Hail the Conquering Hero!

Most of you have hopefully noticed the yellow ribbon I have had in the top corner of my blog for almost a year and a half.

My brother Mike left to serve our country and the world in Iraq 15 months ago.

He was able to come home for about 2 weeks around his halfway mark.

Mike has literally been counting down the hours until his deployment was over and he could return to the USA and his family.

2 days ago on Saturday he flew in to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina where he was met by his wife, Niki.

He is back for good. Or at least until he gets orders to deply again.

I am thrilled because he and his awesome family will be about 3 hours away from me for the next year and a half.

I can't wait to be close to family again, and be able to spend time with these people that I love so much.

.

While he was in Iraq, Mike had the opportunity to meet a few celebrities who travelled there to support the troops.

This is R. Lee Ermey with Mike.

And I think Mike was a little too big to sit on this guy's lap.

.

Welcome home, Mike.

Thank you for serving our country.

We are glad you are home.

One Trillion Dollars

There has been a lot of debate over the stimulus plan recently passed by our new president. Many like it, many don't. I don't think I agree with all of it, but whether or not I think it is the best way to do things, it is the approved plan to help our economy. And unlike some people, I don't want it to fail just to prove a point. I am hoping and praying that it works. That it does help our economy, and that all of the good intentions that it was written under become fruitful.

After all, if we are investing ONE TRILLION DOLLARS that we don't even have, some thing good better come of it right?

.

Do you know what ONE TRILLION DOLLARS looks like?

.

Here is a regular One hundred dollar bill.

We've all seen this.

We've all had one in our pocket or purse at some point.

If you stack 10,000 of these together, you get

One Million Dollars.

It looks about like this:

It's impressive in the amount, after all, it would take the average american 30 years to earn that much money. But it's still small enough it would probably fit in your purse and you could carry it around.

.

Take that amount and multiply it by 100, and you have

One Hundred Million Dollars.

It looks about like this:

And I am pretty sure I will never make that much money in my lifetime. Not even before taxes.

.

But we hear people talk about One Hundred Million Dollars all the time.

Didn't AIG recently misplace about 165 Million Dollars?

That's more than 1 and a half pallets of money!

"Gee, honey, have you seen that pallet of cash I put in the attic? Did it get put in the boxes marked 'Christmas' again?"

Seriously?

.

Okay, so what about a Billion?

That's another term that gets thrown around a bit.

I mean, Facebook (you know, that little networking site that even my Mom joined?) was bought out over a year ago for 4.1 Billion.

4.1 doesn't seem like too much right?

Except that this is what One Billion Dollars looks like:

It's a good thing that transaction was electronic, because it might have taken multiple semi trucks to move 41 pallets of money.

.

While this stimulus plan was in committee, a lot of numbers were thrown around.

It started as low as 500 Billion Dollars, but slowly grew as more and more "divinely qualified" plans and special interests were added.

Finally the number reached

ONE TRILLION DOLLARS

.

The human mind can't even comprehend that number.

If you started counting now, and counted one dollar every second, it would take you 31,709 years to get to ONE TRILLION DOLLARS.

Even if you counted by 100's it would take over 300 years.

.

ONE TRILLION DOLLARS is a Million Million dollars.

ONE TRILLION DOLLARS is a thousand Billion dollars.

ONE TRILLION is a 1 with 12 zeros behind it.

.

1,000,000,000,000

.

ONE TRILLION DOLLARS looks like this:

.

Notice the pallets are double stacked.

Can you see the little man with the red shirt standing in the corner?

No?

Apparently neither can Congress.

.

ONE TRILLION DOLLARS is a whole lotta money.

Money that our country doesn't have.

Lets hope and pray together that good comes from this. That our nation can heal and rebuild itself. That one day we can pay off our debts and truly be free.

In the mean time, lets at least be realistic and honest with ourselves and each other.

We need each other, and we need God more now than we ever have.

-Della

Hope For My Generation

Please watch the whole thing.

It is less than 2 minutes long, and valueable.

A Meaning in Everything, (Did You Know This About the Dollar Bill?) -Sunday Post

I think I read this somewhere once before, but I felt it was definitely worth posting.

We handle, use, earn and spend these dollars every day, but we don't even think about the meanings they carry.

It makes me wonder if I could ask my bank to put "In God We Trust" on my debit card.

