David Against Goliath

I have had so many thoughts about the war in Ukraine – about Russia attacking a sovereign nation for no reason other than greed. Like everyone else, I’ve watched the reports. I’ve read the articles on the internet – the good ones, the manufactured ones and the right-down-ridiculous ones and I’ve wondered where this is all going.

First of all, I am angry. I am angry that any nation – or state – can attack another one without cause. That you can arbitrarily lob over bombs, send in troops and tanks, burn and destroy everything that is beautiful about the sovereign country for no legitimate reason. I am angry that over one million people have had to flee for their lives into neighboring Poland. Like everyone else, I am asking why.

There are rumors of the mental health of the dictator Putin being unstable, and I have to say I’ve wondered about that. I have no way of knowing as I don’t know him, have never met him and have had no real opinion about him – until now. I won’t express my opinion about him now but I’m sure it aligns with everyone who follows this blog.

I have been amazed, thrilled and in awe of President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, as he has stood to fight and not run like so many leaders would have done. Whether he survives this war or dies fighting for his country, he will definitely go down as a real hero to the world.

President Volodymyr Zalenskyy

II Chronicles 14 tells the story of King Asa, king of Judah. “Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.

9 Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. 10 Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.

11 Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.”

12 The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, 13 and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed before the Lord and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder. 14 They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror of the Lord had fallen on them. They looted all these villages, since there was much plunder there. 15 They also attacked the camps of the herders and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.”

History repeats itself. Once again, we see a bully trying to destroy an innocent. God intervened then and I believe He will now. I, along with multitudes of others, are praying for God’s intervention in this unwarranted war. We are seeking Him and His power to overthrow the seemingly mighty and bring him down to the desert where he belongs.

God’s power is greater than any army, any dictator, any crazy person. I am trusting God and I am praying for Ukraine.

Fear!

It has been a while since I’ve written a post for my blog and I have to wonder
‘why’ I’ve waited so long. Actually, I’ve been writing in my head for quite a while now as I’ve stood back and watched what is happening in the world and, more specifically, in our country. What I have seen has been disturbing.

Two years ago my sister-in-the-Lord and I were in Israel where we had gone for a five week vacation. We love Israel and we’ve been there a number of times yet we are always eager to go again. But this time was different. As far as our accommodations go – we were living the life. We had rented a luxury apartment, were driving a luxury SUV and having a wonderful time. Very dear friends were supposed to join us in the third week of our journey, but that didn’t happen.

Covid happened!

At first we were somewhat amused at the American reporting we were seeing in the papers, on television and then, finally within the country itself. We had no fear – certainly not like the fear that was being broadcast into the universe.

We were enjoying our trip, even making special day trips – I’ll write about those later – and looking forward to our friends joining us so we could show them our Israel. As we shopped at the supermarkets, but not at the Mahane Yehuda open-air market, we noticed more and more people were beginning to wear masks. We were not wearing them nor did we have any intention of doing so. We went about our business as usual although we were quickly becoming aware of ‘shut downs’ around the country. Tourism stopped. Planes stopped flying in. It was crazy.

Eventually, we read the tea leaves and knew it was time to come home although we had not yet been able to complete the planned journey. The trip home was grueling with many stories to share. But the most grueling of all was what we saw when we landed in our home state of Oklahoma.

Immediately upon landing we rushed to the grocery store; we had planned on being gone much longer and had given away all of our perishable foods before we left. Now we needed to replenish our food supply.

We were shocked to see the number of masks people in the grocery store were wearing. We were not wearing masks but they were and the stares we got were something I never thought I’d see in my beloved state where people are friendly, helpful, casual and have never shown this kind of fear. Most of us are gun toting citizens who face little fear – but here it was – FEAR. I saw it everywhere.

I was shocked. I was disappointed. I couldn’t believe this was my Oklahoma where we enjoy our freedom in every aspect of the word, yet here we are looking into the covered faces of fear. That was only the beginning. Since then I have seen fear in my friends and even associates and I have been amazed at that – but not amazed in a good way.

