Why I Write to You, Mr. President

Dear Mr. President,

It's been over a week since I last penned you a post. I do realize that you are not reading these posts. But somebody is and to you, that somebody, I hope this finds you well. The writing of these letters has done many things, all of them important. In referring to this little exercise I am doing I use the word, cathartic.

It is keeping me in the know. I scan the headlines, read articles, keep my ear to the ground for this endeavor. For many individuals that I know, keeping in the know is the last thing that they want to do. I am providing a service for my "head in the sand" friends when I give them my updates. I do what I can......

My heart is softened to you. The day President Clinton became president is a day I'll never forget. I remember what I was doing when I heard the news. It was a gloomy day, a dark day, an apocalyptic day for many of us. I didn't want to succumb to that with your presidency. You are a person, if I met you tomorrow I would not turn and walk away because of our vast disagreements, I would shake your hand and smile. I do not want to be a hypocrite.

I want to be in prayer for you with a right attitude. A right attitude never has anything to do with circumstantial surroundings, contrary to public opinion. I am a Christ follower and His ways are "Just Love". I desire to be like Him. Writing to you is keeping my attitude in check. (I think it took me far to long to get to this point!)

I disagree with you on many accounts. I am concerned for the anger I see brimming beneath the surface that leaks out by some of your unguarded comments. But my heart is there with you walking alongside of you in prayer. You and I have much in common by way of our humanness.

I want to be humble, I want to be of service, I want to be compassionate. These posts are aiding me in my pursuit of all that. I am saddened, however by the miles that separates me from my desires.

Today, have a good one. Go to the wisdom giver, the wisdom creator, the one who puts all things in perspective, the "I AM."

Blessings on your day, Mr. President.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Burkholder

Color Blindness, No Provision for this ailment in the Health Care Reform Bill

“Here is what I know, here is what you know, here is what the hundreds of people here and out in the street know,” Rose said. “If Dr. Cason were black and 80 percent of the school children in his district were white, and he arbitrarily decided not to allow white children to watch a white president’s ‘back to school’ speech,’ and whites came here tonight in the numbers that blacks have come to protest, he would resign, or be fired. And we are here to demand no less.”http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/homepage/local_story_258000146.html

Dear Mr. President,

We just can not seem to move around the racial boulder. I read that quote from Valdosta Daily Times today and feel like I've been doled out a riddle. (hate riddles) I know, you know, hundreds of people know, I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

I have to break it down into parts. If Dr. Carson were black with lots of white children under his care,( got it! )and he did not show the white children (not black) a white president's speech! Can you imagine that?! "Don't cha know!" as My Grandma Esther would say. The white parents would be irate.

Is it that we have before us a white Dr. Cason with lots of black children under his care not showing them a black president's speech and all the black parents are irate? I think I unraveled this one.

Here's the deal, how in pete's name are we going to move on if we can't stop the labeling? You've created one interesting section of history. A Black/white man in office, an historic event. Why? because you are black. But you are white also, so it's not one hundred percent black, but you are black enough to make an historic mark.

Dr. Cason made a decision to not show your speech. Do they really think it was because you are black? I think it had everything to do with timing. The timing of your speech was in poor taste, Mr. President. The beginning of the school year is a frenetic time. Did anyone on your staff consider this and likewise consider the doldrums of winter? I'm telling you, you need more wisdom surrounding you.

Your inauguration for some of us felt like we were watching a huge family reunion in a local park, everyone hugging and carrying on like they hadn't seen their Aunt Elma or Uncle Elmer in years! Everyone at the reunion was talking about a black president. "Us White folks" were inside the park but outside the family gathering and did I mention black family gathering. The inauguration of the president of the United States didn't feel like a shared event.

I thought about this for a long time and realized that the lack of a "shared event feel" might be what the blacks always battle. Your inauguration just might have been what I needed to head me in a more sensitive direction.

Just make sure, Mr. President, that you don't get caught up in labeling. Your color has nothing to do with your brain. Your color is just what your skin looks like.
In your health care reform can I make a suggestion...make sure there is no provision for treating color blindness.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Burkholder

September 12, 2009...History in the Making

Dear Mr. President,

Wow! The rally Saturday on the streets of Washington D.C....did that take you by surprise? Looking at the pictures reminded me of your inauguration this past January. Eight months and counting.

I am not quite sure what to make of all of this. We are friends with a man who owns a bus company. He says that, but for prior reservations, there was such a request for buses that his entire fleet could have been in D.C. that day.

Saturday for me was just another day, I had no idea this was happening only three hours from our home. You have awakened the nation. Your alarm has sounded throughout the hills and vales, over rivers, cross lakes, zooming over mountains and dodging through forests. We are awake.

You have the privilege of leading a nation of ready, prepared, and strong people who are fully awake. There has not been a president in the recent past who has what you presently have. The question is, Mr. President, what will you do with this nation, with this opportunity?

Will you see these people Saturday in D.C. as dissident, divisive and disagreeable? Or will you look beyond the placards and see an army of people ready to be Americans, free Americans that our founding fathers foresaw? You have the amazing privilege of wisely leading these Americans who came from all over the country to communicate with you.

Mr. President, do not let this opportunity pass you by without you taking the high road. The Health Care Reform Bill needs much more consideration, Saturday indicates this. Listen to the people over whom you are presiding. You are a leader of a nation of people standing strong, not their dictator.

I believe you still have the opportunity to make your mark on history. Be the president who listened to wisdom. There is nothing to ram, there is nothing to push, there is no hurry.

