Politics and Food

You lose the argument when you start “Name Calling”

Yesterday we voted in the Republican primary. Folks in Michigan were doing our lot to decide who will face President Obama in the November general election. There are some that hope that we will elect a new president there are others that would prefer to keep the one we have. Some think that the results of the upcoming election has a forgone conclusion and all of this campaigning is a waste of time and money. Perhaps.

“They” say that any sitting president should win re-election. It is “their election to lose,” meaning, as long as the president doesn't do or say anything that is too far afield, he is assured a victory. This may be true.

But there is something about the process. There is something about engaging in the conversation. Once every four years people pay a little more attention to issues that are bigger than their world. We start to think nationally and internationally ( 0f course there are some of us who get a kick out of politics and think about these things frequently even between elections). There is something about thinking not only about what is best for you personally but what is best for the greatest number of people.

The two-party system in the United States tends to polarize us. We find ourselves supporting everything one particular party stands for because they may support one thing that we actually feel passionate about. Who knows, perhaps there is that person out there that just happens to have all the same personal convictions that the Republicans or the Democrats represent. I however am not one of them.

There is not one political party that encompasses everything I hold dear and true. And so I listen; I speak the truth and I make the best choice I can with the information I have at hand. The more we communicate, the more we speak with honesty about what we believe the closer we will come to the truth. This is something I have learned on my faith journey. When a community of faithful people honestly and earnestly seek the truth and engage in conversation, a wisdom beyond they sum parts of the participants emerges and the way becomes clear.

I don't have a card that says I belong to any one political party and I don't want one. There is no official list of members of a party that has my name one it. However when well meaning people try to vilify one party or the other and make blanket statements about how “Democrats are” or how “Republicans are,” I take offense. There are people, good faithful people, that I know and love that vote with the party of their choice on each side of the spectrum. I believe that all of them want the best for themselves and the world. There are simply different philosophies about how to get there. I expect the candidates to go negative because history shows that those tactics help win elections. But when those that are close to me do it, I take it personally.

I say have the conversation. Discuss the differences. Defend what you believe. But don't tear others down.

Food Awareness

This is the first sign down one of the isles of the local
grocery store.  "Canned Fish"? Really?  This is what is
supposed to entice me?  It got me to thinking about the
way I do make food choices.

A lot of the time I choose to eat what ever is
in front of me.  These doughnut holes are
available every Sunday at church. 

One of my tacos.  look at all that sour cream.  Is that
much necessary? No, but its oh so yummy!  Rethink...Rethink

Honey Butter pork tenderloin on mashed potatoes and
peas.  One helping was enough.  Then I had a little more. 

I've had one of those moments where I've decided to grab myself by the bootstraps and take greater control over my life. I've been feeling sluggish and almost depressed as I usually do this time of year. I have decided to change my diet change my activities so that I can start to feel better.  I had this moment when I was contemplating seeing a doctor about all this. And ad as I was reflecting on my life as it has been over the last month or so I remembered the time spent on the cruise ship, eating way more that I needed being far less active than should have been; that coupled with the lack of sunshine and the stress of being a parent to six kids and all the other factors in my life led me to think that I need to do more for myself. I have to be more active in making healthy decisions rather than passively letting the world happened to me.
All this is coming as the fruit of my meditations over the beginning of this Lent season.  I prayed to God "what can I turn from? what can I give up? What can I sacrifice? what do I need to be able focus more on you God? And this is what came up.
Of course there are lots of other things that I could do.  There are innumerable ways to draw near to God but if I don't feel right, if I'm not taking care of myself, than it's  all the more difficult to do all those things so  this is a place I will start.