I do not doubt nor deny that this Covid thing has been real and many treasured people have been victimized and murdered by it and the illicit doctors treating them with the protocol issued from political apes. I am saddened for the families of those who have died – and there have been many – but I am even more deeply saddened by the FEAR I have seen in my country, in my state, in my friends. Now that Covid is waning I still see fear in some of my friends to the point that it has imprisoned them in their own home.

Mandates were issued. Mandates were reversed. All the while the little wizard behind the green screen continued to spout leadings of confusion over wearing masks be it one or two or more. The insanity out of Washington over the edicts have angered us and pushed us and punished us to the point that some have taken a stand against stupidity…

So as I write this, I think of the dictator in Canada who long ago lost his footing and is now spinning out of control. With any luck and a lot of determination, Canadians will overthrow his reign of terror and return their country to a semblance of normal, whatever that is these days. Hopefully, the United States will do the same but in the meantime, we have a “Wag the Dog” situation going on in the Ukraine and I have to wonder what lies hidden beneath reporters desks and if they’ll ever grow the courage to take off all masks and speak truth – real truth – or has Covid killed that as well?

A Bowl of Soup

Have you ever considered your heritage? Or your inheritance, if any? Some people never give either of them a thought while others of us dwell on our heritage and how it has influenced our lives and those of our loved ones. At what cost would you give up your heritage or your inheritance? Most of us would say, “I wouldn’t!” but that doesn’t always hold true.

In the Bile story of Jacob and Esau we see the heritage, inheritance and/or birthright as a small thing when Esau readily sells – or forfeits – his birthright to his twin brother for something so simple and mundane as a bowl of soup. His reasoning: I’m starving to death so what is a bowl of soup to me if I die.

Over the last few months, and even years, we have watched as city after city has sold out the birthright of their citizens for less than a bowl of soup. We are often eager to trace this back to the horrible death of George Floyd – now that’s another story – and say America has been burning ever since then. But is that the truth?

In August 2014, Michael Brown, a criminal, was shot by a Missouri policeman. All of the world clamored at this hideous and unfair death with the mantra, “Don’t shoot! Hands up!” being the war cry for burning down the city of Ferguson, particularly the areas that were the most deprived. Homes burned. Businesses burned. Shops were looted. And this went on for days – a week or more. When the smoke settled and the case was investigated, it turned out that the “Don’t shoot! Hands up!” mantra was false – it never happened. It was a bowl of soup that caused immeasurable damage to a community, to the citizens of the community and to our country as a whole.

The “Don’t shoot! Hands up!” lie festered and boiled until it birthed an organization call BLM – Black Lives Matter, organized by three black women who have, since then, become extremely wealthy through the auspices of their organization leaving us wondering just whose life it is that really matters to these women. Could be that it is theirs and the bowl of soup they have fed to the public – especially the media – has long since turned into ptomain poisoning as our country still reels from their harsh dialogue. https://nypost.com/2021/04/10/marxist-blm-leader-buys-1-4-million-home-in-ritzy-la-enclave/ Since then, BLM co-founder Patricia Cullors, who now has four homes and millions in the bank, has stepped down from leadership in BLM. Perhaps her heritage did come with that bowl of soup she fed to our country!

But that didn’t stop BLM from continuing with the screaming and raging across America, accompanied by Atifa radicals, as they continue to burn, rape and destroy the heritage that is America. And for what? What is the agenda other than destruction? If we stand against them, if we speak out, we are called racists and anti-whatever they want to call us. What is it all about?

Are we really willing to sacrifice and overthrow this country – America – for a bowl of soup? If America is as bad as those who are rioting, destroying and burning our property say it is, then why is it that so many are rushing across our borders and entering out country illegally? Do they come here to join in the fight to destroy us? Maybe some do. But, in most instances, they are coming here because they want what we have. They are coming to a country where you can still be free to speak out although it may carry some nasty labels with it. They are coming to a country where they can have a better life for themselves and their families. They are coming to freedom. Many of them have paid a high price, not just in money, but in loss of everything to come here while so many are willing to destroy everything we have in this country for a bowl of soup.

