Good Grief....

Enough is enough already.
Before I say anything, I should throw in my hypocrite disclaimer.
I'm only human.
Even though I'm nearly six feet tall, I fall short.
And often.
I do the the things I don't want to do and don't do the things I want to do.

Like form a Love Train.
I really, really, really want to form a Love Train.
I'm talking a bona fide, coast to coast, world wide, hand in hand, this land is my land, this land is your land.....
Love Train.
One Tribe y'all.

Often times we are too busy fighting, arguing and yelling at everyone who doesn't believe the same as we do.
In true Jerry Springer fashion I did this myself just last week.
How do you repent when you barely remember what you did?
I sleep cussed.

I walked the walk...alright......
Right into the living room wearing my underwear and tank top, verbally unleashing on my two loud laughing daughters.

This Mommie Dearest moment only caused them to laugh even louder.
We put the "Fun" in dysfunctional, for sure.
I'm sorry Focus on the Family.
I try. And I admit, it was not one of my better moments.

Sometimes, in my selfishness and overall general lack of self control, I lose focus.
And cross the line.
I miss the line.
Even with my Dollar General readers on, the line just keeps getting blurrier and blurrier.

Right and wrong.
Black and white.
Your side, my side.
Right side, left side.

Side by side. Hand in hand. That's how I'd prefer to walk the walk.

Maybe I'm not the only one who has monumental meltdowns, but I truly am tired of all the fighting.
In the words of Robert Duvall in, "The Apostle,"....."Give me, give me, give me Peace Lord!"

I hear my daughter mimic me. "I thought you always say, "anything worth having, is worth fighting for."
Okay, well that's different.

I don't watch the news, rarely read the paper or even barely glance at my once addicted, Facebook newsfeed anymore because everyone is yelling.

We take tragic news stories like Sandy Hook and instead of grieving with families over loss, we start a political debate about gun control.

My heart goes out to them all by the way.
I can't even begin to fathom that kind of loss.
But I believe Good can be found in Grief.
If we're looking for it.

Let's hook up, come together and cross the lines with love.

Just before Christmas I read that some group was protesting a Charlie Brown Christmas play at a school. Charlie Brown!
Good grief!
Are you kidding me? Is this for real?
If you don't like it, don't go.

I want to live in a world where we can say, "Merry Christmas," and I don't have to worry about getting fired.
You can tell me Happy Hanakah if you like and I won't be offended.
I don't even know how to spell it and I hope you're not offended by that.

I believe in God.
I believe in Jesus Christ.
You don't have to, but I'd really, really like for you to check it out.

We are blessed to live in a country with freedoms, but for some reason, I'm feeling less free to be me every day.
And maybe that's the point.
It's not about you or me.

What if it's about Him?
Uh-oh. I just went and got all religious fanatic! :)

The line is too blurry.
Johnny Cash couldn't walk a line this crooked.

It's gotten too over the top ridiculous.

I've recently found out that I'm apparently not allowed to let a maintenance man in the dressing room while customers are in back changing clothes. (Which sounds like common sense to me.)
But......if a man who is a "customer" comes in wearing a sparkly red tunic because he prefers to dress like a woman, then yes, in that case, I must provide him a fitting room where the women are dressing. 

Are you kidding me?
It's a women's clothing store!
Seriously!! I don't get it.

(This is the part where I should probably also provide a disclaimer that says this is only my opinion and does not in any way reflect the viewpoints of anyone I work for, have ever worked for, talked to, breathed on, looked at or even smiled in the direction of.)

Is there no line, or article of clothing, that cannot be crossed? :)
I'm kidding.
And I'm just wondering because it's gotten very confusing.

I try and love all people at all times.
Let your freak flag fly high as you like, but come on...isn't there a better place for that?
Whatever happened to majority rules?

In grade school, if it started snowing during recess, the teacher would ask, "By a show of hands who would like to go outside and play?" "Very well. And who would like to stay in?"

We either played out or stayed in, depending on how many arms were raised for each question.
And though there might have been a few..."awww"'s, it ended there.
No one went on and on about why it wasn't fair.

Here's another thing I remember......
We all raised our hand.
No one, never, NOT voted.
And noone complained because we knew the rules.

Now we are grown but it's not really that way any more.
It's become, "do it my way" or someone is going to throw a big fit, file a law suit, and cost us all many sleepless nights and a lot of wasted time and money.

Entire companies are changing policies to accommodate the wishes and feelings of a few.

Andy Andrews has a must read blog titled, "Controlling the Cookie Flow," that talks a little about this. If you read anything this week, read that...it's awesome and makes perfect sense.

Especially in a world where not much seems to.
'Cause at the end of the day he says, "No one really cares how you feel, they care how you act."

Can I see a show of hands for loving people even when we disagree?
Get on board.
Good grief.