In case you might want to know.....

     I spent my whole day today sorting papers. It's a tedious task even though I sincerely try to be careful not to save too much. I found a printed off email from 2003, just after Thanksgiving, and wanted to share a portion of its contents, especially considering the upcoming election.
     New York Sen. Hillary Clinton forced U. S. troops stationed at Bagram air base in Afghanistan to wait for their Thanksgiving dinner last Thursday, while she and her entourage arrived late, then cut in line and were served first. A soldier who witnessed the scene tells NewsMax: "Thanksgiving dinner started at 3 p.m. that day, so the line was forming around 2:30 p.m. She didn't show up until around 3:30 p.m. Once she got there," our source maintains, "Clinton and her entourage bumped everyone in line, forcing them to wait almost an extra hour." The brass at Bagram apparently had a hard time rounding up New Yorkers who wanted to have dinner with Mrs. Clinton. Only six G.I.'s responded to an email sent out last week that stated, "Looking for military members from New York and Rhode Island interested in meeting their Senator/Congressman." People Magazine was on hand to cover the event and wanted to interview the troops for the reaction to Mrs. Clinton's visit. "But they were getting declined left and right," our source said. "People were actually telling the reporters 'You don't want to print what I think about her and her visit.'" After Clinton and her entourage departed, the only topics G.I.'s wanted to talk about were "how great the food was and how fantastic they thought George Bush's visit to Iraq was."    Comment: This is the difference between a leader and an ambitious, self-serving political hack. The hack demands the first place in line, while the leader serves the line and eats later.
     Don't get me wrong. I have no intention of supporting Donald Trump either. I really can't believe people are arguing over which is the "lesser of the two evils"! Neither major candidate is a person of moral integrity and I cannot in good conscience select either one. I realize that my vote is only one and I realize that there is a danger of having the "worse" one elected- whichever someone may identify as such. I cannot respect either one. There are spotty "platform issues" I can agree for each major party but I cannot support either candidate enough to cast a vote for him or her. I am grateful for the right to vote and will do so but will not support the purchased corruption of either major party candidate.

Ownership

     Psalms 24:1 and 1 Corinthians 10:26 "The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof". God created the earth and everything on it, through His Son. So nothing on this planet truly "belongs" to anyone here. But each of us, His children, has been given our own right to make choices, also called agency. As a result of that we often end up claiming ownership of things that aren't really ours at all: land, plants, animals, even other people. These days, slavery is not as widely practiced as it has been. We tend to be pretty critical of any effort humans make to "own" other humans. Human trafficking is a crime in all civilized societies. However, there are still incidents of spouses acting like they "own" their mates- everything from outright domineering and physical abuse to "trophy wives" or the self-serving attitude of demanding a wealthy, good-looking partner to show off to the world. Child labor, and I'm not referring to having the kids do chores to help around the house, is abolished as well in civilized societies. But once again, there are parents whose primary attitude toward their children is more like an owner. They get angry when their young athlete doesn't play as well as they want to be able to brag about. They're upset when their child chooses something different than they had planned for them. I'm not referring to being a drug-user as opposed to a healthy lifestyle or choosing living on welfare as opposed to a legitimate job to support themselves.
     Having standards for children is not the same as trying to select their life path for them. When my first children were small, I was sincerely concerned about what I was going to teach them. It was essential to me that I never mislead them. In order to teach them truth, I needed to learn it for myself. I read books and sought advice from medical and health professionals about living healthy so I could give them good counsel about eating, exercising, and sleeping. I tried to learn facts from old wives' tales about the world in general so I could tell them scientific truths to the best of my knowledge. I did my best to learn a little about our country and government so I could try to prepare them to be good citizens. I have sought the best moral standards to promote happiness and a healthy society so I could teach my posterity. I have also tried to learn about God, whether He exists and His nature. I know that's a confusing topic in the world so I needed to find what I could for myself, not relying on any single individual or book. I continue to share with my posterity what I have learned but I recognize and respect their right to choose for themselves whether or not I agree. They are "my" children and grandchildren but I do not own them.
     Before leaving the topic, I have some confusion about ownership of animals. I believe God expected His children to care for animals. Animals were created before man and are capable of survival without man's intervention. However, they are no longer capable of survival due to some of the interference of man: poaching for tusks, fur, and other body parts; pollution and destruction of habitats, etc. I think it's good to have zoos for educational purposes and they have done well promoting protection of endangered species. Having pets is a bit of a gray area. I don't think having pets should be outlawed but I'm glad there are laws that create consequences for people who abuse animals. I know pets can be satisfying companions for humans. However, I cringe when I see people try to change the nature of animals by dressing them in human-style clothes to show them off- not the booties to protect their feet or the sweaters to keep them warm. I cringe when I see people stuff their pets with unhealthy treats to encourage the pet to adore them or show off some cute trick. I cringe when I see horses painfully hobbled simply for the purpose of getting them to prance in an unnatural way. Circuses are dying out. I guess a lot of animal trainers treat animals well enough. I just don't know if the animals are intelligent enough to resent humans taking advantage of them- caging them, getting them to do things simply to impress other humans. Is it appropriate to "own" animals? How do you distinguish taking care of them, training them to not be destructive according to human standards, and misusing them? I guess I still have a lot of wisdom to gain because I don't know.

Loving someone is not the same as valuing them.

     Most people feel loved- by someone. Married people usually admit their spouse loves them. Parents generally feel that their children love them. Children are loved by parents. Friends love friends, etc. As wonderful as love is, sometimes it isn't really "validating". For instance, a mother can know their child loves them but not feel valued by them. Mothers generally hear more complaints than anything else from children: why didn't you get the laundry done? Do we have to have this for dinner? You only want me to clean the bathroom so you don't have to do it! Likewise, spouses can often feel more tolerated than valued: my husband is such a slob but I love him anyway. My wife nags me all the time; it's a good thing I love her so much. Anyway- you  get the idea. We are all different so what one person thinks is important or good, another may not value at all.
     I am really grateful for the opportunity I had to serve for 18 months in the temple with so many really good people. I not only felt loved, I felt truly valued. Good people make a genuine effort to let other people know what they appreciate about them without any expectation of something in return. They don't compliment others hoping to get complimented back. They don't do something nice for someone else to earn favors. I was so uplifted by so many people telling me what good qualities they observed in me with no hidden agendas or expectations. It felt so good to have others recognize my efforts to be kind, loving, helpful, and willing to listen. It felt really validating to have others recognize and value my efforts to be orderly and do a job well. I have had such experiences with some in my family on occasion which I am grateful for as well. I have had a sister express her admiration at my "strength" in the face of adversity. I have had a daughter demand my supervision loading and unloading household belongings knowing that I would organize it well. I have had a daughter express to others that she felt she was raised about as well as anyone could be raised by a wonderful mother. I have had a son compliment, with even a touch of awe in his voice, my creative efforts in speaking and writing songs.
     I think when we take the time and make the effort to recognize the accomplishments and good qualities of someone we love, then be sure to express that awareness, it goes a long way in making them feel good about themselves. It's essential to express that we love others but it sure is nice to not just tolerate their "idiosynchroses" but notice and express what we admire about them.