Worthless

Have you ever seen "The Brave Little Toaster" in your life?  It has this amazingly depressing scene when the main characters narrowly escape a junk yard.  During the scene, many cars - like the one above - do not.  They look back on their happier times, and realize that at this moment, they are now worthless.  Quality children's programming right there!

This week, a lot of folks are thinking the General Lee should be in this car junk pile, which is sort of a stretch.  Okay, really a stretch.  I think.  It's been in the news lately, and something Madison has no idea about.  Daddy and Mommy were raised mostly in the North, so we don't have any allegiance to a Confederate flag.  Currently, there are quite a few movements to have the thing removed from monuments, from public events, and even televisions shows that feature the flag on the top of a car (such as the General Lee).  Which again seems left field.  We'll see what happens as time goes by, but a lot of our fellow Southerners all around us have taken up arms once again, a few of them driving around with a rebel flag flying on the backs of pick-up trucks.  We don't know anyone personally who does this, but they do exist.  I probably went to school with a few.  In fact, there is a guy actually selling rebel flags north of here, and making lots of money.  Anyone who buys copies of "The Dukes of Hazzard" in order to resell them... that's going to be big right now.  So it's a mini-Civil War, as there are even attacks on memorials dedicated to the confederates who died in the war... you know that war that was OVER 155 YEARS AGO?

As if there isn't enough going on right now to complain about.  We look on in amusement, as we said.  I don't think Mommy or Daddy really care that much.  We were raised in the North, as we said, and quite unaccustomed to any concept of racism.  In fact, Daddy lived in a community where he was technicaly in the minority.  So it's a strange concept when you come down here and are introduced to it.  And there are in fact people that suffer from it, on both sides of course.  And there it is, really.  This is what the last year has been about, I suppose:  a boiling over of unforgiveness and the never-ending back-and-forth of accusations and bitterness.  In between all that are the legit acts of racism that help serve as talking points so that the whole thing can be perpetuated.  These are very unfortunate, just as it is unfortunate when Christians are persecuted for their beliefs elsewhere, just as the Indians were persecuted, just as the Irish were persecuted, just as Jews have always been persecuted.  It seems to be an endless tragic cycle, one Madison will be dealing with when she grows older as well.  Racism is real.  But so are a lot of other sinful behavios, some more threatening by far.

Fortunately, we've not seen one instance of racism towards her, not one person considering her of lesser worth.  We were taught something in our adoption classes, something we believed anyway:  WE are more blessed than she is to have her with us in our family.  And although there are those stereotypes and assumptions about adopting a child from another country, we've never personally experienced anything so negative that we had to think it came from a heart filled with malice.  No, it's all innocent, or ignorant as some like to say.  Which is not such a bad word, really.  It just means certain people don't know any better.  Which means it is our job to educate them.  How we go about that is how we get along as human beings.  Will we choose to be offended, and keep the cycle of offense going?  It's our right, after all!  Or will we instead choose to live as Jesus spoke, "Forgive as you were forgiven."  It can be hard to do, of course.  Certainly when you are in the middle of offense. But in this house, we strive for peace.  Which is something we pray we can continue to have.

Now, our car doesn't have a rebel flag on it.  We're talking about the one that keeps breaking down.  The one that forced Mommy and Daddy to go get a new one rcently.  Still, it is looking more and more like the thing may be visiting that junk pile soon.  Or at least visiting someone else's house, someone who knows something about cars, someone who can address all th malodies of this infernal machine.  It sits out there in the driveway, and I can hear it now..."Worthless!"

Today was a relaxing day for Madison.  We have assignments for her:  puzzle, art, piano, make bed, read, etc.  She does them all really well when you assign her a checklist to do.  AND when you promise to reward her with something... like ice cream.  Today we went to Dairy Queen.  Madison got the mint Oreo ice cream, and Daddy tried the chocolate covered cherry once again, a simple formula that no Dairy Queen gets right anymore.  But it still tastes good.  Next week, we may drop by Race Trac again for a frozen yogurt.  Madison loves those!

In preparation for the new series we're doing, "The Quest," she's also been playing LEGO Indiana Jones again.  It's great to have him back with us!