Think about it. A bowl of soup.

One More, Momma, One More!

Years ago my friend, Jenny, had a little boy – a toddler – who always seemed to be one step ahead of her, much to her chagrin and my amusement. On one particular day, two year old Billy asked for a cookie. As soon as his momma handed him the cookie from the counter cookie jar, he placed it in his left hand and reached up with his chubby right hand and said, “One more, Momma, just one more.” That seems to be where we are today. ‘Just one more, Momma, just one more.’

While that story is sweet and endearing, what is happening in our world is not. I am appalled at the number of times I hear that same request-turned-demand in today’s society. No matter where you stand or how hard you try to lean to the center and towards appeasement, there is always the cry, “Just one more. . . “ whatever. It is never enough. Never.

While it is disgusting and sickening that our children are being sexually abused in public school restrooms by so-called gender-confused identifiers it doesn’t matter to the woke crowd that is crying for more and more cookies. The abuse wasn’t their problem. It didn’t hurt them. Move on, nothing to see h ere.

While they – the woke crowd – are not adorable as was Billy, they seem to be more efficient in getting their way, in having their demands met. Of course, if they don’t get their way, they will throw their own tantrum by burning down the whatever it is that stands for stability in this country and, consequently in the way of their demanding and getting their own way. Tantrums in children who are old enough to know better but stunted by their own self-righteousness.

Last week we saw episode after episode of this demanding group as the spoiled children of this 21st century followed Krysten Sienma into restrooms at work – both in the U.S. Capitol and at her other work place at Arizona State University. No rest. No peace. No respect for anyone that disagrees or thinks slightly differently than those of the woke generation. But it isn’t being woke – it IS being rude and crude when someone succinctly states they are Centrist and that they will look at all sides of the issues before signing on or off.

“Just one more, Momma, just one.” Grubby, not-so-little hands are reaching out threatening in every way. Not only Ms. Sienma but those of us who are middle-of-the-road thinkers, who know there is more good in this country than bad and who are fed up – totally fed up – with the ill mannered, spoiled brats of the 21st century. You want more? Get a job. Get your hands out of the cookie jar. Get a real life job where you pay taxes and contribute to a productive society, then come back in five years and tell us what you think. Until then…

No! No more cookies. The jar is empty.

The Old and The New. . .

An interesting conversation recently developed on Facebook – I wasn’t a part of the conversation but I heard about it from my sister/friend. As with all things on social media, the further it went the crazier – and angrier – it got. I’ve had a few days to ponder it now so here are my thoughts:

The Subject – Tattoo! To Do It Or Not

In the last three decades, tattooing has become a fashion plague that has truly plagued not only Americans but people around the world, much like the China Virus has done. The difference is, with tattooing most people make a decision to participate, unless they are drunk as used to be the reason for having “Mom” or a past girlfriend’s name boldly printed on your upper arm or chest or…

Now days you don’t have to be drunk to get a tattoo – you just boldly march into a local parlor – easily found on almost any corner across this great nation – and bare the part of your body that you wish to have maimed. It is a free country so you can freely make this decision that will affect your body the rest of your life. No big deal! Or is it?

Reasons for Tattooing…Everyone is doing it! Wise parents have often heard this from their children and have responded with, “Well, if everyone jumped off of a cliff, would you do it too?” Something to think about there. If everyone is doing it, do you have to be a follower or do you have the intestinal fortitude – guts – to chart your own course, follow your own path, blaze your own trail. You know the drill.

