Life is so Precious!!

Hello All,
  I know it seems like this blog is less about the life of the Holmsteads and more about the rants that are going on in Jamilee's head. I just had to put this one out there because it is fresh on my mind. Please forgive the spelling mistakes or grammar errors that are sure to abound in this little rant of mine.

Some background on this article: A fellow classmate of mine e-mailed all the graduate students urging us to find compassion in our hearts for the Box Elder bugs that are running rampant in our offices. He wanted us to realize that they are only looking for a warm place to stay and do no harm to us. As I read this and though about it my mind ran a million miles an hour as I thought about how little respect we as a society have to life in general and even less respect we have to the simple life of a bug. This was my reply to my dear classmate.

Hey Friend,

  So what you wrote has been making me think and I just wanted to get my thoughts out there other wise I might explode. You have such a kind concern for the life of a small bug. Honestly I truly think it is wonderful that you care so much, but I often wonder to myself, “ How can a world that cares so little for the lives of its own species learn to care about the lives of a small insect?”  As I look at our world I see that we have trained our societies to think that it is perfectly acceptable to disregard and disrespect life as long as it falls with in the laws of the country. As we see, through time, laws change and are amended so we can further open the way for greater disregard and disrespect for that sacred thing called life, and this is done on a small scale such as insect and animals and on a large scale like human life.

            However, disregard and disrespect for life is nothing new to our worlds history. Each continent is riddled with stories of wars, genocides, murders, and discriminations, all of it done under some reason or another.  We kill because someone or something inconveniences us, is a nuisance, doesn’t quite fit in,  doesn’t conform to the way the world sees things,  brings no benefit to society, or simple doesn’t belong.

            In some cases killing is necessary for reasons such as food, self-defense, mercy, and in some cases as punishment.  Because there are these acceptations, mankind has used them as a reason to unjustly take control over life and in turn has become cold, callus, and detached from feeling. I know many may think that since it doesn’t interfere with their own lives then it doesn’t matter what people choose to do. People have the right to choose for themselves, but we know that is not true and hypocritical. Because if societies truly believed then we would not have laws restricting acts such murder, rape, stealing, drugs, and a number of other things people choose to do.

             There is nothing wrong with feeling compassion for life.

            I have often admired the ways of Native Americans and their respect for nature and life. A member from the Yakama tribe once told me about how their tribe used to hunt. He said that when they went hunting for deer they didn’t try to find the deer with the biggest antlers they took the first deer that came across their path because, as they saw it, this deer was offering itself as a sacrifice for the sustainment of the members  in the Yakama tribe. They took the deer and gave thanks for its willingness to gives its life for them.  Do we give thanks for the cow that gave its life so we could have its beef? Do we give thanks to the chicken that gave its life so we could have its legs, thighs, wings, and breasts?

            I think it is time for our world to reprioritizes where it puts its time and effort. How can we save a dying world if we have no respect for those around us and ourselves? How can we save the lives of little bugs that cause no harm if we don’t care about human life?

            I did not write this to be confrontational or to offend. I only did it to help people think and look at the bigger picture. Adrian I admire you for trying to make a difference in the lives of small Box Elder bugs everywhere. I hope we can all take your fire and use it to stand up for what is right!

                                         

Life is so precious and short. We don't have any claim on tomorrow or even today. I ask you to take the time to find within yourself compassion for all the things that are around you. No one is perfect, I know I am not! We make mistakes daily, but I ask that we learn from them and find within ourselves the time to care and feel.

Jamilee : )               

Ode to a Good Boy

As many of you may know a few weeks ago a dear member of our family passed away. He was full of life and always happy to see you. Some may think it is silly to feel so emotional over the loss of a pet and to those people I give my pity because a pet, if you let it, will change the way you look at life. They soften your heart, they teach you how to love, and they give you loyalty. They are a testament that God does exist because each one has a personality so different and special. 

 
I have lost many pets since my childhood. Its not easy to let go of something you love so much, but as time goes on loss gets a little easier to handle and soon those memories that once were so hard to think about are ones you can smile and laugh over later. I honestly believe that our animals will be with us again and we will be able to enjoy their sweet personalities once more.

 It was always a rear moment when you were able to take a good picture of Fynn because he was so full of energy. I always called him our ADHD child because he couldn't sit still for longer then two seconds. Below are a few of those special moments when we were able to get Fynn to smile for the camera.

                                    Fynn was my husband's sidekick and he loved him so much. Peder would always say Fynn was his dream dog. They were thick as thieves.  

 Here is Fynn and Peder on our raft out on Oneida Reservoir. Fynn was so happy to be out with Peder.

This was just after the dogs had played at the park. All so happy to get out and play now ready to go home. We will miss this little handsome man, but what a blessing we were able to have him in our life the short time we did. We will never forget him and we will see him soon. Sleep well buddy!!!

Our Country

 I think that my husband would wish that I was a little less opinionated, but sometimes I feel if I don't write down my thoughts or tell someone what I am thinking I will explode!! So here is my rant for the day.

    I am a little outraged by our countries blatant disrespect for the people of the United States of America. It may seem a little irrational to others, but I believe that congress should be restricting the powers of the president of the USA and not the power of the states. Did you know that the president of the USA has the ability to designate land as National Monuments without consulting anyone? He is completely above the NEPA process.Which means we, as the people, have no say in what land is taken away from public use!! He also has the ability to bargain with terrorists and do triads for people without discussing it with congress and he can pardon anyone from any crime they may have committed. I feel as though our president has been placed in a position that makes him above the law. Sounds something like communism or dictatorship....
   Also, correct me if I am wrong but each state is a souvenir state and has, well had, the right to choose what the laws of that state were and how it was to be run. The will of those individuals in the state were supposed to mean something and it seems that now, it does not matter what the people in the state want. I believe in checks and balances, but I feel like our national scale has been tipped over and one side is ruling everything. There is no balance left in this nation. The will of the people is not being heard.

