S.R.Claridge writes Mystery and Romantic Suspense novels. Her work has been said to have the energy of Dan Brown, the mystery of Mary Higgins Clark and the humor of Janet Evanovich. Claridge novels will take you to the edge of your seat, keep you guessing until the very end and ultimately warm your heart. It is on the pages of every S.R.Claridge novel that Mystery and Sensual Suspense collide.

For more information on bookings, interviews and upcoming releases, please visit the author website and Facebook fan page.
Showing posts with label Freedom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Freedom. Show all posts

Monday, November 12, 2012

An Attitude of Gratitude


On this Veteran’s Day I want to thank everyone who has served and is serving to protect our Nation and our Freedom.  May God bless America and you.  May He also bless your families, who serve along with you in their sacrifice.   It is not small.  Some of have given their lives and mere words cannot express the gratitude I feel.  Even when our economy is in turmoil, I am proud to be an American.  Even in times of upheaval, I am proud to be an American.  I am proud to stand behind our troops, waving stars and stripes, and profess my gratitude that we are One Nation, Under God, Indivisible, With Liberty and Justice For All.
 
 

Thank you, God, for every blessing and every freedom; and thank you, Veterans, for defending and protecting the blessings and freedoms we have been given.  ~

Friday, October 5, 2012

In The Words of the Eagles: GEt OvEr IT!


I love this sign.  It states the obvious… that we all need to take responsibility for our actions and stop blaming everyone else.  McDonald’s doesn’t make anyone fat; a person’s choice to eat it every day and never exercise does.  I think we all like to have a scapegoat, someone we can point a finger at and say, “It’s your fault.  If this didn’t exist, or if that wasn’t around, nothing bad would happen.”  If fast food restaurants didn’t exist, obesity wouldn’t be an issue for Americans.  If we had stricter gun control laws, people wouldn’t shoot other people.  If we overturn Roe vs. Wade, we’ll increase the morality in America. 

It sounds ludicrous because it IS ludicrous.

If you take away McDonalds, people will still suffer from obesity because until they make the personal choice to improve their eating habits and exercise, nothing will change.  It isn’t about a restaurant menu, it’s about what a person chooses to eat. 

“Remove ALL fast food chains and our nation will be healthier!”  

Okaaaaay… while you’re at it, you need to remove soda, chips, most pork products, most breads, syrup, all desserts, most cereals, etc., from every grocery store.   I won’t go into the economic ramifications of such a stupid idea; but let it be clear that you cannot mandate health.  People either choose to live a healthy lifestyle or they don’t.  It IS their rightful choice to make and whatever consequences come with that choice is no one’s fault but their own.

The same is true of gun control.  If we outlawed a person’s ability to own and carry a weapon, only the law abiding citizens would adhere to the new regulation; thus, there would still be crime because the criminals would continue to carry illegal guns.   Committing a crime is a personal choice, and one the law cannot confine.

“If guns weren’t so easy to come by, then less crimes would be committed.” 

Okaaaay…if we make it harder for law abiding citizens to get registered and licensed to carry a gun, how does that lower the crime rate?  The people who are jumping through the hoops to follow the law are NOT the ones killing other people.  Despite the laws, criminals will find a way to get a gun if they want it.  Crime is a personal choice.

“If we overturn Roe vs. Wade and make abortion illegal, we will have raised the morality of our nation.”

I’m hitting the buzzer.  In the words of Jim Carey, “Wrongo!”  (But thanks for playing.)  Nobody likes abortion.  Nobody wants abortion.  Everyone agrees it's a bad thing surrounded by a devestating circumstance.  Nobody says, "abortion is good, healthy and right."  It's not.  It's tragic and awful and heartbreaking for everyone involved.  But, what must be understood is that morality is not something that can be mandated.  The people who are going to choose to have pre-marital sex are going to have it regardless of the law.  The people who are going to choose to have an abortion are going to have it, regardless of the law. 
In trying to mandate morality by overturning Roe vs. Wade, you will increase the teen suicide rate, endanger young women who will now have to seek help in back alleys, have more babies killed after they are born or abandoned, etc.  A law cannot increase morality in our nation; but, oh, the destruction it can bring.  Morality is a personal choice.  It starts in the home and in the heart, not on a ballot.

Laws are put into place to protect people and to protect our freedoms as American citizens.  If people break those laws and thereby hurt others, then they are held accountable for those actions.  But, people must make their own choices.   Choose morality or immorality.  Choose to obey the law or become a criminal.  Choose to eat healthy or not.   Whatever you choose, you will reap the consequences of that choice and there is no one to blame but yourself for the choices you have made. 

My jeans are tighter today because I’ve eaten like crap this week.  Whose fault is that?  McDonalds?  No… it’s MY fault.  A gunman goes into a theatre and kills innocent people.  Whose fault is that?  The NRA?  No…it’s the gunman’s fault.

The Eagles sang a song called, “Get Over It.”  One of my favorite lines from that song is, “You bitch about the present and blame it on the past, I’d like to find your inner child and kick its little ass.  Get Over It!”

What wisdom!  It’s time we stop blame-shifting and start taking personal responsibility for our actions.  Fast food isn’t the cause of obesity, people are.  Guns aren’t the cause of school shootings and theatre massacres, whacked out people are. Abortion isn’t the cause of decaying morality among the youth, it’s a symptom of immoral decisions...decisions made by people. 

God, Himself, gave us free will.  He gave us the right to choose whether we would, as individuals, follow Him or not.  That choice is personal, involving only you and your Creator.   

Removing choice will not remove adversity.  What you choose for your life doesn’t make it the right choice for mine; and vice versa.  Life is personal.  Choices are personal.  Blame is personal.  So, make your choices.  Choose wisely.  Accept Responsibility.  And in the words of the Eagles, “Get Over It!”   ~

 

 

 

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Shocked, Scared, Stranded...but Alive


On September 11, 2001 I sat on the couch with my infant daughter, rocking her back and forth, staring at the television in horror.  Like every American, I was terrified.  But, on that morning, I wasn’t only afraid for our nation.  My fear was personal.  I was afraid I had lost my husband.

My husband, Cash, traveled every week for work, and after years of this travel lifestyle I stopped writing down his flight numbers.  So, on the morning of 9/11 all I knew was that Cash was leaving Boston on a United flight, home to Colorado.  The first plane hit the Towers and I stood frozen.  The second plane hit and I, like the rest of the world, began to realize we were under attack.  The news reported that the planes were both United flights, heading westbound out of Boston, and I couldn’t breathe.

Diving for the phone, I dialed Cash’s cell phone, but he didn’t answer.  I dialed again and again and again for seven minutes straight.  It was the longest seven minutes of my life.  When he finally answered I almost collapsed with relief.  He was alive.  Shocked, scared and stranded; but alive.

It took Cash another five days to make it home and when I saw him cross the threshold of our front door, it was one of the best moments of my life. 

My 9/11 story had a happy ending, but for others that wasn’t the case; and today, especially, I pray for those whose loved ones didn’t come home.  ~