I like it! Really? What is it that you like about it? Explain that to me. In my lifetime I’ve helped two brides try to hide their tattoos on their wedding day so that it doesn’t distract from their gorgeous gown that they paid thousands of dollars for. If it distracts from the gown, why do it? I know. I know. Now we see TV shows that are focused on purchasing that one very special dress for that special wedding day and we see multi-tattooed brides – from heavily decorated in an array of colors to not-so-decorated, modest tattoos. Some flaunt them; some try to hide them or at least tone them down. I don’t know. I cannot imagine a wedding night when a bride adorns herself for the wedding bed with nothing but tattoos. I wonder, will they stop and have a discussion about each one of the art pieces or will they just do what it is that married couples do on their wedding nights. Hmmm…

I want to share my message! Really? Get a placard and stand on a corner. My own son got a rather large tattoo on his arm a number of years ago because he really believed in a message that I totally agree with. He believed in it so strongly that he tried to hide the very large tattoo from me – didn’t work. Moms see everything, you know. While I agreed wholeheartedly with the sentiment and message, I was sorry to see that he had marked himself with it in ink instead of writing about it or demonstrating in another way.

But that’s enough about all of that. Hold on. The rest of what I have to say is going to blow your mind, make you mad or make you quit reading this article.

Are tattoos harmful? We all know that if it is on the internet, it is true. Right? This is an answer I found to that question on the internet: “One of the health risks of tattoos is the inflammation of the lymph nodes due to the accumulation of larger pigment particles in the lymph nodes.” Who cares about lymph nodes anyway? They just fight off infections and things like that – not too important with all of the bugs floating around these days. I guess if you are wearing a mask you don’t need to worry about infections – right?

The question posed on Facebook was “Is it okay to get a tattoo?” The person asking it was asking from a biblical perspective. So here goes:

Leviticus 19: 28 “You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.” (That same chapter talks about honoring your parents and old people but who cares.)

I am sure the first words out of your mouth will be, “Well, that’s Old Testament and we don’t follow that.” Really? Jesus did. If you are a true Christian, then you most likely want to try to emulate the Master, don’t you? Or do you. Most of what He said was right out of the “Old Testament” so maybe we should stop and think about it.

Let’s take it a step further. 1 Corinthians 6:19 – (That’s New Testament) “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” IF our bodies are the Temples of the Lord – or the Holy Spirit – then why are we putting graffiti on them? Isn’t that what a tattoo is – graffiti.

am pretty sure Hitler knew tattooing was an offense to the Jewish god and the Jews, thus he forced them to bare their arms and suffer the indignation of having a number tattooed on their arm. Of course, he didn’t realize their God would send in mighty armies to annihilate the Nazis and set the Jews free so it’s a pretty sure thought that he didn’t think the world would ever see how much disdain he held for the Jewish god, although he was part Jewish. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-evolution-of-tattooing-in-the-auschwitz-concentration-camp-complex

Most likely, I haven’t changed anyone’s mind in putting this information out there for you to read. I do ask one thing of you though, if you feel that incredible urge to mark up your body, try using some of the temporary tattoos. If you don’t like them, you can just erase them and there isn’t any harm done to your Temple. If you do like them, then buy more and keep them refreshed for as long as you want with confidence that as you grow older and your body starts to sag in various places, you won’t have a tattoo that is stretched out and nasty looking. Or will you?

sagging tattoos on old people – Bing

Idiot’s Abound!

Imagine someone is kicking in the front door of your house and your family is inside without any means of defending themselves. Your children are crying and your spouse is trying to calm them while the thudding on the door continues. What would you do? Would you call the police? You watch the framing around the door begin to crack and bend with each kick of the intruder. Could the police get here in time? No. Absolutely not. There is no hope. Your family will surely be killed tonight!

This isn’t a commercial for gun sales. This is an argument for what is happening in Israel right now – as I write this. Last week, during this same time frame, I watched a beautiful wedding being live streamed to me from Israel. There was peace, joy and a great deal of love. Now, over the last 48 – 72 hours the live streaming coming out of Israel is quite different as rocket after endless rocket is fired from Gaza into the towns, cities and communities of Israel. Even Ben Gurion Airport is in the cross-hairs of the rockets with the city of Lod – that which surrounds Ben Gurion – having been bombarded last night.

