I told my husband about the previous post, and he wanted me to post a retraction, he’s sitting right here, so this is a quote from the republican, politics-loving man I’m married to:

“As to the question can a republican be a “Tree Hugger” - in the truest sense, by all means. Unfortunately with many of the existing “Tree Huggers” it seems that there is more of a relationship with the tree than the people around them. As a person who lives under trees, and was raised loving the beauty they provide, I take exception to those that feel it is one or the other. I feel republicans have a great sense for protecting the conditions of our lives as well as our environment, and feel there has to be harmony in both.”

So there you have it, from a man who was raised by a father who worked for the Forest Service. He fought fires, and for a number of years the familiy lived on and maintained many acres of forested government land in Colorado, my husband has fond memories of those days.  Oh, by the way, my  father-in-law, in his own words, is a “die-hard democrat”.

I really hope so, because I’m a republican, and tomorrow will be saying goodbye to 3 trees on our property.  I love trees, and always have, and can’t imagine living in an area that isn’t green with them.  The street we live on borders a State Forest on one side, and our lake on the other.  A rolling, wooded hill full of beautiful trees makes up the view across the lake and above the houses on the other side.  I loved my studies in Ecology when in college.

I guess the title may sound silly, but I get the impression from listening to my husband that there is something wrong with being what he calls a “tree hugger”, and that most of them are democrats.  Maybe what troubles him is the extremes that some go to.  I’m not sure what materials the homes that these people live in are made of, there must be wood in there somewhere.  And do they read books, or just read online…no trees, no paper.  Actually I haven’t done my homework on the negative aspect of being a tree hugger, or whether there are more democratic than republican tree huggers, for me it’s just simple.  I love my trees, I’m wondering what it’s going to look like when they are cut down, concerned about whether the birds and squirrels that feed at my feeders will be losing a home. We do have quite a few trees on our property, so I’m hoping they’ll fill in the void soon.

One thing I DO know is that the wood will be put to good use, we have a wood stove, and with energy prices being the way they are, the wood will come in handy.

My husband loves maps, so I’m sure that when he saw “map” mentioned in the subject line of an email, he immediately opened the email. Then after he read it, he shared it with me. Perhaps it’s one of those little stories that make the rounds by email, but it seemed appropriate to share this blessed Sunday, enjoy it again if you’ve read it already.

A father wanted to read a magazine but was being bothered by his little girl, Shelby. She wanted to know what the United States looked like, he tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was printed the map of the country. Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to Shelby , and said, “Go into the other room and see if you can put this together. This will show you our whole country today.”

After a few minutes, Shelby returned and handed him the map, correctly fitted and taped together. The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly. “Oh,” she said, “on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got Jesus back where He belonged, then our country just came together.”

My husband and I were enjoying a peaceful Saturday morning, when I downloaded my email late in the morning and received a CNN email alert that Tony Snow had passed from here to heaven at about 2 am (they didn’t say it that way, but I’m sure that’s where he is.) It was a blow to read this, hubby and I have appreciated Tony for many reasons over the years.

We were both so excited when he became President Bush’s White House Press Secretary, and sorry when he had to step down. He was able to keep a positive demeanor in every situation we saw him in. My husband sent an email to Snow when he was recuperating quite a while back letting him know he was prayed for, because we knew Tony Snow to be a man of prayer and faith. He received an email reply that was written in a personal way, we like to think Tony Snow took the time to reply himself in spite of his busy life, but whether he needed help to respond or not, it was a warm and gracious response.

Our prayers are now for the family he leaves behind, his wife, and I believe a son and two daughters. In my thinking, he was too young to die, but he is in God’s wonderful care now, whole, perfect, how can you wish one back from that? Still, we will miss him.

Stem Cell Research has become a scientific method that is challenged by those who promote a pro-life agenda because most associate it with the use of embryos, a human life at it’s earliest stage in development. With the election of our next President just around the corner, the candidates have already expressed their their pro-life positions.

It excited me to find that there are a number of studies going on in the area of Stem Cell Research that provide an alternative to using embryos, please read on, this is interesting, at least to me, and I’m delighted to have stumbled upon this opportunity.

One of the alternatives being researched is the use of menstrual blood as reported in an article at CNNmoney.com. Woman don’t realize that they, their children, or their siblings, may benefit from their own blood, turning what most of us woman look at as a drudgery into a blessing. Amazing!

This research is done by C’elle, and through them, you can receive a kit so that you can, from the privacy of your own home, collect what is needed so that your stem cells can be preserved in case they are needed in the future for your own health or the health of the ones you love. It’s simple, painless, and anyone can do this without having to drive to a medical facility, and no matter how busy your schedule is.