Anyway, read this and learn something.

.

On the rear of the One Dollar bill, you will see two circles. Together, they comprise the Great Seal of the United States .

The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and a group of men come up with a Seal. It took them four years to accomplish this task and another two years to get it approved.

If you look at the left-hand circle, you will see a Pyramid.

Notice the face is lighted, and the western side is dark. This country was just beginning. We had not begun to explore the west or decided what we could do for Western Civilization.

The Pyramid is uncapped, again signifying that we were not even close to being finished.

Inside the capstone you have the all-seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity.

It was Franklin's belief that one man couldn't do it alone, but a group of men, with the help of God, could do anything.

'IN GOD WE TRUST' is on this currency.

The Latin above the pyramid, ANNUIT COEPTIS, means, 'God has favored our undertaking.'

The Latin below the pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means, 'a new order has begun.'

At the base of the pyramid is the Roman Numeral for 1776. (MDCCLXXVI)

If you look at the right-hand circle, and check it carefully, you will learn that it is on every National Cemetery in the United States. It is also on the Parade of Flags Walkway at the Bushnell, Florida National Cemetery, and is the centerpiece of most hero's monuments.

Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of the United States , and it is always visible whenever he speaks, yet very few people know what the symbols mean.

The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two reasons:

First, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong, and he is smart enough to soar above it.

Secondly, he wears no material crown. We had just broken from the King of England

Also, notice the shield is unsupported. This country can now stand on its own.

At the top of that shield you have a white bar signifying congress, a unifying factor. We were coming together as one nation.

In the Eagle's beak you will read, ' E PLURIBUS UNUM' meaning,'one from many.'

Above the Eagle, you have the thirteen stars, representing the thirteen original colonies, and any clouds of misunderstanding rolling away. Again, we were coming together as one.

Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons. He holds an olive branch and arrows. This country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to preserve peace.

The Eagle always wants to face the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze turns toward the arrows.

They say that the number 13 is an unlucky number. This is almost a worldwide belief. You will usually never see a room numbered 13, or tall buildings with a 13th floor. But think about this:

13 original colonies,

13 signers of the Declaration of Independence,

13 stripes on our flag,

13 steps on the Pyramid,

13 letters in, 'Annuit Coeptis,'

13 letters in 'E Pluribus Unum,'

13 stars above the Eagle,

13 bars on that shield,

13 leaves on the olive branch,

13 fruits,

and if you look closely, 13 arrows.

And finally, if you notice the arrangement of the 13 stars in the right-hand circle you will see that they are arranged as a Star of David.

This was ordered by George Washington who, when he asked Hayim Solomon, a wealthy Philadelphia Jew, what he would like as a personal reward for his services to the Continental Army, Solomon said he wanted nothing for himself but that he would like something for his people. The Star of David was the result.

Few people know that it was Solomon who saved the Army through his financial contributions but died a pauper.

.

Food for thought, huh?

Something to think about next time you spend your hard earned dinero.

Our Country's Real Roots (Sunday Post)

(Another long one, but a really good one).

OUR REAL ROOTS:

God help us.

Did you know that 52 of the 55 signers of The Declaration of Independence were orthodox, deeply committed Christians? The other three all believed in the Bible as the divine truth, the God of scripture, and His personal intervention.

It is the same congress that formed the American Bible Society. Immediately after creating the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress voted to purchase and import 20,000 copies of scripture for the people of this nation.

Patrick Henry, who is called the firebrand of the American Revolution, is still remembered for his words, 'Give me liberty or give me death.'

But in current textbooks the context of these words is deleted. Here is what he said:

'An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle sir, is not of the strong alone. Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death.'

These sentences have been erased from our textbooks.

Was Patrick Henry a Christian? The following year, 1776, he wrote this 'It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here.'

Consider these words that Thomas Jefferson wrote on the front of his well- worn Bible: 'I am a Christian, that is to say a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus. I have little doubt that our whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of our Creator and, I hope, to the pure doctrine of Jesus also.'

Consider these words from George Washington, the Father of our Nation, in his farewell speech on September 19, 1796:

'It is impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible. Of all the dispositions and habits that lead to political prosperity, our religion and morality are the indispensable supporters. Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that our national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.'