All the while this is going on there are demonstrations around the world against Israel! Yep. Against Israel. I guess it doesn’t matter to the world community that Israel is the one whose door is being kicked in and the family inside are the ones that will be annihilated in just a few minutes. There isn’t time for the world community to send in their ever-so-worthless observers or hatchet-men to try to bring peace to the ‘unstable situation’. There is only time to defend that which is precious – the lives of your family.

No matter how many years I’ve been watching this nor how many times Israel has been drawn into an unwanted war by the so-called Palestinians, she is always the big mean bully. I don’t know whether it is anti-Semitism or the Big Lie or just the need to hate someone that causes the world community to lambast and decry Israel. WHY? Why is it necessary for the world community to stick their nose into the conflict to begin with? What business is it of theirs. They’ve already boycotted Israel, placed sanctions upon Israel and done every conceivable thing to side with the Palestinians so why don’t they just butt out! That would be the appropriate thing.

Israel does not start these wars. Israel does not ask for rockets to be lobbed into her airspace or land mass nightly, and that has been happening for a long time. This current onslaught is over nothing but an erroneous rumor and lie that Palestinians were being evicted from their homes by the mean Israelis. Not true. The Palestinians have been squatting on land and in houses that are not theirs while the battle for those homes and land have been fought over for several years in the court system, with the final decision coming down finding for the legal land owners – the Jews. Added to that is the fact that there should be elections now in the Muslim held Palestinian territories of Gaza and Ramallah but the chief terrorist, Abbas, doesn’t want to give up his dynasty so a war is a good deterrent to change the minds of the voters.

If the world community – including Joe Biden and his ilk – stayed out of this Israel could put an end to the Palestinian terrorist machine in a week. However, Ned Price, U.S. State Department spokesman, made a less than intelligent statement saying, “Israel and the Palestinians have a right to defend itself against the rocket attacks,” as he called upon both sides to exercise restraint. Exercise restraint? Really? When someone is kicking in your door as the Palestinians have been doing to Israel, you want Israel to exercise restraint? Same old, same old, same old worthless nonsense coming from the U.S. State Department which truly needs to butt out. If this were my door being kicked in – or yours – rest assured that the one doing the kicking would be met by a nice, big bullet right between the eyes.

Remove the constraints from Israel and let her fight this war, once and for all. Let Israel bomb the hell out of the terrorist organizations in Gaza – the 139 square miles of land – that Israel gave up in 2005 for peace…the peace she never got. Since then there has been a never-ending rampage against Israel from this hell-hole that once was a paradise-like piece of land that now grows nothing but terrorists and hatred and lies. Gaza has become it’s own sewer channel and needs to be brought to an end.

Granted there are people living in Gaza that don’t want this conflict, that don’t want to terrorize Israel but they’ve surrendered to the PLO, Hamas, Abbas and all of them by not rising up against them so they are responsible for what happens to them – and their families – as a result of Israel’s retaliation which needs to be, in my opinion, full bore.

If you’ve not watched the videos of the rockets coming into Israel by the thousands while innocent Israelis run to the bomb shelters, then I encourage you to do so. There is no need for this type of hatred. And, if you want to know where all those rockets are coming from, look to the north and the east – to Iran and Syria and Turkey. This isn’t a regional war. It is a war of evil versus good … Israel must be allowed to bring this to an end once and for all. Let her do it.

Yom Yerushalayim … Jerusalem Day!

Today our friend, Moshe from the Shorashim shop in the Old City of Jerusalem, posted a video of the dancing at the Kotel in celebration of Jerusalem Day, the day Jerusalem was reunited as one city in the 1967 Six Day War. I had to smile as I watched the joyful dancing and the very energetic music. It took me back in time to thirty-three years ago and our honeymoon in our beloved Israel.

We were living in my apartment on the fourth floor of a historic old building on King George Street in Jerusalem. We had been sleeping when my new husband was awakened by loud noises in the middle of the night that he didn’t understand. He got out of bed, pulled on some clothes and said I’m going to go see what’s going on. “I’ll go with you,” I said and quickly jumped out of bed. I didn’t know what the situation was but I wanted to be with him, no matter what. We had not understood that it was the sound of joy and not trouble that we were experiencing.

