Sometimes we feel like we live in a bubble. Sometimes we turn on the news and say ‘ well, that can’t happen here’. We are a nice community! We look out for each other. We know each other.

But, this past week two things have happened in my little part of the world, in my local community, that reminds us that bad things happen everywhere. No place is perfect and no place is free of problems, some hidden and some in the open.

First, last week we learned of a married couple who lived in my town and hoarded dogs for years in a small house, never letting the dogs out, never getting them medical help. Last week county officials finally got a warrant to enter the house and found over 100 dogs living in their own feces and pee. Unkept. Caged. The house had deceased animals. Perhaps over a hundred. Decayed. Disgusting. After years of neighbors complaining, and recently of dogs suspiciously dropped off at night to the local shelter, the police finally took action. What they found was beyond words.

Then, just a couple of days ago news came out that a child sex offender had been volunteering for years at one of the biggest churches near by. The church is a mega-church that has a preschool and a Christian academy. This man spent hours and hours with children. Yet, the pastor defended him, and said he has repented, and has been watched closely over the years. But, the parents did not know! The community did not know! So, it has blown up big time, and I have a feeling the pastor will be forced out, and others who were aware of the sex offender in their midst will have to go too. It happened in a school environment with boys and girls of all ages!!

Both horrible cases have created outrage – rightly.

Both cases have shown how mental health is a huge problem.

Both cases have reminded us that laws need to be followed. When they are not, truly hell on earth can happen.

And both cases prove that no place is free from people doing horrible things. Even in a lovely, touristy beach town with families, with strong values, with southern roots, with religion – like here.

It can, and it does happen here.

When you think of the word ‘threat’ it never brings up a positive feeling.

Right?

The definition is…

“A threat is a statement or action that indicates an intention to cause harm, damage, or other negative consequences.”

It seems we live in a world today where many like to use threats to achieve something. Has it always been this way? Or, am I just noticing it more now?

Doesn’t it seem that our political arena is full of threats? Daily. Maybe it is because it is so easy to put out threats now on social media. Maybe it’s an easier way to live, instead of working towards something together.

In the business world, in personal relationships, and in politics, I think when someone uses threats it does these things:

It scares the recipient of the threat. Of course. That’s the plan.

It causes the recipient to either walk away, or to push back.

It never improves a situation. Instead it causes worry, and fear, and it can certainly cause ill will, and walls to go up.

Threats that can be backed up (like: do this or I will destroy you, follow me or I will take you down, vote this way or I will tell the public some secrets about you) will work. It has proven they do.

But, what does it say about the person who threatens?

Are they trying to get the upper hand? Trying to be a bully? Just innately mean? Are they compensating for a lack of understanding?

I have been fortunate to live with people who do not use threats. I don’t have personal relationships with any, and if I did, I can guarantee I would just walk away. I’d exit from their lives. Why? I find peace of mind, and feeling calm too important to me.

Maybe that is why when I see it used, especially in our politics, it turns my stomach. I have little respect for anyone who falls back on using threats as a way to try and get their own way.

By now you know who I am talking about, right?

Threats to harm someone physically, mentally, and emotionally, are ploys, ways to play games, and have no place in honest and serious negotiations.

Threats can go hand in hand with lies. Because, threats when not backed up are lies. But the damage is already done.

After being on an amazing Disney cruise I wonder if Walt Disney could have ever imagined how his simple drawing of Mickey Mouse would turn into all this? ALL THIS!!! I’d say no, but he was alive for the opening of the first theme park, so he was a visionary back then. But, truly, all this?? Who could have imagined? Movies, TV shows, books, international amusement parks, cruises, private islands, toys, and more! And it has all endured throughout the years and years – and there is no stopping it with little children loving the famous mouse and all his friends, generation after generation! I have experienced the joy on the faces of the children!

I also wonder… how a whole staff, from servers to the entertainment, ship crew to maintenance, cooks to cleaners, and ALL the jobs it takes to live on the ship in a part we never see, fits on that big boat. A couple of thousand. It is mind boggling.

