Books I want to finish by the end of the year
Serpent of Light
Likeness
In the Country of Men – Hisham Matar
Facing Your Giants
The Plague of Doves – Louse Erdrich
The Hour I First Believed – Wally Lamb.
Okay I am not reading all of this but I will finish them all by the end of the year
The Real Housing Crisis in this Country
I feel it is important to share with you what I am sure many American’s are facing when dealing with the task of modifying their home loan. My husband I have been married for twelve years, we saved for the first ten years in order to buy a home that was not too much and offered a safe place for our then two year old daughter to grow. Three months after we closed, my husband who has been on the purchasing and estimating side of construction was laid off. At the time we had to cash out all saving in order to live. He is at the University of South Florida finishing his degree in civil engineering all while still looking for a job. To no avail, there are no jobs. We have been struggling but also fortunate that many people have helped us along the way. In March, 2009 we started to home loan modification process with Citimortgage. We currently have a 30 year fixed rate FHA loan. We worked with their staff until Friday, May 22 when they told us that we were not eligible for the government modification plan. The problem is that we had been speaking with them daily; apparently, they found out weeks earlier but neglected to share the information with us. We are now trying to obtain a traditional modification. After speaking with the loan consultant we were informed that I do not make enough money to qualify for any modification unless we could reduce our bills and monthly payments. At that point I truly wanted to let the lady know if we could reduce our bills we would and hence, we would not need a modification. On June 10th we were told since we have an FHA the only option is to bring the interest to the prime rate which is 5.85%. That should have been stated to us when we made our very first phone call, it would have saved me and Citi time and money.
I work for the Girl Scouts and have been employed in the non-profit arena for almost ten years even though I have had many offers to go into the corporate arena, I know my community needs what I can bring to the table and I know I make a difference daily. My question is simple, what can we do at this point. We are a couple who, even though we had our income cut in half over 18 months ago survive this sad mess. We have never missed a mortgage payment, we have worked hard a stayed on top of what we could. Apparently, the government’s modification program is only for those with conventional mortgages.
Sometimes the Sadness is just too much – I feel like April Wheeler
I feel like This phrase is one that could define my life in its current context. To say that things have been a little difficult would belittle the sense that I feel when I wake up, go to bed or move around my home or work. The problem, however is not simple it is a complexity that is now out of my hands. The sense of sadness is that I do not think I can or will be able to keep it all together in a way that will benefit anyone especially my beautiful daughter who loves me more than anything and all the way around – her words this evening as we were cuddling before she drifted off to bed. So how is it that I can clearly define myself as self assured and confident in public but alone away from it all I am a little girl lost; torn between too many issues that I am ultimately responsible, or I feel that I am ultimately responsible. I am not a whiny person, so it is very difficult to even state in a public way that I am sad, sad to a point where I do not even want to move; sad to a point where I wonder how or if I will ever feel happiness that is not a show for someone else’s sake. The horrible part is that I am starting feel that I have lost my place in the world, a world that I have for so long been completely enjoying but that is no longer the case as the sadness is just too much.
Here it Goes – National Day of Prayer
My First entry,
Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer. I must first state clearly and with no reservations that I believe in God, in heaven and hell. I pray daily, sometimes for the little things; like safely making it across three lanes of traffic during rush hour, that I can survive a busy day at the office. However, on a daily basis I pray for the safety and well-being of my family, my friends and the men and women who are so bravely and selflessly serving and protecting our country. I would even venture to say that most people of faith and spirituality spend time each day praying, meditating or asking for guidance and support from a higher being. So it made me wonder, what is the deal with the National Day of Prayer and why are so many up in arms that our President may not have a ceremony in our house, the White House to observe the National Day of Prayer. We have a President who is a Christian, a man of strong faith, a man who through his own statements has made it clear that he prays daily. However, we must also know that we are in a time when far too many so called religious Christians are passing judgment against those who do not follow Christianity. Do they forget that this country was a refugee for those escaping religious oppression. Still today, people who do not follow the tenants of Christianity are belittled and degraded for possessing a sense of faith and spirituality that is not the same as those felt by these so called Christian leaders. Shame on them
On April 17, 1952, by President Harry S. Truman signed a bill proclaiming a National Day of Prayer must be declared by each following president at an appropriate date of his choice. In 1982 a National Prayer Committee formed to coordinate and implement a fixed commemorated day of prayer. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan amended the law decreeing that the National Day of Prayer should be held on the first Thursday of May. A claimed intention of the National Day of Prayer was that it would be a day when members of all faiths could pray together in their own way.
