~ For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required. ~
“A leader isn’t someone who forces others to make him stronger; a leader is someone willing to give his strength to others so that they may have the strength to stand on their own.” ~ Beth Revis
Feel free to follow or connect with me at the link below.
http://reneeemerysignature.com/
Thank you.
Renee Emery
ONCE IN A GREAT WHILE Artist Laurel Holloman leaves Luartfan SPEECHLESS!!!!! 
picture copyright ~ miki turner
ALL THE WORLD INSIDE EXHIBITION is currently underway in Berlin, Germany with 16 huge murals being presented for showing. Nine new paintings and seven from the artist’s Free Falling Collection.
The exhibition officially opened to the public on April 28th and will run through June 23rd, 2013. Opening hours will be from 10am – 6pm. Closed on Mondays with free entrance.
Check out the magnificent space by clicking on the link ~ http://www.palazzo-italia.com/
Just as I imagined prior to the opening of ALL THE WORLD INSIDE EXHIBITION and the unveiling of the artist’s sixteen magnificent masterpieces. I knew the Palazzo-Italia would undergo a beautiful, physical transformation once the sixteen paintings were hung upon the walls. There is no doubt the paintings will continue to echo their presence long after they are gone in June of this year.
Today however, while each painting quietly hangs upon the walls of the Palazzo-Italia separately and yet together, they allow us a glimpse of the inner soul that currently resides within the artist.
Leaving you to discover the hidden meaning from their titles and maybe if you are fortunate and look hard enough, long enough you will discover a small resemblance of yourself…..
One thing is for certain….each painting leaves us inspired, breathless and speechless.
Just like their creator.
The one, the only….. Artist Laurel Holloman.
picture copyright ~ laurel holloman
Starting May 30th to September 30th 2013 in Venice, Italy, one of Holloman’s paintings titled “SWELL” will be apart of a group show located in the Venice Biennale called NELL’ ACQUA CAPISCO (In The Water I Understand) curated by Claudio Libero Pisano. http://www.nonsolocinema.com/Nell-acqua-capisco_27850.html http://www.myartguides.com/venice-art-biennale-2013/art-biennale/collateral-events/item/577-nellacqua-capisco
On March 12th Miki Turner an award-winning photojournalist (http://mikiphotogallery.com) and author of the newly released book “Journey To The Woman I’ve Come To Love” (http://www.mikiphotola.blogspot.com )/ openly congratulated Holloman for her recent honor of having one her paintings “SWELL” being accepted in the Venice Biennale. Turner (@mikiturner, twitter username) quoted in an open public tweet that reads as follows: “congrats to my sistahgurl @nalamommy (Holloman’s twitter username) for getting into the Venice Biennale! it’s a tremendous accomplishment for a deserving talent!”
Personally I couldn’t agree more with Turner’s comments and so this is why I chose to add it to this post. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ARTIST!
picture copyright ~ miki turner, laurel holloman
Holloman is leaving her own unique imprint within the prestigious art world with her massive size paintings she exhibits and sells to collectors world-wide. Breuer Collection, Isabelle Van Rolleghem Collection, Ethos Capital, Bernhard Kalchruber Collection, Waite Collection, Marla Henderson Design, Hunt Collection, Hoagland Collection, KK Pang Collection, Raweia Nouri Design.
With ALL THE WORLD INSIDE’S nine new masterpieces joining forces along side of FREE FALLING’s seven masterpieces during the Berlin, Germany Exhibition; the artist is setting a new bar that will not easily be reached, if ever, by any other male or female abstract artist.
Let Me Fall ~ picture copyright ~ laurel holloman
“I let myself be who I was…. loving myself. You should just be who you are and not worry about all the other noise.” ~ Artist and Mom of two beautiful God Given daughters ~ Laurel Holloman
Laurel supports Emergency, so can you by making a $25.00 donation to help relieve suffering in war-torn areas by visiting Laurel’s website at http://www.laurelholloman.net/ and click the PRINTS TAB, then the VENICE TAB, scroll down the page where you will find the “DONATION TO EMERGENCY” link.