And, think about the laundry needed to be done on board! And think about all the food and drink required to keep everyone fed and happy! Guests and crew. How??

I love that the staff and the personnel are international. Our servers at dinner were from France and England. Their stories, like all aboard, are very interesting. What makes someone excited about working on a ship, 24 – 7? There is little time off. It’s hard work. And, it is done always with a smile. Kudos to those who make it all happen, and who bring happiness to the big and little faces.

I wonder…. what the founding fathers of the United States fought over back ‘in the room’ in 1776. I mean, they had to disagree on some of what should go into the Constitution, and they had to finally come to agreements, and put together a document that has held up through time. Ok, yes, there were some added amendments. Good reasons for them! But, can you imagine if the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the writers of the Constitution could take a look at us now. I wonder if they would be thrilled that it has stood up through the test of time. Would they fear now that the power of the words in the documents has lost some of its impact?

I wonder… which city and state had the best 4th of July party? I watched the historic big ships come in to NY harbor, and I know the city had fantastic fireworks! Nothing beats the display above the Statue of Liberty! And of course Philadelphia was where it all started and it celebrated big!! I was impressed with the music and drones & fireworks in Nashville (shown on ABC, which is owned by Disney by the way.) I cannot fathom how those drones can fly so close to each other and make beautiful images in the night sky! Such amazing technology!

I wonder… is ‘too much too much?’ Some fireworks went on for so long that it kinda lost its pizzazz. Right? I wonder…. Did our tax money pay for it all?

I wonder…. if Taylor and Travis getting married topped the nation’s birthday celebration? Ha! Maybe. It got equal time in the media. It was BIG news!!! It was fun to learn of all the festivities – and to hear of the incredible charitable giving. WOW!! Now that was some awesome wedding gifts that came FROM the bride and groom! I am on “Team T & T”. The two are powerhouses in their individual fields, hard working, honest, funny, really caring, family loving, and humble with all their success. Do we have heroes still today? I think these two qualify.

Of course, Dolly qualifies as a hero also. She has all the same attributes. A giving heart. A talent that has allowed her to share, to help, to create special moments for so many people.

I wonder…. are you into the World Cup? I never thought I would be, but this time around I have caught some of the fever. I am watching it through the eyes of my 8 year old grandsons who have jumped into it all big time!! They know the players and they have chosen favorite teams. They watch as much of the games as they can. We all even watched while we were on the cruise last week – on the pool deck, outdoors, as it was shown on the huge screen there. A pretty cool experience. I wonder…. Is it tacky that our president stepped in to get a call reversed for the USA team?? I think so.

I wonder…. About the summer heat. Okay, August has always historically been hot. The dog days of summer! But, what is going on? We are reaching temps of 100 in June and July in many parts of the country. Is this global warming? Or, just a fluke? Will it negatively affect hurricane season? Eeek!!!

I wonder…. as summer flies by (it always does) and time marches on, are we trending upwards? Have we dipped as low as we can go politically? Will this fall, with the November election, will time bring us some justice? Will the hot summer of our 250th year as a nation carry us into a cooling off period? Where smarter minds prevail. Where people admit when wrong. Where hope returns. When politics isn’t the main subject all the time. When we can breath and feel relieved.

I wonder.

Today I am feeling so sad and so disappointed. And, yes, mad. I feel a lot like I did the first time Trump won as president and I realized just how many Americans were still so truly racist.

Today, as I see what happened yesterday in the State House in Tennessee, 9 years after the pain of Trump’s first win, I feel my heart sinking all over again.

In case you don’t know, the Republican majority of legislators in Tennessee voted yesterday to gerrymander voting districts in Memphis and split them up in a way that what was the ONLY Democratic (mostly black) district is no more. They divided the area and stretched it miles in to rural areas. They did not even pretend, or hide, their reason for doing it. They wanted a Republican ‘super state’ and by changing the districts they took away Democratic power. It was a predominantly black area. Memphis had a black representative.

