Hot! Hot! Hot! But thankful on this Independence Day

Yeah, so we've been without electricity at our house in Zanesville, Ohio, since, oh, about 10 minutes until 6 p.m. on Friday, June 29, but who's keeping close track of that?

Hmmm? Not I, said the duck.

Anyway, it's been a fairly miserable week from a comfort standpoint, but we're definitely not the only ones in this exceedingly hot boat. My fellow Americans from Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic Coast -- a bunch a million of us -- have been, and are still without electric power. But some are better off than others.

Elderly folks, those who live alone, those with disabilities; there are many whose struggle with the heat and humidity is much greater than what we are facing at the Carter house.

Each night as we have settled down to sleep, we have thanked God for the blessings of a roof over our heads, running water (hot and cold), working vehicles with air conditioning, places to eat and find respite from the heat, and a variety of other amenities that we enjoy in these United States of America.

We have these benefits thanks to the freedom and liberty secured for us with the blood, sweat, and tears of patriots who dreamed a dream of a better life for themselves and those who would follow in their footsteps. We enjoy all the benefits of that freedom and liberty thanks to those who continued to believe in that dream and fought to keep that dream alive.

Those who gave themselves in our place paved the way for the great thinkers and doers who developed all of the great technology that makes our lives easier. Without freedom and liberty, so many of the things we enjoy today would have never existed.

It's Independence Day, and I am compelled to pause and remember, to honor, to shed some tears for all of those -- both famous and unknown to the history books -- who made the sacrifices that allow me to live the life that I do today.

And as I celebrate living in a free land, I also celebrate the ultimate freedom afforded me by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who was crucified, buried, and rose again the third day to grant me the gift of salvation.

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day is upon us once again. What are you going to do for your Mom this Mother's Day? A nice lunch or dinner? Card? Flowers? Candy? Breakfast in bed? New vacuum cleaner?

Nix that last one. Not a good idea.

Regardless of what you do, make sure you're good to your Mom. Treat her with love and respect. Honor her in whatever you do. Make her feel special. Let her know that she's important to you.

My Mom has been gone for many years now, and we all miss her greatly. She was my best friend throughout my high school years. I could go to her for everything. She was a coach, motivator, confidant, my greatest fan and my toughest critic. I learned so many valuable lessons from her and she helped to shape the person that I have become as an adult.

I see a lot of my Mom's qualities in my wife, Jolene. Jo is a strong woman, a great mother and a wonderful, loving wife. Of course, she had a great teacher in her own Mom.

So thanks, Mom Moody, for molding your beautiful daughter into a fantastic woman, wife and mother.

Happy Mother's Day!

Santorum's out; GOP race is over ... mostly

The race for the Republican presidential nomination is now officially over.

Well, kind of, mostly, officially over.

Former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum announced today (Tuesday) that he was suspending his bid for the GOP nomination, essentially dropping the curtain on what has been a contentious primary campaign season. Santorum leaves the race trailing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney by a count of 573-202 in the hunt for delegates. Those figures are the latest released by the Republican National Committee. (See gop.com)

However, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich said he has no plans to get out of the GOP race, basically telling Romney, "See ya in Tampa, Mitt!" Oh yeah, Texas Congressman Ron Paul is staying in the race, too.

Santorum's campaign is basically broke and he was facing a $2.9 million media blitz by Romney in his home state of Pennsylvania ahead of the April 24 primary. On top of that, recent polls showed Romney gaining ground in the Keystone State and even ahead by five points in one poll released by Public Policy Polling. Add to that the emotional strain of coping with his young daughter's illness; well, all of that may have become just too much of a burden to bear.

Santorum ran a tough race and stood on his principles. Kudos to him for that. I doubt we've heard the last of the former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania in this election cycle.

Meanwhile, back at the Hall of Justice .... (SuperFriends there reference for the uninitiated)

Gingrich's campaign is worse than broke -- if there is such a thing -- but he will labor on, stating that he will be at the Republican National Convention in Tampa in August to make sure that there is a conservative voice helping to shape GOP policy.

Paul has said essentially the same thing as Gingrich, with a campaign spokesman telling FoxNews.com today that Paul is "the last -- and real -- conservative alternative to Mitt Romney." Paul plans to be in Tampa, too, to "press the fight for limited, constitutional government ...".