Sorry.......just a little mad right now.

Weeding the Garden

  As I went to bed tonight and laid there next to my husband my mind would not shut off so I decided to come down to my computer and write. Often through out my day as I am working or doing something around the house my mind creates analogies, life lessons that are related to what ever task I am doing at the time. The most recent one was when I was weeding in my garden.
   In our backyard we have a rather large garden. When we first moved into our home their was no garden, only grass, not cool. So we decided to make a place to plant fruits and vegetables to store for the winter. It was hard work to make a spot to grow things in, but once it was made I was so excited to plant all the seeds I had bought at the store. I planted everything in one day and I was so excited to see everything grow. When I would water the garden I would pick the few little weeds that were sprouting. It wasn't long till things started really to grow, but the things that were growing weren't the things I wanted to grow, WEEDS!!! Weeds had invaded my precious garden, filling each row with green choking vines of death!! I was not to be deterred so I began to weed. Row, after row, after row, after row I weeded, Peder weeded, and we even convinced a friend to help weed. It seemed no matter our efforts to dig these weeds out they just kept coming back! Because of the large effort we had put into weeding we decided to take a few days off, but no sooner had I turned my back that the weeds seemed to multiply by millions!
   I couldn't stand looking at my garden because I could feel the plants being suffocated by the morning glory that had taken up residency in each row. They had come from the "grass" of our yard. I say "grass" because our yard consists of 90% weeds. So I guess it is no surprise that our garden had been over run by these evil villains. Looking at this tragic situation I decided to take control and spent  several hours each day pulling weeds, determined to never allow my garden to get that bad again. I was only successful for a few days till I grew weary of weeding, but it was during this time I realized that gardening is just like our lives.
  Each one of us has planted a garden full of precious things and we have to choose wether or not we are going to weed our garden of unholy things. We can choose to weed our garden from the bad TV shows we watch, the movies that drive the spirit from our presence, the unkind words or thoughts we say or think, the hurtful acts we commit, and many other things. These weeds of life creep in unnoticed and if unchecked can over take our sacred garden. Many days it seems easier to just let these weeds in, allowing them to grow deep roots in our precious soil, but we must make the choice to rid ourselves of these unwelcome visitors. If left unchecked the weeds of life can completely over run our garden and when we do decide to weed our lives of what we thing are the weed we can unknowingly pluck out the precious little seed we had so painstakingly planted long ago.
     Many times we will fall short of a weedless garden, in fact it will happen often, but we are given the blessing of help from the master gardener that lifts us and helps us pull the weeds that at first seemed impossible to get rid of and he also helps us discern between the weeds and the plants we desire to grow. However, the master gardener only comes when he is invited and only helps when he is asked. It is our choice to allow him to assistance in this difficult task, but we will never regret allowing him in. The only true regret comes from keeping him from helping. We may think that we are perfectly capable of weeding on our own, or maybe we are just blind to the weeds in our garden. Its at these times we need to realize every garden has weeds that cannot be pulled alone, every garden is full of weeds that must be removed. We are the garden and what we do with our garden determines how our life plays out. We make the choice......no one can make it for us.......

New beginnings

 I am not a writer by any means. In fact, writing is one of those things I struggle at the most. I have never been good at spelling or grammar. There are many days when I sit pondering why I was even let into graduate school with my inability to produce coherent writing.  I heard once that," the best way to get good at something is to continue to do it repeatedly till you get it right. " So here is my attempt to get it right by writing.
    I guess I should start by telling a little of my story. I was born in Las Vegas, NV to two wonderful people Doug and Joan Lords and three crazy siblings Janet, Joseph, and Desirae. It was not long after my birth that my parents decided it was time to move to a desert town called Elko, NV. Where for 16 years I played in the sage brush, beat-up boys on the playground, gained a love for music, a passion for the outdoors, and made life long friends. When it was just my parents and I left at home my mom and dad decided its was time to move to Washington state to a small town called Pomeroy were we lived only a few months before we moved to Clarkston, WA.
   I graduated from Clarkston High School and went to the same university that my grandfather had attended back in 1949, the University of Idaho. During my time as an undergrad in Moscow, ID I had many crazy adventures, went on a mission to Cape Verde, Africa, and also got a degree in Rangeland Ecology and Management, after changing my degree four times. I also found the man that would bless me with laughter for all eternity Peder Holmstead. We moved to Cache Valley in Utah or Zion as I like to call it, and settled in a small town 15 minutes north of Logan called Smithfield, UT. Not long after we moved we bought a house, two dogs, and five windows. I am currently a graduate student at Utah State University working hard to finish my thesis so I can retire from my career as a professional student and get a real job like becoming a mother or something just as difficult and demanding. My eternal companion works hard each day as a pipefitting and welding apprentice.
  Now that everyone is asleep from my long introduction I guess I should give this blog a direction.....should it be a blog for ranting, telling stories, recording historical events in each of my weeks, maybe a blog of gospel topics, or maybe a blog for recipes...... I think this blog will be one that creates itself over time as I sit down at the computer and decide to write. This will be my life blog, a diary of sorts, that I can fill with my thoughts, insights, hopes, dreams, and desires. I guess the main purpose of this blog is so I have something to help me become a better writer and something I can use to help me procrastinate when I don't want to work on other things. It will be a blog that is......