If you happened to catch any of the media coverage from what happened you will see that white old men were the Republicans who voted yesterday to gerrymander the voting districts. One of them even draped himself in a Trump flag. Many of them had to be escorted out of the state house by state troopers, a reminder of days long ago.

Protestors were outside. They had a right to be. If I had lived there I would have been right there with them.

Gerrymandering needs to be outlawed. It is unfair, especially to minorities. Changing district lines to serve a political party is disgusting. It is a game played, a tit for tat, that has gotten way out of control.

Unfortunately, we have a president in office with no ethics, or moral well being. He believes to win at all costs! He likes to hurt his opponents. He approved the redistricting (gerrymandering) during an election cycle, which before is never done. Redrawing maps is supposed to be a once in every 10 years decision, yet it has been done anyway, without any penalty.

My state, South Carolina, is about the have the same thing happen. South Carolina is also run by a Republican majority. They plan to follow Tennessee and do some gerrymandering of districts. I am a Democrat in a Republican county and district so the lines here will not be changed. But, some places in Columbia and Charleston will be targets. These are urban areas with progressive voters, and the legislators will work to redistrict them and make their votes lost.

It is a disgusting tactic.

What can we do? The most important thing is vote out every single legislator who supports gerrymandering. Vote for men and women who will outlaw this unfair way to change voting areas, which change the numbers that are so important to the Electoral College. In the meantime, speak up. I admit I feel sad that my representatives are Republican and will not listen to me. Lord, knows I have tried. And, I have both Sen. Graham and Sen. Scott in my state, so I can forget trying to get through to them. Both have extreme loyalty to Trump. It seems hopeless.

It is frustrating to say the least. It’s another part of democracy getting chipped away in our country. Tennessee and South Carolina are both examples of the backwards, good ole boy, control still very potent in our country. They want control over minorities. They want to have the power. Gerrymandering is wrong. It is racial. It is against our system of free elections in our society.

I admit that as a white woman I am embarrassed by those of my same skin color, of my same European lineage, who feel they need to hold such power over others. To throw their weight around. I hurt for those who have struggled so long, through Jim Crow, the Civil Rights movement, the trudging on over so much time, just having to ‘prove’ they deserve to vote. And, now, to have gerrymandering come around and make it a step backwards again….

I am sorry for them – and for this country.

As I listened today about the life of Ted Turner, I could not help thinking back on those early days of CNN. I remember them. I had just graduated from college and I was at my very first job, in a Baltimore radio station newsroom. WBAL Radio. That newsroom still had ticker-tape style, very loud, UPI and AP machines that spewed out typed new stories that came in from around the country and around the world. Bells would ring from the machines as stories came in. The more bells that rang at once then the bigger, more important the story. It was ‘rip and read’ back then. We would rip off the ticker paper and run into the studio and read it over the airwaves.

Oh yes, we made morning phone calls to the police stations to find out what happened in the city over night. We ran ‘audio tape machines’ to get sound bites to play with the stories. Nothing was digital yet. We used reel to reel. There was no internet.

So, when Ted Turner had the idea of a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week, television news station to bring us info all the time, instantaneously, it was considered really gutsy, and also foolish. I mean: How could people talk about news all.the.time?!! And, how can this one station be its own network and be available in all 50 states? No local news? It was truly groundbreaking. It went up against the traditional network news half hour programs that ran on the ‘big three’ (ABC, CBS, and NBC) at 6:30pm and 11:00pm. CNN hired lots of people to work around the clock in its home base in Atlanta, and then in satellite offices and studios around the country. Later around the world.

It was a big gamble.

Today as we remember Mr. Turner on his passing, we remember a man who took huge risks, who was a visionary, and who changed the way the news was distributed to everyone around the world. Today CNN is available in almost every country, in most homes, and hotels, in businesses small and large. Really everywhere! And, for many years it was the only 24/7 news network that was out there.

Ted Turner created CNN to report the news. It was to be unbiased. Straight news. The truth. It went on the air at a time way before people started talking about ‘fake news,’ alternative facts, and tilting the news for a hidden agenda. I can’t help but wonder how Mr. Turner felt watching the other networks come on air, competing with CNN. As he watched in his old age, he might not have expected there would be so many more news networks and pseudo-news channels showing up and seeing the on-air people became personalities and entertainers.

