Marcy Speaks Up: Evan McMullin for President

Photo Source:  npr.org

I rarely speak out about politics.  I do try to sometimes publicly share my thoughts and beliefs on a variety of topics, but for the most part I try to avoid controversy.  That being said, I strongly believe that it is my responsibility as a citizen of the United States of America to take an active part in understanding the issues of the times and voting in any public elections where I am eligible to vote.  This year in particular there seems to be some widespread major dissatisfaction with both of the US Presidential Candidates from our two major political parties, if not dissatisfaction with both major parties themselves.  If you don't feel comfortable voting for either party's candidate, what do you do?  Vote for the lesser of the two evils (if you can decide what that is)?   Risk "wasting" your vote by voting for a third party candidate?  Most views of these candidates have not really meshed with mine either. Stick your head in the sand and not vote at all, hoping and praying that everything will turn out ok no matter who wins?

On August 10, 2016 former CIA Agent Evan McMullin announced his presidential candidacy as an independent candidate.  I had never heard of him before this announcement, but so far I like what I see.  If you are in any way dissatisfied with the current political state of affairs in this country, please take a look.   I'm not telling you how to vote come November, but please do a bit of reading and exploring, and if you like what you read about Evan McMullin, please spread the word.  Let's all be fully aware of what our options really are!!

Here's part of the introduction to a recent NPR broadcast about Evan McMullin:

"For voters dissatisfied with both major party candidates, there are a few other options.  There's Green Party candidate Jill Stein, Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, and a lesser known late arrival to the scene--Evan McMullin . . . 

"MucMullin has worked for the CIA, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Goldman Sachs, and as chief policy director of the House Republican Conference."

"In an interview with NPR's Scott Simon, McMullin argued he is the best candidate on national security.  He also spoke about his stance on the Affordable Care Act, trade, and Syrian refugees."

Source:  NPR Broadcast from Saturday, August 20, 2016

Please click on the above link to read more highlights from the NPR interview.  You may also want to explore these links:

Evan McMullin for President  website

Video of Interview with Mark Halperin   posted on www.bloomberg.com

How Well Do I Know Him?

I'm somewhat of a loner.  I don't enjoy being the center of attention, and I relish my privacy and time alone.  But I am human.  I'm a wife and mother, a daughter and a sister.  I do have friends and neighbors and co-workers.  I love my family and enjoy spending time with friends and neighbors and co-workers.   I enjoy most casual social interactions, and I, like most people, crave and need to be understood.   We are taught that one of the most vital of human needs is the need to be loved, and I believe, understood.

As babies and young children, most of us were given huge amounts of love and care from our parents and other care givers.   Along with this love and care we received huge amounts of empathy.   As parents, older siblings, grandparents and other adults, we understand what it means to be tired, hungry, too hot or too cold.  We understand what it feels like to be uncomfortable and what it is like to be in pain.   We do all that we can to make sure that our sweet children and babies are taken care of, loved, and happy.  We can have true empathy for them in most situations that they encounter.

As we grow older, we encounter many varied situations and challenges.   At some point we each face problems and situations that our parents may not have faced.  Even if they have had similar problems, the circumstances are different, and the way we react to the same situations and challenges will be different from those who are close to us.   The same holds true in our relationships with siblings, friends, roommates, and even BFF's and spouses or significant others.   They may not have experienced a failing grade, the accidental death of a good friend, losing a parent, abuse from a loved one, divorce, cancer and it's treatments, diabetes, anxiety attacks, depression, loss of a job, serious sin, having very limited money/financial resources.   They may have had similar experiences, and time has numbed their memory and pain.   They may be the very ones who have inflicted the pain and have no real realization of what they have done.

I don't know about you, but I find it even harder to face a particular challenge or situation when my loved ones don't quite understand what I am going through.  Yes, they are usually sympathetic and empathetic to the degree that they are capable, but I often feel that they just don't quite understand.  You know the old teenage refrain . . . "but you just don't understand!!"   Yes, it's true.   At some point in our lives we each reach a place where none of our closest friends or loved ones quite understands what we are going through or where we are coming from.   So why do I always expect my loved ones to totally understand???

So where do we turn?   As Christians, we have been taught that we can turn to Christ.  WAIT. STAY WITH ME HERE.   I know this, but still I would rather have my loved ones understand.  They are usually who I turn to first.  My dear husband.  My daughters.  My sons.  My sisters.  My co-workers.   To their credit, they do their best to sympathize, understand, empathize and comfort me.  But why do I always turn to them first for comfort rather than turning to the Savior, the one who knows me better than anyone else?   Do I not believe that he will understand?  I have been taught, and I believe, and I think that I know that he understands better than anyone else.   That's what the whole atonement is about, that he has suffered and understood every single sin and pain and sorrow that I have or will ever suffer, and has ALREADY suffered these things for me.

So what is the problem?  It is me.  Where do I spend my efforts?   Who do I spend the most time with?   Who do I live, work, and play with?  Who am I most comfortable with?  Who do I know the best?    Am I spending enough time with my Savior, and am I close enough to him that he is the one I instinctively turn to?  Instead of my spouse?  Instead of my children?  Instead of my co-workers?  He has already offered to comfort all of my sorrows and my woes.  He has already suffered for all of my pains and sins.  Am I comfortable with Him?  I need to learn more of Him.  I need to turn to Him more often in thought and prayer and study.  He is there.  How well do I know Him?

Five Minute Friday: HAPPY

I haven't been too actively blogging this busy summer season, but the first post on my blog feed this afternoon was a Five Minute Friday Challenge posted at Sand Castles and Snow Forts.

Are you interested?   Take five minutes and write your own blogging thoughts about HAPPY, and join in by posting a link to your blog on Kate's linky at this link:  Five Minute Friday Challenge: HAPPY


Here's my five minute offering on HAPPY

Am I Happy??   This was perfect timing for me.  If you had asked me to spout about Happy last night, I may have given you 30 minutes about UNHAPPY!   No, nothing is terribly wrong in my life, but I am adjusting from a season of planning for and looking forward to the wedding of DS1 to DDIL1, and all of the busyness and excitement of having all of the family gather together from both sides of the continent for the wedding day, to the present time when all have returned home..   I do love my six wonderful childrens and their spouses and my Dear Hubby, but do wish we had just a wee bit more time all together.

I am happy for green grass, and sprinklers to water it in the hot summer time, for cars that allow me to travel many places in our beautiful state and elsewhere.  I am happy for gainful employement and wonderful, pleasant and faithful co-workers.  I am happy to live in a super neighborhood with wonderful, caring friends and neighbors.  I am happy to have born into a super duper wonderful family with super duper wonderful parents.

My five minutes are over, and I've just touched the tip of the iceberg of wonderful blessings that make me happy!