Greetings Friends! It seems my blog is taking on a new direction thanks to some like-minded friends. So this post reflects those impending changes which I must say, I am extremely excited to see coming.
Starting again at the beginning, would you be so kind as to allow me again to share with you a little about myself and my philosophies.
My name is Julie: educator, counselor, social
servant, and author of Caddy’s Chronicles, a blog where I write about God,
growing up in rural America, politics and the forces that threaten our American
way of life. Kind of a unlikely combination, but it works well for me!
I am the oldest of
five children, born to hardworking, God-fearing salt-of-the-earth parents. Raised
with the strong Midwestern values of hard work, honesty, personal
responsibility and concern for your fellow man I strive to relay those values
to others, especially our youth. Growing up, the doors of our old farmhouse
were never locked at night or when we left on visiting or shopping expeditions.
Everyone trusted everybody; and when hard times came to even one in the
community, all pitched in to lend a helping hand. That’s just the way it was.
I use my writings to reflect the values and freedoms taught
to me in my youth: values I see slowly eroding away in our country. Important values like family and friends, simplicity
and solitude, faith and freedom.
I’m a proud patriot who embraces the diversity that has made
our country great. As a descendant of
immigrants myself, I understand the motivations that lead people from all over
the world to this great land we call home.
However, I equally realize the importance of “Patriotic Assimilation”,
which is the link that allows Americans to be a proud nation of
immigrants. My years of work as an
educator and counselor have helped me build important connections and experiences
with people from a wide array of cultures, backgrounds and faiths; Indigenous
peoples and immigrants; rich and poor; the happy and the hopeless.
But while I respect and appreciate diversity, I also am
troubled by the declining sense of community we as Americans once held so dear.
Patriotism has, in a sense become out of vogue and a dirty word in some circles
and this is troubling to me. Patriotism
is being replaced with the single-minded pursuit of one’s own interests and our
sense of community to cooperate in resolving problems is being lost. Loyalty to the principles of liberty are being
forgotten, and redefined. Individuals teaching in our colleges, working in our
government, and living in our communities are replacing extreme forms of
family, racial and religious loyalty with traditional values, which makes it
harder to collaborate on critical issues we as Americans face. Political
correctness has made debate and open-mindedness a lost art. We as Americans have become lazy, ambiguous
and unappreciative of the freedoms we enjoy; our hearts are hard, our minds are
muddled.
I wish to reestablish what it means to be a true patriot by
educating and raising awareness to the preciousness of our freedom, and how
love of country and our Constitution are what makes us free. I specifically
strive to target our youth and minorities. Technology and social media, as
wonderful as they are, often obstruct individuals in their thinking, especially
the poor and minorities who have little access to other sources of information. As a result they have developed thought
processes and viewpoints that are ill informed and unknowingly biased.
I am concerned at the lack of understanding of the basic
principles of freedom many young people today exhibit. They seem unable to comprehend why this
country is so precious. Many do not recognize or are unwilling to acknowledge
the importance of patriotism and love of God and country, and it’s importance in
remaining free. Corruptions in government and lies crafted buy media have polluted
young minds. I strive to remedy that, in my own small way, one person at a time
through my writing, and through my work as a citizen of this great land.
