This summed up my day!

More human posts coming soon... but this afternoon, it was just me and my hiking buddy!

Kolbe

I thought she deserved alittle attention on my blog!

St. Maximilian Kolbe

Everyone knows I have a cat, but I don't think anyone knows she was actually named after a great saint! Maximillian Kolbe was a priest in Poland who was arrested and sent to Auschwitz during World War II. The story goes that during this time when he was imprisioned, 3 people escaped from the ward he was assigned to. The guards gathered up everyone from this area, and told them that 10 would be selected and sentenced to this underground starvation chamber as a reprisal for the 3 that had escaped. One of the men selected was deeply distressed and was lamenting that he had a family, begging for his life... Fr Kolbe volunteered to take the place of this man, and died in the chamber in 1941. Click here to read more. I think it is such a neat story, so almost 13 years ago, I gave my kitty a very big name!

Valentine Bear

Me and Knut. Below is my favorite of the smiley boy pics! He makes a good subject to practice my photo taking techniques!

My parents went with us on a hike Saturday. Here they are! Earlier that morning, I took Tahoe to Petco where we picked up this cutie heart bandana. By the time the hike was over, it was thrashed.

Into the Light!

I'm finally out of the dark ages... I got a new computer and a camera! Yay! Everything is suddenly bright, shiny, fast, and digital! I've been wanting a camera for several years and finally broke down and bought one, even though it was a scaled down version of what I wanted. I love it though, and I think it takes very good pics for the amount of money I spent on it! I love my computer equally as much! Here are some of my 1st pictures. Me and Tahoe have been going for hikes in this canyon almost everyday when the the weather is nice! It is so beautiful from all the rain, and it's so much fun to watch Tahoe become so ecstatic when I take him off the leash to run! His little furry face beams with joy the whole time we are out there!

gods of men

So I caught the last hour or so of the Grammy Awards last night. Whenever I watch any of these award shows I always come to the same conclusion of thought. I always wonder why we tend to celebrate one talent over another? The entertainment industry in America is always putting together these big award shows to praise and glorify their own. When you think about it, actors, singers, writers, producers are all just manifesting their gifts that were given to them by God. They were all born with this thing on the inside, the innate desire to do what they do. I'm not saying that they don't have to work hard to get where they want to be, but I don't believe they work any harder than, lets say a doctor does when he puts himself through medical school so he can go on to treat countless cases of childhood cancers thoughout his lifetime. There are millions of amazing people out there who never get this type of recognition for what they were put on this earth to do. There are people who not only have these wonderful talents but are also of sound, genuine moral character as well. You can't say that of Hollywood. Most cannot even keep a marriage together for longer than a couple of years. What about the mechanic, who has been given the gift of fixing things, and works a ton of overtime every week because he loves his family and wants to be a good provider? Or the couple who has been married for 60 years and has like 20 grandchilden? I think of Captain C.B. Sully Sullenberger, who had 40 years of flying experience. He got up each morning and went to work like everyone else but had no idea that all those years he was preparing for his miraculous landing on the Hudson. How talented is he? God gives everyone different abilities, and it always strikes me as odd the ones we choose to celebritize. Is that a word? When you take a step back and look at the overall picture it does seem like a form of idolatry where we are worshiping the creature instead of the Creator. Sometimes I at least find some humor in it. Like last night, when these 2 took the stage, it illuminated the absurdity of it all even more. I thought for sure some Frosty out there was missing some clothes!

Princess of Power!

This is She-Ra, Tahoe's friend. She can steal a whole chicken off the counter and consume it without leaving the slightest trace of bone or remnant of grease, all while you are taking a shower. She is pretty amazing!

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

On Inauguration Day, President Obama said, "The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."



I liked this quote, but I immediately thought of the unborn. I remember during the forum at Saddleback Church last fall, Rick Warren asked Barack Obama when life begins. He said that answering that question was, "above his paygrade." I really don't understand this, because if you do not know, do you move forward and set forth a plan to destroy that which you do not know? Obama has said that one of the first things he will do in office is sign the Freedom of Choice Act, otherwise known as FOCA. This act basically prohibits government to interfere or deny a women's right to choose. The state laws that are in effect right now, such as parental notification would simply be abolished. Religious hospitals could be forced to perform these procedures against their moral beliefs. Our tax paying dollars would be used to fund abortion all across the country. This act seems to summarize the moral decline of the great values this nation was founded upon. Life is ALWAYS precious, ALWAYS a blessing, ALWAYS positive, and should ALWAYS be protected. Abortion on the other hand, is the epitome of selfishness. It says, "my life is more important than yours." Last Sunday (Jan 25), a postcard campaign was launched by the U.S. Catholic Bishops. My parish participated in this. Postcards were sent to Sen. Barbara Boxer, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and whoever your congressman might be... Ken Calvert if you live in Riverside. It was worded like this:



Dear Senator,

At this time of serious national challenges, Americans should unite to serve the good of all, born and unborn. The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), the most radical and divisive pro-abortion bill ever introduced in Congress, would create a "fundamental right" to abortion that government could not limit, but would have to support. FOCA would overturn many existing widely supported policies, including laws protecting parental involvement and conscience rights and those preventing partial-birth abortion and taxpayer funding of abortion. Please oppose FOCA or any similar measure, and retain laws against federal funding and promotion of abortion. As your constituent, I would appreciate a written response telling me how you would vote on these matters.

Respectfully:_________________

Print name: _________________

Address: _________________

City, State, and Zip Code



They can be mailed to your senators at: United States Senate

Washington, D.C. 20515

and...

United States House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515



I know it seems hopeless with these two as our Senators, but it is true that every voice matters! I have read that most people in America are against abortion altogether, or at least believe it should be extremely restricted. Maybe what is needed is for more people to speak up and communicate these things to our leaders. Babies are the most innocent of the innocent! Shouldn't a country as great as ours be working on laws to protect that precious life even when it first appears in the womb and to speak up for those who cannot yet speak up for themselves?