(shannon) Hmmmmm...what to say in a week of such dynamic actions on the part of our administration. I have mixed feelings about it, as probably many of us do, and this is not necessarily a forum I want to choose for political views, so I'll make it personal. I visited my daughter in Boston last week, and we took the T-line to Bunker Hill (don't shoot 'til you see the whites of their eyes), site of one of the first significant battles of the Revolutionary War. Standing on the very ground where they fought for freedom and self government, I could begin to feel the courage and commitment it must have taken for those civilians to mobilize against the British troops, and take a stand for a new world. War has always been a 'go to' position for deciding who prevails when dialogue fails, and until we are able to move beyond this form of conflict resolution as a human race, we will visit this stance often. What I want to remember for myself is that we all want freedom from opposing power, whatever form that power may take; and this desire for freedom might be our most potent and meaningful common ground, both as individuals and as cultural groups. I want to keep this thought in mind as I communicate, as I watch the news, as I think my thoughts and make my judgements minute by minute~ I want this to inform me first, because therein lies respect for others, not to mention the honoring of self. And the road to peace is personal, and starts with my self. Small steps.

(george) As I posted Shannon's journal entry, I was inspired to write. Our nephew Kyle is out there in the Persian Gulf serving in the Navy. He has our love and support. Love, Uncle Geo and Aunt Shannon