Guardian Angels

I pictured for years, when my husband traveled for business, an angel with a flaming sword sitting on our roof every night. Protecting. Keeping away evil. Battling any bad guys. I could sleep at night with a heavenly partner in my corner. Especially after our child was born.

When my son entered high school the intensity of the social culture kicked up a notch. Not so much the popularity pressure but other influences like alcohol. Drugs. Smoking. Sex. As a parent vigilance took on an intense new meaning. I asked for the Holy Spirit to protect my son. To re-enforce good decisions, right choices. Two names and faces appeared in my mind' eye: 'Frank' with glasses, short dishwater blond hair, thin, kind of geeky. 'Joe' -- darker/longer hair, brown eyes, very cool dude. (Guess our kid needed extra attention!)

During the college years I found myself praying even harder, relying on them all the more. All this sound weird? To you, maybe. To me? Absolute relief. Four years flew by. No calls from jail or the hospital.

We could look at this from a practical viewpoint. Strictly as an employment issue. Think of all the good souls now living in God's house. Their loyalty, faith, focus to duty are unquestionable making them excellent prospects for the millions of positions available. It's the perfect situation. Their talents partnered with the desperate need here on earth. Talk about a win-win.

So -- we're down to brass tacks. Do GA's exist? I haven't seen any. Nor talked to one. No correspondence has ever been exchanged. No fingerprints, footprints, etc etc. (... or wing-prints in this case) have been found in or around my house. No physical evidence. But that's what makes it feel so good. My faith alone unequivocally tells me they are here.

And that's all the proof I need.

It Does Take a Village

When Hillary Clinton published her book, I had absolutely no interest in reading it. Seemed like a waste of time. Didn't like her politics, wasn't going to support this avenue of revenue for her.

One Sunday, months later, I was in our church's library and I saw a copy lying on the bookshelf. I walked over and picked it up. Flipped through it. Not a very thick book. An easy, quick read. So I sat down and skimmed through it. Aside from her pointed left-wing comments, the concept of the book was a logical one: We do depend on each other to guide, nurture, educate, prepare, protect our children. BUT...BUT... I, as the parent, am ultimately responsible for my own.

We cannot put the blame on a teacher or a scout leader or a coach or a neighbor when we are disappointed in the behavior or choices of our children. Morals, manners, personal integrity, faith, self-esteem, discipline must be given the means to grow and thrive in our own homes. As parents we most definitely have the right to choose who we want surrounding our children to keep them safe, act as good examples, and broaden their horizons in new and healthy and strengthening ways.

That's what LOVE means. That's how RESPECT develops. That's an EXPECTATION. That's our JOB.