The success of Free Falling in Venezia during the 2012 Exhibition purchased 22 cardiac valves for children in Salam Center.
In honor of the artist’s BIRTHDAY on May 23rd and throughout the 2013 “ALL THE WORLD INSIDE EXHIBITION” let us help double, if not triple this number with a donation.
Will you help me?
Together, we can do it. We can help save a life!
http://www.the-hart-foundation.org/
Dreams are like stars. You may not be able to touch them but if you follow them, they will lead you to your destiny.
Note: “THE ARTIST IN RED” will be the last post for the Luartfan.com blog. It will remain up until the end of June.
It has been an honor and a privilege to share with my readers, real people who leave me inspired and of real life issues I hold dear to my heart.
I thank each of you for giving your time and stopping by.
Respectfully, and with much love I sign out with this song dedicated to the Artist ~ http://youtu.be/X0aszDShxHk
~To touch your work in the prints and canvas, to hold them in my hands, to take them on my tours… the need to have them with me for inspiration… just means I will be ….. A Lu Art Fan Forever.
An Incredible Journey.
Luartfan
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the two beers.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full? They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full.. The students responded with a unanimous “yes.” The professor then produced two beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
“Now,” said the professor as the laughter subsided, I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things…your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions… and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else…the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first, he continued, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life, if you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take your significant other out to dinner. Play another 18.
There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn. Take care of the golf balls first…the things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.
The professor smiled and said, ‘I’m glad you asked.’ The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of beers with a friend.
I asked GOD to take away my bad habits. GOD said, “No. It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.”
I asked GOD to grant me patience. GOD said, “No. Patience is a by-product of tribulations; it isn’t granted, it is learned.”
I asked GOD to make my handicapped child whole. GOD said, “No. His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.”
I asked GOD to give me happiness. GOD said, “No. I give you blessings; happiness is up to you.”
I asked GOD to spare me pain. GOD said, “No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.”
I asked GOD to make my spirit grow. GOD said, “No. You must grow on your own but I will prune you to make you fruitful.”
I asked GOD for all things that I might enjoy life. GOD said, “No. I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.”
I asked GOD to help me love others, as much as he loves me. GOD said, “AHHHH, my child, finally you have the idea.”
NOTE: This post is dedicated to my five hearts.
Where ever GOD leads you in life…whether it be near or far, I am grateful to love you, the gift of loving you completes me.
Always remember… you can’t lead where you have never been. HIS LOVE IS GREATER STILL.
And, I Love You.
ONCE IN A GREAT WHILE Artist Laurel Holloman will leave Luartfan SPEECHLESS!!!!!
picture copyright ~ miki turner
ALL THE WORLD INSIDE EXHIBITION will be in Berlin, Germany with 16 huge murals being presented for showing. Nine new paintings and seven from the artist’s Free Falling Collection. Beginning April 28th through June 23rd, 2013 the exhibiton will be open to the public.
Opening hours will be from 10am – 6pm. Closed on Mondays except for April 29, 2013.
Free entrance.
Check out the magnificent space by clicking on the link ~ http://www.palazzo-italia.com/
And while everyone oohs and ahhhs over the chosen space now…..we can’t begin to imagine the positive, physical transformation that will take place within the building, once Laurel’s paintings takes up residence there for a few months.
Starting June 1st to November 30th 2013 in Venice, Italy, one of Holloman’s paintings titled “SWELL” will be apart of a group show located in the Venice Biennale called Nell’acqua capisco, curated by Claudio Libero Pisano.
On March 12th Miki Turner an award-winning photojournalist (http://mikiphotogallery.com) and author of the newly released book “Journey To The Woman I’ve Come To Love” (http://www.mikiphotola.blogspot.com )/ openly congratulated Holloman for her recent honor of having one her paintings “SWELL” being accepted in the Venice Biennale.
