Conservative With A Heart

As I sit and watch the memorial of 9/11, I am still struck by the awesomeness of God. 50,000 people worked in the World Trade Center towers, and that first strike marked plans that were underway to strike multiple blows at the heart of the United States. Had God’s hand not been on us that day, and had the fervent prayers of people around the globe not gone up, I can only imagine the devastation that would have prevailed.

I remember. I remember the tears, the need to be with my family and the gutting tearing desire to do something and knowing there was nothing I could do. I remember the love and compassion that poured forth from everyone, everywhere!

Each year I choose to turn on the news at the exact hour of the first attack. Staying in the heat of the moment helps me to continue to hold to the purpose that drives the fight. During the year, I let the words of the National Anthem and Pledge of Alliance spark memories of that one day and the many days of sacrifice that preceded it.

I will never understand the reasons that spark such hate. But I must not let that hate become the focus. The miracles, the hope and the unity have to be the things I see when the sun rises on days like today.

I will never forget – but I have to choose to live each day with a spirit that remembers and a heart that will reach for something better!

College football was never my cup of tea. I never talked about it much – I am from the South and football down here is almost a religion. Two years ago I had the opportunity to write a column about Auburn football and other players and I met Kody Burns of the Auburn Tigers and Tim Tebow of the Florida Gators and Saturdays in the fall have not been the same since.

It can be easy to be worried about the future of the United States. The news shows bad news, panic and worry. But college football shows that hope is not lost.

Reasons Football Bring Hope to the United States

Tim Tebow – This quarter back already had a Heisman trophy and two National Championships under his belt. Many guys would be focused on their future in the NFL but Tebow came back to play with his team and for his team. He puts everything into the game with a sacrificial focus. He boasts only about his Faith, his God and his team and not about self.

Kody Burns – he left his family and home state of Arkansas to play football at Auburn. He played quarter back for two years before another team member won the position. He made an appeal to his team to support the decision and said he would do all that he could do to support the team. He showed leadership through high school and has carried those qualities over into college.

It may only be two examples so far, but there are more of them showing up every day – Kids that have character and values; Young men and women who have convictions and manners; People that are more concerned about the people around them and the future than they are self and the hear and now.

Times may be tough but hope is alive. Focus on the hope and the tough times WILL be overcome!

The Glenn Beck program on Fox News was a shock to my system yesterday – Friday. I don’t always watch the program, but the house was quiet and I needed a break from my work. It will run again on Saturday, March 14 at 8 pm CST but I recorded it anyway. It was that powerful.

It left me with the hope that I could make a change – in me, in my family, in my area and even in my country. The program launched the 912 Project which calls all of us to look to 9 principles and 12 values that helped make this country what it is and to put those all back into our lives – and into our country.

• Honesty
• Reverence
• Hope
• Thrift
• Humility
• Charity
• Sincerity
• Moderation
• Hard work
• Courage
• Personal responsibility
• Friendship
1. America is good place, not perfect, but good.
2. I believe in God and He is the center of my life.
3. I must try to be a better, more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness and not a guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have. I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree or share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them. They answer to me.

Glenn Beck has called us all to meet up again on September 12, 2009 – just six months from now – and share how we have changed this country for the better.

Change is good and the 912 Project was the right motivation for me at the right time. I intend to watch the program again with my husband and my older children. My hope is to watch it with friends and other family as well. The more people on a mission to change then the more that change will rock the world!
I’m still kicking around the possibilities of what I need to do and what I can do and what I am willing to do. The Founding Fathers were all willing to sacrifice everything to make a change. They did it for their children and the future of the country. I am taking time to pray over what I am willing to do, to give up or to become to secure the future for my children and grandchildren.

What will you do in the next six months to make a positive change to you, your family, your town, your state and your country?