The American Dream

It's that time again. Cool breezes refreshing us. Football season. And ah yes, another election. And this time it's a biggy. Actually, I would say this is the most significant one yet. There's so much at stake, so much emotion. I've never cared for politics, finding them uninteresting and distasteful. But this year, as each one of you knows, we've been bombarded with the presidential campaigns. I have never in my days seen an election year with more controversial issues and drama. If all of this were in a movie script, we would probably say it is too fantastic and overdone. Well, I have to make a confession: I've gotten pretty captivated by the whole thing. During the past couple of weeks I've been to many news sites, many blogs, and bookmarked many candidates' sites. I've learned much, and quite a bit of what I've learned hasn't been pleasant, I must say. Having the busy life that I do, it's been necessary for me to "steal" moments to do this, taking some time between various activities of homeschooling and homemaking, after the evening family devotions, or during lunch break. I've listened to news broadcasts and talk radio while tackling some needed fall cleaning projects.

As time has gone on with this, I've gone to bed quite a few times feeling unsettled and disturbed. There have been some inward stirrings that are really difficult to explain. Somewhere in the midst of all this, after prayer about it, I've decided to start my own series related to this election. Treading into this territory with a little fear , I have to say that I'm trying hard to stay away from the usual bitterness and hard feelings that so often come with political issues. It's a sure way to lose friends, you know. But I have these strong urgings in my own heart and conscience to have at least a little input, but hopefully in a positive way. So this series, which I'm calling "The American Dream," will be posts containing reflections, links, articles, quotes, news clips, whatever seems appropriate to me to accomplish what I'm attempting to do. You'll better understand this as it goes along.

Let me say at the outset that I'm not impartial. I'm not in the center. I'm not moderate. I'm conservative. This is something I'm neither embarrassed nor proud about. It's a statement about who I am in my views and political beliefs. I see most issues from that perspective. It has always had bearing on what I post and say here and this series is no exception. But what impacts my life and this blog the most is that I am a Christian. Sorrowfully, people have different meanings when they say they're Christians. My meaning (which I wholly believe is biblical) is that I'm a blood-bought child of God, through Jesus my Savior. I believe that the Bible is clear that there is no other Savior. The Scriptures are my rule for life--the whole Bible. I may not understand it all perfectly, but I try as best I can to follow its teachings. This is all said to let you know where I stand and what guides me in whatever I do in life, including this blog.

That being said, please bear in mind that this series is not being written to endorse any particular party or candidate(s). You'll probably be able to figure out where I stand on this, but that's not the point. Who cares what I think about any candidate? I really want this to be a series that makes all of us think--about the ideology behind what we do and about our country. I hope we'll all think not about what's "in this for me," but what's in this for America as a whole. You see, I have two children and two grandchildren, one who's still in the womb. What is the America that I want to see for them? You probably have children/grandchildren or maybe someday will have them. What is the America that you want for them?

It's hard to sort through it all, isn't it? You go to MoveOn. org and they're making their charges in one direction and then you go to Rush Limbaugh.com and they have a set of charges going back the other way. That's why we have to dig deep and check out everything, as best we can, as to how each side - all the sides - measure up in leading us to the nation we hope to have for our posterity. The stakes are as high as they've ever been, folks. BUT, more than anything, we need to dig deep in our own hearts and determine, as I heard someone say on the radio, just what are the fundamental building blocks in our lives--is it our faith or something else? These impact the choices we make.

So here's how I want to get this series going. Let's start out by thinking about "The American Dream." You've heard of it, I'm sure. So as not to take up too much space here (this post is already long), I'm linking to the Wikipedia article on it. We all know this term has evolved to encompass various meanings, somewhat different than the original one. But this is what I'm asking you to do--I'm asking you to answer this question: What is the "American Dream" that you have for yourself and your children? What is it that you want to see for our country? Actually, I'm not asking you to define what the original term means, but that you redefine it so that it is an expression of your hope and desire for America. It can be in just a few words or a paragraph. Years ago, Dr. King voiced his dream for this nation and it wasn't all about financial prosperity. It was about something intangible. So, what's your dream? Would you help me out in starting this series by writing a comment which conveys your hope and desire to the rest of us? And may I ask that you not mention a party or candidate in this particular comment? I definitely believe that if you do think seriously about this and commit your dream to prayer, it will help you in making your choice for the next President of this country that we all love.

Note: As I begin this series, I think there should be some ground rules about comments. I'm going to have to insist that all thoughts expressed maintain the spirit of courtesy and respect that has always been my desire for this blog. I cannot and will not allow any comments that violate this requirement. The following are examples of the types of comments that will be deleted:

• Any containing profanity.


• Sarcasm and distasteful jokes or unkind remarks about a person or group. (Of course, we all may have concerns about the practices of those with opposing views. We can express those views without being belligerent or disrespectful.)


• Unsubsantiated accusations. Actually, this isn't the place to make any accusations, even if you think your claims are substantiated.

Would you join in with this little series of blog posts by this insignificant housewife, who has limited knowledge of the subject, but a love for her country and God? Please do! Please start by telling us all your American dream!

[Btw, do you like Cinnabon? I have a ten dollar Cinnabon gift card which I've been waiting for the opportunity to give it to someone. This seems like a good time. A week from today, we'll draw a name from the people who comment (so you don't want to put "Anonymous", which won't count) and announce the winning comment and what was said. Then the winner can email me so they can claim their prize and we can hook up with the address, etc.etc. Needless to say, in this case each person will only be making one comment--one "dream."]