Opting Out of the Dark Winter

I try not to get too political these days. There’s too much hate, too much strife–on both sides of the aisle, and I’d just as soon none of it be directed at me. As I write this, we’re 10 days from a contentious Presidential election that I fear will leave our country even more divided than it is now.

But something was said in the debate this week that I feel led to talk about. In speaking about COVID-19, former Vice President Biden claimed more than once that the US is “about to go into a dark winter.”

The former VP is inferring that the upcoming months will be bleak, filled with sickness, death, and mourning. (although it’s important to realize that although many, many are likely to be infected with COVID in the coming days, weeks, and months, as it is a highly contagious illness, 99.75% of those infected will survive).

I don’t like fear mongering and I think we’ve seen a lot of it over the last nine months. So when I heard the phrase “dark winter” and the message that was clearly meant to play on our fears, I was immediately unhappy. For so many reasons.

Life on earth could basically be one long dark winter if we allowed it to be. Satan would love that. He’d love for us to just sit with our darkness and refuse the light and turn away from the hope.

But I firmly believe we have to CHOOSE to live in the light EVEN THROUGH THE DARK WINTERS. Choose to see the bright side. Choose to realize that GOD is the bright side.

I suspect that regardless of which candidate wins the upcoming election, there is the potential for a “dark winter” that’s likely to be filled with sickness, death, riots, and unrest. And it all feels so heavy. It would be so easy to slip into that dark winter and let it just consume us all.

But friends, there is still light in the future! It’s there. He’s there. God turns the darkness into light. Always.

And I know…you’re thinking, “but 2020 is a crazy year–nothing like this has ever happened in the whole history of the whole world.”

But that’s not really true. And remember that not one single thing that’s happened in 2020 has been a surprise to God. Covid, riots, lockdowns, even murder hornets–no surprise to Him. Remember that there’s nothing new under the sun. Our ancestors went through some pretty tough times. Wars and famines and illnesses and droughts. Resilience is in our DNA! Don’t give in to the fear. Choosing faith over fear isn’t always easy, but I think as Christians it is vital.

And now, we have a choice. We can spiral into the long dark winter and focus only on the bad—because let’s face it, the world has a LOT of bad. Or we can choose the light even through the dark times.

So while there may indeed be a “dark winter” approaching, I think I’ll opt out. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that there is always light to be found if you seek it out.

“You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light.” 2 Samuel 22:29.

Let’s Get Political

 

I never expected to put anything political on here because I’m one of the few who likes to keep that sort of thing private. Many of you may not know this, but I’m kind of a political junkie. I’ve often considered running for office, but chose instead to move my life into a different direction.

My social media feeds are filled with hate and judgment regarding the election. I’ve sat and watched a lot of name calling and I’ve seen people’s Christianity and/or character be attacked because they are voting for one or the other.

Guess what? If you vote for Hillary, I don’t think it makes you “not a Christian” and if you vote for Trump, I don’t think it means you’re “uneducated and ignorant.”

The right to vote is powerful. And we forget that because of the circus that is in the media. I fear that the media (liberal or not) causes far more problems in our country than we realize. Everyone has an agenda. Don’t ever forget that. We can claim “fair and balanced” news but really, that is hard (almost impossible) to come by.

I’ve seen people say they don’t like either candidate so they aren’t going to cast a vote. That makes me angry. Do you know how many people fought for your right to vote? For you to throw that away and sit home make me sick and sad.

I’ve seen people say that they’re leaving America if one candidate wins. If this is your attitude, I kind of think you should just pack your bags and go now, even before the ballots are in. America is so much more than who is in the White House.

I’ve seen a lot of people who want to support a third party. They don’t like Hillary and they don’t like Trump, so they’re supporting a different party or writing someone in. If your conscience tells you that’s what you should do, then I don’t begrudge you that. My opinion though, for what it’s worth, is that until we have a true 3 party kind of system where there are 3 solid candidates who have a legitimate shot and are included in the debates, etc., I would never do it. We all know at the end of the day either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will be elected. If you don’t like either of them, I think looking past the presidency to the vice presidency is a great plan.

