USA

It's deep in the AM of Memorial Day. This morning, our church had vets stand up, and I was looking around, noticing how many teens I simply know won't ever consider serving in the military. That's cool. Every generation has those kinds, and it's not necessarily a bad thing, it just is.

But I'm tired of America right now. People here are too spoiled. People here have it too easy. We've never been occupied (militarily). We've never had to watch our neighbors get bombed, or pull a sibling out of wreckage. Of course, some have... some have pulled siblings from car accidents or drunken fights or drug overdoses, but so few of us have struggled with meaningless violence. I don't wish that on us, but I kind of wish we had some of that... it'd help us really fast get our priorities a little more straightened out.

We THINK we live in this horrible country that is sooooooo dangerous, and everyone's just out to get us, but we don't. We're spoiled.

We THINK that around every corner lies a possible sickness but they aren't there. We could probably never touch bottled water again in our lives, and our immune systems would probably just get stronger.

I talked with an ex-missionary the other day. He told me how his wife is retiring from the college she teaches at because she got spoiled by teaching young Africans who were so eager to learn. Spoiled in another sense, of course, than the way I used the word up above; spoiled in the sense that she experienced how it should be and is now experiencing the 'spoiled-ness' in the bad way: the way it's not meant to be.

She's retiring because the students at her current school are so self-indulgent. They feel so entitled. And don't we all, as Americans?? I mean, I had to sit through a drive-through tonight for 5 songs worth on my I-POD. 5 SONGS!! The last half of one, four straight, and the first half of another. How is that good service, and as I was griping about this, I realized how spoiled I am.

I'm just tired of it. Perhaps some calamity needs to strike. I hesitate to pray for it... God just might take me up on that. And then where would I be... my self-indulgent self would feel so assaulted by a 'cruel' God!! And all my non-believing friends would have a field day on me, asking "where's your God now??" And I'd have no answer except that He's still bring peace to my spirit. I'm frustrated with people, and able to sit here in peace, all the same.

I yearn for overseas again, sometimes.

I could blabber on longer, but what's the point?

I swear I'm not depressed... :) see, I smiled. :)