'm tired. If you really want the proof message me and I will provide it.

My other reason is this: As a Christian, I was raised to respect and tolerate and yes, even love, my fellow man no matter where they came from. To use Christmas as a means of segregation is kind of sick really. Immigrants have nothing to do with separation of Church and State. If anything, it is some of our fellow Americans who push their freedom of religion so much that it stifles the religious freedoms of others, because, let's face it, whether an American be Italian, Bosnian, Mexican, African, Irish, etc... he is still an American. We all started somewhere else. Enough of the unnecessary segregation and prejudices. The immigrants aren't to blame.

So, the picture of the huge sign in front of a private home that reads "Merry Christmas! If you don't like it, don't let our border hit you in the @$$ on the way out!" Yeah, let's just stop forwarding and posting it everywhere, because 1) it is a very unchristian stance to take and 2) it doesn't even make sense. 

Go ahead and put up a Christmas tree, sing Christmas carols, put up the lights and yell "MERRY CHRISTMAS" to everyone you meet... but do it because you genuinely believe in Jesus Christ. Do it to celebrate Him. After all, He is the reason for the season. You don't have to be an American to celebrate Christmas and you certainly aren't any less American if you don't.

Merry Christmas! And God bless America.

We will ALWAYS have animals...

This is a blog about my cats. Anyone who knows me knows that I love my cats like they are my own children. The only two reasons I don't fit the stereotype of "crazy cat lady",  I am married and don't live off of tuna fish. I am writing this particular blog tonight because Kokonut was being extra cute today and I realized that I couldn't imagine my life without my pets. When I got cats I gave up the chances of ever having a perfectly clean house. There is cat hair everywhere, the litter box smells no matter what I do and I am constantly stepping on little cat-nip filled mice. But, when my husband is gone to work, or school or student teaching, the house isn't lonely, and I wouldn't give up that companionship for anything. So tonight, in discussion, the statement came up "You do realize that we will ALWAYS have animals right?" And why not? They make for some pretty great company!

Kokonut came to me in October of 2004, as a birthday gift from the guy I was seeing at the time. His mother belonged to a woman I worked with and the litter of kittens was anything but planned. I had grown up having cats and was so excited when my boyfriend agreed to ride out to Unadilla with me to pick one out. There were black cats, and gray cats and even some tiger striped cats, but there was only one orange one. Since I was little I had always sworn I would own an orange cat someday so, of course, I took the one that was different from the others. He was also the runt. The tiny little guy fit in the palm of my hand, and it was love at first sight. I put him in my hoodie pocket (I'm pretty sure this is why he is to this day obsessed with boxes, bags, pockets, etc...) and away we went.

Kokonut and I have a strange bond and I believe it is because of the way our first months together went. See, I had moved away, almost 2 hours from home, gotten a new job, a new apartment, and basically a whole new life, to be with this guy that I met while in college. Being out there with no friends or family, and a boyfriend who rarely came home, Kokonut became my best friend and confidant. I won't lie. I admit there were nights that I would sit on the futon with Kokonut on my lap and talk to him, and I mean full fledged conversations, but who else was I supposed to talk to? It got to the point that Kokonut became the light of my life and if there is a single cat on the planet deemed most spoiled, Kokonut is more spoiled than that cat. Needless to say the relationship didn't work out the way I had planned and within a few months I was packing up again, changing jobs again and moving back home. The breakup wasn't an easy one, not that any ever are. I was depressed, stressed out and again adjusting to a new situation, and again, the only one I had by my side was Kokonut. Don't get me wrong, my family was there, but there are only so many things you can talk to your parents about. I really felt like he was the only consistency I had at the time and, though I never really thought of it this way until now, I certainly was the only consistency he had. We look at pets like they are just that, pets. But in all actuality, they are much more than that because we give them no other choice. I walked into that woman's house and took Kokonut away from his mom, his siblings and the only home he had ever known (for those 6 short weeks) and brought him into my arms. He was given no other choice but to trust me. Through the years that bond has done nothing but grow and for the sake of sounding like the crazy cat lady, he is still my best buddy. And I can tell that he feels the same way about me. If I say "ow" whether it be for real, or in play he comes running. He has been known to push his way in between myself and my husband if my husband is the reason for my "distress." (These would be the play ows I mentioned earlier. My husband never REALLY puts me in distress.) He runs to the door when he hears me come home and snuggles pretty much constantly. I can't imagine my life without the little guy.

