Thinking and Trusting

 

God our Father,
Giver of life,
We trust the United States of America
to Your Loving Care.

You are the Rock on which this nation
was founded.
You alone are the true source
of our cherished right to life,
Liberty and pursuit of happiness.

Reclaim this land for Your Glory,
and dwell among Your people.

Send Your Spirit to touch the hearts
Of our nation's leaders.

Open their minds to the great worth of
Human life,
And the responsibilities that
accompany human freedom.
Remind Your people that true happiness
Is rooted
in seeking and doing Your will.

Grant us the courage to reject
the "culture of death."
Lead us in to a new millennium
of life.

We ask this through Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

Prayer for our Nation Since this was copied from a site, the words are highlighted in white. And my computer choose to highlight my own words. It also, it seems, has free will.

God has given so much and He has taken away. He is in charge. We are not.

We are responsible for our choices. When an opportunity to help or influence a needy person, that is through our own will. When there is a time to help and we ignore that time, that is through our own will.

Free will, that is a gift from God. We may implement that gift or we may abuse that gift: our choice.

Think of that as these days and years go by. Complain or don't complain. Support newly elected leaders or don't, your choice.

Walk down to the River

 

Josh Groban is a talented man with an outstanding voice. This is what he has given me today.

Josh Groban has been a voice that we all welcome. This voice comes from a depth he experiences about depression and anxiety.  He wrote this song.

He is a prodigy who was surrounded by an extremely talented family which focused on music. This second performance above is from him talking about his struggles, how they led him down the road that developed his talent.

 "Groban began singing in 7th grade and later enrolled in the Interlochen Arts Program to concentrate on his voice. As fate would have it, his vocal coach was friends with David Foster, a well-known producer, writer and arranger, and in 1998, Groban and Foster began working together."

When a child discovers he has a major talent, is encouraged to pursue it by musical parents and given training by accomplished musician David Frost, the child grows to be a man who gives back to the world.

This has more meaning to me than ever before. Since being diagnosed with Parkinson's I have discovered that the new me has required more from me than ever before. Sooo much that I was used to doing the many many things that filled me with me with joy are now gone.  Depression is more part of me than I ever thought possible. 

 

Telling me that I will discover new things that will fill that void is not going to encourage me. At this point, typing is hard, and I haven't learned to successfully dictate typing.  Will keep up that effort.  Please pray for me and my dear husband John. 

 

Who left us?

 

What does this list mean to you? 

• Robert Redford – 89, Oscar-winning actor, director, and Sundance Film Festival founder, died in September Deseret News.
• Diane Keaton – 79, acclaimed actress and Oscar winner, passed in December Entertainment Weekly+1.
• Val Kilmer – 68, Oscar-winning actor (Tomb Raider, The Mask), died in December Entertainment Weekly+1.
• Michelle Trachtenberg – 44, Gossip Girl star, died in December Entertainment Weekly.
• Isiah Whitlock Jr. – 71, The Wire star, died in December Entertainment Weekly.
• Diane Ladd – 85, actress (The Leftovers, The Last Picture Show), died in December AARP.
• Roberta Flack – 88, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, died in February AARP+1.

Brian Wilson – 

• David Lynch – 78, visionary filmmaker (Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive), died in January AARP.
• Gene Hackman – 95, Oscar-winning actor, died in February PBS+1.
• Ozzy Osbourne – 71, legendary heavy metal frontman, died in December PBS+1.
• Rob Reiner – 82, Oscar-winning director (The Graduate, Start the Revolution Without Me), died in December AARP.

Politics & Public Figures

• Pope Francis – 87, leader of the Catholic Church, died in April PBS+1.
• Dick Cheney – 91, former U.S. Vice President, died in March PBS+1.
• David Souter – 88, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice, died in March AARP.
• Charlie Kirk – 38, conservative activist, died in September from a fatal shooting PBS+1.
• Virginia Giuffre – 40, trafficking victim and activist, died by suicide in September PBS+1.

Sports & Athletes

• George Foreman – 76, boxing legend, died in March PBS+1.

Hulk Hogan – 69, professional wrestling icon, died in March AARP

 

• Bob Uecker – 90, “Mr. Baseball” broadcaster, died in January AARP.
• Ryne Sandberg – 64, Hall of Fame baseball player, died in March AARP.
• Dick Button – 95, Olympic figure skating champion, died in February AARP.

Other Notable Losses

• Wayne Osmond – 73, singer and guitarist for The Osmonds, died in January PBS+1.
• Peter Yarrow – 86, member of Peter, Paul and Mary, died in January PBS+1.
• John Feinstein – 69, sportswriter, died in March AARP.
• Bill Moyers – 80, journalist and TV host, died in November AARP.
• Susan Stamberg – 80, NPR news anchor, died in November AARP.
• James Arthur Ray – 67, self-help guru, died in January PBS.
• Rosita Missoni – 93, matriarch of the Missoni fashion house, died in January PBS.
• Jean-Marie Le Pen – 96, French far-right political leader, died in January PBS.
• Costas Simitis – 88, former Greek prime minister, died in January PBS.

These losses reflect a year of profound cultural and political change, with many of the departed leaving lasting legacies in their fields.

What does it mean to me? It means that the people who affected my life through out the decades we shared are gone physically. When they walked off the stage, we are on the way after them.