Amen.

Today, the United States Senate took an historic step toward ensuring justice for the victims of hate crimes targeted for violence due to their sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability.

By voting overwhelmingly to extend to these often-targeted Americans our nation’s decades-old bias crime legislation, senators sent the message that hate crimes will not go unpunished, and local governments and law enforcement agencies will not run out of financial resources to provide justice to these victims and their loved ones.

The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act was attached earlier this year to the annual Defense Department spending bill, and Thursday’s 68-29 Senate vote to approve the final House-Senate compromise on the defense bill now sends this important law enforcement provision to President Obama, who has vowed to sign it.

Under the legislation, federal prosecutors could step in to try violent hate-crime cases if local authorities cannot or will not secure an appropriate conviction. It also opens up federal funding for law enforcement to handle the typically high cost of investigation and judicial proceedings in such cases, and would make grants available for training and prevention programs at the local level.

The act is named to honor Matthew Shepard as well as James Byrd, an African-American resident of Texas brutally dragged to death in 1998 in a notorious hate crime. Matthew’s parents Dennis and Judy Shepard have campaigned for the legislation’s passage for more than a decade since their son’s murder in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998 in an anti-gay hate crime.
(www.matthewshepard.org)

But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
Amos 5

I have followed Matthew's story for 11 years. I am so prayerfully thankful the legislation passed. Let us all pray for the day when there will be no need for anti-hate laws. Read the book. Listen with your heart.

Boys will be Boys (or What One Man will do to get an antenna!)

You know, I really love brothers. I mean, I have a great one myself. He always did his best to torment and torture me, but all in all, he's a great Guy (get it?) I've often wondered what I missed not having sons. Then I really started thinking. Not only do I not have sons, but none of my siblings or David's siblings has more than one son. So, for much of my life, my only real knowledge of how two or more brothers operated was listening to my dad tell about life with his SEVEN other brothers. Anyway, I finally got a real taste of how the double brother thing works. It started when Phil came and decided to take the antenna off our roof. He'd been thinking about it for a year or two, but on this weekend, he decided to do it. David was not interested in helping out at first. Amy and I were on hand to document the whole thing with photos and calls to 911 already preprogrammed in the phone. Phil suited up in a nifty little harness thing, hoisted himself up on the roof, and started sawing. David eventually came out to watch and in his best big brother tone told Phillip what he was doing wrong. As you can see, David ended up on the roof assisting. It actually turned into a fun BIG boy playtime as the antenna got stuck in the tree and a variety of saws, ropes and contraptions were required to get it down. Amy, Molly, Winston, Maggie and myself brought lawn chairs down from the porch, made tea, and invited all the neighbors to watch since the antenna antics began drawing a significant crowd. Short story? The antenna came off the roof (more or less) in one piece. More importantly, the big boys came off the roof in one piece. Long story? I learned that brothers are like puppies. If you have more than one, they are about ten times more likely to get into trouble than if they were by themselves. So, cost of antenna to Phillip, nothing. Cost of entertainment by crowd, priceless.

Homecoming 2009

Molly and the Varsity girls

Molly

Wow! Homecoming has come and gone for another year. I can't believe the Loar family has only ONE MORE left! It is amazingly cliched, yet amazingly true, how time flies. Molly will be a senior next year...... She looked really cute. She ordered the dress online. I was skeptical, but she made a believer out of me. It came shrink wrapped in a package the size of a match box. After a trip to the dry cleaners, it was all good. The heels are pink. This picture was made at the Shaffers' house. Jordan and Molly have been friends for 12 years. His mom, Elizabeth, cooked for their group, about 20 kids. David and I did the coat check at the dance. We were totally entertained, so a good time was had by all. My baby's growing up. My how time flies when you're having fun. You keep it fun, baby girl. I love you.

Thin Spaces

Christ in the seeing
Christ in the hearing
Christ in the speaking
Christ in the touch

Christ in the loving Christ in the caring Christ in the serving Christ in the heart

Christ in the thinking Christ in the working Christ in the wondering Christ in the mind

Christ in the hurting
Christ in the anguish
Christ in the weeping
Christ in the pain

Christ in the watching
Christ in the waiting
Christ in the silence
Christ in the peace

Christ in the praying
Christ in the praising
Christ in all living
Now and forever

Amen.

Dearest Jim and Nancy. You are so missed. You are so loved. I'll see you when this life is but a dream and the spaces thin....