The Violence Worker!

Happy Thanksgiving!

One day seems hardly enough!  My family and I are blessed beyond measure.  We are employed, we have a large family and very dear friends.  We are thankful we were born in this great and beautiful country. 

We have a lot of love and laughter in this house.  We have a bountiful feast just about to be set out onto our table.  We have lots of grandchildren (nine of them and counting) and lots of pets (four of them - three cats and a 100 pound mutt that probably counts as two or three).

We here at the Worker household wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving and God's greatest blessings.

VW

Happy Thanksgiving

As you gather with family and friends this day and weekend, take a moment and reflect on what you have.

To the men and women of our armed forces, thank you for doing what you do wherever in this world you are stationed.

To the men and women of law enforcement, thank you for keeping our streets safe and for putting your life on the line.

To the men and women that man our fire departments, thank you for your willingness to serve us and save us.

Thank your God or whoever or whatever you deem larger than you that you live here, in the greatest and still freest country on this planet.

I thank those who read this humble blog and especially those who take time to comment.  I don't always have time to answer everything, but know that I'm grateful.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

VW

Happy Independence Day!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!!

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

233 years ago, these words headlined a document that literally changed how the world thought about government and what responsibilities government had to the governed.  This was not a laundry list cooked up over an all night ale session; this was a list of grievances presented by men who were well aware of the importance of their words.  This document was a culmination of oppressive acts committed over a period of time by a petty tyrant king.   Perhaps they did not have the prescience  to know how much their words would change the world, but they had to know how those words would effect their world.

These were not a bunch of uneducated farmers.  Most of them were classically educated men.  They were familiar with the works of Hobbes, Locke, Bacon and others.  They were the liberals of their age.  A liberalism dedicated to making men free from a tyrannical government and its lust for power, tribute and taxation.

Sadly, liberalism today is much different as it seeks to enslave mankind to a government, rather than free them from such oppression.    If we are to remain a free people, unencumbered by oppressive taxation and control of the citizenry through oppressive government meddling, we need to return to the roots of the tree of liberty. 

It will be a difficult chore as long as the news cycle is dominated by a dead, drug addicted, freak show.  It will be difficult as long as we are bombarded with the message that only government can help you or heal you.  It will be impossible as long as we are ridiculed by the intelligentsia for believing in a God and in Natural Law.  It is those two things that the Socialists fear the most.

For now, enjoy today and what freedom we have left.  We are not yet wards of the state, but it's coming.  It might be then that the tree of liberty will have to be watered.

VW

Canada Day

I'm a bit late with this, but today is Canada Day.  I'd like to extend best wishes to our friends and neighbors to the north!

VW

Happy Mother's Day!

My Mother passed away 20 years ago last April.  She was about 6 weeks or so shy of 59.  My siblings and I were lucky to have had such a good mother who taught us right from wrong and loved us as selflessly as only a mother can.  Dad left to join her last August.

So if your Mother is still alive, go hug her and thank her and tell her you love her.  For all you Moms out there, I hope you have a great day.

Husbands, do something nice for the mother of your children.  Teach your children by example.

VW

No Room At The Inn

It's Christmas Eve Day.  The children are bursting with anticipation, holiday meals are in preparation and people are scurrying about doing their last minute shopping.  The weather in recent days has been and continues to be cold and snowy, perfect for the always hoped for "white Christmas". 

Our white Christmas comes with travel delays at the airports and hazardous driving conditions.  Between decorating and wrapping, cooking and cleaning, and "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" blaring at us from every speaker in every store in the mall, we often lose sight of what Christmas really means.

We all know the "Cliff's Notes" version of the story.  Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem to pay their taxes and when the get to the city, things are crowded and there was no room at the local inn.  They were then forced to spend the ensuing stay in the city in an animal stable and His crib was a manger.  There was no room in the inn because it was crowed and busy.  Fortunately, they didn't have to deal with snow and ice as it usually doesn't snow there and there is evidence to suggest that all this took place in what we now call April.

No room at the inn - The promised Messiah, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, born in the lowest of circumstances signifying His innate humanness.  It's a major theme in the Christmas story.  It's significance is relevant to us today, not in the "homeless" theme the way some try to twist it, but do we make room for Jesus in our life?

