Comet? Meteor? UFO? Space Junk???

So I am at work Wednesday night, and head outside to take the trash out. And I see these strange lights moving across the sky!  At first I figure I must be hallucinating, because it looked like fireworks, all glittery, gold, green, and blue...but moving sideways. I stood there speechless, watching this amazing sight, then realizing I could be watching history, decided I needed a second set of eyes to confirm I wasn't going crazy!  Is this for real? A comet? A meteor shower? UFO?

This brilliant display lasted for about 45 seconds, traveling from west to east before it left our view. I then grabbed my phone and reached out on Facebook to see if anyone else had witnessed this. I found that several in my area had, but no one had an explanation. A bit later, after I got home, reports were coming in that it was some sort of "space junk", which has now been confirmed to be the Chinese CZ-7 R/B Rocket Booster breaking up after re-entry into the atmosphere. Still, an incredible event I will not forget any time soon, as I wonder what inspired me to be outside at that exact moment.

Making America Great Again

There is an ever growing feeling that America must do all within her power to become great and strong again.  We can only hope to survive as a free people if we keep ourselves strong.  But how do we measure our strength? Military Power? The value of the dollar? I believe the strength of our country must be measured by the integrity of our people.

We speak often of our freedoms. There is no freedom like the freedom of righteousness.  If America would remain mighty, she must have the strength of sobriety, of chastity and virtue, of honesty and integrity, and the power of true spirituality. If she would be strong, America must enjoy freedoms as essential to her welfare as any of the liberties listed in the Bill of Rights, Her people must strive for:

Freedom from unclean practices and unwholesome influences

Freedom from immorality

Freedom from intoxication

Freedom from the evils of divorce

Freedom from dishonesty

Freedom from selfishness

Freedom from idleness

Freedom from ignorance

Remembering that choosing between "the lesser of two evils" is still choosing evil, which if any of the candidates for President will protect the Constitution and help to restore the lost freedoms as listed above?

Pray Always

I've noticed a trend which is disturbing, at least to me. Every time we hear of a horrific tragedy, especially one involving multiple deaths, social media is covered with pleas for people to pray. Pray for Boston, Pray for Paris, Pray for Belgium, Pray for Orlando...  Don't get me wrong, prayer is a good thing, but why should we need to be reminded to pray?  Does prayer only work in the aftermath of such tragedies? Why can't we follow the commandment to pray always or the commandment to pray without ceasing? Shouldn't prayer be a part of our daily lives?  Shouldn't we be praying for our country, our leaders, our friends, our spouses, our children, and even our enemies? Why should we only turn to God when something goes wrong? If He can provide comfort in such perilous times, can't He provide that same peace and comfort always?

Bathrooms, Gorillas, and Amber Alerts

Last month, I was going to write a blog about all the silliness in not knowing what bathroom to use, because that really seemed to get people talking.

But then a toddler fell into a gorillas habitat, and everyone forgot about bathrooms. Now the same people who were transgender experts, or transgender-phobes were experts in zoos and tranquilizer darts.

An incredible shame what happened, but since this is America, someone has to be blamed, right? And heaven forbid it would be the parents! Think about that for a minute. How long would it take a toddler to accomplish what he did? I ask that for a reason, which brings me to my third different (but related) subject - Amber Alerts. I got one on my phone last night at almost 1:00 AM. So how is an Amber Alert formed? A missing child is reported to police, who believe the child is in imminent danger, and the public is alerted.

Well, on Thursday, I saw a young boy go missing. It started with him attempting to walk outside of our restaurant by himself. Several parents of other children stopped his progress, but couldn't locate the child's mother. He was brought to one of our managers as a missing child. Said manager picked him up, searched outside for anyone looking for a lost child, then did the same inside of the restaurant. He went to each table, asking if this lost boy belonged to anyone. No one stepped forward. He then returned to the end of the counter, all the while holding the boy, who didn't appear the least bit upset or concerned. It would have been a humorous situation, if not for the fact that it isn't funny! This child was missing for over 5 minutes before the mother realized he was missing! So I ask, what can happen in 5 minutes? How far can you drive in 5 minutes? Any child abductor would have had at least a 5 minute head start before ANYONE was notified. Again, what can happen in 5 minutes? For one, a toddler can enter the gorilla enclosure at a zoo with no one noticing in less than 5 minutes. How about the restroom where a child is allowed to go by themselves? What can happen there in 5 minutes?

Simply put, parents, WATCH YOUR CHILDREN! Pay better attention!  Put down that cell phone and hold their hand! It will not be Target's fault if something happens in a transgender or family restroom. It will not be the zoo's fault if a child is maimed or killed by an animal 10 times their size.
Your children are your most prized possessions, or they should be!

International House Of Apathy

How long would you wait for service before turning around and going someplace else? What is the maximum amount of time one should have to wait before at least being acknowledged?

So my wife and I walked into IHOP last night, to use a gift card she received for Mother's Day. The hostess stand was empty. 10 tables and booths were occupied, but no employees were in sight. After 5 minutes, I would have just walked away, but since dinner was going to be free, it was pouring rain, and I am stubborn, we waited. And waited. And waited... Finally, a server entered the dining area and at least made eye contact with us, but then proceeded to take orders from 2 different tables before coming over to us to say, "We'll be with you as soon as we can." It was a full 31 minutes before we were seated. Others entered the restaurant and left without anyone employed by IHOP knowing they were there. Several families stood in line only because their kids would be eating free.
                             
OK, so I get it. The restaurant is understaffed, overworked, and probably underpaid. But is that situation likely to change with such indifference when it comes to recognizing who is paying their paychecks? How many dollars were spent at nearby restaurants instead? Seeing a significant increase in sales might justify hiring more staff. How much effort would it have taken for someone to come over, take us to a table, apologize for the wait, and at least take a drink order?  It would have changed the perspective of the entire dining experience, not just for us, but for every person who left to eat somewhere else. The message would have been "We care, we are glad you are here. We know you have a choice in where to dine, and are thankful for the opportunity to serve you."  And believe me, there are choices! Hundreds of food choices within 2 miles. Instead, the message received was just the opposite - "Why do these people keep coming? If we ignore them, maybe they will go away. If they go, we won't have to work as hard!"

In this economy, a business simply cannot afford to be indifferent. At least not if they want to remain in business.

Au Revoir Monsieur Mitman

Mr. Mitman was one of my favorite teachers in high school. I was in his French class for all four years, in fact, I was the only student in his French 4 class in 1982-83. Because of this unique situation, my grade in class was based on me translating Paris newspapers from French into English, and creating articles in French for my newspaper.

I just learned of Mr. Mitman's passing on April 22nd. He had taught foreign languages at Wilson Area High School for 35 years, and retired in 1985. It is always sad to learn of the passing of a teacher who inspired me.  Au revoir, Monsieur Mitman. Repose en pais.

Heaven's Choir

Heaven's choir gained another member yesterday in Merle Haggard.

That choir is sounding sweeter every day it seems, as country music has lost quite a few legendary singers over the last 3 years - George Jones, Lynn Anderson, Jim Ed Brown, Sonny James... just to name a few. This is the music I grew up listening to, spending hours every weekend listening to the radio with my grandparents, and having the awesome opportunity as a young lad to see these legends perform in person, shake their hands, get their autographs...  So each time another passes beyond the veil, it is a sad time indeed. Not so much that I am sad that they are gone, but sad that another piece of my childhood has been taken away. I will always have the memories though, the music lives on, and Heaven's choir does indeed get sweeter and sweeter!