As a person who got a Mass Communications degree back in 1979, and then worked my first newsroom experience at the same time CNN went on air, I remember the excitement of those times. I was young. I was there when 3 Mile Island happened. I was there when Pres. Reagan got shot. I was a staff ‘news writer’ which meant I would take the facts and write it in a clear and understandable way. Concise. Readable. Factual. Always using sources. In radio I would rewrite a story every few hours to keep it fresh, to add facts as they came in, but never did I edit it to promote a side, or to prove a point. That thought never crossed my mind. In fact, I think the newsroom director would have called me out if I tried to do that.

Since Ted Turner created CNN back in 1979 so much has changed in the news business. It’s quite mind boggling. Unfortunately, now real journalists get belittled. They face legal action. The profession has been watered down by so many networks and companies that pretend to be in the news business, but they really pick and choose news and slant it for the viewer. There are so many out there now, in many different media genres, that the competition has made some of them really lose their sense of ethics and honest reporting.

I can say that I have always been a CNN viewer, throughout all the years. I have seen them get into airing the nighttime opinion and interview shows, and they now allow too many guests to lie without pushing back on them. “Equal time” has become an opportunity to spread fake news. At times it has truly been disappointing.

But, I still rely on CNN for finding out what is going on when something big happens in our country or around our world. In a crisis moment, I still turn on CNN.

Thank you Ted Turner.

The term is pretty commonplace these days: Conspiracy theories.

For me, the first time I ever remember hearing the term ‘conspiracy theories’ was back when Trump was saying then Senator Obama was not born in America and therefore could not run for the office of the presidency. I found it laughable back then. So obviously unbelievable. Then there was a theory when Trump was running for president against Hillary Clinton. “Pizzagate” happened, and it was about children being sold in the basement of a pizza parlor. And, there were more fake stories to come: about emails, and laptops. Conspiracy theories popped up all the time once Trump took office about fake voters, and illegal voting machines, and Haitians eating the cats and dogs in Colorado and Ohio. The biggest, of course, was what led to the Insurrection on Jan. 6th. These theories were posted on “Truth Social” and those who followed the site believed them wholeheartedly. It became an easy way to lie, and to just make up something…. Until it could be disproved. And, disproving takes time. The news moved on.

So, last night while I was watching the White House Correspondents Annual dinner and all hell broke loose in the ballroom in the Washington Hilton, my mind went right to it being fake. A set up. A conspiracy theory. I watched as the president, First Lady, the VP, dignitaries, top people in government, and others were quickly whisked out of the room and men in tactical gear jumped up on the stage. Within seconds there were military style men pointing rifles and Secret Service men were running everywhere.

It took time to figure out that a person with a gun had jumped through the security area, one floor above the event. He was quickly taken down but there were gunshots. One Secret Service man got hit and thankfully he was ok, for he had on a protective vest. It was over in seconds. But the event had to be cancelled.

This morning, we do not know yet how many gunshots ran out, and from what guns they came from. We don’t know if the security detail had momentarily let down their guard since most everyone was in the ballroom. We don’t know a lot yet. Were others in on it? Should all attendees have quickly left? Let’s hope there is a full investigation into the man that was tackled. We NEED a full investigation on all the actions that led to what happened.

But, I must admit, I have my doubts. Will we learn more? Will this frightening night just become another in a long list of dramatic events?

Was this really all a set up?

We know Trump has had a chip on his shoulder about the annual correspondents event. He was made fun of there. He has been very very vocal and mean spirited about the US press, especially this past year, and he feels they mistreat him. His ego can’t take it. Trump is a narcissist and cannot handle being found wrong. He love to blame others, never himself.

There was talk leading up to the night that Trump was going to attend last night’s dinner, give his message (whatever it was to be) and then leave. He was not going to stay for the awarding of student scholarships In journalism, and for the Kaitlin Collin’s award for her work covering the White House. He had belittled her a few times, and he did not want to see her win something. (Only Trump likes to win!)