We hurried down the four flights of stairs onto King George street and turned towards the noise coming from Jaffa Road, less than a block away. By now we had figured out that it was singing and shouting that we were hearing but we had no earthly idea what it was about. Who would be having a party at this time of night? We were shocked, but thrilled, to see that it was young people of all sizes and shapes marching, singing and dancing, flags in hand, down Jaffa Road towards the Old City. We certainly didn’t understand what the event was but we quickly joined the crowd to ‘go see’ what was happening.

They sang and danced energetically while we marched along with them the remainder of Jaffa Road, up the steep hill through Jaffa Gate into the darkened streets of the Old City. It was still dark outside with an occasional single light bulb hanging in front of a shuttered store front lightly guiding us along the way. The streets were crowded with young bodies, still singing and dancing with a fervor that was palpable, never missing a beat as they made their way down the narrow limestone steps.

As we wove our way through the streets of the Old City towards the Kotel, Western Wall, we were caught up in the magic of the moment although we had no clue what it was all about. It was May, not June, so we didn’t connect this event with the Six Day War and the Reunification of Jerusalem – we didn’t understand the lunar calendar at that time – so we just went with the flow and never regretted that we had done so.

Holding hands so that we didn’t get separated by the pressing crowd we made our way down the newer steps onto the plaza of the Kotel and joined a celebration that would stay with us for years to come. Even now, thirty-three years later, as I hear the singing and see the dancing in the video Moshe posted on Facebook, I am reminded of that night and how very special it was and I’m so thankful that we were awakened and pulled into the joy of the moment.

Later we learned from our friends that these young people had actually walked – yes, walked – from all over Israel to join in this celebration of their freedom that had been won at such a high price just twenty-one years before. Five Arab countries had attacked Israel, once again, in an attempt to push ‘all of the Jews into the sea’. Instead, there was a tremendous miracle, wrought at great price, as the IDF – Israel Defense Forces – prevailed. Between 800 – 1,000 Jews were killed and 4,500 were wounded in the war that reunited the Old City of Jerusalem with the New City of Jerusalem along with territories in Judea and Samaria that had been held hostage by the Arab Regime.

Even today, as air-raid sirens scream throughout the land, there was and is reason to celebrate Yom Yerushalayim – May Jerusalem always be United and May she know peace. Am Israel Chai.

http://www.margypezdirtz.com

I’m Dying!

I didn’t know I was dying until this morning and, let me tell you, it came as a huge surprise. I didn’t understand the reason for the implication and I wondered if it had anything to do with the spider I found in my shower this morning. It doesn’t. The spider is dead – I killed it and maybe that serves me right. All I wanted was a nice, hot shower to start the day off right, and I got that – after I killed the spider. However, it was as I was drying off that I learned the dastardly news!

I had showered with the wrong shower head! Little did I know that my wonderful, hand-held, golden shower head would be the cause of my demise; but, it is. Drying off, I heard the news on TV – that’s right – it was announced on TV. You see, I do not have the AquaCare shower head and without that there is little hope! I didn’t know that the first water coming out of my golden shower head was contaminated with mold and other things that could, and most likely will, kill me. I was shocked!

I wrapped myself in the bath sheet and leaned against the bed trying to absorb this terrible news when I heard something more hopeful. It seems there is a drug – is it Lipitor? Is it Claritin? Or is that Clairol? Oh, I don’t know but I need help … quickly please. Can someone help me.

I waddled carefully to my iPhone so I wouldn’t drop the bath sheet wrapped around me and started researching it. Oh, Lipitor is for heart disease. I don’t have heart disease; except maybe the near heart attack I had when I learned I was dying. Claritin might help, won’t it? It is for allergies and since mold is harmful wouldn’t Claritin take away the allergic reaction to that mold that didn’t come out of the AquaCare shower head. Oh dear. But wait! What are the side effects of Claritin? Will that kill me?

