Can’t We All Get Along?

Sprinkled Notes isn’t about one topic. It is notes and thoughts that meander through my mind on  a day to day basis. Today my thoughts are wondering why we can’t agree to disagree without bashing the other side.

My school district is in the midst of trying to build a new school. The vote is soon. We have the Vote Yes side and the Vote No side. From what I see the Vote Yes side is acting professional, respecting others opinions and keeping it positive. On the other hand I have observed that some people on the vote no side seems to bully and bash people in their comments, on Facebook and in the community. I respect the fact that they have their opinion and feel that a new school is not needed. I don’t agree with the way they are directing their comments. When I make my decisions I usually listen to both sides if the facts are presented appropriately. People bashing and ranting is not the way to get a point across seriously. People tend to stop listening.

I can’t fault anyone for their methods when the people we are supposed to look up to and respect in our country are doing the same thing. There is a saying Children Learn What They Live. What do we learn from those in higher authority?

The politicians run their campaigns on a bully and bash technique. The dirtier the story the louder that shout it. We either turn them off or we buy into what they are selling. We don’t use rational  thought to make our decisions. We are not given factual information in the ads and we don’t look any further for the facts. Of course many times it is hard to uncover the facts under all the mish mash we are hearing.

I see the bashing of each others parties on Facebook. Some friends have a different view than I do. That is ok. What you don’t realize that for me when you are ridiculing, making fun of and ripping one parties beliefs you are also ripping, making fun of and disrespecting your friends beliefs. The way you are promoting your party doesn’t make me want to switch my opinion. What would maybe make me switch my opinion would be the facts presented respectfully not with bashing cartoons. Give me a factual reason presented to me without bashing and making fun of my beliefs.

I don’t usually comment on political things. I don’t usually comment on political postings on Facebook unless they are presented in a respectful way. I love my friends. I respect their opinions. I wish they would express them without bashing my beliefs.

Why can’t we all get along? Why do we always have to be right? Are we accomplishing anything by not taking the time to view the facts, respect the other sides opinions and perhaps get along enough that we can come to a middle ground.

Then again why should we expect anything else. We live what we see and we don’t see too much respect for each others opinions in the media. So I guess we can expect it to get worse for our grandkids. They won’t know any different.

Families Feud

I have been thinking about families today. I have especially been thinking about families that are estranged from one another.

It makes me very sad when I see relationships broken up because of misunderstandings. I once knew a brother and sister in their middle adult years become enemies.  They started feuding because of money and homes being left to one and not to all. I do not know who was right or wrong in this case. Many years passed and the feud continued. Children of these adults were not allowed to have any relationship with their cousins. Family events came and went without these people and families being part of each others lives. Soon the brother was on his deathbed. He asked to see his sister. At that moment it didn’t matter who was right or wrong. It didn’t matter what was left to who. All that mattered was that it was time for healing.

The brother died and those cousins, the man.s great nephews that never knew him were the pall bearers.The sister wept about all those lost years. She couldn’t go back. The relationship was mended at the end but there wasn’t enough time left to create new memories.

Relationships are never easy. Forgiveness is never easy. We are a proud people. We always hurt those we love the most.  Why am I writing this? Another family I know is suffering from estrangement. Soon it may be too late.

Perhaps I am so passionate about this subject because I have no siblings to feud with. Of course I can’t understand the sibling relationship but what I want to say is that a solo life without your siblings is a lonely life.

Who else is there in this world besides your parents  that has shared your life since your birth? Who else shares your genes and your history? Who else resembles your parents so closely?.Who else could share the sibling rivalry?You may not always like your family but there is love possibly deeply buried in the heart.

I have heard the words “I have no regrets if I never make up with my family, with my mother, with my brothers and with my sisters.” I say to you: perhaps you don’t know yourself as well as you think and someday those words will be flung into space in sorrow.

When we cease to exist in this world all that will be left will be those feelings we leave behind. We may think the material things of this world that we leave those we love are all important but they aren’t. They can’t take it with them anymore than we can take our earthly riches with us. What we can take is the love of those we left behind and leave those we left behind our love.

We might not know it but under the non existant feelings we think we don’t have,  that love  is there somewhere hidden in our heart. It is hidden by our pride, our need to be right, and our selfishness. We all have those feelings. It is ok to feel what we are feeling but ask yourself when the end is near will you like the brother and sister in the story regret not forgiving each other sooner?

Time is all we have until we don’t.

Becoming An Early Bird!

I am not a morning person. I am not a night person. I guess that makes me a mid-day person. However this week I have become an early bird.

Cats love birds. I am cat sitting this week with a cat that seems to love me at 4:30 in the morning. You know the saying the early bird gets the worm?
He must believe the early cat gets the early bird to get out of bed so he can eat an early meal and that means that his meal is the worm.

I have found a whole new world that early in the morning. With the sun coming up I watch the birds flitting from tree to tree and the bunnies coming out of their hiding place. This morning the earth was washed with showers and everything looked fresh and beautiful. Maybe that is why this early cat thought he needed to rouse me out of a deep sleep. He knew the secret of what I was missing.

I did catch the worm. I caught God‘s beauty at it’s best with fresh eyes on a fresh morning. What better way to start a new day?

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”   Marcus Aurelius