Memorial Day

"Their story is known to all of you. It is the story of the American man at arms. My estimate of him was formed on the battlefields many, many years ago and has never changed. I regarded him then, as I regard him now, as one of the world's noblest figures---not only as one of the finest military characters, but also as one of the most stainless. His name and fame are the birthright of every American citizen. In his youth and strength, his love and loyalty, he gave all that mortality can give. He needs no eulogy from me, or from any other man. He has written his own history and written it in red on his enemy's breast. ... I do not know the dignity of their birth, but I do know the glory of their death. They died unquestioning, uncomplaining, with faith in their hearts, and on their lips the hope that we would go on to victory. Always for them: duty, honor, country. Always their blood, and sweat, and tears, as they saw the way and the light." --12 May 1962, Gen. Douglas MacArthur

Take a moment and read about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and thank a Veteran or Servicemember this weekend.

Joe

One Month In

My daughter will be one month old at the end of this week. One month. WOW! It's been kind of a long month, too.

My son seemed to adapt rather quickly and adjust rather well to having a new baby in the house. I was both shocked and amazed at how well he did. I was home for the first two weeks with our new daughter, and gave my son lots of attention while my wife tended to the new baby, hoping to keep my son from feeling neglected.

I may have overdone it a bit. My once well-behaved little boy seems to be crying out for attention quite a bit these days. He doesn't seem to think he has to behave anymore, and will often strike out and do something he has just been corrected about.

Our little girl is doing very well, and seems to have adjusted quite well. She has put on weight at a very healthy pace, though she looks quite chunky to us, still. Sometimes, the truth be told, when my daughter is crying and my son is whining -- she for seemingly no rational reason and he for some kind of snack or toy that he feels has been denied him -- I just feel the pressure getting so high that I need to get away for a few minutes. Today I went into my restroom -- without any prompting from nature -- and just sat in the silence for a few minutes. Is that wrong?

We still have quite a way to go in the trek of parenthood. Our children are both wonderful children whom we love and adore very much. I'm sure all will work out in the end. I'm just not sure I'll have much hair left on my head when it's all over.

Joe

Honoring America's Veterans

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Don't remember just what Memorial Day is all about? Well, it's not just an extra day off, or a long weekend, or a bank holiday. Focus on the Family put together an excellent Memorial Day radio show today honoring American's Veterans throughout history. I strongly urge you to listen.

Also, the words of the Great Communicator, Ronald Reagan, on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the D-Day Invasion on Normandy, might jog your memory.

At dawn, on the morning of the 6th of June, 1944, two hundred and twenty-five Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs.

Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion: to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns. The Allies had been told that some of the mightiest of these guns were here, and they would be trained on the beaches to stop the Allied advance.

The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers at the edge of the cliffs, shooting down at them with machine guns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After two days of fighting, only ninety could still bear arms. ...

Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith and belief. It was loyalty and love.

The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead, or on the next. It was the deep knowledge -- and pray God we have not lost it -- that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.

You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you.

The Americans who fought here that morning knew word of the invasion was spreading through the darkness back home. ...

Something else helped the men of D-day; their rock-hard belief that Providence would have a great hand in the events that would unfold here; that God was an ally in this great cause. And so, the night before the invasion, when Colonel Wolverton asked his parachute troops to kneel with him in prayer, he told them: "Do not bow your heads, but look up so you can see God and ask His blessing in what we're about to do." ...

We in America have learned bitter lessons from two world wars. It is better to be here ready to protect the peace, than to take blind shelter across the sea, rushing to respond only after freedom is lost. We've learned that isolationism never was and never will be an acceptable response to tyrannical governments with an expansionist intent. But we try always to be prepared for peace, prepared to deter aggression, prepared to negotiate the reduction of arms, and yes, prepared to reach out again in the spirit of reconciliation. ...

I tell you from my heart that we in the United States do not want war. We want to wipe from the face of the earth the terrible weapons that man now has in his hands. And I tell you, we are ready to seize that beachhead. ...

We will pray forever that someday that changing will come. But for now, particularly today, it is good and fitting to renew our commitment to each other, to our freedom, and to the alliance that protects it.

