To Dennis RIP

 Today my post is not political. Far from it. Today I want to skip all that and focus on the things that are truly important; friends and family, and trying to do some good in this world, to leave it, when the time comes , a better place.

A dear friend of mine passed on to the next world last week, but he was the epitome of what I believe to be a wonderful example of doing good in this world and making it just a bit better when you can.

My friends name was Dennis. He was highly educated. A doctor of theology, he was the senior pastor of the church that I attended. He had a wonderful wife and three children and a love for all people no matter their status.

Dennis was, above all else, one of the kindest, non judgmental, humans I ever have known. He was down to earth, right down to his love for gardening. But it was his love for people and his God that made him amazing. When I met him I was a very beat up combat vet, tattooed and ear ringed and perhaps a bit stressed. I was helping out our youth pastor with kids from our church at a youth camp in Arkansas. Being around strangers is not one of my strong points as some of you likely know, but he, and his family, had this openness about them that made you feel comfortable almost immediately. I wound up spending two weeks there with them and it was one of the best experiences of my life, one that I will always remember. I wound up being the camp care taker and I regularly attended his church, eventually becoming a pastor myself. It was there that I really saw him shine.

Our church had a very wide diversity of people. We had dirt poor children and troubled youth. We had senior citizens. We had all colors of the rainbow and a few mixed breeds as well. We had single moms and folks that were likely not here legally, but none of that mattered to him. They were all humans and his brothers and sisters, he treated them all with respect and kindness, no exceptions. He treated everyone the way he would want to be treated ,and the way he believed that God required him to. He did much good and positively effected many lives, including mine, and he will be missed.

One of the things that I appreciate about Judaism is their focus on life in this world. They don't spend time focused on the world to come because they believe that God has put us into this world to do good in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, to make this world a little better in the here and now, knowing that it brings it's own rewards both in the now and in the future.

This is what we need more of in this world. We need people who will make this world better.

I don't think any of us are very happy with the insanity we see going on all over the world and most of us likely feel that there is little we can do to change all of it and you'd be right, but we are not asked by God to do that, some folks certainly, but the vast majority of us are only asked to have to look around us to find little things that we can do, because many times the little things turn out to be the most important. Maybe it's babysitting for a young couple that needs a break. Maybe it's helping an elderly neighbor get his garbage out to the road, maybe it's as simple as a glass of cold water on a hot day.

Anything you can think of can be it. It truly is as simple as this.

Dennis believed in doing the small things, and it shows, in many a changed life.

You will be missed my friend.

"Changing Peoples Lives"

Recently, Biden, while trying to tout how great the economy is, said “we are changing peoples lives.”

I would like to state unequivocally that I agree with him. His policies have indeed changed peoples lives, just not for the better.

I have lived on a fixed income for years. We lived this way while I was in the Marines and my wife was taking care of our kids.

This continued after my last deployment to the worlds biggest kitty litter box, courtesy of the VA, and we have manged to survive. We have never lived “high on the hog” as the saying goes, but we haven't starved either. That has all changed.

No, we are not starving, yet, but if this “great economy” continues that won't be long in coming.

2 years ago, with 5 adults living in my house, we would spend around $200-250 a week for groceries. Now with only three of us it's between $350-400. This week we will start eliminating things we don't need but are nice to have.

It used to cost me about $40 to fill up my van, now it's about 30 for a quarter of a tank. I don't dare let it get lower then that as it would easily cost between $100-120.

I can't even imagine what it would cost to replace the van if it died, I don't believe we could even afford to do so.

I sold my house in my favorite area in the world because of the much higher cost of living only to come out west and find that it's just as bad here now under this “great economy.”

Under this “great economy” and high interest rates,home ownership is now out of the question, so likely renting will be the only option at least until the price of renting gets too high, then I suppose we will be living in a tent or a cardboard box.

Electric, oil,gas and sewer prices have gone up as well.

Not sure what's exactly great about this economy.

So what do we do about it? I don't know. I write posts and congress critters and all I ever get back is form letters. I hate phones, but because I'm not a big business, they aren't likely to answer anyhow.

I have heard many times that I should vote republican ( I am an independent but I haven't voted for a democrat in decades) and while I think that republicans are a better option, where is the actual proof that they will do anything to help? Where are the republican “leaders?” I see a lot of lower ranked , though very vocal, members of the GOP saying what they are going to do but where are the ones that can actually get the ball rolling?

I have heard it said that the real problem is incompetence in the administration. While I agree that Biden himself has some serious issues, I don't think that any of this is incompetence. I think that all this pain and suffering is being purposefully done by those he has surrounded himself with. They have a communist agenda and they want you and I to feel the pain to try and force us into their communist world view.

Sadly the easy fix is right under our feet,literally. Open the oil fields and pipe lines, get our energy independence going again. All Biden had to do was ride on the coat tails of the successes of the Trump administration and likely rolled into an easy victory in November. But instead he decided that destroying the country, more importantly the people of this country, was going to be his top priority.

I hope that the dems, who also could have done something to stop this, get a serious shellacking in the mid terms, but I won't hold my breath. They have proved that they will do anything to cling onto power so I am not holding my breath for a massive red wave, but should the GOP take control, my message is simple, know that all of us are watching you. You talk a good talk but will you actually deliver? If you don't, just know that what wrath you incur, just as the dems are right now, you will deserve. If you truly want to change lives the power will be in your hands, so something besides talk.