Is there room for the Christ in the inn of our heart?

 It's true that Christmas has become way to commercialized.  We all get caught up in the shopping and the trappings of the season.  I'm no different.  I get caught up in it all as well.  The stress of the traffic, the crowds and trying to get everything done in time can really interfere with our focus.  Before we know it, the whole reason for the season shifts and we push Jesus out of our hearts and into that spiritual barn.  I'm just as guilty.  I need to slow down and pay attention to what is most important.

On this Christmas Eve, take a moment and focus on what is important.  Focus on Jesus, focus on your family.  Focus on what is important.  Thank God for what you have, even if your circumstances are humble.  I've known poverty. It's not fun, but in my time of poverty, it allowed me to learn some important lessons of Christmas that had nothing to do with wrapping paper and tinsel.  It helped me find room in my heart for the Christ Child.

May you all find room in your heart's inn for the Savior.  Be grateful for what you have and if you have extra, share it with those who don't.  It just might help both of you find room Jesus.

Also, on this Christmas, let me thank those of you who choose and have chosen to serve this great country in the Armed Forces.  Your dedication and sacrifices are gifts that my family and I treasure.  Know that all of you are in our prayers. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

VW and family

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving all - especially to those of you who serve this great nation!  Come home safely.   We are thankful and grateful for your service!

VW

I Don't Care How It Started, I'm Thankful!

Year after year any more, it's the same old story.  The politically correct crowd tries to do their dead level best to ruin everyone's Thanksgiving.  They try to portray the Europeans as evil, genocidal maniacs and the Indians as pure, innocent lovers of Mother Earth.  The folly is trying to cast 21st century morality on 16th century people.  It makes about as much sense as condemning the pilgrims for not having modern farm tractors to plow their fields.

I don't particularly care how Thanksgiving came about.  It doesn't matter to me.  I'm glad we set aside a day to be grateful for the people and things in our life.  If you don't like the sugar-coated story we were all taught in grade school, fine - don't.  Just don't try to ruin the whole holiday for the rest of us because of your unfounded guilt.

Just be thankful.  If you can't find anything to be thankful for, than you are truly one sad person.  Just go sit in front of your TV for the day and watch the Cartoon Network and leave the rest of us alone. 

I'll thank you for that!

VW

Happy Mother's Day!

It was 19 years ago last month that my mother passed away at the relatively young age of 58 (about 6 weeks shy of her 59th Birthday on May 30).  She died from a stroke.  I flew in from South Korea on emergency leave, initially because she was to undergo surgery to clear her carotid artery.  The doctor said I should be there  because there was a 50/50 chance she wouldn't survive the surgery.  By the time I got there, she was in a coma.  She'd survived the surgery, but a few hours later, she suffered a massive stroke that hit the brain stem.

I was on crutches.  I'd broken my ankle in a rather nasty way.  I forget who picked me up at the airport.  We went straight to the hospital and I knew where intensive care was.  I come bursting through the door on my crutches and didn't stop at the desk.  The nurse figured out who I was real quick and just pointed.  I wheeled a turn on one crutch and headed for the room.  She was still alive and in a coma, but she knew I was there.  I could see the reaction in the myriad of electronic monitors and beeps.  She hung on until the next morning when she passed away quietly.  I was at her bedside when the monitor finally flat lined.

This is from a family portrait taken in January of 1989, just a few months before her passing

I'm the second of five; my older sister only survived a week.  That makes me the de facto oldest of four.  I have two younger sisters and a brother.

We were lucky to have a great Mother who brought us up to be good productive adults. I could type for hours and tell you some stories, some funny, some more poignant, but in the end, they would all sum up to one conclusion:

She was a wonderful Mom and we all love her and miss her.  We had a great time growing up.  I don't think you can write a greater tribute than that.

Happy Mother's day all. 

VW

Happy Valentine's Day

Let me interrupt all the political stuff and wax a little sentimental for a moment.

I'm married to the sweetest, most loving and supportive woman on this earth.  This June, we will be married for 10 years.  I still can't wait to come home and see her and if she isn't there when I get home for some reason, I'm a bit disappointed.

Everyday keeps getting better and better!

I'm a lucky, lucky man!!!!!

VW