So…. Yes, I am now at a place where my mind goes to this being a made up situation. My first thoughts are this is not real. A distraction. A farce.

To top it off, Trump quickly put together a press conference once he was back in the White House. During his remarks he said that the Hilton Hotel was not secure enough and HIS grand ballroom plans would be a way to feel more protected. Of course, this was NOT his event. It was a celebration of journalists, put on by the correspondents association. Trump was an invited guest. All of the government leaders there were invited guests. Most were only there to enjoy the dinner, to watch, and to give a nod to the career media workers. This was NOT a Trump event. In fact, he had not attended it for years.

So, I sit here – and I wonder: Am I becoming cynical? Or, am I being fooled? Or does Trump think he fooled the press? Will this turn into one more crazy thing that has happened during the Trump presidency? (By the way, who was the soldier who was rescued in Iraq and how is he doing? And what about the shooter from the rally in Butler, PA?)

Are we being duped? Or, are we sadly watching an uptick of violence due to this president? Or is he like the boy crying wolf? After a while we don’t really think a wolf is to be found anywhere. It’s just a shout to keep us wondering. It’s just another conspiracy theory.

I had an epiphany of sorts and it comes after reading a few comments on a post of mine yesterday. Bear with me….

The post was about my constant concern about the gun freedoms that cause so much gun violence in the United States. I shared the post because it was the sad anniversary of the Columbine High School mass shooting in Colorado yesterday. One commenter wrote about not having God in schools anymore, and how that was a part of the problem with our children and youth. He said he grew up reciting a Psalm along with the Pledge of Allegiance in school each morning. Another commenter wrote that we had ‘kicked’ God out of public school.

It got me thinking. I went to public school most of my growing up. I never read Psalms or any other Bible verses at anytime during the school day. I was schooled in midwestern Ohio, and not in the south. I went to Sunday School and church, and Wednesday Catechism classes, and that’s where I learned about God, and the Bible. As an adult I have participated in years of Bible Study classes. And, now after living in the south for many years, I know that some things are different. An example: Before living here I do not ever recall hearing at any public school events, especially games, a prayer over the loud speaker. But, it is a normal practice in the south.

As the comments on my post went on, and I responded, I noticed that we obviously saw the founding of our country differently too. One commenter said we were founded as a judeo-Christian country. That was the intent. Therefore the 10 Commandments, Bible verses, etc. were fine in public schools.

I responded, because I have always believed, that our country was founded by men of European descent, yes, but our ‘freedom of religion’ was written into the Constitution because it was important to them for the new nation to allow citizens their personal right to worship as they pleased. The founders did NOT write into the Constitution a “State Religion” like England had, and like many other countries had also done. In fact, having NO state religion was a big deal to the founders because they had left England for they did not agree with it.

So, yes, many of the pilgrims and those early voyagers who crossed the Atlantic to settle were indeed Christians. They may have been first to land here but they were not ‘more entitled’ and not ‘better’ in any way, especially when it came to the God they believed in, or how they worshiped. The founding fathers made a point to say that. ALL PEOPLE ARE EQUAL AND FREE TO WORSHIP in America!!

In time people from many lands immigrated here, and made us the ‘melting pot’ that I did learn about in school. I remember distinctly a history class with that very definition in it. A melting pot. A country where everyone was welcomed because we had a Constitution that opened the doors for freedoms (with responsibility) to vote, to buy property, to start businesses, to learn, to own guns, and to worship. Run by the people – for the people. ALL THE PEOPLE.

That is why now in America we have churches, temples, synagogues, traditional, modern, big, little, Christian, Jewish, non-denominational, Muslim, Christian Scientists, and on and on.

Here is my epiphany: There is a group of Christians in our country who think they have the right to decide for people of other religions, and those unchurched. This group thinks the U.S. is ‘their’ country more than it is other religions. They think God wants them to run this country. They think America was founded to be the “Christian land” like Israel is for the Jews. These descendants (because they are not new to living here) want to use power to rule, and they truly believe they are on a “God mission.” Hello MAGA.

