A Tale of Two Hotels

While on a trip recently we stayed in two hotel rooms (the rest of the time we stayed with family). One hotel room on the way down and one on the way home. Both fulfilled our three requirements: an indoor pool, wireless internet, and a continental breakfast. At both hotels we got two standard rooms with two double beds. Neither was fancy and both had the usual (no one will ever steal this) hotel decor. They cost roughly the same (actually the nicer one was cheaper), but there was a big difference.

It's hard to explain the difference since both seem so similar "on paper". I would highly recommend one and definitely not the other. One was just "warmer" and more welcoming. You could just tell the owners of one hotel took pride in their property. It was well kept and clean. They took the time to replace, repair, and update as needed over the years. The owners seemed to understand things wear out, especially with daily use, and they kept up with the wear and tear.

The other hotel wasn't really "dirty" but it wasn't clean either. Things were more worn or just plain broken. They obviously were trying to get a few more years of use out of several items that had seen better days. The pool area was the worst; the ceiling was in terrible shape and we joked it might fall down at any moment.

I was talking to my grandma about this when we got back. Her house is over 60 years old and in excellent condition. I know repairs and updates cost money, but that isn't all of it. As Grandma says just taking good care of things goes a long way. [She also says it doesn't cost a lot to keep things clean. See? My disease is genetic. :) ]

It just struck me that two hotels, so very similar, gave off such different vibes. I wonder what motivates some people to take better care of their property than others. Is it just being cheap? Laziness? Lack of pride?

I'm sure there is some lesson to be learned in this, although I'm not exactly sure what it is. I do know that well cared for homes are worth more financially speaking, but it's more than that. Our homes are supposed to be our getaways from a crazy, busy world. If the place you call home is slowly deteriorating around you, and you don't care, that's saying something. Are you taking care of the home you're so blessed to have?

Change of Heart

This post has been saved as a "draft" for months. I will never get it "just right" so I may as well post it. Today is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade so I figured it was a good day to hit "publish". Sometime last year I heard about Gianna Jessen, if you have not heard her story it is compelling. She survived a late term abortion and was put up for adoption. I googled her name and that led to a little research rabbit trail.

There is a book about Gianna's life (up through age 17). The book is "Gianna: Aborted and Lived to Tell About It" by Jessica Shaver. I was able to check it out from my local library. Actually, I was shocked my library had it! They have very little on the subject of abortion and even less about the pro-life side. This book won't win any literary awards, but the story was very interesting.

The book mentions a short documentary called "The Silent Scream" about abortion. They now have the whole movie available in short segments online. I had never heard of this movie. It is a bit dated but the footage is amazing and has changed many minds about abortion (including the doctor and ultrasound technician that helped film it). The movie is not terribly graphic like some other abortion films. However, the most disturbing part of the film uses ultrasound to show the abortion of an 11 week old baby.

The director and narrator is a doctor (Dr. Bernard Nathanson) that was one of the founders of NARAL (National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League originally the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws). He worked hard, admittedly lying, to make abortion legal during the Roe v. Wade time frame and performed many abortions, including one on his own unwanted child. However, after the invention of ultrasound, he changed his mind about abortion. In 1996, he became a Catholic. He has written a couple books that I have yet to read, Aborting America and The Hand of God, and made another documentary called the Eclipse of Reason about late-term abortions.

Next, I wanted to read a bit more about Roe v. Wade. I was curious, who exactly was Roe anyway? "Roe" was really a woman named Norma L. McCorvey that had said she was raped and became pregnant. She wanted an abortion and since they were illegal at that time, she sued to get it. Of course, we all know the results. However, she never got her abortion. The court case went on too long, she ended up having her baby and giving it up for adoption. Years later, she admitted she had lied and that she was not raped. She too has changed her mind and is now an advocate of the pro-life movement and campaigns to try and overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling. Ms. McCorvey has also written two books, I am Roe and Won by Love, and in recent years has become a Christian. She has petitioned the Supreme Court to hear the case again "in light of evidence" to no avail.

The abortion rate seems to be dropping a bit in recent years but there are still over one million babies aborted each year (less than 1% of those are due to rape). While I'm sure there are many more, here are two people that worked very hard to make abortion possible who have now changed their minds. More/better/improved birth control or even education isn't going to eliminate abortions. I truly believe that the end to abortion will come through changing the hearts of people. People like Norma McCorvey and Dr. Bernard Nathanson. One heart at a time.

Thankful Tree

This week we are making a "Thankful Tree". After Bible time each day we are each going to say something we are thankful for and write it on a leaf. The only rules are you can't say the same thing as someone else and you can't say the same thing each day. After we've written our name and what we are thankful for we then take the leaves and hang them on the "tree".

The leaves are just some fall coloring pages I printed from the internet onto colored paper. I used red, orange, and yellow paper. The tree is just a branch stuck into a jar. I put dried corn into the jar to weigh it down and because it looks festive. You could use beans or rice too. I added a little bow to make it prettier as well.

The boys enjoyed helping me cut out and put the string through enough leaves to get us through Thanksgiving Day. It's a little bare right now but by Thursday it will have plenty of leaves! It's kind of a reverse of the trees outside!

Jesse Tree

Christmas is just around the corner. If you are looking for a wonderful way to make Christmas meaningful I highly recommend a Jesse Tree. We did this for the first time two years ago and it was great!

You can start with Advent or you can just start on December 1st. Each day read a Bible verse and devotional then hang an ornament on a little tree. There are many websites out there to give you ideas and there is no "right" way. Each family does it a bit differently.

There are "kits" you can buy, but it is easy to just make your own. The ornaments can be printed on paper or if you get real creative you can buy items to hang as ornaments that are a bit more three dimensional (like a mini-globe, twine, etc.). I'm seriously considering making some salt dough ornaments with the kids for this years Jesse tree. The tree itself can be a branch that is secured in a pot or you can use a mini-Christmas tree. That is what we did last year and it worked well.

If you are interested, here are some links:
Jesse Tree Instructions, Devotions, and Printable Ornaments
Another Tree with Printable Ornaments
Yet Another Option