However, how is it possible in this wonderful country of ours that our President would direct his (however, maybe one day her) constituents in observing and/or following religious practices. This in my mind, and in the writing of one of our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson is a clear violation of the United States Constitution.
Issues of government involvement with religion are often disputed because of the Establishment clause in the First Amendment. While the free-exercise clause allows for this type of event to be organized by non-governmental bodies, the U.S. Congress may not pass any laws enforcing religious observances.
The contention is notably brought to attention by one of the Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson. On January 23, 1808 he wrote on the topic:
| “Fasting and prayer are religious exercises; the enjoining them an act of discipline. Every religious society has a right to determine for itself the time for these exercises, and the objects proper for them, according to their own particular tenets; and right can never be safer than in their hands, where the Constitution has deposited it. …civil powers alone have been given to the President of the United States and no authority to direct the religious exercises of his constituents.” |
The main group behind this National Day of Prayer is the National Day of Prayer Task for, who, according to their website state the following: The National Day of Prayer Task Force’s mission is to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, mobilizing the Christian community to intercede for America and its leadership in the seven centers of power: Government, Military, Media, Business, Education, Church and Family.
Who is behind the NDP Task Force?
The Chairman is Mrs. Shirley Dobson, who has held the position since 1991. Mrs. Dobson volunteers her time and does not receive a salary. The NDP Task Force consists of a full-time staff and a network of thousands of grassroots volunteers nationwide. Prior to Mrs. Dobson’s involvement, the Task Force was led by Mrs. Vonette Bright, wife of former Campus Crusade for Christ president and founder Bill Bright.
Is the Task Force affiliated with Focus on the Family?
No. Though Mrs. Dobson is married to Focus on the Family board chairman and founder Dr. James Dobson, the NDP Task Force is a separate organization. It is housed in the Focus on the Family headquarters for convenience, so long as Mrs. Dobson remains the Chairman. Its business affairs are separate and Focus on the Family is compensated for services rendered. However, between 1990 and 1993, Focus on the Family did provide grants in support of the NDP Task Force. Since then, the Task Force has been completely self-supported.
I do not know about you, but in my profession it is never ethical for an organization to financially support another organization through grants if the chairman is married to the chairman and leader of the granting organization. Put aside the fact the granting organization is focus on the family, an organization who has shredded the beauty of our constitution to best suit their unyielding and truly not family centered beliefs.
The National Day of Prayer Task Force argue for the constitutionality and need for a National Day of Prayer, claiming that the “Founding Fathers did not mean for our government to be separated from our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”.
So today, Wednesday, May 6th I ask everyone, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Atheist to take a moment and do something good for someone, whether it is a stranger or someone you know. I will still pray on my way to work, but as a woman of faith I do not need an organization to institutionalize prayer for me. I do not need an organization that has ties to those who are not tolerant and who are judgmental and try to mask their intolerance with a religious veil and even think they have the right to try and teach people how to live as Jesus did. I live and teach others around me to be good stewards of the earth, to be kind and love others for no other reason except that they are here just like me trying to make it through the day. So in the end, we do not need prayer to be something that is institutionalized, we need more people who are tolerant of others, who do not shy away from a person who does not share their same faith. We live in a world of horrible and yet sometimes exciting uncertainty, a country that was founded on the premise of offering a safe haven for people to believe in their God, not matter what that really means to them.