Turner (@mikiturner, twitter username) quoted in an open public tweet that reads as follows: “congrats to my sistahgurl @nalamommy (Holloman’s twitter username) for getting into the Venice Biennale! it’s a tremendous accomplishment for a deserving talent!”
Personally I couldn’t agree more with Turner’s comments and so this is why I chose to add it to this post.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ARTIST!
picture copyright ~ miki turner, laurel holloman
Holloman is leaving her own unique imprint within the prestigious art world with her massive size paintings she exhibits and sells to collectors world-wide. Breuer Collection, Isabelle Van Rolleghem Collection, Ethos Capital, Bernhard Kalchruber Collection, Waite Collection, Marla Henderson Design, Hunt Collection, Hoagland Collection, KK Pang Collection, Raweia Nouri Design.
With ALL THE WORLD INSIDE’S nine new masterpieces joining forces along side of FREE FALLING’s seven masterpieces during the Berlin, Germany Exhibition; the artist is setting a new bar that will not easily be reached, if ever, by any other male or female abstract artist.
Let Me Fall ~ picture copyright ~ laurel holloman
“I let myself be who I was…. loving myself. You should just be who you are and not worry about all the other noise.” ~ Artist and Mom of two beautiful God Given daughters ~ Laurel Holloman
Laurel supports Emergency, so can you by making a $25.00 donation to help relieve suffering in war-torn areas by visiting Laurel’s website at http://www.laurelholloman.net/ and click the PRINTS TAB, then the VENICE TAB, scroll down the page where you will find the “DONATION TO EMERGENCY” link.
The success of Free Falling in Venezia purchased 22 cardiac valves for children in Salam Center.
Let us help double, if not triple this number in 2013; during Laurel’s Berlin ALL THE WORLD INSIDE EXHIBITION.
Will you help me? Together, we can do it, we can help save a life!
Dreams are like stars. You may not be able to touch them but if you follow them, they will lead you to your destiny.
xoxo,
Luartfan
President Barack Obama said Wednesday he will take these actions by Executive Order:
1. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background-check system.
2. Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent states from making information available to the background-check system.
3. Improve incentives for states to share information with the background- check system.
4. Direct the attorney general to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks.
5. Propose rulemaking to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun.
6. Publish a letter from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers.
7. Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.
8. Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission).
9. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations.
10. Release a Department of Justice report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement.
11. Nominate an ATF director.
12. Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations.
13. Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime.
14. Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence.
15. Direct the attorney general to issue a report on the availability and most effective use of new gun-safety technologies and challenge the private sector to develop innovative technologies.
16. Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes.
17. Release a letter to healthcare providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities.
18. Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers.
19. Develop model emergency-response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education.
20. Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover.
21. Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within Affordable Care Act exchanges.
22. Commit to finalizing mental-health parity regulations.
23. Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health.
NOTE: At least the HIPAA Law was mentioned…. but only for background checks…. SO SAD.
NOTE: If these orders, actions (whatever you choose to call them, are designed to cut back the GUN VIOLENCE, then why the need for actions or orders in 12, 14, 18 and 19. Just wasted money
the country apparently doesn’t have.
<
I am disappointed today!!!!
Luartfan
After reading the tweets posted earlier on Laurel’s twitter page…. I had to read them over again, attempting to understand the remarks. I never did.
But I do have something to share from reading the comments that was posted.
Crazy thing is I have more than a 140 words to share, so I opted to post it here.
Understand please they are my thoughts, opinions and in NO WAY have been endorsed by Laurel.
If I could speak with Laurel today, I would remind her to never look back and to give no mind to those who only wish to distract her from pursuing what is important to her purpose in life, being happy.
A person’s ability and willingness to pursue their happiness and goals, both personal and professional are apart of their God given inalienable rights and are often criticized when doing so.
