I wish I didn't have to....

I wish I didn’t have to….work every day. I wish that I could afford to live a comfortable live without having a steady job that I had to go to each day. I would love to be able to do some volunteer work at my church or maybe a nursing home. In order to do as much of this as I would like to do I would have to be un-employed. I do hope to retire by the time I am 62 and be in a position that will allow me to do this. I see women at my church, which is directly across the street from my home, showing up almost daily to help with the fishes and loaves ministry. Most of them don’t work outside the home or are retired and I envy them. I stay so busy between working a full time job, a small part time job, going to school and being hands- on grandma that extra time is something I have little of. Therefore, I am making this a definite plan for myself to do when I retire.

I wish there were no more....

I wish there were no more….child abuse. I watch a lot of late night TV shows since I work evenings and one of the shows is Nancy Grace. Almost every show she has deals with some type of child abduction or abuse that just sickens you. In my wildest dreams, I can’t imagine why anyone would ever want to hurt an innocent child. The only thing worse would be to harm elderly people that can’t defend themselves. Children are a blessing and should be treasured and yet so many are treated like animals and sometimes worse. I think to myself how long was this poor child being abused. How sad it is to think about what goes through their minds while it’s all happening. If the abuser was a parent that is, suppose to love and take care of you, I can’t comprehend what these children must think.

Would you like to be famous? Why or why not? What would you like to be famous for?

Would you like to be famous? Why or why not? What would you like to be famous for? I think becoming famous would be a great thing if it were for something worthwhile. Being a great entertainer or actor would be fun and I am sure exciting. You would be able to meet other celebrities and rub elbows with the rich and famous all of this sounds like a dream come true. I know with all of that prestige you would be welcomed anywhere you went and do a lot of traveling. Even though that sounds like a great way to be famous, I would really rather be famous for helping people. Like Sister Theresa or Billy Graham. These are both great humanitarians known for their love of people and for making life better for those in need. This would have to be a more rewarding way to live your life and at the same time, you would still travel and meet famous people. The rich and famous would be friends that could help you help others. Most famous celebrities are willing to help with money and time when it is for a good cause.

Families are important because...

Families are important because... they are what make most people happy. I come from a large family counting my parents there were eight of us in all. Now that we have all grown up my parents have sixteen grandchildren and five great grandchildren. I am a mother of two and grandmother of six beautiful little ones that make me happy every day. On my worst day, all I have to do is think about the hugs and smiles of my grandchildren and I can find a reason to smile and be happy. I have always been a very family oriented person and always look forward to doing things with my loved ones. I have quite a few friends that were either an only child or come from small families that don’t see each other very often. Most of them tell me that they wish they had a sibling or two and they envy families that have close relationships. The memories that we make growing up in a large family are wonderful to reminisce about when we get together. Even my children and grandchildren like to hear the stories we tell on each other now that we are all grown and can’t get in trouble.

Should people be prohibited from smoking in certain places?

Should people be prohibited from smoking in certain places? I was a smoker for sixteen years and considered myself a heavy smoker. I smoked between a pack and a half and two packs each day. I never had a cigarette that I didn’t enjoy, but I finally quit and that’s been twenty years ago. I am not one of those ex-smokers that complain about the people that smoke, but I firmly believe that smoking should be prohibited in certain places. I feel that any place where people are in spaces where they will be exposed to second hand smoke should be off limits to smokers. I do feel that every establishment should have a space outside to accommodate people that smoke. Smoking is an addiction and it is a very hard addiction to break. I have heard non-smokers complain about smokers that have designated smoking areas outside. I do feel that complaining about smoking outside is a little selfish on the part of the non-smoker. Smoking is a very hard habit to break and most smokers are not happy that they have this addiction and would like nothing more than to quit.

What effects does watching violence have on people?

What effects does watching violence have on people? I think that would really depend of the person watching it. If the person is a mature adult and the violence is in a movie for example I feel is would just be for entertainment. When I watch a movie, like the one I saw today, (The Taking of Pelham 123), this was a very violent movie with a lot of shooting and killing, but I did not leave the movie feeling the need to be violent. I have six grandchildren from ages 4 months to nine years and I use their age as a gauge when I decide what movies are OK for them. Some of the movies that are for children have violence especially the super-hero movies. I have taken some of my grandchildren to see these movies and they know they are just movies. I have not seen any signs that the violence has affected them in any way. If we are talking about real life violence like when a young child is a witness to an abusive parent I feel differently. I do believe that young children are affected in many ways by this type of violence.

What would you do to entertain your family without spending any money?

What would you do to entertain your family without spending any money? I would make it a stay home and bond night. We would start with a nice home cooked meal that everyone likes. I would use items we already had in the freezer and cupboards so it would not cost anything extra. Then after dinner, we could take out the old photo albums and tell stories about what was happening in the pictures. My children always like hearing about things I did with my siblings back in the day. If that weren’t enough then we would take out some games to play. My family really likes monopoly and that takes a long time to play. Another game we like is scrabble and we can do that until all hours. You can do many family fun activities at home without spending a dime. The best part of the entire evening is that you spend it as a family and make memories that are even more fun.