Kahlua came to me in the summer of 2005. A friend of mine invited me to go with her to the Humane Society one afternoon to look at animals. She wanted a cat of her own and I agreed to help her pick one out. We spent hours looking at cats (and even the dogs) but none of them were really calling out to us. That is, until I saw Kahlua. My friend didn't take interest at first because Kahlua wasn't a "kitten." She was 7 months old. She was born in the humane society and had spent her life in a cage. During our trip my friends mother had called her to inform her that she changed her mind and did not want her bringing a cat home. Defeated she began to walk out the door. That was when it came to me. The offer was... If you chose THIS cat (being Kahlua) she can be your cat, but live at my house. Kahlua was just about the same age as Kokonut

I call Kahlua my sweetest heart. She is shy, timid and oh so loving. She hides in the cupboard when "strangers" come over, and if she is willing to get to know you, she does a whole lot of sniffing first. She doesn't fully trust anyone but my husband and I. She is skittish and jumpy, and a tad overweight but when she snuggles, it is heart-warming. She isn't an overly playful cat, she certainly doesn't run around, it seems to me that her only concern in life is loving and cuddling. But at the same time, she isn't a boring cat at all. There is no other word than sweet. Heart-breakingly sweet. Kokonut man-handles her sometimes. She's got a good 7 pounds on him yet, for some reason, he still tries to drag her around by the scruff of her neck (which basically just ends up at a painful standstill and a mouth full of fur.) The dependency that Kahlua has on Steve and I is very obvious. She gets nervous when she is left at home for too long without us and I am not sure what attributed to this (maybe fear of being abandoned again like at the humane society?) But her dependency makes her all the more sweet to us.

Enter Rampage McMurderface! That's right. Rampage McMurderface. My husband told me one day that his dream pet would be a bear. And he would name is bear Rampage McMurderface. This story stuck in my head the day that I went to his mother's house. His mother had a cat who came around every six months, dropped a litter of kittens in the barn, and then went off to get pregnant again. There were always kittens at the house and just days before I had stated that I was so proud of my self control! I hadn't even had the smallest desire to bring home a kitten! On this fateful day I took my friend Hillary with me. I should've known that wasn't a good idea. See, Hillary is a cat lover too and though I had gotten good at saying no to kittens, I apparently cannot say no to Hillary. It seems that Rampage picked us rather than us picking her. None of the other cats had any interest in being held, or played with. They ran and hid in the barn when people showed up, but for some reason, that day, (October 1, 2010!) Rampage walked right up to us, climbed up on a chair and demanded that we hold her. Hillary picked her up, threw her in my face and said "You must take her home." So, after some himming and hawwing, I took this adorable little kitten home, the whole way thinking "Steve is going to throw a FIT!" My way around it... Pretend the kitten was a gift for him. "I have two cats of my own, I think you should have one too. One you can call your own!" He knew better. But, to play the story up, I named the kitten after his dream pet, Rampage McMurderface. And I explained that I got him a kitten because bears are obviously illegal. 

We learned very quickly that Rampage isn't much different than a bear (other than size of course.) There isn't a single curtain in the house that doesn't have a good snag in it. I have numerous scars from playful mishaps, she is even giving Kokonut a run for his money in the terror department. She runs up and down the stairs for fun, slides across the wood floors, knocks down everything on every shelf, counter top and table she can find, and she just recently put a hole in our living room blinds. Apparently she really NEEDED to sit in that window sill. But when the lights go out, she is all cuddles. She fit into our little family perfectly.

I am sure this is it for the pets for now. Someday I would like a puppy, but we would like to be settled before we take on that challenge.

