Have You Been Robbed?

I detest thieves!

I recently bought a circular fan as a donation to the gym room at my apartments.  It’s pretty neat that my apartment complex has this small room with a treadmill, exercise bike, and weight machine. Hey, it’s not a 24-Hour Fitness or anything but the convenience works. Unfortunately, the apartment staff has a tendency to turn the A/C off after hours making the room sometimes unbearable.  The fan I bought was nothing fancy, just something I found at Wal-Mart the other day. After dragging my body to the room yesterday morning before work, I was so mad that I could spit nails--what a site that would be.  The new fan I bought was already gone! The nerve! You know that feeling, the disheartening and anger that someone would actually steal.

Usually it’s not the “things” we are really mad about but the complete lack of respect to robe us of our values. Often we think of material things as the stuff being stolen from us.  However things can be taken away from us almost on a daily basis. 

Have you ever “given” or practically “sold” yourself away? When we give away our rights, privileges, happiness, or settle for less than what we deserve, our peace and joy is robbed right from underneath us.  Unless we have peace inside of who we really are, the money and material things are just duct tape – a temporary fix for happiness.  True, I’d like to win the lottery someday just so I can see if money really does buys me happiness. Yet there are a lot more important things to me than that. 

My heritage, my family, my friends, my beliefs, and my values are priceless!  Those are the things that need to be protected the most.  Its unfortunate that the society we live in today are the thieves – the media, the politicians, the entertainment business, the economy, and even false religious leaders are the ones stealing from us.  We lose a part of ourselves when we become like mindless sheep and abide by what society says who we are or who we ought to be.   Like robots we allow these people to take advantage of our weakness instead of standing up for ourselves and our values.
What's more disturbing are the innocent young lives that have had their life literally taken away from someone because they were unable to defend themselves.

It breaks my heart to see and hear about those who steal or give away a part of themselves. Often I find myself giving away a part of me, trying to make someone happier or feeling that I am not good enough.  In my past relationship, I had to pay for nearly everything. In a sense, I “paid” to have a relationship and gave away the true me. The true lost is being without the inner peace. So in an odd way, those who steal are being robbed themselves from the inner peace.

Sometimes when I have had things taken from me, I want to seek refuge.  The anger and powerlessness I feel overwhelms me.  Then I am reminded of a couple of Bible verses, Leviticus 19:18 which states “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD” and Romans 12:19 that states “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"^[a]says the Lord.” In due time, God will restore what was lost.

Inner peace...blah, blah, blah…whatever and who cares…right? Well, once you find it and know it well, that inner peace will be your most valuable asset and the one thing you can take with you to the grave. 

Re-Evaluate Your Values and Protect Them!

Drunk on Election Day

Tempted to Sell or Give Away Your Vote? 

     When I was growing up, election time seemed to be an eventful time in my family. On occasions I was able to visit the polls as my parents voted. Since my dad couldn’t read, it was not uncommon for voting volunteers to assist him in the voting booth. It also was not uncommon to see him and my Grandpa as well as many others drunk (intoxicated) on Election Day. In fact, everyone I knew was aware that Election Day brought many alcoholics to the polls. As a child, I had no clue that selling your vote was any harm nor given an alcoholic a 5th of Jim Beam for his vote was illegal. It all seemed natural to me. In fact, many of the poor like my family looked forward to Election Day so the electric bill could get paid or groceries bought. So it doesn’t surprise me that this tradition still continues today except the candidates have graduated from alcohol to pills and other drugs. It’s very easy for officials and candidates to take advantage of those who are poor, addicts, or just uninformed.
      Not long ago I had written about the issues my mom was having with the Breathitt County officials (Issues with Breathitt County Officials)  in fixing the Fugate's Fork Road.  A political official offered to fix the road in return for votes.  In addition, it very easy to see the many newly "graveled" driveways during election time with signs posted for those already in office.  Meanwhile the public county roads nearby are in awlful conditions that don't include enough gravel to barely cover a mud puddle.  So the issue regarding voting fraud hasn't been far from my mind since it is election time.

All this made me wonder why officials are still able to get elected into office if many of the residents disagree with their leadership. Obviously, people either 1.) Refuse to vote, 2.) Vote out of guilt for friends or family, or 3.) Bribery.

 Although voting fraud seems impossible to stop, it’s important that people know the importance of voting.  Nothing will improve in the area if residents continue to sell or give away their right to vote. Nothing will improve in the area if residents don’t stand up for what they believe in.  With what little rights we still have left, it’s not worth selling out or risking jail time to corrupt candidates who obviously care less about you and your community and more about themselves. 

DO your part - anonymously report voting fraud at

1-800-328-VOTE (8683)!!!

Hope for a Life of Anxiety

Someone in your family driving you nuts?

It's all around you, it's ugliness.  The lies. The destruction. The torn lives. The control over you.  Addiction. For the majority of my life, I have seen the power that drugs and alcohol has over my loved ones. Growing up, I assumed it was a way of life as if everyone's family lived in the toxic, turnmoil, and anxiety; that everyone's grandpa or some member of their family drank until they couldn't see straight causing embarrassment and laughter.  SURPRISE! They don't! Not everyone lives that way. 

But living in Eastern KY, you might start to doubt there was family out there who didn't live this way.  You might even think that this is the WAY of Life and my loved one will never change.  Countless times we have had our hearts broken, been manipulated {Again, and again, and again...}, and have tried tirelessly to change someone who Refuses to change or get help.  Time after time we question why. Why? Why won't they change? Why do the treat me this way?  Why don't they just straighten up?

Bottom Line - Why should they?

We are so focused on changing them...our family.  Naturally.  They hurt us and their selves.  However, trying to change someone is like banging your head against the wall trying to make a door. It's not going to happen.  Believe me, I have lived my whole life this way until about year or so ago! It's up to you to change. Change how you react and change your behavior. How?

STOP!!!

• Stop the nagging and threatening 
• Stop giving money and any other material things
• Stop saving them and rescuing them
• Start saying no and setting boundaries 
• Take care of you and what is important to you
• PUT God first and not the individual

There can be Peace and you deserve it. It seems impossible....scary....and pointless...and almost selfish.  Yet change has to happen before the peace can happen.  Change can start very, very, small by telling yourself each day you are lovable and deserve happiness. Don't beat yourself up for giving in or feeling like a failure. Change takes time. Loving and taking care of you BEFORE trying to take care of your family - especially the chaotic one - sounds so selfish and against what we were taught.  Guess what? Have you thought about the person you are rescuing and the selfish lifestyle they are living? Not enabling the addict can save their life.

Of course, I could write an entire book on rescuing, trying to change someone, and tough love.  Thankfully I don't have to and am still learning myself.  

Did you know there are support groups that deal just with the families of addicts or who grew up in addictive homes? It's called Alanon. It's free, safe, and confidential for people to vent, scream, cry, laugh, and support each other when you feel you're in this situation alone.  I started attending in '08 and was surprised that other people were nuts just like me! Wow!

I hope and pray for you and your family through these challenges.  Change can happen in Eastern KY or any home but it takes someone to change.  Check out a local meeting sometime -- there are a few close by.  See the Alanon website for more info.

INSANITY = Doing the same thing over and over and over YET EXPECTING a different result!!