I looked them up and this is what it said: The most commonly reported side effects included headache, somnolence nervousness, and fatigue. Somnolence? What is that? Will it kill me? Yes, it definitely will if I’m driving and I go to sleep from it’s effect – sleepy nervousness. What shall I do? I know. I’ll get a car that drives itself then if I get sleepy and doze off, I’ll be okay. Right?

Thinking about all of these dangers and the terrible things that could happen to me, I decided to get out the Clairol and color my hair, assuring I’ll look good in my casket if I do die from one of these terrible causes. Just to reassure myself that all is well, I looked up the possibilities of side effects from using Clairol hair color and I almost had another heart attack. It seems the European Union has declared that women are dying from using hair colors because all the warnings of the chemicals included in them are not on the box. I sat in stunned silence. How could that be? How terrible. I’m doomed. I’ve been using it for fifty years – there is no hope.

Totally in despair, I threw myself up on the bed as I yelled out, “I’m not ready!” Then I heard the crash! My mattress shook under the strain of my suffering body, hit the night stand causing it to shake and topple over the PureWick machine that had kept me dry all night. Now my white carpet was wet and held a slight hue of yellow. Now I knew for sure, I am through. My life is worth nothing. Everything is ruined – gone – of no use to my children.

But wait! Maybe that’s what killed the spider. I thought I killed it but maybe it was the mold in that golden shower head that killed it when I aimed the shower head at the spider – full force – with hot water! Maybe that’s what killed it. Maybe I’m not a murderer after all. I’ll live another day. I hurried to the garage to get the carpet cleaner to clean up the mess so my children wouldn’t be ashamed of their mother. It was then that I began to wonder if the carpet cleaner was safe or would it shock me and leave me a fried mess for the kids to find next month when they come to visit. Oh dear.

Now where are my keys?

margypezdirtz.com

A Siren Blows

In Oklahoma, when we hear sirens blow in the spring  – you know the big air-raid sirens that knock you out of your seat – we usually turn on the TV to the local weather channel, grab our kids and start making survival plans. A siren blowing in Israel in the spring is quite different. Tomorrow – Wednesday, April 14, 2021 – a siren will blow and the entire nation of Israel will come to a standstill for one minute. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world.

Yom Hazikaron, Israeli Memorial Day, is a day set apart to remember the lives – 23,928 – who have fallen in defense of Israel. Those lives were lost, their blood shed, in defense of the tiny nation that bravely stands strong in the midst of wolves that would destroy her with one swipe of the paw if they could. Never has such a small nation had to have such a strong army just to prevent their annihilation, and yet that is the life of Israel.

Several years ago my late husband and I were in Jerusalem where we had an apartment. It was spring and I had heard of Yom Hazikaron day but I had never experienced it.  As a writer, I was determined to experience the day as an Israeli. A workman was at our house so I got into the car and drove to a busy street while my husband remained behind in the apartment. When the siren blew, I pulled my car to the side of the road and got out and stood at attention – sort of. I confess, I did look around. I wanted to see just how seriously Israelis took this siren and this minute in time. Believe me, they are serious about it.

Cars stopped. People got out and stood at attention. Residents came to their balconies and stood at attention. The entire country stopped except for the Arabs who seemed to be totally unaffected by this minute of quiet. I wondered what thoughts were streaming through their minds as we stood beside the roads, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was the remembering, the honoring, the caring. It was a moving minute of stillness.

I wonder what our country would be like if we took that minute, one time a year to stop everything, to stand at attention and think about the thousands  upon thousands that have given their lives over the generations to defend our country. How would that be? Just think, in WWI we lost 53,402; in WWII we lost 291,557; in Korea we lost 33,686; in Vietnam we lost 47,424; in the Gulf War we lost 149; in Afghanistan we have lost 1,833; in the Iraq War we have lost 3,836 and we continue to lose our men and women in war and afterwards due to PTSD and other illnesses created by war. This is to say nothing of small skirmishes that we have long forgotten.