This may sound beyond belief to you, if so, I encourage you to read the article at CNN Money through the link posted earlier, and to read this C’elle Client Testimonial. I am amazed, and wish I was still young enough to have something to offer.

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

I know, I know, the negative beat goes on by many people and many in the media, but I don’t care, I voted for George W. Bush, and I’d do it again. I know that posting this will set me apart, slot me, put me in a category…and guess what? I don’t care about that either. Here’s a bit of background, and the first reason why I’d vote for Bush again…the war.

About 9? 10? years ago when the candidates were just beginning to be named, when I heard George W. Bush was on the list, lets just say I had a feeling, call it woman’s intuition, a sixth sense, or just something resonating in my spirit (I like that last choice), I knew he would be our next President. There was really no reason for that feeling, I wasn’t one to follow politics back then…until then. I’m afraid I don’t have any sense about who will win the next election, but I did then.

Almost as soon as he became President he was under attack…and then on September 11th we were under attack. I still find it surreal to think that about an hour from my home planes crashed into two beautiful buildings that graced the horizon on many of our travels; that a plane headed for Washington DC crashed in PA; that a plane crashed into our Pentagon; that people died from letters that contained Anthrax. The mind doesn’t like to remember such things, we want to block it out and get on with our spoiled American lives, but we can’t, we shouldn’t.

At that time we were a united Nation, and wanted one thing, to get the people that got us. And President Bush lead us into war first in Afghanistan and then Iraq, and the rest is history. Oh, I know that every single decision made was not perfect, who has ever heard of a perfect war? War is never, ever pretty, and no leader has ever handled every decision with perfection…read your history books…not the ones altered by the new wave of “revisionist history”, the old history books. Some new history books and biographies are good too, but keep a close, and skeptical, eye out for the spin.

I do believe this is a necessary war, and am so thankful that President Bush was in office during that time…and President Clinton was out. President Bush is determined and not swayed by negative press, he isn’t a people-pleaser. You can’t be a people-pleaser and lead a Nation at war, especially in our spoiled Society. (Yes, I know that not everyone reading this is spoiled, I am generalizing.)

And the economy….what do you people who think that it’s all the “present administration’s fault” whenever anything happens expect during a time of war? What time in history when we have been at war have we not had to make sacrifices? Spoiled, spoiled Americans, that is what we have become.

Thank you, President Bush, for not swaying, thank you for spending time on your knees before God throughout your Presidency, thank you for the emotional sacrifices that I’m sure you have made by sending young men to war, and most of all thanks to the people who have willingly made sacrifices.

As we look ahead to the next election, think, what is more important, “change”, or staying the course? What will you sacrifice in this “gimme-gimme” society? Perhaps this is why McCain is closer in thinking to Bush when it comes to our involvement in the war (please don’t be ashamed of that, McCain…stand for what you believe!) and perhaps this is why we see Obama slowly changing some of his positions on the war in Iraq (flip-flop away, as long as you flop in the right place).

While I continue to re-think the direction I want to take this blog (I’m not sure I’m interested in posting about the latest political controversy, or “he said-she said” type posts anymore), I thought it good to take some time this week to remember what a great Nation we really are. You hear truckloads of negatives every day when you turn on the news, so maybe this should be a place to come to hear something positive.

For today, I’d like to share a daily reading that I received from “In Touch” by Charles Stanley, a popular preacher, focusing on what is good about America … in fact, some of the things that we hear negative press on are mentioned in a different light, I hope you enjoy:

God has certainly blessed the United States. He’s extended His hand of provision across this great nation. Yet, how often do we fail to thank Him?

As most Americans prepare to celebrate our independence next week, it’s fitting to take a moment and offer thanks to God. He’s provided so abundantly for us. Think about how God has blessed us in the following areas:

First, our godly heritage. History shows that many of the men who signed our Constitution were Christians. This country was founded on biblical principles and a Christ-centered interpretation of justice, fairness, and equal opportunity.

Second, He’s blessed us with natural resources. Just think about the blessings God’s placed at our feet: ore, minerals, oil, forests, lakes, pastures, farmlands, and more. He’s provided what we need for ourselves and enough to care for other countries around the world.

Third, we should appreciate our economy. The free enterprise we enjoy in America is a remarkable blessing. We excel in innovations because we’re at liberty to follow our passions.

Finally, God has placed us in a free country. You should thank God for the election process and the freedom to personally impact the direction of this nation. It’s an amazing blessing that’s completely foreign in many parts of the world.

This weekend, slow down a bit and look around. Try to intentionally notice the Lord’s blessings in your life. What do you need to thank Him for?