I would encourage her to click on her own link from time to time http://www.laurelholloman.net for a gentle reminder of what yet lies ahead and to always be proud of these accomplishments; while being grateful for the journey she has traveled and respectfully leaves behind.
1.) If one really took the time to search and seek… it is evident Laurel has been recognized and is continuing to receive recognition in the influential, professional art world, from around the globe.
The list of private collectors (Breuer Collection, Isabelle Van Rolleghem Collection, Ethos Capital, Waite Collection, Marla Henderson Design, Hunt Collection, Hoagland Collection, KK Pang Collection, Raweia Nouri Design) to me, speaks for itself and shows that her GOD GIVEN inner gifts were noticed, appreciated and accepted worthy from professional people who specialize, understand, and appreciate the natural hidden talent she offers onto canvas as a professional abstract artist/painter.
My first point ~ Laurel is a good painter and continues to get better with each stroke of the brush ….. and the professional’s in the art world have accepted her in it. In my opinion they were wise to do so; and certainly blessed to have her.
The professional film Industrys’ loss is certainly the professional art worlds’ gain.
Honestly, (ART) is one area I don’t think I would or could be courageous enough to step into and for Laurel to find faith, strength and the courage within herself to take that step… speaks silently to me and to many around the world of the simplicity and true beauty that lies within and continues to define this remarkable woman.
2.) I believe Laurel has proven rather to be a pretty damn good philospher. I looked these words up to make sure I was accurate with my definitions.
a.) philosopher, philosophy- A person with the study of knowledge; a fundamental principle; a system of beliefs.
Laurel holds a BA from The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
My second point ~ Four plus years of study proves she has plenty of knowledge.
b.) fundamental principle ~ fundamental ~ basic; an essential part. ~ Principle ~ a fundamental rule; concept
Laurel has served both publicly and privately with her humanitarian efforts for several charity causes throughout recent years. The lending of her name, dedication, time and love has helped secure unknown monies from around the world just by standing on the principles of sharing and self-sacrifice. We will never know the millions of lives that have been saved in peace and wartime efforts & during natural disasters crisis and have benefited from the resources these monies help provide.
My third point ~ This is a pretty honorable principle she and her family should be very proud of.
c.) system of beliefs ~ faith; trust and expectation
From her comments during a national televised event some years back while accepting an award and standing firm, she publicly voiced her opinion in support of the LGBT family; speaking against PROP 8.
I have witnessed over the last few years on social media Laurel being supportive of different “beliefs” which are often politically attacked or overlooked.
Such as but not limited to any one specific event.
Women’s Rights ~ The belief that women should be considered equal to.
LGBT Rights ~ Equality for all.
Adoption ~ It is often overlooked. Laurel’s unconditional love speaks for itself with regards to this issue.
Now I am going to attempt to share in a firm and loving way my opinions with the last two remarks I read about.
I have yet to see or read where Laurel has ever publicly disrespected anyone’s personal beliefs or opinions often tweeted to her.
I would guess she respects many opinions offered, whether she agrees with them or not.
Unfortunately, I have witnessed via social media many negative tweets toward Laurel because she has chosen to stand firm on her own belief that: (It was time to let go of those things which no longer challenged her inwardly and chose to move forward to find something that will keep her challenged, happy and fulfilled.)
“Of our faults, the one that we excuse most easily is idleness” ~ Francois de la Rochefoucauld
I am happy to see she refused to remain idle, choosing to break free.
I recommend to everyone who respects and loves her, to do the same. It’s time.
I share this…. someone has to till up the soil in preparation for planting the garden. Another follows behind to plant the seeds of the many different fruits and crops. Then another comes along to water for nourishment so the seeds sprout up. BUT, if everyone who is wanting a share from the garden, including those who created the garden remain in the garden, walking about and trampling on the seeds thereof, never watering it, but suffocating and destroying it. How then will the garden bring forth to it’s fullest potential the finish product so to benefit everyone? It can’t.