But why do we forget? What is it in our American psyche that we are so quick to move on and not look back? Perhaps if we did stop for a minute when  a siren blew, got out of our car and stopped long enough to remember we might be a little more forgiving of others. I don’t know that it would work but I would certainly be willing to pull over, get out of my car and say a silent ‘Thank You’ to those who have died saving our country.

United States military casualties of war – Wikipedia

A Perplexing Situation

Today I am writing about a personal situation that has actually brought me to tears. The tears aren’t for myself, they are for my granddaughter and for the stupidity that has held our country hostage for well over a year now.

My granddaughter is a precious gift from the Lord to me, her parents and our family. She is twenty-one, a senior in college on Long Island, NY, although she is from Oklahoma. Her choice of study took her to the east coast which has had its ups and downs.

We have been amazed as she’s flown back and forth across country so many times by herself. She has spent a semester studying internationally, far away from home to learn her trade and to be able to share it with the world some day. She has been sent home from the university with the uncertainty of when and if they would be allowed to return due to Governor Cuomo’s edicts and she has studied online. She has been in Covid quarantine at least three and maybe four times, each of which she did not have Covid but tested ‘positive’ for it which threw everyone into a panic without the reasoning faculties to get a back-up-confirmation test. Through it all, she has managed to stay on the Dean’s Honor Roll and be diligent in her studies.

In January, she returned to NY for the last semester of her senior year. She has worked hard and still is with graduation looming in just a few weeks. Thus the reason for my sadness. I’m not sad that she’s graduating; in fact, I’m thrilled that she has accomplished this goal and very proud of her. I am sad that we won’t be able to be there to see her walk across the stage if she so chooses. Yesterday we received notice that there will be a graduation but, as I understand it, the ceremony will be a walk by appointment. Basically, it is a photo opp. One graduate at a time. Only two people are allowed to attend but that means they have to follow ALL Covid regulations as established by the ‘amazing’ governor of NY.

Since one of those many edicts concerning Covid is that anyone entering the hallowed state of New York from another state must be in quarantine for a minimum of ten days, test Covid free and whatever else is listed. There is no way we’ll be able to attend her graduation turned walk-by-appointment. Who has two weeks that they can spend in quarantine. We will clap and cheer from a Zoom window, miles away from our Senior who deserves so much more. How very sad.

It isn’t sad just for us or my granddaughter. It is sad for all graduating seniors whether they are in high school or college. In fact, it is pathetic. These young people need to be applauded, patted on the back and told “Well Done”… Furthermore, it is pathetic that people have been forced to be separated by the leaders of this country for fear of a virus that is no more dangerous than the flu bug. Fear has become the prisoner of America. That fear has been pushed upon us by our leaders, our teachers, our local governments. FEAR that is irrational and out of control.

Definitely I believe and know people have died from this virus and that is sad. But people die every year from the flu, from car accidents, from heart attacks, from cancer, from just being too tired or depressed to go on. Death is a part of life. It happens.

Another tragedy that has come from this virus is the almost-forced-upon-us vaccine. We are told or lead to believe IF you get the vaccine you won’t get the virus! Really? If that is true then why is it that once you’ve gotten the vaccination why do you still have to wear a mask? Don’t tell me it is for my protection – I don’t need that protection. I don’t want that protection. What I do want is freedom.

I understand the University’s ruling although I don’t like it. They are under the rules and regulations of the State of New York and the clown governor. I understand that and I empathize with those at the University that had to make this decision. I’m sure they’ve heard from a lot of unhappy families by now; I know I wanted to scream at them but it isn’t their fault. It is Cuomo’s for not being reasonable or rational in a time of chaos in our country.

My granddaughter will graduate, whether she walks the appointment for the photo opp or not. She will graduate. She will have her diploma and she will have the knowledge that it was through her hard work and tenacity that she has reached this goal. She is strong, beautiful and very determined. She will be okay because of who she is and whom she has standing with and behind her. Not everyone has that. There will be a party – it may be a few days later when she returns home (I hope), or it may be even later than that but we will celebrate her and her accomplishments.

I pray this is the last year that we – as a country – put such ridiculous constraints on our young people. Let them be free.