Just Your Average Conscientous Objector

MakeupMom catholic, christian, family, middle east, mom, parenthood, politics, refugee crisis, Uncategorized

I’m not a cold-hearted, refugee-hating Christian. I am, however, a conscientious objector to most decisions my government makes. I feel deeply for the Middle-Eastern refugees, as well as the citizens of France. After all, I am Cajun and French-American. My own ancestors were persecuted and displaced in the Great Derangement of 1775, before settling in south Louisiana. I must say, immigrants have benefited this country in many endearing ways. Take gumbo, for instance. Its flavor comes from many cultural influences, including African, French, Spanish, German and Native American.

As hard as they may try, today’s governmental representatives don’t always make the wisest decisions. In today’s America, I can’t even let my children play at a park two blocks away from my home without fear of being arrested, or visited by a police officer at the very least. If my dog poops in my neighbor’s yard, I can be punished. And thanks to the internet, people-shaming is alive and well for those who do not agree with the views of others. Case in point, the Nativity scene memes that have been making the rounds on FB news feeds. If there is anyone unaware of the Christmas story, Mary  and Joseph were just one couple that needed shelter, not a deluge of people from a violent land we have yet to understand.

Everything I know about terrorism, I have learned from teenage girls. Pretending to be innocent, they sneak into your peer groups, make themselves at home, and then pounce, eating you alive. I’m fine with taking in the elderly and children, maybe even the infirmed. However, I strongly believe the men and fathers must stay behind to fix their own country. Without them, the Middle East will never settle down and prosper. We will never see an end to this fire hell.

I do, however, feel as Christians we have the responsibility to help these homeless and persecuted people. I also believe I can exercise my Catholic faith without opening my own home to refugees. There are, in fact, thirteen other works of mercy I can concentrate on, including praying for the living and the dead. In fact, I’m all about helping the innocent, including the unborn and wrongfully convicted.

My husband is a 27-year veteran of the Army National Guard and has seen how hard this Middle-Eastern conflict has been on military families. Fortunately for us, he has not been deployed. Instead, he works for the Selective Services System, which maintains civilian boards in the event our country should ever find it necessary to enact the draft once again. Members are trained to hear conscientious objectors who do not want to go to war for whatever reason, including religious reasons or family hardships.

Like I said, I am not a cold-hearted, refugee-hating Christian. I just conscientiously object to many of the decisions my government has recently made, and I don’t trust my representatives to make decisions that will be beneficial to America or the Middle East. I pray and listen very carefully to what God wants me to do, and right now I feel I am most needed at home teaching my children to respect and have compassion for all people. After all, my vocation is to be a stay-at-home mom, and I hold that office with honor and sincerity. I will pray for guidance from above, instead. Will you?

 

 

 

Do I Want a Job?

MakeupMom catholic, christian, family, job, makeup, mom, parenthood, skincare, stay at home, Uncategorized, younique

After being a stay-at-home mom for nearly twenty years, I decided I was going to try to find a job. It all started when I saw a journalism job opening in my home town. So, I applied for that job, as well as several more. Within two days, I had three job interviews scheduled, most in the marketing and event planning fields.

Last night, I stayed up late and planned my outfit. I decided to wear a black skirt with a black and white argyle button-up sweater shirt. I wanted something fairly comfortable because it had been snowing all night, and it was beginning to melt into a dirty mess. Brett, who was off of work because of Veteran’s Day, offered to drive me to the two interviews I had scheduled for today. The ‘screamer’ was in the back seat.

We arrived at the first interview. It was in an old bank building in downtown Denver and very charming. The confirmation instructions said to take the elevators in front of the coffee shop straight up to the eleventh floor. I walked up to the elevator and saw a gold panel with 12 rectangular buttons and two volume controls. I thought to myself, is an elevator attendant about to walk out?

The elevator door opened, and I ran in, pressed the number eleven button and found my way into the office. I said, “Hi, I’m here to meet with Casey.” A young man no older than 25 walked out wearing a pink shirt with and floral tie, purple skinny jeans and a man bun. I was starting to think this marketing crowd is too cool for me. The interview went well, but I couldn’t see myself working in that ‘hip’ environment.

After that, Brett drove me to my next interview. This one was in the penthouse of a large office building and featured a view of the snow-covered Rocky Mountains. I checked in with the receptionist and was shown three bar stools that I could sit in to complete my paperwork. I quickly decided my butt wasn’t going to be very comfortable in those barstools. Besides, I could easily fall off, and the walls were all made of glass. So, I sat on the leather couch and began to watch ESPN on the big screen.

Soon after, I saw a young woman in jeans and a poncho holding a Starbucks disposable cup. She had been interviewing for the same job position. I watched as she left the manager’s office and walked out of the office door, only to return in a few minutes. She knocked on the manager’s door and asked, “Can I come back in for just a couple of minutes to take a picture in front of this awesome view?’

Finally, it was my turn. Again, things went fine, but I could not see myself working with the office people. They were young, hungry and a little stupid, if you ask me. I walked away thinking I should have just told the manager that I was no longer interested in the position. That’s fine. I doubt she will call me back, anyway. I’m probably too old in her eyes.

The  truth is, I don’t know if I want a job outside of the house. I’ve been a stay-at-home mom and trophy wife since my first child was born. Do I really want to deal with ‘other’ people all day long? I often say that the economy could fix itself if people would stop running two-income households if the extra income is just for extravagances. Let someone else have a job. Besides, staying at home with my kids each day is surely more rewarding than any paid job out there.

The struggle continues…