In the end, if the garden is ruined; everyone is hurt, because the fruit/crop was lost due to the ignorance of the people from their own negligence. Yet they are quick to place blame back on the very soil they trampled saying it didn’t produce to their liking.
Parenting ~
I myself am a parent, and have been for over nineteen and half years now. I will let you in on a little secret about parenting. I discovered within hours of receiving my new precious gifts into this world, they didn’t come with an instruction manual. HELLO, EVERYTHING NEW in this world comes with an instruction manual…. except children.
So when someone deliberately attacks a friend of mine; or anyone who tries to be a loving parent and calls to question parenting skills…..I have a message to offer back.
I strongly hope you took a long look within yourself even if you are not a parent as of yet, because I will call you out. When pointing a finger, don’t be to blind to see the three pointing backwards, aiming at the direction of your heart. Check yourself first, please; before casting judgement on another.
And unless you have written the ultimate instruction manual on parenting, the one with the copyright of GOD himself and not the bible, I already have one….. then I really don’t care to hear or read your opinion as to why you believe you can call to question anyone’s parenting skills.
Sham ~ false; hoax; counterfeit; artificiality
All I have to say here is for any and all of you who hide your true identity behind Laurel’s name and pictures and JB’s name and pictures on and through out the social media websites…. I don’t believe you can be any more artificial and that is nothing more than a hoax. A false pretense. Counterfeit.
The most I can do for my friend is simply to be his friend. ~ Henery David Thoreau
http://youtu.be/DpevqxljOKY ~ My Wish For Laurel
Luartfan
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The new Boeing 787 Dreamliner can carry about 250 passengers. This blog was viewed about 1,300 times in 2012. If it were a Dreamliner, it would take about 5 trips to carry that many people.
Click here to see the complete report.
On a personal note I would like to thank everyone who took the time from your busy schedules….(hmmm twittering & Facebook lol) to stop by Luartfan.com to read the posts that interested you. Please don’t forget to click on the link above to check out luartfan.com’s most popular posts of 2012…. I HONESTLY COULDN’T BE MORE PROUDER!!!
I hope the 2013 posts will continue to bring you back only to leave you inspired, thinking, or in some way challenging you to become a better person for yourself, not for anyone else, including me.
As I finish this chapter (2012) of my life (365 pages, which some are torn, ripped and battered but intact) reflecting on the good and the bad. I wanted to give thanks publicly to my Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ for never forsaking me during my weak and vulnerable moments.
It was HE who I trusted and depended on to bring me home safely and in one piece in late April from a year long tour in Afghanistan, not my government.
It was HE who I trusted and depended on to provide strength, wisdom, protection and love for my mother and family when she was diagnosed with lung cancer and throughout her surgery & recovery, not the doctors/surgeons/medical staff. Though, I am grateful for her having such a wonderful team of medical experts… I have NO COMPLAINTS.
It was HE who I trusted and depended on daily for wisdom, unwavering love, understanding, compassion, forgiveness, and healing during my sons battle with prescription drug addiction.
I remember once falling down in the middle of my living room floor crying out to GOD and asking why? After telling him my thoughts on the matter and through my tears, offering my excuses and explanations as to why this wasn’t supposed to happen in my family. Why my son? Why me? Why his family? Why such a bad thing like drug addiction?
I won’t bore you with the petty, lame reasons I offered. All I want you to know is for the first time through out the ordeal, as I lay there quiet and sobbing… A PEACE fell over me.
MY HEAVENLY FATHER SPOKE TO ME. He simply told me. “Renee, you cannot lead where you’ve never been.”
TODAY, my son, after hitting his rock bottom is doing remarkably better. Our journey is far from over and OUR STORY IS JUST BEGINNING. STAY TUNED.
Everyday is a new day for growth. Growth can be just being wise enough, strong enough, to stand still long enough to hear his voice for continued direction.
~ BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD. ~ Psalms 46:10
Through this journey, he has brought in my life’s path four other young adults…. who need guidance, direction, forgiveness and a sense of HOPE and above all LOVE.
