What Makes You Happy?

It's all so very unsettling, Patricia.  Personally, I want my daughter's college to install a large fence and allow access only with proven identification and a justified reason; otherwise, leave!  We're all so worried about offending someone that we leave the great majority vunerable.  There are tons of factors here from the White House to each of our homes...  

Good morning Patricia. I agree that there is case to be made for prevention by evaluating children. That said after the violence it is often noted that there were red flags but they were ignored. We need to stand up and speak when we see a red flag but we also need to get guns out the hands of these people by real screening before we are impacted personally.

Good morning, Patricia Feager, MBA, GRI, Cert Negotiations Expert, Military Relo Prof  how society has changed.... I never had to think about my children being in danger when in school and that was in the late 1970's..... now I think about it every day....I can remember walking to the center of Franklin when I was a kid (God was a child then too, and we always walked together!!) but now my grandchildren are driven everywhere and never left alone in a store.... oh so different.... Gina is kept very busy with horse back riding lessons (I was there last evening with her).... activities and accompaniment by family members is so important.....communicating and sharing opinions is important and helps them understand and develop mentally, emotionally and socially....

sorry for the long comment....I'm very passionate about the topic of children and grandchildren.... and they feel the same.... visiting Joshua at college tomorrow....I'm so excited to see him...

Good Morning Patricia Feager, MBA, GRI, Cert Negotiations Expert, Military Relo Prof 

The world is a wacky place and many get lost in it. The U.S.A. culture has changed. Kids AND adults are, seemingly, losing their moral compass. I believe there is not one person that has more importance than another, from the newest born to the most old.

I don't know what to tell you about safety. There is no guarantee of safety. We can "feel" safe but are we, really? 

It is not only the children but many the parents are also mentally ill and self focused. Their parenting skills are partly responsible for the children's behavior. It is hard saying no to kids and setting limits and expectations but kids want to know their parent cares and love them and long for discipline. It has to start very young and a parent cannot let it go until they are teens. By that time it is too late.

Patricia,

Definitely a sad turn of events.  It is hard for me to comment on this one!  I am glad you wrote about it.  Have a great weekend.  A

Good Friday morning Patricia Feager, MBA, GRI, Cert Negotiations Expert, Military Relo Prof -  

Sadly we live in dangerous times.  We constantly worry about our five grand-kids and what they face on a daily basis.  Debbie had a talk with one of the ten year olds the other day on what to do if a shooter came into a movie theater.  The kicker was our granddaughter asked what she should do.

Patricia, we live in a very disturbing time and while I do think some of it comes from illness I think a massive part of problems today come from the breakdown of family. I grew up eating dinner as a family every night. Even if my Dad had to work late my Mom, brother, and I sat down at the table and talked. An iPad (or whatever technology existed then) wasn't placed in front of us when they needed us to be quiet. Parents have to be present in their children's lives and for so many that just isn't the case. 

I could totally wear that shirt....my animals and my hubby all in bed with me, long walks in the woods, tennis, closings, time with family, my parents and twin sister, eating at restaurants, long drives, etc

Thank you for the mention....being mentioned as an example of someone involved in their grandchildren's lives means a lot to me.  

We have much to do as a society when it comes to our youth....drugs and mental illness have become an epidemic. I worry so much about the future and what it will bring for my grandbabies.

Funny shirt.  I agree with you about the real problem being a lack of proper treatment for mental health issues.  I have many friends and family members that have had issues and it is very sad that there is no worthwhile help available.  All they do is push pills, which will never cure any sort of illness.

Why do so many of us think guns keep us safe? Guns need to be considered a public health issue, similar to autos.

I have to agree with Lottie Kendall -guns are a public health issue and are the reason for way too many tragic American stories.  It is time to lock them up - we no longer live in 1776!

Patricia I agree with you "There is a lot more to this story than gun control and it's called mental illness that possibly hasn't been identified yet"

People who want to do harm to others will find a way.  If not guns, than it is a bomb, or an ax, or any number of other things.  If gun control was the answer, than why is the city with the strictest gun control laws (Chicago) have the must crimes committed with guns?  It is not the instrument that is at fault, it is the person using it.

Thanks for sharing your musings. Hopefully, tragic events will encourage action needed to address mental illness that impacts so many in our society.

Patricia, what a powerful post and your observations are spot on. 

As our society offers up more gratuitous violence through television, movies, and video games each succeeding decade,  along with a disdain for Christianity and its moral values, is there any surprise that people can take human lives that callously? 

My heart goes out to the families of the victims-especially those kids who stood up for their Christian faith and were executed for it.  Interesting that part of the story isn't being reported by the mainstream media, or acknowledged by the President.  I guess Christian lives DON'T matter.

Patricia, obviously this hit close to home. My sister (in Cleveland) wrote me that she turned on the news and saw this happening. I didn't know, being so far removed from the news (for any number of reasons that I think you can readily imagine). I found the live stream of it. After all of the discussions about the psychology behind it and the suicidal tendencies of the young and the inevitable byline and mark on society that they are placing before leaving this earth, I cannot imagine any ready answers coming soon for anyone in Roseburg, anyone related to this young disturbed man, any person involved in caring for the deceased and the injured. It makes America look very twisted, I'm afraid as it becomes more and more commonplace. 

Hello Patricia -- no easy answers but a discussion should take place.  I don't mean to sound pessimistic but I think we know where this will lead and in too short a time ---- a similar event will ocurr, you could reprint this same post and we could see the same comments.   Very sad.   

I feel like gratitude for small things goes so far with me and those around me. It's really good to have gratitude for the smallest, most seemingly insignificant things

There hardly are ever any easy answers in this life. We just have to jump right in and learn at times—as much as we want to plan things out. Michael Jacobs