Freedom

The definition of freedom according to Wikipedia is "...the human value, or situation, to act according to one's will without being held up by the power of others". In California I have watched our freedoms slip away as people make choices that infringe on the rights of others.

Three recent situations in my life are:

1. As I shop at Costco, Best Buy, Wal-Mart etc. there are employees stationed at the door to check and make sure items are paid for before customers leave the store. This policy was very offensive when I first experienced it at Costco but now I accept the lost of my freedom to walk out of store without justifying what is in the bag with someone stationed at the door. What a waste of money to pay to have our bags checked because of the lost of honesty in our society.



2. The PGE right-of-way behind our home has had a fence and gate put on the exit to the city street. The sad thing is I am willing to lose the freedom to have access to my backyard to not have more traffic behind my home (in the right-of-way) than in front of my home, on the city street, during the night time hours.



3. The back parking lot at our church has fences and gates that must be open to access most of the parking lot. Why should this be so? Was someone misusing the church grounds?

What happened to the days of my childhood when doors on homes, churches etc. were not locked? When a man's word was better than a signed legal document. My father was a dairy farmer and when he needed a mechanic to help with repairs on the tractor so that farm work could be completed the mechanic would come to the field with only my father's word that he would pay him when he sold the cattle in the fall. This mechanic told me, at my father's funeral, that he was always paid in full when the cattle were sold. Our word should be better than a signed legal document.

What freedoms do you see being given away in your neighborhood?

I have wonderful daughter-in-laws that have blogs and post the funest articles. One of them posted a picture that my granddaughter drew for her parents for Valentine's Day. The picture says it all.







My Valentine brought me beautiful red tulips that I can plant in my garden and enjoy for years to come.

Virtues of a Large Family"

I have a niece that wrote on her blog about the "virtues of a large family". I started thinking about it and decided that I too wanted to write a few comments.

I am the mother of seven grown children.

"Virtues of a Large Family"
1. Our children learn to help because it is necessary.
2. Our children learn to work because help is needed.
3. Our children learn to earn money for their wants. They also learned to manage their money so they had money to make extras possible.
4. Our children learn to share.
5. Our children learn to support other family members.
6. Our children, even as adults, have support from siblings
7. As a parent I learn to delegate to accomplish what needed to get done. It was necessary.
8. I learned that all worked really hard on difficult projects for rewards of a swim, slurpy, bike ride, camping trip or something the family enjoyed doing.
9. The children learn to help each other with paper routes etc.
10. There is always company, help, love and someone to fight with, it seemed.
11. When my husband and I got married we said we wanted to have between 6 and 12 children. People, over 40 years ago, thought we were crazy but I feel so blessed to have been able to be the mother of seven wonder adult children, mother-in-law to spouses and grandmother as well. These are blessing that only a mother, grandmother etc. can know.
12. My husband and I enjoyed raising our children and now enjoy their families. Each is a blessing from God to love and enjoy.