My Blessings... #6 & 7

I finally have a moment to sit down and put some thought into the last two blessings in my week long journey. I am frustrated that I missed a few nights but we are short on people at work so I've been pulling some crazy shifts. I took some comp time tonight and left work early. On my way home I stopped at a local apple orchard and picked up some apples, as I was not able to pick my own with my mom and grandma this year. I had considered finding my way to the couch and spending the evening there but instead I decided to spend my evening in the kitchen making goodies for my wonderful husband. We had filet mignon and creamed potatoes for dinner and an autumn cheesecake for dessert. Now, the goodies are gone, the house is clean, Steve has disappeared to hit office and here I sit, in my over-stuffed, double size chair, watching Desperate Housewives. I am surrounded by cats, (well, two of them. Rampage is off reeking havoc on a roll of paper towels) with my yankee candles burning and everything is just so peaceful. (again, except for Rampage.) I've decided that, trying to number my many blessings has become to difficult. With a limit of 7 days in a week I have gone over my list of blessings numerous times changing things and adding things and rearranging as I saw fit and then I just decided, there are simply too many.
So, tonight's blessing is really just a big lump of all of my blessings.
Blessing #6... My life
Blessing #7... Everything and everyone in it.
I am surrounded on a daily basis by so much love. My husband, my cats, my friends, my family, my co-workers. I just can't even begin to describe how happy I am.
I don't mean to rub this in any one's face who may be going through difficult times. We all go through difficult times and trust me, I've had my share. But these moments of true peace make all the difficult times worth it.
Counting my blessings had taught me to "stop and smell the roses." To look for the silver lining of every cloud. And in doing so, I seem to be noticing the sweet moments of life more often.
We, as faulted humans, take so much for granted. We come to expect things the more they are given to us and in time it leads us to be selfish and ungrateful for the things we have. There are certainly things that I want, don't get me wrong, but right now, I am content to sit right where I am and do just what I am doing right now.
The key to a happy life is to truly enjoy what you have. And to my core, I really do.

My Blessings... #5

Blessing #5 - My God children.

For those of you who are close to me, you know why I am writing this particular blessing tonight. I have had the sheer joy of spending my weekend with my Godson Anthony. Anthony is four years old. He is the son of my dear friend Anna and because they live in New Jersey, I don't often have the chance to spend one on one time with him. Taking the time to do so has been such an honor and I have learned so much about him and myself in the short 12 hours we've been together. Anthony's parents are on vacation in Puerto Rico right now, the honeymoon they never had, so the time I have had has not been as "the friend of mom" but as sole care-giver for the time being. I am exhausted, to my core, but also, so so fulfilled.
I picked Anthony up at noon today. We went to my favorite pizzeria where I ordered a slice and he ordered noodles with sauce. He then decided, upon seeing my slice, that he wanted it. So I picked the mushrooms off and gave him my pizza, and I enjoyed his pasta. We then did some shopping, where I spent WAY too much on a ghost flashlight that lights up blue, red and purple and gummy bears that he has yet to touch. Later in the evening we went to my sister's house for a jewelry party (I'm sure he was excited about that!) and then came home and put him in bed. It was this time that I realized how much he truly means to me. He asked me to crawl into bed with him and just sit with him for a while. I put in my favorite VHS, Winnie the Pooh and the Seasons of Giving (since a VCR is all we have in the guestroom) and laid down with him. He fell asleep on my lap and for over an hour, every time I moved, he woke up... But finally he didn't. And when I freed myself, I turned to look at his adorable sleeping face and realized that these are the small moments that make life worth living. I can't wait to take him to the pumpkin patch tomorrow. <3
Now, I am proud to report that Anthony is not my only god-child. I have been blessed with four of them! Jacob who is nine, Jayden who is eight, Anthony who is four and little Natalie Rose who is six months old.
I regret that I cannot spend as much time with all of them as I would like. Two jobs, a husband, a home, three cats and commitments to the community keep me moving all the time. But they are all just as wonderful as the next in my eyes.
I have not had the blessing of my own children, but until that day, I will gladly enjoy the ones my friends have trusted me with.
Being a God-parent means taking the responsibility to make sure the child is raised with a good Christian lifestyle. So many people these days think otherwise. Over and over again I have seen people choose their children's Godparents by who is their best friend at time or who they feel they owe something to. This saddens me because I believe the term is overused and misused. Does it make sense to ask an atheist to be the GOD-Father of your child? How will that person ever really uphold the meaning of the position? I have had the joy of discussing God and Jesus to all of my Godchildren (the ones who can talk at least. Sorry Natalie.) And I just love when they ask to learn more. I have made tradition of buying each one their "first Christmas" ornaments and have even bought children's Bibles for a couple of them.
I'm not trying to get onto a religious rant. I am simply stating that I take my position very seriously.
These children have become staples in my life and I am so glad that I have been given the opportunity to be such an important part of all of their lives.
I love watching them grow. They are all completely different from each other and it is amazing to sit back and watch what each becomes. I am sure they will all be beautiful, successful and caring people, as their parents and myself of course, will do whatever it takes to achieve just that.
The only way this night could have been better is if I had all four of my beautiful Godchildren snuggling with me. <3