We're bound today by what bound us 40 years ago, the same loyalties, traditions, and beliefs. We're bound by reality. The strength of America's allies is vital to the United States, and the American security guarantee is essential to the continued freedom of Europe's democracies. We were with you then; we're with you now. Your hopes are our hopes, and your destiny is our destiny.

Here, in this place where the West held together, let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for. Let our actions say to them the words for which Matthew Ridgway listened: "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee."

Strengthened by their courage and heartened by their value [valor] and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died.

Thank you very much, and God bless you all.

So once again, remember, and be thankful to those who have sacrificed so much to ensure the freedom that you enjoy today.

Joe

Chaos in the Capitol

From CBSNews.com
Necessary precaution, or overkill? Read on, and decide for yourself.

(CBS/AP) A phone call reporting gunfire — apparently a false alarm — led police to briefly shut down the Capitol Friday and search the largest House office building floor by floor as staff members and a few lawmakers were kept inside.

Officers with rifles stood by outside, and ambulances arrived. But in the end police said there were no arrests, injuries or confirmation of the gunfire report that had been called in by an unidentified congressional employee.

The report originated with Rep. Jim Saxton, R-N.J., his press secretary said. Saxton heard what he thought were gunshots and had a member of his staff call Capitol Police, said spokesman Greg Keeley.

CBS News correspondent Jim Stewart reports that a hammer was mistaken for the sound of gunfire.

A woman stepped off an elevator in the basement garage of the Rayburn Building and heard what she thought was gunfire, Stewart reports. What she did not know was that the elevator next to her was under repair and a maintenance man was on its roof whacking away with a hammer.

"FBI and Capitol Hill police have duplicated the sound and believe that's what she heard," reports Stewart. ...

On high alert, police lined the street between the Capitol and the Rayburn building, rifles prominently displayed, and four ambulances, two firetrucks and other emergency vehicles were on the scene. Police methodically searched the sprawling building, where congressional staff members had locked themselves into their offices as a precaution. ...

The search was a complicated one. The building, which covers a long city block, is connected to a second office building by an underground tunnel. That building, in turn, is connected to the Capitol by a second underground tunnel.

Nearly two hours after the first alert, Capitol police sent an e-mail message to occupants of the office building saying they would soon begin a floor-by-floor search.

"During the search, the police officers will knock three times on each office door, announce 'United States Capitol Police,' knock three additional times," and then confirm their identity by speaking a code word, it said. ...

Cathy Travis, a spokeswoman for Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Texas, was in his fourth-floor office at 1 p.m. when "four or five really huge, burly young cops did a boom, boom, boom on the front door and walked in."

She said they told her and others to stay where they were and stay out of the way for a search that she said didn't seem to take more than a minute as they checked IDs and all parts of the office.

Steven Broderick, press spokesman for Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass., was in his car in the Rayburn garage Friday morning getting ready to drive his boss to the airport, when he was ordered by a Capitol Police officer to park the car and put his hands on the steering wheel. The officer then told him to run toward an exit where other officers where gathered.

"He just told me to run and don't look back," Broderick said.

An Associated Press reporter heard noise outside a Rayburn press room and peeked out the door. A police officer, gun drawn, shouted, "Get in the room. Get in the room... ."

Was it putting on a show? Over-reacting? Or were Capitol Police performing to the highest call of duty?

I commend them for the way they risk their lives day in and day out in the line of duty. But come on, a hammer? Really? I wasn't there, but I can't imagine a hammer making a sound that could be mistaken for gunfire.

What about you? Let me know what you think.

Joe

President Bush's Weekly Radio Address

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In his weekly radio address President Bush said, "I believe America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society at the same time. We must enforce our laws while honoring our proud immigrant heritage. ... We will work to ensure that every new citizen fully embraces our common culture. When immigrants assimilate, they will advance in our society, realize their dreams, renew our spirit, and add to the unity of America."

Something To Think About

Tired of high gas prices? Think about this for a moment:

A Tenth Situation (from OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today - May 26, 2006) Yahoo! News

A Reuters expose finds rampant price-gouging by Big Oil:

*** QUOTE ***

As millions of Americans make the filling station the first stop on their Memorial Day vacation this weekend, the traditional start of the busy summer driving season, some may wonder: "Why does the price for gasoline always have that 9/10 number at the end of it?"

