July 19, 2008

whirlwind

So my parents and my sister and I had a whirlwind trip this week. 1,583 miles round trip, four days gone, 1 brother graduated.

My brother has been gone the past 9 weeks for basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He's now fully immersed in the Army National Guard. And loves it. So we drove over there for his graduation from basic and then dropped him off at Fort Rucker in Alabama on our way home. He's doing 7 weeks of aeronautics training there. It was so great to see him again and meet some of his battle buddies...well, really, his brothers. I'm so proud of him.

ben in afc's.jpg
My brother in ACU's.

ben and the warriors.jpg
My brother and some of his fellow warriors from 3-13th Infantry, F company, 1st Platoon.

beni grad.jpg
The Battalion in formation on the parade grounds for graduation.

ben and me copy.jpg
My brother and me after graduation. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture that shows the fabulously shiny shoes he was wearing with his Class B's.

So there you have a summary of what I've been doing since Wednesday at 6.30 am. It was a great trip, and I'm so proud of him. He's a great brother, and a great man.

Posted by Renee at 11:27 PM | | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

June 06, 2008

D-Day

On the morning of June 6th, 1984...the fortieth anniversary of the storming of Normandy, President Ronald Reagan stood at Pointe Du Hoc and made this speech. It is long, but it is worth your moments. Do not forget the lives that were lost on foreign soil to defend liberty. It is their legacy we must continue to uphold.

We're here to mark that day in history when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For four long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved, and the world prayed for its rescue. Here in Normandy the rescue began. Here the Allies stood and fought against tyranny in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history.

We stand on a lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of France. The air is soft, but 40 years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke and the cries of men, and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon. At dawn, on the morning of the 6th of June, 1944, 225 Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs. Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion: to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns. The Allies had been told that some of the mightiest of these guns were here and they would be trained on the beaches to stop the Allied advance.

The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers--the edge of the cliffs shooting down at them with machine guns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After two days of fighting, only 90 could still bear arms.

Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs. And before me are the men who put them there. ...

Continue reading "D-Day" »

Posted by Renee at 03:52 PM | | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

May 24, 2008

mysticism unleashed

My dad was doing a word study on "Melchizedek" for his Sunday School lesson and came across a very interesting site. Now, I'm not an anti-mystic. I think a true understanding of Christianity and its work in our lives requires both reason and mysticism. But some people take it too far. The University of Melchizedek, for example. I have no comment, really, just read their front-page for yourself:

The Melchizedek University is a powerful arrangement of colleges, which are placed in various dimensions of our Universe to distribute the Records of Melchizedek as knowledge, understanding, wisdom and intelligence of God.

This Universe school carries the body of light to the neighboring planets as personal guidance instruction from the Creator. It is an actual sphere of Higher Mind Intelligence integrating all life in the Presence of Michael, the Universe Creator. Because of the proximity of Creator Michael to the University, the Earth University of Melchizedek is also interpenetrated with Christ Michael’s Presence.

For this reason you are meeting not only the radiation of Melchizedek as a vibratory release through the University materials, but you are also impacted by the living program of Michael as the Universe Father. This is important to remember and always must be considered as you take up the texts of the University.

The Melchizedek Records, released through the Scribe Crystal (Patricia Jepsen), form a platform for the consciousness of the emerging GodSelf. In agreement with the Christ teachings of Lord Jesus, High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, these Records permit the student to consciously realize Truth and achieve conscious union with God. (See New Testament, Hebrews 7)

The University of Melchizedek addresses the mystical side of Christianity and embraces the spiritual journey of all religions and faiths. The embodiment of the Christ is within every heart.

So....Feel free to share your reactions. I mainly laughed...and then felt so sad for people who buy into this.... Here's the url, in case you wish to read more: http://www.melchizedeklearning.com/

Posted by Renee at 09:19 PM | | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

May 13, 2008

it's a mad, mad, mad, mad world

I apologize for the lack of posting. Life has been hectic and weird. School is almost out, so right now is kind of like a weird maelstrom before the calm. We may all survive. Maybe. I had a two-mom-in-two-day showdown last week. And the Main Mom has been nitpicking me ever since. But I'm at the point where I just couldn't care less. That's probably not a good thing. I'm just so tired of her that not caring has become the preferable option to telling her exactly what I think. The downsides of teaching can be exponential in some circumstances. Good thing the upsides are almost always exponential.

In other news, my brother left for boot camp this morning. I miss him already. Seven months without my brother will be a very weird experience. Sigh. Keep him in your prayers if you could.

Well, that's about all I have at the moment. I will renew my posting vigour when school is finally out. And I've caught up on nine months of sleep. haha

Posted by Renee at 08:46 PM | | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

April 10, 2008

of arms and mattresses

Somewhere there is a clip (that I wish I could find) from one of Jerry Seinfeld's stand-up routines about a mattress. Specifically, he calls our attention to the practice of tying a mattress to the roof of a car to move it, and then holding on to it with your arm. Because of course, if the tie-down job should prove insufficient at highway speeds, the average guy will be able to hang on to said mattress with his arm. Of course, when he puts it that way, you can see the ridiculousness of holding onto the mattress with your arm. Right?

Today, my dad was listening to the New Orleans traffic report and just had to share it with me. This afternoon, the traffic over the Mississippi river bridge was backed up to kingdom come. "Why?" you ask. Because of two large mattresses blocking all the lanes. Apparently, two guys had laid the mattresses on top of their car and then proceeded to attempt a drive over the bridge--you guessed it--holding them down with their arms. Seinfeld comedy routines should now be classified under "Educational Material."

Posted by Renee at 10:42 PM | | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)