TROOPS COMING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

When Bush made the decision to seek revenge on terrorists who made the mistake of hijacking our planes to kill thousands and place fear in the hearts of souls of all those living in the U.S., I was fine with that.  

When it was thought that Iraq had Weapons of Mass Destruction, I worried what they would do with them next. There were no WMD found. It was a mistake.

When Saddam Hussein was found, my thoughts were to turn him over to his own people, whom he also terrorized, confident that they would see to it that he would not be returned as leader of that country.

For the past several years that spanned the Bush presidency and into the Obama presidency, there has been disagreement between most Republicans and Democrats over our presence in Iraq. Some Republicans wanted the troops to stay while feeding billions of our tax dollars into a country that is not ours. Some Democrats wanted the war to end and bring our troops back home to save the tax dollars and the troops. Many more are torn over this decision for various reasons.

We did some good in that part of the world. It's my opinion that the recent takeovers of horrific dictatorships in the Middle East are the result of the influence and closer contact with civilized nations...like the U.S. After eight years, those who wanted the tools to democracy, have them and it's now up to them to put those tools to good use. How long does it take to teach an adult right from wrong...they either get it or they don't. But, that’s just my opinion….one of those rights we are guaranteed.

For decades, long before the bombing of the Twin Towers, peaceful Muslim communities have popped up throughout the U.S., just as the Italians, Japanese, Germans, Amish, Polish, and other nationalities and religions have done.  I was just a kid in elementary school when I first heard the term that America is the 'melting pot of the world' because of all the nationalities and religions that have made the United States their home. It wasn't a bad thing but an opportunity to learn more about different cultures.

I also learned of the slavery of humans who were beaten and kidnapped openly from their own home and country to be sold to lazy, rich people in the U.S., who treated them like they were not created by the same God they professed to believe in. Let's not forget that this land was invaded by the ancestors of those who now call America home. Millions of Indians were slaughtered...their lands stolen...their villages burned...their women raped...their children murdered.. Those murderers are the ancestors of most Americans....including mine since I am not 100% Native American. Face it...that's the reality.

But eventually, the civilized people of the U.S. created laws that gave us our freedoms, some of which state that we are allowed the freedom of religion in this country. Blacks and women were given the right to vote. Nowhere in our Bill of Rights or Constitution does it say we can do the opposite of what it states just because we feel like it.

Why is that those who think we left Iraq too soon also think Muslims don't belong in the U.S.? Does it make sense to want to destroy and occupy a country that is not ours while telling people from that country that they cannot live peacefully in ours? For the life of me, I can't understand that.

Occupy America and open your hearts to all who want to live here for the same reasons you do.

Welcome home to those who are glad to be back. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, etc….etc….etc…
Lynne Weaver

FAREWELL DOROTHEA

 I checked the obituaries today to find that a little tiny lady I cared so much about was gone. Dorothea Hatch Christensen left this world to join the husband she missed so much. The article told a little of her history and family but didn’t say much about who Dorothea was.

About two weeks ago, I was contacted by her current caregiver that Dorothea was in Tendercare, was unable to speak, could barely move and her time on earth was coming to a close. I had a chance to see her over the Thanksgiving holiday, but it was heartbreaking to see her so thin, frail and distant. I happened to come along at just the right time and was able to feed her lunch in the dining room. I wasn’t sure if she recognized me but halfway through our visit, she turned to me and gave me that soft, sweet smile. The upturned lips, the tilt of her head and her eyes looking directly into mine told me that she knew I was there. 

We had a history, albeit short. I was her caregiver for a little over a year but during that year we became close. Even though she was well into her 90’s when we first met, she was every bit as bright and intelligent as her education and experiences made her. 

Dorothea often talked of Sayner, Wisconsin where she grew up and eventually met the man who would become her husband, John Christensen. She talked often about her beloved husband…their first date, their first kiss and the day he asked her to marry him. 

She wanted to go back to Sayner because it had been many years since her last visit, but she had no means to get there under her own steam. So off we went on a four-day jaunt to Sayner Resort….no phones, no T.V. and no internet…just a very unique resort on a peaceful lake. I had a map with the route traced for the six hour trip, but we didn’t need it because she knew every inch of the way from memory.  She told me that the Sayner family were competitive with the Hatch family because both families were business owners and because the Sayner’s felt they owned the town since it was named after them. She also said that some of the people of Sayner looked down on them because the Hatch’s were Indian. She wanted to go back to show the people of Sayner that her family had been successful regardless of the bias towards Native Americans. Dorothea was very proud of her father, Fred Hatch, Sr. for beginning the process of federal recognition for the Sault Tribe. Her brother, Fred Hatch, Jr., carried on when her father no longer could.

Dorothea was a scaredy-cat and always afraid that someone would drop her or that she would fall, but all of her caregivers were very careful with her fragile body that was beaten down from years of suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. A friend of Dorothea’s, an attorney from Madison, Wisconsin made the trip northward to visit with her while in Sayner. After a couple of Martini’s at a restaurant in a nearby town, she lost her fears and wanted to go for a spin around the parking lot. With her arms waving wildly and her laughter bringing smiles to the faces of all who witnessed, we ran her about the parking lot, spinning her chair while she gleefully yelled out “Wheeee!” When it was time to return to the Sault, Dorothea was happy and satisfied that her trip ‘home’ was well worth the wait. She had fun and was able to see her childhood home although the store her father owned was gone...mysteriously burned to the ground.

Dorothea told me of the time she applied for a teaching job in American Samoa. She neglected to tell her husband that she had applied for a teaching position there until she was notified that she was indeed hired. They simply packed up and left their home to experience a way of life that most of us will never know. Most people would never dream to make such a move but there was little that Dorothea feared. They did have their refrigerator shipped because that was the ultimate luxury in Samoa and she was concerned about being without proper food storage. 

Dorothea was a giver…literally. She had a history of giving away her possessions because the things she held dearest were her memories and the photographs of her husband, parents and  brother, whom she hoped to join one day. She is with them now and I’m sure she is in the embrace of her beloved husband. Farewell dear lady Dorothea. You will be missed.

Lynne Weaver