My Blessings ... #4

Blessing #4 - The Food on my Table

This blessing wasn't originally on my list of blessings but I ended up spending my evening exchanging recipes with my friends and now, this blessing just seems right.

I enjoy cooking to the point that it is my therapy. When I was a kid I hung out inside, while my sister and cousins were running around outside, intrigued by the things my grandfather could do in the kitchen. I would watch his every move, memorize his secret ingredients and, when I was old enough, try to recreate his dishes. Obviously I never could recreazte them. Let's face it, it's never as good as grandpas! So, I started tweaking the recipes and creating my own variations.

My favorite family recipe to this day is my Grandma Dukett's fudge, which is actually a German Tablet. For those who don't know, a tablet (tabe-let) is actually a sugar confection that originated in Scotland. The difference is the brittle, grainy texture as it is close to a candy than a fudge. Being a Dukett recipe, cocoa and peanut butter were added. In a Dukett home, Christmas is not Christmas unless there is a pot of this amazing deliciousness boiling on the stove.
Oops, I've gone off on a rant. The point is, there are so many people out there without food, none the less the amazing dishes that we get to enjoy everyday.
We should thank God every time we sit at the table. Especially if you have food in front of you like I've had the pleasure of enjoying in my lifetime. 

My Blessings ... #3

Blessing #3 - My Job...

I decided to thank God for this particular blessing tonight because it's something I've been thinking a lot about. I have been feeling a bit under the weather lately and I plan to visit my doctor in the morning. I am so grateful to have the option to do that.
In today's economy, jobs are difficult to come by, especially good ones. My job offers me full 40 hour work weeks, great benefits and most importantly, an enjoyable place to work.
In February my Aunt Joan passed away unexpectaby. This meant an emergency trip to Iowa that did not fall on my usual pass days of Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The HR department was so helpful and understanding. It was such a relief to hear them say "do what you need to do for your family and we will take care of the details." The staff at Vernon Downs has become my second family and I am proud to be entering my 4th year with such a great company. Now, I can't lie, it isn't always peaches and cream. Sometimes, like everyone else on the planet, I just don't feel like going to work. But on days like that I just remind myself how lucky I am. There are so many people out there who can't even find jobs. I was able to find one that I enjoy, that I am proud of, with a company that truly cares for their employees. For this, I am truly blessed.

My Blessings Cont...

Blessing #2 - My Husband

First and foremost I want to thank God for making this man giving me the opportunity to meet him and promise forever to him.
I fell in love with Steve over all others because he listened to me when no one else did. When I say listen, I don't mean that he sat quietly, while I talked, and nodded and said "yup." I mean he really listened, and heard, and remembered pretty much everything I said to him, even the small stuff. It doesn't seem like much but I assumed it meant that he truly cared about what I had to say to him. And, let's face it, that is a quality that is hard to come by. Through the years Steve has become my rock. I find myself going to him with everything, happy and not so happy. Things that I never even thought of sharing with a man, I rush home to tell him about. No matter what I am doing, if I am not with him, I miss him. He has literally fulfilled me and made my life complete. He accepted me for who I am. He accepted my two cats who, until I met him, had been my world. (Don't judge me.) and even allowed me to add another into the mix. (Rampage McMurderface.) We've started a beautiful life together, in a beautiful new duplex and we have grown so close that I couldn't imagine not having him by my side. I couldn't ask for a better husband and friend. There is not another man on this planet I would rather father my children. Forever is just not long enough, but I am so blessed to have at least that.