For decades gas stations have advertised the price for gasoline on signs with three big numbers and a small 9/10, representing nine tenths of a penny--a marketing strategy to make drivers think they are paying slightly less than they really are. . . .

The problem is you can't buy a gallon of gasoline for the fractional price that is advertised.

Tests at several service stations showed that buying exactly 1 gallon of fuel (which was difficult to do because you had to release the pump handle at just the right time) resulted in a price that was always rounded up one-tenth of a penny.

*** END QUOTE ***

A tenth of a penny may not sound like much, but that just goes to show what an insidious scheme this is. You know what they say: A tenth of a penny here, a tenth of a penny there . . . If you buy 1,000 gallons of gasoline, exactly one gallon at a time, Big Oil will have ripped you off to the tune of a whole dollar!

Doesn't sound like much, but stealing is stealing, whether it's a dollar or a dime. It all adds up over a lifetime at the pump.

Joe

[Fwd: remarkably good news from Iraq]

* * * * FLASH TRAFFIC: WASHINGTON UPDATE * * * * REMARKABLY GOOD NEWS FROM IRAQ By Joel C. Rosenberg (WASHINGTON, D.C., May 23, 2006) -- Unprecedented religious freedom has finally come to Iraq because of U.S. military action there, and more Iraqi Muslims are becoming followers of Jesus Christ today than at any other time in the history of the country. That was the message delivered by retired Iraqi General Georges Sada last night at a private dinner just outside of Washington, D.C., and then at McLean Bible Church in northern Virginia where Sada spoke to more than 1,000 people. ... Sada described in detail how Saddam moved stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction to Syria in the summer of 2002, a story that is now being closely analyzed by the CIA, DIA and Congressional intelligence committees. He received an emotional ovation when he described how he refused to execute U.S. and British prisoners of war in 1991, despite direct orders by Qusay Hussein, Saddam's son. That move led to his dismissal from the military in February 1991, though -- thank God -- not to his own execution. ... In a new and very positive development, Nechirvan Barzani, the prime minister of Kurdistan Regional Government in Irbil, has vowed to protect the ancient Assyrian Christian community there as well as new believers from persecution and violence. Sada and Dr. Terry Law, president of World Compassion, a Christian relief organization based in Oklahoma, met with Barzani last week. "I would rather see a Muslim become a Christian than a radical Muslim," Barzani told them, an absolutely remarkable statement by a Muslim leader in a land wracked by sectarian violence, One of the things I found most inspiring was when Sada said that Saddam Hussein's throne room in his main palace in Baghdad had been turned into an evangelical church after the war. Once Saddam used that room to order thousands of people to be executed, but now the name of Jesus Christ -- the King of kings and the Lord of lords -- is praised there instead. Sada also said tens of thousands of Bibles were being printed in Iraq. Thousands more are being shipped into Iraq, and Christian programming is now available to Iraqis on satellite television. Sada, a former air force fighter pilot who once served as a senior military advisor to Saddam Hussein, became the chief spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi during the interim government, just after the war. Now he serves as a senior national security advisor to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and has been helping redesign the new Iraqi military, along with his efforts to strengthen the Christian church in Iraq. ... Sada concluded the evening with a heart-felt message of thanks to the American people for liberating his country and said all peace-loving people should "kneel down and thank the [American] mothers and fathers who have sacrificed their sons and daughters for the sake of freedom in Iraq." He asked for patience as Iraq's fledgling democracy builds a foundation and finds its way. But he also said there is far more good news in Iraq today than is being reported by the national news media. Why is he taking such risks to share the good news? I asked him. "There is an Arab proverb which says, 'Don't be a mute Satan,'" he told me. "If you know the truth, you have an obligation to tell everyone." To read Joel's weblog -- including a link to the Washington Times story about General Sada -- please click here If you've received >> FLASH TRAFFIC << from a friend and would like to subscribe, please click here To visit Joel's website, please click here Thank you for reading. Please feel free to forward to others. TO BOOK JOEL FOR AN INTERVIEW please contact Beverly Rykerd at 1-888-481-0405, (719) 481-0537, or (719) 440-2746 (cell), or brykerd@ix.netcom.com. TO BOOK JOEL FOR A SPEECH please contact Edward Hunt at (703) 303-4998, or email him at edward@novembercommunications.com.