I plan to walk as slow I need to with MY HEAVENLY FATHER BY MY SIDE to help guide these young people out of the dark alley they have found themselves in. We have made it half way, and can finally see some light piercing through the darkness giving hope for a new beginning. We are gonna get there, I feel it, I know it and I believe it. I have been trained to leave NO battle buddy behind!
For those of you asking why to all the crazy, senselessness happening in our country and throughout the world?
I can only leave you with a scripture below to guide you.
FOR WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, BUT AGAINST PRINCIPALITIES, AGAINST POWERS, AGAINST THE RULERS OF THE DARKNESS OF THIS AGE. ~ EPHESIANS 6:12
I encourage you to read all of Ephesians, Chapter 6.
I ask you to remember one thing…. when you find yourself in the deepest pit, darkest alley, the lowest valley or enduring the smallest of trials…
Remember friends ~ YOU CANNOT LEAD WHERE YOU’VE NEVER BEEN!
There is a reason we need not understand… only trust. 😉
I love you all and I honestly believe we (meaning you reading this) are gonna be alright in 2013!!!
Luartfan
.
COLUMBINE STUDENT’S FATHER 12 YEARS LATER!!!
Guess our national leaders didn’t expect this. On Thursday, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee. What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful.
They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness. The following is a portion of the transcript:
“Since the dawn of creation there has been both good &evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers.
“The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain’s heart.
“In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA – because I don’t believe that they are responsible for my daughter’s death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel’s murder I would be their strongest opponent
I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy — it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best.
Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You’ve stripped away our heritage,
You’ve outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question “Why?”
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!
“Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation’s history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact.
What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine’s tragedy occurs — politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws.
Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.
“As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him.
To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA — I give to you a sincere challenge.. Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone!
My daughter’s death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!”
– Darrell Scott
Do what the media did not – – let the nation hear this man’s speech. Please share.
Luartfan
I normally would never share a personal text conversation with all of you. However, I could not help but share this one, it is to precious not to share. It reminds me, and I hope all of you of the innocence of our young.
Night before last I was being silly and sent a text to my cousin with the below picture of Santa’s reindeer, so she could share with her 5 year old adopted daughter (who wants a Maine Coon kitten for Christmas) and one of her grandson’s who in my opinion has the most beautiful blue eyes, I have ever seen…. so I have nick named him “Blue Eyes”
I hope while reading our conversation, you smile as I have.
me: OH MY GOODNESS!!! Show Shaylie and blue eyes who I almost ran into!!! Let them know he is in the area!
cousin: She wants to know if you had to stop all the way…. LOL.
me: LOL… yes I did. I didn’t want to hit them so I stopped. I thought I heard some meowing, but Santa would not let me look in the sleigh!!!
cousin: LOL…she is jumping up and down saying she is gettin a kitty.
me: LOL
a few hours later, a new text came in from my cousin…..
cousin: (her dad) told Shaylie that she wasn’t getting a kitten, that he told Santa no way…. and she told her dad “yes, I am, Renee heard a cat meow in Santa’s sleigh… LOL
Since then she thinks Santa for sure is going to bring one.
me: OH Lord!!! But isn’t that precious???
cousin: yeah, she is something else. You made her day let me tell ya…. The “I thought I heard a kitty meow” thing made her happy… that is all she needed to hear.
I am not not sure which kitten Santa delivered under the tree this morning from the below liter, because he wouldn’t let me near the sleigh the other night, but I certainly tried. 😉
But I sure know mom and dad yesterday, was on the look out for Santa….
I bet I know a precious little girl who woke up happy this morning and has alot of love to share with the newest addition to their family….
Merry Christmas from my family to yours… I wish everyone peace, happiness, success but mostly I wish you all Love in and throughout 2013.
Please remember that Christ Jesus is the true reason for this season!!!
Love,
Luartfan
Renee Emery 