I’m once again gutted to hear about yet another mass killing, this one in the Chicago area at a 4th of July parade. Read here: 6 dead, 24 wounded in shooting at Chicago-area July 4 parade

I’ve been a naturalized American citizen for a few years now, and this Independence Day celebration feels strange to me this year.

We have seen a surge in mass shootings, political acidity has become the norm, Roe v. Wade was struck down, and people are struggling more than ever with mental health issues after dealing with Pandemic lockdowns and fears, plus not to mention the close to crippling inflation the world is experiencing due to a combination of supply chain issues, Putin’s war on Ukraine and plain corporate price gouging.

I will be going out tonight to watch fireworks, but I’m purposely choosing a smaller venue because the thought of dealing with parking issues and overcrowding at the St. Louis Arch scares me.

Now, I’m also choosing a place that I feel would have less of a chance of being targeted by a gunman.

Isn’t that just crazy?

I’m just shaking my head how the Christians here are staunchly supporting the rights of the unborn while ignoring helping all of us alive by passing safer gun control laws.

Guys, I’m seriously yearning to move back to Canada. (It doesn’t help that right now I’m watching “Workin’ Moms” on Netflix, where one of the Moms is in Montreal for 3 months for work, and I’m seeing streets I miss.)

This July 4th is a struggle for me, I’m not going to lie.

I wouldn’t have stayed here after my divorce if it weren’t for my daughter and grandkids living here. They’re part of the air I breathe, so leaving them never felt like an option.

This 4th is a time of reflection, and of inner renewed resolve to continue to speak up for the things and the freedoms I believe in.

The USA seems to be moving very quickly toward becoming a Theocracy, the pretenses of being a Democracy are quickly slipping away. Some of the GOP have now openly stated they wish to remove the separation of church and state, that they wish to impose their ideals onto the whole country because they feel it is what is best for the nation.

They will avidly quote their forefathers, yet they seem to have forgotten that the original settlers to this country were escaping religious persecution in England, and they wanted to set up a country where everyone was free to worship no matter their faith. They resented the Monarchy imposing taxes and laws upon them which they felt went against their faith.

I’m dismayed at the purposeful hypocrisy I see, the “supermarket approach” in how they see things. I.E., cherry-picking what they want to and conveniently leaving out the things they don’t want in their cart. Think I’m making this up? See “The Women Who Leave Anti-Abortion Picket Lines to Get Abortions“.

This doesn’t predispose me to want to know more about their particular sect of Christianity, nor does it make me think that my soon-to-approach retirement years should be spent here.

So, I bid you a good day, hopefully, your frame of mind is more positive than mine!

Blessings!
Tamara

I hope you’ll poke around my Archived Posts to find a wonderful trove of supportive and encouraging posts!

I’m sharing more posts that may be helpful for you:

• 10 Steps to Owning Our Happiness
• Setting “Boundaries with consequences”
• Making a change… “How do I take that first step?”
• Affirmation: Today is a new day! I can do this!
• As we practice being gentle and kind with ourselves, we actually help to speed the process of helping our lives become more positive!
• Always believe that wonderful things can happen!
• A healthy outside starts from the inside!
• Brain Rewiring

More good stuff:

• Teaching ourselves to like, even to love ourselves
• By changing our inner dialogue, we change EVERYTHING!
• Challenge: When a negative thought enters your mind, think three positive ones. Train yourself to flip the script!
• Red Ocean or Blue Ocean? How do you think?
• An answer to dealing with the Inner Critic!
• My top 10 most viewed posts, plus a few bonuses!
• A helpful trick to be able to overcome negatively Comparing Ourselves to others…
• Do you only accept yourself if you look a certain way?
• A new you! Is this possible?
• Start today, start tomorrow, just start!
• There is no enlightenment outside of daily life – Thich Nhat Hanh

Please

Blessings!
Thank you for sharing this post and for following me!
Tamara
https://tamarakulish.com/ Archived Posts: https://tamarakulish.com/archived-posts/

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