A Prayer...Infertility...Mail-In Voting...Road Trips

A PRAYER FOR MEMORIAL DAY

"Gracious Lord, heavenly Father, on this day we pause to remember the sacrifices made for freedom throughout the past centuries. We do indeed owe a debt of gratitude to those who have paid dearly for the liberty we enjoy. Yet, O Lord, I know that good government, peace, & freedom are really gifts granted from Your fatherly hand, as I confess in the Creed. As we remember those who have served our nation, help us to remember that civic duty, no matter how well done, does not grant entrance to Your kingdom. We are saved by grace, through faith in Christ, apart from our works. Freed from the Law's demands, I know that I am now free to serve my neighbor for my neighbor's sake. May the sacrifices of those who have gone before me serve as examples. When I meet those who have served, remind me to thank them. Almighty God, guide the leaders of our nation. Watch over those who serve in our armed forces, especially those far from home. And above all, grant that we, Your children by faith in Christ, may find a field of service in which we, as salt & leaven, may uphold righteousness, order, & peace; in Jesus' name. Amen."  Lutheran Book of Prayer

INFERTILITY

"Americans are having fewer babies than ever, or at least than since the government began tracking the general fertility rate in 1909. The total fertility rate ticked down to 1.7 in 2019, meaning that the average number of babies an American woman would have over her lifetime is well below replacement level. Does that trouble you? It troubles me.

"Some people will look at the forthcoming population decline and give a satisfied smile. Perhaps they believe that more humanity will be too great a Malthusian burden on the environment itself, with the annoying human demands for energy, food, and leisure. Or perhaps they see a wave of automation coming down the road, and believe that the already growing portion of non-working men could, in the absence of a declining birthrate, balloon to a point that a decent society — a decent life — becomes politically unsustainable. I think the problems run almost all in the other direction . . . 

"The worry, of course, is that almost no society climbs out of the population tailspin. Those withering family trees make recovery more difficult. Fewer siblings and aunts and uncles means less support for raising children. Delayed childbirth, that spike in fertility over 40, results in grandparents who can contribute less to the raising of their grandchildren, or who themselves require attention that might otherwise go to the forthcoming generation."  Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review Online, 5/24

MAIL-IN VOTING

"Fun fact: There is no federal law against mail-in voting. That's a good thing. If Washington decided to mandate how America votes, I don't think it would improve the experience."  Debra Saunders, Townhall, 5/24 I have mixed feeling about mail-in voting. Especially given the restrictions due to the coronavirus, it may be a necessity for our elections in November. However, I definitely favor voter i.d. laws, especially since we need i.d.'s for so many other things.

CORONAVIRUS

"So yes, the reason liberals are swooning over Gov. Cuomo’s ingenious decision to call COVID-19 the “European virus” is because that makes the virus white. (Yuck!) The only way we could ever get liberals to call a new disease the “China virus” is if it originated in Africa, then migrated to China."  Ann Coulter, Drudge Report

"These days have left people on edge, needless to say. Can the gradual reopenings of churches — most slow, perhaps, in the Northeast — lead us to a spiritual reawakening?  . . . We want God, don’t we? Let’s get back to churches, to come to know Him better in His sacrament of mercy, especially, and show Him to people who need Him."  Kathryn Jean Lopez, NRO, 5/25

We were able to attend church for the first time since February. Social distancing was in place. People, including family groups, were seated at least six feet apart. The entire service was printed in the bulletin, so it wasn't necessary to touch hymnals. Collection plates were placed in the back of the church. There was no communion. We ushered ourselves out, again maintaining six feet apart. Our pastors greeted us at the doorway but did not shake our hands.

MEMORIAL DAY

"The dashed hopes of black soldiers throughout much of our history make their faithfulness all the more extraordinary."  Rich Lowry, NRO, 5/25  Ordinarily we would be in Minnesota, visiting our son, daughter-in-law, & two grandchildren, which has been our custom for Memorial weekend. This year we stayed at home, due to restrictions. We're hopeful that we will get to visit them (They live in the Twin Cities.) by later in June.

ROAD TRIPS

One of my New Year' resolutions was to take make at least one road trip per month. We'll be at Craig & Sarah's at the end of this week, since I have a Gamblers Assistance Commission mtg in Lincoln. We're tentatively planning a trip to the Nebraska Panhandle next week. We are both feeling a little stir crazy.