My baby is moving away!

A clarification. Both of my children moved away a number of years ago. Each moved to Seattle to go to college, and never moved home. My youngest is now moving to New York , which for some reason, feels like she is realllly moving away. My guess is that I have gotten so comfortable with Seattle, and them both living there, that this change seems so big.

It was a big deal when we moved my eldest onto campus, coming on ten years ago.. However, she was only "away at school", came home for summer holidays, and I had a high school student at home to occupy my thoughts. My eldest got work, stopped coming home other than for Christmas, and my youngest eventually followed her to school. My youngest never came home for summer, so when she left, I truly had an empty nest. However, I became accustomed to going up to see them and, after so many years, know my way around their neighborhood. When  I visited, I could see them both.

Now my youngest has graduated from the university , and after a few months of continuing to work at the job she has had through her time at school, has decided to seek her future and fortunes in New York by joining her best friend there.   It is, in fact, farther away--about 2,000 miles farther. It also is relatively unfamiliar territory for me. I have been in New York twice, (briefly)but more as a tourist than as a visitor of any length of time. Now that my girl is getting on a plane tomorrow night (snow and God willing) it seems even farther and unknown.

Mind you, this is a kid who can more than take care of herself in any city, probably better than I. It will be an exciting adventure while she figures out if NY is for her, and see if she can find gainful enough employment to pay rent, and to be happy in her newly chosen home.  It is her mother who is dealing with continental separation anxiety.

If she does take up long time residence there, I will no doubt visit. Over time, I will be able to find my way about. If she does not stay, she will likely end up back in Seattle . Which would not break either my or her sister's heart, but only if it was what she really wanted.  In the end, if she is happy, we will be. We just need to adjust. Eventually.

At last!

In the wake of the Tucson tragedy, the Arizona legislature passed emergency meaures which will bar the Westboro Bapist Church from picketing the funerals of the victims with their hate-filled messages. It will always remain beyond my capacity to comprehend the ability of these people to dare to say they speak for God when they say that such deaths are His judgement upon our country for tolerating (if this country can be said as a whole so to tolerate) homosexuality. That they could dare to spew such hate-filled garbage at the bereaved and tell them that God laughs over the deaths and that the deaths are His vengence on "fag-loving" America is rage-inducing. All of which they were more than ready to do at the funeral of a 9 year old girl who died standing in line to meet her Congresswoman. Why He doesn't smite them down, I will never know. If anyone deserved it, they do. But Luther tells us that we do not get the punishment we deserve, but rather, the salvation that we do not.

Surely the fact that these hate-filled people have not burst into flames is proof enough of God's tolerance.

The First Post of 2011, and a sad one

I am very sad to say that my first post of 2011 is one of a tragedy. The newscasts are labeling it "Tragedy in Tucson." A madman shot up a crowd gathered to meet their Congresswoman, in his attempt to kill her and any nearby. The Congresswoman fights for her life having been shot in the head, a half dozen are dead, including a 9 year old born on 9/11/01. Heartbreaking. And angering. It is clear that this 20-something man was scary enough to be kicked out of college and sent for psychological examination, but still could buy a semi automatic handgun, with monster multi-load clips. Let's hear it for the freedom to bear arms. The local sheriff decried the vitriol and level of heated rhetoric which he felt could have contributed to this man acting out. I am not sure of that, but I am sure we can do better than the way we have been exchanging views. And we can each accept our own ability to change the tone. When criticized for her comments about responding to opposition in cute sayings that included the word "reload", and targeting congressional districts (including that of the Congresswoman in Tucson)with the use of crosshairs in a map, Sarah Palin protested that she never meant the symbols to be from a rifle, but "Crosshairs like on a map" Oh please. When someone says, "I have them in my crosshairs", they ain't talking about no map. I do not blame Palin for this young man's actions, but to try to deny the imagery she has invoked is just plain bull crap.

It angers me even more than when something like this happens, anti-gun control groups come out in force to wail that now the gun control fanatics will try to use the tragedy to further their cause. You think? How would you expect them to react, when this is the very thing they fear. Good old AZ allows any and all to carry, and it did not help here, did it? There actually was an armed citizen nearby, but it was too late by the time he could react. Madmen are madmen, and we have to make it harder for them to arm themselves. Like the Virginia Tech student, there were clear signs that he was not in his right mind, yet the ease with which he could arm himself is alarming. At the time, there were those who blamed the campus's being a gun free zone, saying perhaps the kids could have protected themselves. That's a great idea, folks, let's have a shoot out at the OK Corral, and see who remains standing when it is all done.

There is nothing so portable, nor so deadly, especially in the hands of an unbalanced mind.