A time for everything

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;a time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Don't ask me why, but as a child I found this passage somewhat fascinating. Maybe because it seems to encompass every human emotion. Maybe because in our society some of these things (a time for war, a time to kill) are not considered very politically correct, or are unpopular.

And yet it's hard to argue with the Author of these words.

I was thinking last night in particular of "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;"

I have a dear friend who over the course of the last 3 weeks has probably called me 7 or 8 times to say that one or the other of her parents was just taken to the hospital. She has had to pull her daughter out of preschool, cut way down on her job, and her husband has had to take extended leave from work. Her father has to be flown from Alaska to Seattle to the VA hospital every time he requires testing, which means someone has to be home with her mother, who has also been in and out of the hospital multiple times with internal bleeding in her brain.

So I'm always the first phone call. And I expect to be. Where else is she supposed to turn?

We seem to live in more of a feel-good world than ever before. And a very self-centered one as well

When someone is going through a tough time, we haven't got time for them. We don't want to be "burdened" with their problems. We only want to hear about things that make us feel good. (That's for you, sweet blogging mother of two).

Not that there is anything wrong with enjoying life, and the fruits of our labor. Our country has been known of old as the place where, if you're willing to work hard, you can succeed and become somebody.

But maybe we've taken it too far. Look at all the celebrities and well-known people who, in spite of their wealth and material possessions, seem to live a life of disfunction and destruction. Dare I mention a well-known pop star whose life is in a complete downward spiral? I could make a list of people, but the media seems to have that well-covered.

And yet these are the very people that so many of our children idolize and emulate (which is why so many little girls are dressing like little tramps today, if you'll pardon the expression).

Thank goodness there are still firemen, policemen, paramedics, soldiers, ect. who our kids can look up to as real heroes, although many of these people have to work a job on the side to make ends meet. (I babysit for one).

When our country was threatened by 9/11, you couldn't find an American flag in the stores (they were all sold out). Both democrats and republicans stood side by side in patriotic fervor. We were proud to be an American and of all that democracy stood for.

But it would seem that was only a fad; here today, gone tommorrow. I'm not arguing for the war here, but there are still threats to our country and freedom. And there are still brave men and women in other countrys laying down their lives to defend us.

Meanwhile, the biggest political questian of the day seems to be whether people will vote color or gender(?).
Have they forgotten there are actually issues to be addressed?

Hmmm..."A time to speak, and a time to be silent" is sounding good about now.