Why VOTE?

I hear the grumbling, the complaining, the hopelessness that the 2016 Presidential campaign has created and I agree. More than the usual complaints of why one candidate is better than the other; those are to be expected, this election season has brought about the worst in most of us and this is fueled directly by those we have to choose from in this election. It is a sad commentary on our country and our people. Still, we must vote because it is our right, our privilege, and our duty as Americans. Our voices are important as individuals and members of a free society and have an impact in ways that we don't readily see.

Beyond these patriotic and logical reasons though, for some of us there are even more important reasons than those. God encourages us to be a part of the society we belong to.

"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. ..." Romans 13:1-14 English Standard Version

Deuteronomy 1:13 English Standard Version "Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads"

"He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding" Daniel 2:21 ESV

Get out and vote today y'all, because for now, we can.

Peace , TheWritingMommy

Check out my books on Amazon.com for temporary price reductions...

Hey Y'all,
This is the link to my books on Amazon.com. If you have read any of them I would love for you to submit a review. I would greatly appreciate it.

On August 19, Legacy of Love, a personal memoir of my mother's last year as she battled with cancer and anecdotes from myself and her other daughters, will have a price reduction for 5 days.

And beginning tomorrow, August 13, 2016, the Kindle Edition of One Perfect Now, a story of a woman losing her mom but finding her faith and herself, will be free for download Saturday and Sunday.
                         

                        "One Perfect Now is the story of Sandy Weston’s journey through incredible love and unbearable loss. She embarks on a journey she never wanted to take and along her journey she finds the identity she thought she lost, the strength she hadn’t realized she had, and the courage to walk into the future she always wanted"

Again, any reviews would be appreciated. Even if you don't love it, your opinion matters a great deal, especially as I am about to take my Aunt Millie Goodman's advice and begin a sequel to One Perfect Now, focusing on Sandy's brother and their relationship.


As always, peace to you all. 

Andora , TheWritingMommy

Days 9 and 10- Words and Strong Feelings

Well, it appears that I did it again… missed another day, already. 

Day 9 and I have already missed a second day. I’m feeling mighty low about this but I’m trying to get back into the “butt in seat” habit.

So, Day 9’s prompt was “post some words of wisdom that speak to you” and Day 10, today, is “write about something for which you feel strongly.” Earlier today I could have stepped upon my soap box and given a speech or written a manifesto, of course now that I sit at the desk with my fingers on the keys I can’t think of a thing to say. Well, maybe a few little things…

I love words. I love quotes and have boards dedicated to them on Pinterest.com and surfaces plastered with them all over my house. Some of my favorite words of wisdom are from the Bible, such as;

Matthew 11:28-30 in The Message paraphrase

28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

And …

Galatians 6:7-9 from the Good News Translation

7 Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. You will reap exactly what you plant. 8 If you plant in the field of your natural desires, from it you will gather the harvest of death; if you plant in the field of the Spirit, from the Spirit you will gather the harvest of eternal life. 9 So let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest. 

I also love wise words from great men and women of influence such as;

Maya Angelou- There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you. 

Mahatma Gandhi – Be the change that you wish to see in the world. 

Dr. Seuss – Why fit in when you were born to stand out.

And …

C.S. Lewis - You doubt your value- Don’t run from who you are. – Aslan, Chronicles of Narnia 

I suppose what I feel most strongly today is something along the lines of “know who you are and be that.”  So many of the problems in today’s world is that so many of us have no idea who we are and/or what our value is. I mean, people get killed daily over “disrespect”, or being offended by what someone else said. Such a sad thing when quite often the thing that was said was never meant to offend or was misheard or misquoted. If we all understood who we were and what our purpose was, our value at the very core of our being, then it seems no one else’s estimation, whether favorable or otherwise would matter so much as to make us act contrary to our truest self. 

I sometimes think I do know who I am at the very center of myself, and then other times I’m frightened to bits by what I think I might be at my very core. The only thing I know to be true of me is that I am God’s and He created me for a purpose. On days like today, when I feel tired and achy and my heart is heavy that knowledge sustains me and reminds me that because I still have breath, I still have a purpose.

Tomorrow will be day 11 of 30 and the prompt is “Something that you always think “what if” about.” Now there is a thought to think about, yes? 

What say you dear readers? Let me know what you think. 

Peace to you all,

TheWritingMommy