So barring something really bizarre happening in Tampa -- say the return of Ronald Wilson Reagan -- Romney will be the GOP nominee.

But you never know ....

All right, back to reality. Now the fun (?) begins. Yeah, fun is definitely not the right word for what we will experience over the next seven months or so.

The Obama-Romney race for the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is likely to be a brutal affair. The country will be assaulted with a barrage of negative advertising the likes of which we may have never seen in American politics. And given the deep pockets each side possesses, it will be nearly impossible to escape the rushing sewer of "information" that will be unleashed between now and November.

Fun, huh?

Blessed by my wife

My Baby Girl Jolene and I are celebrating our 21st wedding anniversary today. Fittingly, according to the website anniversaryideas.co.uk, there are "no traditional materials or symbols" associated with a 21st wedding anniversary.

That's us, for the most part; not necessarily traditional.

Now the website also noted that the gift themes for the 21st anniversary are items made of nickel and brass, and the gemstone is iolite. That fits us, too. Pretty random.

By the way, what in the world is iolite?

We've enjoyed a wonderful life together, enhanced greatly when we adopted Joel. Like so many other couples, we haven't always had a lot in the way of material things, but that hasn't mattered. God has always provided for our needs and we are thankful for all that the Lord has given us, both spiritual and material blessings.

In typical Andrew and Jolene fashion, we celebrated today by enjoying each other's company during a quiet lunch at her favorite restaurant, The Olive Garden. It was nice.

In many ways, we are complete opposites. She grew up on a farm; I grew up in the 'burbs. She's quiet and thoughtful; I'm a bit of a loudmouth at times. She is frugal; I'm, well, I'm not, to be honest. But she's trying to teach me. It's a process.

Our mutual faith in God has always been the common denominator in our relationship. I was attracted to her by her compassion, a gift from God that she has exercised to be a blessing to many people. That compassion prompted her to reach out to me at a tough time in my life. And I am so thankful to God that He gave her that compassion and used it to bring us together.

Jolene is intelligent and wise, a combination that has kept me out of trouble throughout our marriage. She never busts my chops when I mess up; she gently offers advice and helps to steer me back onto the right path.

Jolene is a wonderful Mommy to Joel. And our little man loves his Mommy with the same passion that she possesses. I love watching them interact, playing, laughing, loving, it's a huge blessing to me.

Twenty-one years of marriage. It hasn't been perfect, but it has been, and always will be, sweet. Just like my Baby Girl. I love you, Jo.

By the way, iolite is a rather obscure, blue gemstone that is mined in India, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Brazil. The Vikings used to use iolite as a navigation tool. Who knew?

Wanted: Dads

A friend of mine has said that the worst criminal act being perpetrated in America today is the absence of fathers in the home.

Here's the context for his statement. We are facilitators in a mentoring program for male inmates at a state prison in Ohio. The program is called Inside Out Dad with the target audience being men who are fathers, who are near the end of their prison terms.

My friend uses that seemingly shocking statement to challenge the men and make them aware of the reality of their responsibility as fathers. And it's a very effective tool.

Among the ideas we try to communicate to the men in the program is that their families need them, and that when they are released from prison they need to become positive and effective leaders in their homes and communities.

While the men we work with are separated from their families due to their incarceration, far too many of us dads are separated from our families by a variety of man-made barriers. We need to break down those barriers and reacquaint ourselves with our families. We need to be the fathers and husbands that God is calling each of us to become.

Now I don't mean to come across as "preachy." Goodness knows I'm no expert when it comes to being a good father. I'm just another average guy trying to do the best for his family, relying on the Lord to grant me the wisdom and strength I need to walk the road of fatherhood.

Proverbs 22:6 reads, "Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it."

We need fathers who will teach their children how to become productive and positive members of their communities. We need fathers who will commit to being leaders in their homes. We need fathers willing to instill discipline in their children.

Dads, we have a God-given responsibility to do right by our children, and that means providing them with a firm foundation of values that will guide and nurture them throughout their lives.

(For information about Inside Out Dad, visit the National Fatherhood Initiative website at http://www.fatherhood.org/)

The Hungry Games

Day 16,456: Nibbling on cashews. Oooo! A bag of Werther's Originals! Huzzah!

The Hungry Games

Day 16,455: Pan-fried pork chops, rice and corn.

Yes!