President Bush's Weekly Radio Address

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In his weekly radio address President Bush said, "I believe America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society at the same time. We must enforce our laws while honoring our proud immigrant heritage. ... We will work to ensure that every new citizen fully embraces our common culture. When immigrants assimilate, they will advance in our society, realize their dreams, renew our spirit, and add to the unity of America."

The Patriot Post: A Tradition of Heroes

This Saturday, 20 May, is Armed Forces Day, first set aside in 1949 by President Harry Truman to recognize the unification of the Armed Forces under the Department of Defense and to acknowledge the extraordinary dedication of America's uniformed Patriots standing ready in harm's way at home and around the world.

In the words of President Dwight Eisenhower, "It is fitting and proper that we devote one day each year to paying special tribute to those whose constancy and courage constitute one of the bulwarks guarding the freedom of this nation and the peace of the free world."

Since the opening shots of the American Revolution on 19 April 1775, American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coastguardsmen have plowed the ground for freedom. We remain the proud and the free because they remain on post today. For this, we, the American People, offer our heartfelt thanks.

Join us in celebration of our Patriot Armed Forces this Saturday. Please support The Patriot's mission of service to these men and women in uniform by visiting PatriotShop.US.

Click on a service branch emblem below for great gifts to say "thank you" to family and friends who are serving our nation in uniform.

All sales proceeds at PatriotShop.US support our Mission of Service to America's Armed Services.

SMS Post

I tho't I had it all set 2 not upset my son by going back 2 work. Tonite he was in tears on the fone @ bedtime 'cause I wasn't there. It broke my heart. -JOE

SMS Post

And so the long trek back to work begins. What I wouldn't give for another 2 weeks off! My son is @ Grandma's, so he took it well. Better than me. ---JOE

The Vacation Is Over

And so a fifteen-day vacation comes to a much-dreaded end. It's back to work tomorrow -- to the daily grind, the long commute, the same old dull routine.

I've greatly enjoyed this time off with my family. My son and I spent the majority of the time together and cemented our bond even stronger. If you can believe it, we've become the best of friends.

I have a beautiful new baby girl now, making my family complete. She was given a clean bill of health today, and she's doing great.

My wife has recovered quite well from the C-section so far, and is almost as active as ever.

It was a wonderful vacation, though even fifteen days wasn't long enough. I don't look forward to the drive to work again tomorrow.

Joe

Two Days Left

Only two days left before I go back to work after a fifteen day vacation. It's been so nice spending so much time with my family: my wife, our newborn daughter, and especially my son of whom I see so little on days that I work. We've bonded so well over the past two weeks, and going back to work is going to be so difficult because I can't take him with me. Our society has got such a warped sense of priorities!

Joe

SMS Post

Got any thoughts on the President's address or Democratic response? Email me: averagejoe.blogs@gmail.com. ---JOE

SMS Post

Mainstream Media focuses on what the President DIDN'T say tonight, and calls the President's proposals essentially a quid pro quo to the Democrats. ---JOE

SMS Post

Sen. Dick Durbin in Democratic response calls for faster training of new agents, no use of National Guard, and fines and back taxes in amnesty program. ---JOE

SMS Post

President Bush calls for English language requirement for immigrants. He provided no details on funding for these initiatives. ---JOE

SMS Post

President Bush calls for end to catch & release program, asks for temporary worker program, and new biometric green cards. ---JOE

SMS Post

President Bush in televised address calls for 6000 new border guards, high-tech fences, cameras, and National Guard to strengthen southern borders. ---JOE

A Little Cold

Our little girl seems to have come down with a cold. No fever, but she's definitely a little stuffy and has a little cough. It can make you feel a little bit useless in giving her any relief!

Joe

President Bush's Weekly Radio Address

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In his weekly radio address President Bush said, "Al Qaeda is our enemy, and we want to know their plans. The intelligence activities I have authorized are lawful and have been briefed to appropriate members of Congress, both Republican and Democrat. The privacy of all Americans is fiercely protected in all our activities. The government does not listen to domestic phone calls without court approval. We are not trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans. Our efforts are focused on links to al Qaeda terrorists and its affiliates who want to harm the American people. ... Americans expect their government to do everything in its power under our laws and Constitution to protect them and their civil liberties. That is exactly what we are doing."