So, if you get my thinking, this group has been taught, and believed for a long time, that God is only for Christians. Listen, I am proudly a Christian, and as the word itself says, I believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God. I believe that Jesus has shown us into who God is more than any person who ever walked this earth. Prophets have written much too. I believe in true divineness, along with our human limits of understanding. I believe in love for all, and God’s grace, and the goal for everyone to live in peace.

But I also believe that God decides. I believe that maybe God watches us too, to see how we interact, and that nothing is written in stone. God is here, now. I believe children who live in areas void of any chance to learn religion are still seen by God. Still loved by God. I believe that no country is a boundary for God.

It is why I dislike the US flag in a church sanctuary. It is why I cringe sometimes when I hear someone say “God bless America” – because God is not about which country is better than another. It is why I have had trouble going into church buildings since MAGA has taken control politically and nosed into religion.

So, my epiphany may be something you already knew. But, it is helping me ‘understand’ the situation we are in now with the rise of the Evangelical Conservatives, and their desire to control. It is their belief that they are better perhaps. They think they better. They feel the US is their ‘playing field’ and they need to win. Thoughts?

Keith Urban has a song called “Making Memories of Us” and the title is appropriate for this past week since I have just experienced a memorable week aboard the Celebrity “Reflection.” Keith Urban was the headliner on the Top Shelf Country Cruise. I am a fan of his, and I was a total fan of all that happened all week on the cruise ship!🛳️

I had signed up for the Country Music cruise as soon as I heard about it on the Bobby Bones Show months ago. So, for a long time I had been anticipating, waiting for the week long cruise, out of Florida, with artists (besides Urban) Scotty McCreery, Lee Brice, Parmalee, LeAnn Rhimes, Cassie Ashton, and more. 🤠 ❤️ The whole Bobby Bones Studio morning show people were going to be there too: Amy, Eddie, Lunchbox, Raymondo, Morgan, and Scuba Steve. Crook & Chase were also there and they led some interviews.

I booked a room for two people, and then when hubby didn’t seem too interested in going (what is wrong with him?!?), I invited my bestie Sue, who was my cruise partner way back in the early 80’s. She and I went on a couple of cruises together before our marriages, kids, etc. So, it was a reunion of sorts for us! She said yes – let’s do it! 👍

But…

The truth: Before the cruise Sue was not really a country music listener. 👎 She knew of some ‘old school’ names but not many artist names from today’s country music. But, god bless her, she was happy to accompany me anyway, and to experience it all ‘through my eyes.’ 💖 And, perhaps she even got a little bit of appreciation for the genre during the week on board the ship. I think so. I hope so.

Why was she not big into country music before now? Well, before, but especially now, during these divided times, country music is often put into one category. Those who don’t listen to it, sometimes rightfully think it’s just a bunch of hillbilly music, and “white music” with a lack of tolerance, with gun toting, beer drinking rednecks, loudmouths, and people who don’t speak for the rest of the country. It’s a ‘southern thing.’ I get it. There are some country artists that sing those types of songs – and there are listeners who find them appealing. But, and it is a big but, many country artists are truly all about acceptance, and inclusion, and believing in women’s rights, and are against what is happening in our country right now. They are like me. They think like me. If you give yourself the chance and listen you will find that country music writers use lyrics for all kinds of topics. ☮️ ❤️

I’m not gonna lie that I worried a little bit about Lee Brice, one of the big names to perform on the ship, because he had just come out with a new song that he first sang at the ‘alternative halftime’ by Turning Point. I thought the song lyrics were wrong, and divisive, and it supported the old stereotypes. One line was about wanting ‘girls being girls and boys being boys’ (the conservatives seem to have a big issue about trans people these days. 🤷‍♀️), and the song also had lyrics about being worried that his favorite things (fishing, hunting, etc.) were gonna be taken away. (By whom I’m not sure…). I debated boycotting his concert on the cruise, but I do like a lot of his other songs, especially “I drive his Truck.” So, I went to his show on board – and, yes, he sang the song I wished he had not. I’d say half the audience stood up, cheered loudly at the end, and chanted “USA,USA”. The other half sat, did nothing. No standing. No clapping. Like me.

