The reality of it

The weekend brought with it many trials and tribulations for people we know and care about. Between children being put in foster care to affairs being exposed, families are being town apart. Not to mention the devastating effects of cancer and other diseases as they threaten to take loved ones away from their families. Wow.

I was on the phone with my daughter this morning and said, "Can we just go back and start this year over?"

A common denominator in so many of the problems I'm hearing about is selfishness. People are simply selfish. Period. They don't think about the effect their actions have on those they love. Of course, I'm only talking about matters where choices are involved.

As parents, our first concerns should be about the welfare of our children. Please don't misinterpret that and think I'm saying children should come first, because I'm a firm believer in putting your marriage first. But when choices are made that negatively affect our children's emotional and physical well being, it's time to step back and reevaluate what we're doing.

Perhaps that means quitting smoking while you or your wife is pregnant...or when you are raising children in your home. Is alcohold affecting your relationships? Put down the bottle. Don't stop by the bar on your way home from work. Are drugs doing you in? Go to rehab. For God's sake, if you brought children into this world, knock off the crap and get your priorities in order. Lusting after someone who's not your spouse? Stay away from them!!! Don't go out for "innocent" lunches. Don't flirt by the water cooler. Think, think, think about the people you could hurt by your actions. Close your eyes and picture your children's faces when they discover your betrayal. C'mon folks. Life isn't a game or a movie. There is no rewind button. Once you tear apart lives, it can't be undone.

My heart is heavy today, weighed down by the burdens others are facing in their lives. It's weighed down by the innocent victims. As a result, I'm just not feeling the need to research blog-related stuff right now. I hope you understand.

However, sometime today I will be posting a contest to win some Rockin' Green Cloth Diaper Detergent (which works really well for all other laundry, by the way). This is a full-sized bag (retail value $13.95), so stay tuned.

Hana

Photo courtesy of Peter Griffin