Smooth Sailing So Far

We've had the baby home from the hospital for eight days now, and things have gone pretty smoothly so far. She (the baby) doesn't sleep through the night yet, obviously, but she seems to be falling into a schedule already. She sleeps most of the day away and seems to be more alert in the evening hours, just as she was before she was born. At night she is sometimes a little difficult to get to sleep, but then wakes to eat on a pretty regular schedule (every two hours or so).

My son has adjusted to her (so far) unbelievably well. He likes to lay on the floor next to her when we put her down on a blanket, and is very helpful with her pacifier. He wants to be very involved with everything that has anything to do with her.

We're very proud of both of our wonderful children!

My wife is bouncing back from the C-section amazingly well. She's having very little pain and only minor discomfort and just refuses to be kept down. I'm very proud of her, as well.

Joe

Terror Alert Level

Beginning today, you can now see the current Terror Alert Level, as officially determined by the Department of Homeland Security, at the top of every page of Average Joe American.

Canned SPAM

I sent my email to the office of Indiana's Senator Evan Bayh last night, and received this response today:

-------- Original Message --------

Subject:	From the Office of Senator Evan Bayh
Date:	Thu, 11 May 2006 10:32:18 -0400
From:	noreply@bayh.senate.gov

Thank you for contacting me regarding S.J. Res. 1, the Marriage Protection Amendment. I appreciate your thoughts and concerns.

As you may know, The Marriage Protection Amendment was introduced in the Senate on January 24, 2005. This legislation seeks to amend the Constitution of the United States by defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. Currently, S.J. Res. 1 is before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. While I am not a member of this committee, I will be monitoring this issue closely.

You may be pleased to know, I support the Defense of Marriage Act which recognizes marriage under Federal law as the union between a man and a woman while giving states the authority to do the same. Please be assured, that as similar legislation makes its way to the full Senate, I will certainly keep your views in mind.

Again, thank you for contacting me. I hope the information I have provided is helpful. My website, http://bayh.senate.gov, can provide additional details about legislation and state projects, and you can also sign up to receive my monthly e-newsletter, The Bayh Bulletin , by clicking on the link at the top of my homepage. I value your input and hope you will continue to keep me informed of the issues important to you.

Office of Senator Evan Bayh
(202) 224-5623
Russell 463
Washington, D.C. 20510

Not much of substance there. Maybe by SPAM filter will catch it next time.

Joe

Federal Marriage Protection Amendment

The following letter arrived in the mail today from Focus on the Family Action (click the image to view full size):




Key to this is that you contact your Senator, wherever you are, and voice your support for a Federal Marriage Protection Amendment.

If you live in Indiana, contact Senator Bayh today to voice your support for Judge John Roberts. you can reach him via email from his official website, by mail, or by calling one (or all) of his offices at the numbers listed here.

Do your part, support traditional marriage, and speak out today!

Joe

SMS Post

Found a cool new way to post to my blog via SMS from my cell phone. Log on to http://www.letmeparty.com and sign up today. It's free, easy, and if you're reading this it works. ---JOE

========
UPDATE:
Apparantly, messages over 160 characters are broken into multiple messages. So you have to keep your posts short. But it would have been great to have this tool to past IT'S A GIRL when my daughter was born last Wednesday!

Joe

Book Review: House by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker

Ted Dekker is one of my favorite authors. He's written such incredible tales as Thr3e, Obsessed, and The Circle trilogy, among others.

Most recently, I read his newest release, written in collaboration with Frank Peretti: House.

From the opening page, House is a very compelling read -- a page turner. It starts face paced and never slows down. House is well-written and well-developed, but somehow it just left me empty.

The book had an ending that left me feeling as if the story was never fully resolved. Not that it was left with an open ending, but that the story never really got told.

I often wonder how two authors can collaborate on a novel. How can they possibly share the same vision from start to finish? I don't know what happened in House, because both Peretti and Dekker are very talented authors, but somehow it just didn't satisfy me like they're previous, individual works.