Yes, just like everywhere else, there is division in the country music community.

But it is still a community!!

Thankfully the rest of the time on the ship, all week long, all the guests were in a really festive party mood 🎉 and had spirit (helped by the spirits they drank – ha), and together we all enjoyed the whole experience. Sue and I met lovely people from different places around the country. Everyone was friendly! I’d say the cruise leaned to an older group of people because it was a pricey trip. The cost covered all the artists, the people on board who did all the sound and lights, etc., the Top Shelf promotion company staff who put the concerts and events on, the really wonderful Celebrity Cruise staff, the amazing food, and other fun activities. Live music 🎶 happened on the ship almost all the time – either in the smaller bars or out on the large open-air pool deck that held a big stage. Keith Urban played at an amphitheater just off the dock where the ship was tied up in Nassau. Just steps away. The concert was only for our cruise guests. There were at most only 3000 people. If you have ever seen Keith Urban you know that his shows are ALWAYS amazing! 👏 👏 He is so talented and entertaining!! This one was as well.

So – The Top Shelf Country Cruise on the “Reflection” was a really fun and unique experience, just as my CMA Festival trips to Nashville in the past have been. Both let me experience lots of country music with fellow music fans who ‘get it’ and get each other. 🤠 🎶 Music brings people together. Music makes people happy!

If interested, I have posted some pictures and a few videos on my Facebook page. I sound like I should be on the cruise promotion team – ha!! All I can say is good things about the experience on board. We even had smooth seas and beautiful weather! ☀️

So – it was wonderful to share a room, and all of it with bestie Sue and to make more ‘memories together for us!’ I’m sure she got tired of me saying who sang what song all the time as the speakers around the ship constantly played country music. But she handled it well and I appreciated her ‘hanging in there’ with me. And maybe she accepted country music a bit more. But if not, our friendship is none the less… and in fact, it’s even one more awesome experience and memory for us to have together. 😁 ❤️

Hubby said to me this morning that it has been awhile since I have written a “Marla’s Musings” and I replied that I feel like a broken record, just saying the same thing over and over.

Then, as it just so happened, he forwarded me a Q & A editorial piece he saw online about how to get along with people, how to make and keep friends, especially when there are differing political views. This is something I have struggled with during these Trump years, so I will explain…

It used to be, back before Trump, that people could disagree on political issues and how best our government should serve Americans. But, we always felt united in knowing we wanted the same outcome: Peace. Financial comfort. Freedoms. Back then I thought we wanted other things, like: Equality. Fairness. Respect. Unity. Honesty.

I remember having discussions with others I knew and who I considered friends before Trump, and the talks were mindful, and kind, and even if we saw government’s purposes differently, they were still acceptable. I remember living day to day without having politics be foremost in our minds because we did not have a president who might react in a crazy, rash and worrisome way. We didn’t have a president who used fear to make himself look great.

This was ‘pre-Trump.’ Then my eyes were opened with the ‘first Trump’ election win. As I have said over and over (yes, I’m a broken record) that that November day changed the way I looked at my family, my neighbors, friends, and even random people on the street. With Trump’s win I questioned the very core beliefs in people. Do they really want equality? Fairness? Respect? It did not seem so to me. Instead I saw that instead they valued: Self. Power. Inequality. Getting ahead of others. They accepted: abusive language. Outrage. Instability. Living on the edge.

And so now, over the years, a decade, we have lived with it as a way of governing. ‘Second Trump’ has turned it all up even more. We, the people in America, are at a point now where there is a Great Divide, not always about issues – but about human decency and compassion, about things that go way beyond whether or not something is a conservative or a liberal approach.

