Just Thinking

Sunday used to be the day for thoughtful reflection both at looking back at the previous week as well as looking ahead to the next weeks tasks. Since having children and working so much though my Sundays have often been filled with all the household chores that I haven't the time or energy for during the week. My thoughts are most often...what's for dinner? should I go to the store now or after the kids go to bed?, and will I ever get this laundry done? I rarely have the opportunity to just sit and think anymore.

However, last night before I went to bed I read an article in Real Simple that stuck with me. Being the early riser that my daughter has the habit of making me be I was able to think a bit over the first cup of coffee for the morning.

The article was about what people's hopes were for the United States. As I read through the responses I was struck by the vast differences in what people where hoping for in the near and not so near future of our nation. It ranged from the personal "I want my husband home safe from Iraq", to the profound "I want a world without hate". It got me thinking about the world that my children are looking to inherit and what I personally was doing to make it a better place.

I will be the first to admit (and I have many supporters of this fact) that I am not a perfect person in any aspect of my life. I am sometime judgemental, selfish, and stubborn. Thankfully these personality traits are small and don't often show themselves. However they are there and I think can often stand in my way of being a better person. The world as it is right now is not the one that I had dreamed I would be raising my children in and at one point almost prevented me from having my beautiful babies.

I want to be the best person I can be and there are things that I need to do to make that happen. I want to volunteer more, give back more, live a greener life, and teach my children to be better people.

My hope for our great nation is that we regain a sense of community and through that community we rebuild or devastated cities and towns. We once again have reasons to be patriotic (don't blast me I love my country I just don't like it right now). We move in common directions to becoming greener, live well without unnecessary extravagance, give back to those who need it, and offer hands up instead of hand outs. I want to know my neighbors as well as I know my online friends. I want my children to give of themselves willingly because it is just a part of them without regret. I want my children to help change the world by being less selfish, judgemental, and stubborn.

These are my thoughts on this quiet (so far) Sunday morning.

What are your thoughts and hopes for the future of the US and our world? I would love to hear them.