Samantha Pierce

Today I am thankful for/that: All of that rain wasn't snow. I'm not quite ready to be buried up to my knees in snow just yet. Cuddling on the couch with the kids. Bedtime peace and quiet. Baby antics. What are you thankful for?

Today I am thankful for/that: Friends with whom I can disagree without having my sanity or salvation called into question. The fall colour is ON this year. The yellows are more yellow, the reds redder, the golds more golden, the burgandys richer, the oranges more orange, the bronze and copper brighter and stronger. I love it! Good neighbors, in the biblical and worldly sense. Prayer. Jobs for those who still have them or have just gotten new ones. Patience (not that I have as much as I would like but I'm a work in progress). Self control (see above).

Kids have already died because people are afraid to vaccinate their children. A lot more are going to have to die before people put aside their paranoia about childhood vaccinations. An Epidemic of Fear: How Panicked Parents Skipping Shots Endangers Us All Consider: In certain parts of the US, vaccination rates have dropped so low that occurrences of some children’s diseases are approaching pre-vaccine levels for the first time ever. And the number of people who choose not to vaccinate their children (so-called philosophical exemptions are available in about 20 states, including Pennsylvania, Texas, and much of the West) continues to rise. In states where such opting out is allowed, 2.6 percent of parents did so last year, up from 1 percent in 1991, according to the CDC. In some communities, like California’s affluent Marin County, just north of San Francisco, non-vaccination rates are approaching 6 percent (counterintuitively, higher rates of non-vaccination often correspond with high...

A justice of the peace in Louisiana refused to marry an interracial couple because he thought life would be too difficult for any children they may have. Interracial couple denied marriage license in La. A Louisiana justice of the peace said he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any children the couple might have. Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, says it is his experience that most interracial marriages do not last long. Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said. "I don't do interracial marriages because I don't want to put children in a situation they didn't bring on themselves," Bardwell said. "In my heart, I feel the children will later suffer." Lets set aside t...

I've got two weeks worth of thankfulness saved up. So today I am thankful for/that: I had all of my sisters with me. Fall foliage. The sun came out in time for Little Big Girl's birthday party at the park. One little kid smile and you suddenly feel like a super hero. The message of salvation really is simple enough for a child to understand. Girl talk. Sunshine. All of the men who invented labor saving devices for the sake of their women folk. All of the women folk who inspired the fore mentioned men. Nap time! Even better, bed time! It has been going swimmingly the last couple of weeks. The freedom to speak my mind. The often put upon defenders of freedom, the ones who regularly get shot at and those who don't. One person, one vote. Central heating. My shop vac. Wish I'd gotten one sooner. What are you thankful for?

Today I am thankful for/that: Forgiveness. Starting over. Joyful music. Good food. Good friends. Sincere compliments from friends who don't know just how much they mean. Patience. Someday I will have enough. The kids reading to each other (after a whole year of drama over reading for homework). What are you thankful for?