Joe

President Bush's Weekly Radio Address

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In his weekly radio address President Bush said, "I was proud to sign Medicare prescription drug coverage into law. Because we acted, America now has a Medicare system to fit the needs of the 21st century, and millions of American seniors and persons with disabilities are now saving a lot of money and receiving the modern health care they deserve. Over the coming days, we will continue working to make sure that everyone with Medicare has a chance to save money and enjoy the peace of mind that this new drug coverage brings."

Home Again For The First Time

Home at last. We were only away for two nights, but it sure
does feel good to be home again. And to have our little
girl home with us for the first time. That'll take a little
getting used to: "our little girl."

Probably the hardest part of the whole thing for me was
the time away from my son. I treasure every opportunity
to spend time with him, and it's just so hard to be away
from him sometimes.

But we're all back home together where we belong, and starting
the period of adjusting to this major change in our lives.

Joe

Going Home

It's almost time to take our little girl home. She gave us a bit of a scare this morning. After eating like a little piggy between five and seven this morning, she slept and showed no interest in eating at all from seven until noon. But mommy's got her eating now, and everything's okay.

 

Both doctor's have approved the release of mommy and daughter, and they'll be running one last blood test on our little (required by Indiana state law to be done 48 hours after birth), then we should be going home. I'm anxious and mommy's nervous, but I'm sure everything will go great!

 

Joe

History of the National Day of Prayer

1775 - The First Continental Congress called for a National Day of Prayer.

1863 - Abraham Lincoln called for such a day.

1952 - Congress established NDP as an annual event by a joint resolution, signed into law by President Truman.

1988 - The law was amended and signed by President Reagan, to be the first Thursday in May.

From Patriot Post.

National Day of Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer. On May 6, 1982, The Great Communicator, President Ronald Reagan, said the following:

"Today, prayer is still a powerful force in America, and our faith in God is a mighty source of strength. Our Pledge of Allegiance states that we are 'one nation under God,' and our currency bears the motto, 'In God We Trust.' The morality and values such faith implies are deeply embedded in our national character. Our country embraces those principles by design, and we abandon them at our peril. Yet in recent years, well-meaning Americans in the name of freedom have taken freedom away. For the sake of religious tolerance, they've forbidden religious practice in the classrooms. The law of this land has effectively removed prayer from our classrooms. How can we hope to retain our freedom through the generations if we fail to teach our young that our liberty springs from an abiding faith in our Creator?"

Now, on the first Thursday of May each year, our nation observes a National Day of Prayer. It's a time to give thanks for the great bounty of our nation and to ask God's blessings upon the leaders of our great land -- to ask that He guide them in the leadership of our country, and that He temper them to act responsibly in all that they do.

What are you thankful for today? Have you recently been showered with blessings?

Lying before me as I write this is the most beautiful little newborn baby girl ever. She's healthy, happy, has ten fingers and ten toes, and is bonding wonderfully with mommy. And sitting in her hospital bed next to me is the mommy that carried her for nine months: my beautiful wife. Both are doing wonderful, and for them I am eternally thankful!

Whatever you do today, stop for a moment. Catch your breath. Smell the flowers. Enjoy the sunshine or the smell of fresh-fallen rain, whichever the case may be. Say a prayer for blessings. Give thanks.

Joe

It's A Girl!!!

Born today at 12:42 pm, weighing in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces, and measuring 20-1/2 inches, she's a beautiful baby girl, in seemingly perfect health. Both mother and child are doing wonderful!

My son, on the other hand, doesn't seem too sure about this little sister business. I think he's mostly scared at the sight of his mommy with an IV and hooked up to machines to monitor her.

But isn't she just beautiful?

Joe

It's Showtime!

My wife and I are about to head out the door to take our son to a sitter and then head to the hospital. My wife has a C-Section scheduled at noon today, which means our little baby girl (if the ultrasounds were as clear as they seemed) will be in our arms in just a few short hours.

My wife has said several times during this pregnancy that I just don't seem very excited. Last night she even suggested that I might not be as excited this time because it's a girl. Why don't women understand that men just don't display their emotions (including excitement) like women do. I've never been one to wear my heart on my sleeve.

I'm very excited, and I'm sure that excitement will become more and more evident with every tick of the second hand over the next few hours.

Stay tuned: I'll post some pictures tonight. And please, keep my two ladies in your prayers.

Joe