Was George Washington a Christian? Consider these words from his personal prayer book: 'Oh, eternal and everlasting God, direct my thoughts, words and work. Wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the lamb and purge my heart by the Holy Spirit. Daily, frame me more and more in the likeness of thy son, Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time obtain the resurrection of the justified unto eternal life. Bless, O Lord, the whole race of mankind and let the world be filled with the knowledge of thy son, Jesus Christ.'

Consider these words by John Adams, our second president, who also served as chairman of the American Bible Society. In an address to military leaders he said, 'We have no government armed with the power capable of contending with human passions, unbridled by morality and true religion. Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.'

How about our first Court Justice, John Jay?

He stated that when we select our national leaders, if we are to preserve our Nation, we must select Christians. 'Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian Nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.'

John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams, was the sixth U.S. President.

He was also the chairman of the American Bible Society, which he considered his highest and most important role. On July 4, 1821, President Adams said, 'The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.'

Calvin Coolidge, our 30th President of the United States reaffirmed this truth when he wrote, 'The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.'

In 1782, the United States Congress voted this resolution: 'The congress of theUnited States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools.'

William Holmes McGuffey is the author of the McGuffey Reader, which was used for over 100 years in our public schools with over 125 million copies sold until it was stopped in 1963. President Lincoln called him the 'Schoolmaster of the Nation.'

Listen to these words of Mr. McGuffey: 'The Christian religion is the religion of our country. From it are derived our notions on character of God, on the great moral Governor of the universe. On its doctrines are founded the peculiarities of our free institutions. From no source has the author drawn more conspicuously than from the sacred Scriptures. From all these extracts from the Bible I make no apology.'

Of the first 108 universities founded inAmerica , 106 were distinctly Christian, including the first.

Harvard University, chartered in 1636. In the original Harvard Student Handbook rule number 1 was that students seeking entrance must know Latin and Greek so that they could study the scriptures:

'Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, John 17:3; and therefore to lay Jesus Christ as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisdom, let everyone seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seek it of him (Proverbs 2:3).'

For over 100 years, more than 50% of all Harvard graduates were pastors!

It is clear from history that the Bible and the Christian faith, were foundational in our educational and judicial system. However in 1947, there was a radical change of direction in the Supreme Court.

Here is the prayer that was banished:

'Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence on Thee. We beg Thy blessings upon us and our parents and our teachers and our country.

Amen.'

In 1963, the Supreme Court ruled that Bible reading was outlawed as unconstitutional in the public school system.

The court offered this justification: 'If portions of the New Testament were read without explanation, they could and have been psychologically harmful to children.'

Bible reading was now unconstitutional , though the Bible was quoted 94 percent of the time by those who wrote our constitution and shaped our Nation and its system of education and justice and government.

In 1965, the Courts denied as unconstitutional the rights of a student in the public school cafeteria to bow his head and pray audibly for his food.

In 1980, Stone vs. Graham outlawed the Ten Commandments in our public schools.

The Supreme Court said this: 'If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments were to have any effect at all, it would be to induce school children to read them. And if they read them, meditated upon them, and perhaps venerated and observed them, this is not a permissible objective.'

Is it not a permissible objective to allow our children to follow the moral principles of the Ten Commandments?

James Madison, the primary author of the Constitution of the United States, said this: 'We have staked the whole future of our new nation, not upon the power of government; far from it. We have staked the future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the Ten Commandments.'

Today we are asking God to bless America. But how can He bless a Nation that has departed so far from Him?

Most of what you read in this article has been erased from our textbooks. Revisionists have rewritten history to remove the truth about our country's Christian roots.

-Written by Mary Jones

At this time, as much if not more than any other, we truly do need God to bless our nation.

Ronald Reagan said "If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under. "

God bless America.

The Returning Soldier

Here are pics of my brother's return home.

This one was taken by an onlooker at the airport who was touched by the reunion.

And at home.

He gets to stay 18 days.

Hooray, Mike!

Welcome Home Mike!

My brother Mike is home on leave!

He has been in Iraq for the last 9 months and will have to go back for another 9 months in a few weeks.

But while he is home he will be able to celebrate his daughters 8th birthdays and baptize them.

We are so proud of him for what he is doing, but so happy he is home safe even just for a little while.

We love you Mike.

-Della

Wordless Wednesday -on Saturday

Where were you when?