If you’re still undecided, that’s fine. Do some research. If you don’t like either candidate, look to their VP choices. Are you comfortable with either of them being President should something happen? Look toward the Supreme Court. This is what I am basing my vote on this year.

If we elect Donald Trump or if we elect Hillary Clinton…they could have 4 years in office and be gone. But the Supreme Court Justice(s) that get appointed, and at least 1 will…their average length of service is 16 years, with some service much longer. This is huge, y’all! I implore you at this point to think long and hard about that. Where do you stand when it comes to things like abortion, gun control, healthcare, and immigration? Consider that when you vote, and remember that the candidate who takes office will have a hand in shaping those things for the future simply based on the appointment of a Supreme Court Justice.

Are you happy with the way the last 8 years have gone? I’m not. I see one candidate who promises more of the same, but on steroids. The other is a loose cannon, I’ll give you that, but has a history of surrounding himself with highly successful people who are good at their jobs.

Some of us are going to be very upset later today. There will be words said that shouldn’t. You may get into a political argument with a loved one or co-worker. And that makes me sad. Sad because in the end, we know the outcome of ALL OF THIS. In the end, good will triumph over evil. And I’m not talking about at the polls.

God is so much bigger than a political race. He can handle this. Regardless of who takes the oath, I beg you to PRAY for that person. Even if it isn’t who you voted for. Even if they make your stomach turn. Even if you secretly are one of the people researching a move to Canada or Brazil. Pray for the person who is elected and for our country. No President can heal our country. Only God can do that. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that our country needs some major healing.

 

We’ll Miss You, Julia Sugarbaker

I’m so sad to hear about the death of Dixie Carter. I was a huge fan and to this day, Designing Women remains my all-time favorite TV show.

In tribute, here’s a clip of one of my favorite Julia Sugarbaker moments!

Royal Watcher

So I remember watching the wedding of Diana and Charles. I was only 5. I think I either stayed up late or got up early to watch it. But even then I was enthralled by the festivities and the idea that Diana was a real princess.

She was so beautiful and the dress, the carriage, the sheer royalty of it all was such a fairy tale, especially to me, a little girl in Arkansas who would’ve worn a tiara every day if my Mom would’ve let me!

And while through the years, it became obvious that the fairy tale marriage was just a myth, I was still enchanted by Princess Di and her boys.

I remember hearing of her death in 1997. I had just come back from Europe and was camping with some friends for Labor Day. We had been water skiing and just having a great time. Josh’s parents were with us and they had their big camper with a TV and all. Most of us were staying in a tent. Someone came in the tent that Saturday night and said that Princess Diana was dead. I remember thinking at first that it was some kind of joke–maybe a Saturday Night Live skit that they’d seen, and not really the truth.

The next morning, we all watched the news on TV and saw that it was indeed the truth. Of course, during this very sad time, a funny story occurred. The TV announcer kept saying that “Diana was killed by Paparazzi” and Josh turned to his dad and said “Was Paparazzi her ex-boyfriend?” and his dad said “No Son, that’s just a fancy name for photographer.”

To this day, that was one of the funniest conversations I’ve ever heard!

After Diana’s death, I watched the funeral and remember worrying about her boys. They looked so alone as they walked behind her casket. So I’ve always kind of been interested in them and what they were up to.

I was very happy to see the interview this week that they did with Matt Lauer. I have to say that they are both cuties! (maybe I should book a flight to England…)

During the interview, you could see that they are very close to one another and seem pretty well adjusted. Like normal guys. Funny, warm, and maybe a little irreverent. The thing that struck me the most is how involved they both are in humanitarian efforts. It seemed very sincere too, not something they do for photo ops.

Their Mom would be proud.