So, back to friendship: Having a true friend is often hard. Finding a new one is nearly impossible. We live in an era of ‘acquaintances’ vs. deep anything, knowing you to the core relationships. Talking about the weather but not about much else is the safe way. Because, when we do try and open up, and hear what is in a person’s heart, it is often not pretty. Talking politics is now talking about core values and our beliefs about how we view humanity. It has been openly exposed during these Trump years. We have actually seen and heard acceptable meanness. Selfishness is above other qualities.

Some people I know are afraid to open themselves up. They hide. Act like they don’t care. They stay quiet. And, yes, that annoys me. How can you stay quiet about sexual predators? How can you stay quiet about gestapo style armed & masked men grabbing people off the street? And – yes, how can you say you are Christian and accept these actions?

Listen, social media has many pitfalls, but I will say it has shown me who true friends are. I have a group of mostly lady friends there, on Facebook and Instagram, who show me that we do think alike and that I am not alone – that we FEEL alike about not just each other, but about humanity, about basic core beliefs. We encourage each other. We relate to each other. I have people online I have never met in person but I feel closer to them than some I know face to face. Social media supports the like-minded groups and special political groups and that is where the connection is now.

The church used to be that for me. I felt we shared a common ‘pre-Trump’ belief. Of course!! Because to be a Christian is to love all of humanity, right?? I have unfortunately lost the feeling connected with the people there and that makes me sad.

Friendships, relationships, connections, have all changed during these Trump years. How can one man do this? He opened up a hidden chasm. He found a way to put people against people. I see it everywhere. I feel it in me.

It is hard to find a true friend.

I have always been a lover of words.

I was doing some quilting work earlier today and I asked “Alexa” to play some of my favorite music while I was at it. Each song on my favorites list is a song with lyrics, the words, that I love. I can’t help but sing along.

I remember when I was young, in college, when I would put a vinyl record on and lay on my dorm bed with the album cover in my hands, reading the lyrics, and I would get lost in the words, the stories told. My favorite singers were always storytellers. John Denver, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Dan Fogelburg, the Eagles, Neil Young, CSN, Pure Praire League, and more. They were musicians who wrote lyrics that had meaning. Lyrics I could hear. I was amazed at their abilities with words.

Back then I was not around people who played country music. I lived up north, and it was a time when radio stations were very segmented. Rock, pop, talk, easy listening, etc. But, I remember one time when I was driving in my car alone on a long trip. I was going to college in Ohio heading back home to Maryland. I flipped around various stations along the way because they would go in and out as I traveled. At one point I stopped on a country music station and listened. I liked it! It helped the driving time pass easily while I was listening to the stories told in the songs.

Some of my first country artists that I got into were Vince Gill, Reba, and Crystal Gayle. About that time CD’s came around and I bought their music, and then the first “Greatest Hits” of Tim McGraw. I was hooked. “Three chords and a lyric” is what makes it great!!

Nashville is the home of country music writers. It’s a place unique to a specialty of writing for country music singers, for the performers. Some overlap but some make a living as a song writer.

The lyrics are sometimes catchy, often deep, and occasionally funny. They are the ‘purpose of the song’ which I feel like in other music genres can sometimes be an afterthought. Just not as important as the music.

I also love words via books! Of course! I have been reading, and have been in Book Clubs, throughout my adulthood and I have come to really appreciate authors who have the gift of telling a story, of documenting history, of giving a perspective, with their special ability of the written word. They can keep the reader involved or entertained – and what a gift they have!

I have learned to love some poetry for the same reason. I was deeply moved by Amanda Gorman’s poem at Pres. Obama’s Inauguration. On Facebook now I follow her and other poets (and writers) and I appreciate how they say what we need to hear.

As we are going through such a horrible time now in our country words and lyrics are finding a real place of importance again, from protest signs to speeches, to song lyrics and poems. Some people have the ability to express themselves eloquently, and beautifully, and during times of strife the use of words is a way to protest peacefully.

Words can be artistic. Words can be emotional. Words can connect.

Words bring people together. When I attend country music concerts I feel like family with the others there. We came for the music but we came for the words too. We leave when it’s over with a mutual understanding.

Words can do that.