Where were you on the morning of September 11th, 7 years ago?

I was at home, babysitting, running between the living room tv and the kitchen where I was making breakfast for the kids.

It may be silly, but when I watched the first and then the second tower fall the words that came to me were from a Star Wars movie, "I felt a great divergence in the force, as though a million voices all cried out and were silenced all at once". -Obiwan Kenobi.

We can not let this happen again.

This is why we still fight. And we need to keep fighting, until the fight is won, to preserve the safety of our nation, and people all over the world.

My Brother is the real Hero

The USO sent some people down to Iraq to visit the troops.

These guys stopped by Camp Victory in Bagdad, which used to be one of Saddam's palaces.

My brother Mike, who is stationed there, got to meet a few people of interest.

This is Milo Ventimiglia from the tv show Heroes. Oh, and the huge guy next to him is my brother Mike. This is the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. You might notice the huge ring on this guy's finger. It's his superbowl ring. His name is Osi Umenyiora. He and his team, the Giants won the superbowl this year.

Another NFL player you might recognize, Drew Brees.

QB of a team called the New Orleans Saints.

Another thing you might notice is the palace behind him. This place was just one of Saddam Husseins palaces, where he lived while his countrymen didn't have enough food to eat.

God bless the USA, and the troops that fight for peace.

-Della

Happy Fourth of July

We had a great 4th.

We went down to Sandbridge Beach early in the evening to get a good parking spot.

We had a big picnic and played in the water and sand waiting for the fireworks.

I didn't know what to expect since I hadn't been to Sandbridge for the 4th before.

It was probably one of the best fireworks experiences I have had.

There was not one group pre-organized to set off fireworks. Instead, everyone brought their illegal ones and set them off all up and down the beach.

It was a blast. Literally.

At times I couldn't see all of them because they were going off on both sides of me, or directly over my head.

People had plenty of legal ones too and many kids were running around with sparklers.

I stood for a while with my back to the ocean, letting the waves wash over my feet and ankles, feeling the fabulous breeze and watching explosions of colored light all around me.

It was fabulous.

Sorry I didn't get any pictures. I'm not sure I could do it justice with a thousand words either.

How about this: Come stay with me next Fourth of July and we'll go see them together!

-Della

Memorial Day- again

I didn't get around to posting yesterday, but I did want to pay more homage to our soldiers and veterans.

So here are some Memorial Day cartoons. (Thanks again, Grandpa).

I guess I ended up doing this a day late after all. But I think that's ok. We need to remember these guys every day.

-Della

Sunday Post, Memorial Day

This time I am going to be a day ahead instead of behind and post for Memorial Day today.

I had to pick what to post since I get a lot of great patriotic e-mails from my Grandpa (who is a veteran himself).

I am going with simplicity.

Chances are you have seen this before, but it is true everytime.

It is the VETERAN, not the preacher,

who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN, not the reporter,

who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN, not the poet,

who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer,

who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer,

who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN, not the politician,

Who has given us the right to vote.

A lot of people trash our government, but have never lived in communism or under tyranny.

People complain about taxes, but drive on the roads their taxes pay for.

They protest wars, but don't take thought for their freedom of speech that allows them to protest.

They outrage about the economy, but buy products made overseas.

They denounce the president, but have never had to pay homage to a king or emperor.

I love my country.

I love the USA.

I thank God I was born here and have the freedoms, privileges and opportunities I have.

I thank the Veterans, who have fought, served, and been buried under our flag, for preserving my quality of life.

GOD bless the USA!

Sunday Post

Fort this Sunday's post we are going patriotic.

A guy named Sam Bierstock realized that our american veterans who served in WWII and The Korean War are passing away now at a rate of about 2000 a day.

He wanted to make sure they got one last thank you for their service for our country and peace and freedom in the world.

So he and another guy named John Melnick and their group the "Managed Care Band", (they are doctors), wrote a song to say thank you.

Both of my grandpas served in WWII. They both came home, but my Grandpa Hugo left his legs on the island of Sebu in the South Pacific.

I could go on about how much freedom and this country mean to me, but I will leave it to this song and slideshow to convey how I feel.

Click here to watch it.

>>>>Before You Go<<<<<

To all the veterans of every war, including those fighting now,

Thank you for keeping us free.