Please Mr. President, be wise. Wisdom just might have marched to you on Saturday.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Burkholder

Remember................

Dear Mr. President,

I am aghast and I am amazed at my lack of remembrance. I just emailed you about a rainy day, blah, blah ...and I forgot about the heartache that swirls around this day, September 11, otherwise known as 9/11!

Today the clouds weep. Eight years ago the streets of New York City and Washington were swarming with people unaware what their future held, unaware that this day was their last, unaware that war was forthcoming, unaware.

The day was brilliant, a movie rendition of these cities in their late summer splendor.

We are never to assume anything by the way it looks. That day helped us to understand this.

I am grateful for the lack of an attack in the eight years that have followed. I am sick to my stomach, however, for the many men and women who have died because of the declaration of war on terrorism.

How will you honor the previous administration and their valiant efforts to abort any such further attacks? How will you honor the men and women who are still fighting against terrorism?

There is nothing for me to boast of for my lack of rememberance. However, there are many men and women who have, for the past eight years, put their lives on the line, intercepted possible attacks and helped to stop them. These men and women have been agents of protection and change and enable knuckleheads like myself to wake up and forget. These men and women are to boast of while the rest of us must honor them and all involved with intentional rememberance. We are Free to forget but with that freedom let us remember the lives lost, the families broken, the soldiers wounded, and our need to be men and women of valor.

You are the President of the United States in a remarkable time of history. May your name be remembered with gratitude.

Blessings,

Mrs. Burkholder

If Opinions Were Based on Knowledge....

Dear Mr. President,

It is a rainy day, a day for a cup of tea. The sky is gray and if you just stand straight and tall and on your toes I believe you could touch those lumbering clouds.

I know this is a bit forward of me to suggest, but why don't you ask your wife in for a hot steaming cup of tea. When the children come home from school, why not offer them hot cocoa. You have the power to create lasting memories while you are living in the White House.

I have been wondering, are you finding some wise men and women who can provide you with clear counsel? It is important to remember that the look of wisdom is often disarming. You will find wisdom where others won't search.

This quote I take from a sliver of a book created by Ann Allan.

"People's opinions pour forth as water bubbles from a spring. How much quicker the world would be, with how much less tension, if opinions were silent unless based on knowledge."

As opinions swirl around you and if you feel you can not take it anymore, go to the Creator. Have a cup of tea with Him. The tea is out of this world and furthermore He is in Control!

Blessings on your rainy day,

Mrs. Burkholder

You are the President not the Father of the United States

Dear Mr. President,

I can hear you singing with Bob Marley, "Let's Get Together and Feel All Right!" It must feel that no matter what you say or how you say it you just can't win. This is the bane of existence of a leader. Your task of communicating effectively with innumerable perceptions of what you are communicating is daunting.

I am sure as a leader you are not discouraged by this but inspired to strive for clarity in all you communicate. Every instance where your administration has to regroup, rewrite, and reconnect is another day closer to a tighter, stronger O'Bama Administration.

You have sent a message to schools to be viewed by children all around the nation next week. This is causing an uproar amongst conservatives. You might be shaking your head with a feel of "I can't win." But I can help you with this one. I should just give you my cell phone number, but for now I'll just type.

In all that you do with children, here is what will serve you well to assume. Assume they have a set of parents who desire to raise them to not only be law abiding citizens, but individuals who are loving, compassionate, and intelligent. This is a shared goal between you and I and all the other parents that are on American soil (and all the parents on this planet for that matter).

Last night I was standing in a checkout line and discovered that the clerk was from St. Martin's of the Caribbean Islands. Why are you here was my question to this dear woman. She chuckled and said it was her children's education. This woman was tired, ready to go home after working two jobs. Why working so hard? Her children period. We will do anything for our children.

Mr. President, you need to keep this in mind, when you were elected it was not to be THE FATHER to all the children it was simply (and as you now know, not so simply)to be president. You must leave the parenting to us, the parents. Your administration has a tendency to tread on other people's issues, territories, responsibilities, and families. When you step on toes the owners yell. These are the sounds you hear.

We as parents are protective of our children and rightly so. You as a father know what I am talking about. This is what your administration did not foresee. They did not counsel you to understand the uproar this would bring and the perception it would cause. It makes you look like you are indoctrinating our children. Why would you want to indoctrinate? We are not a third world country, you know what freedom is, you want to uphold it! But to assure us of this you need to honor the family structure.

Here is what I would suggest. Pull the plug from showing the video in schools. Air your speech on television so we as parents can sit right beside our children and process it with them. This is a democracy, show your administration how to respectfully maintain our democracy and how to uphold the family.

Something else you have not considered...my children would not have seen it. We are a home schooling family.

You have a good day. Find something positive about each one of your family members, including your mother in law and tell them!

Blessings,

Mrs. Burkholder

Wounded and Uncertain; Turn To Wisdom

Dear Mr. President,

This quote gives me hope.

"So Obama and Democrats will return from vacation wounded, divided and uncertain of the best way to turn things around. Many Democrats, especially in the House, were spooked over break by the rowdy town hall meetings and flurry of polls showing independent voters skeptical of their leadership and spending plans."http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/26672_Page2.html#ixzz0PwMHjYS7

It's the wounded part in the quote where hope rises. You might be saying, what in the world is this woman talking about? I'm talking about the point of recognition we must all come to as human beings. The point of recognition where we clearly see our inabilities, our need, our uncertainties, are woundedness. When we clearly see this "end of the rope" state of being then and only then we begin to look for help.

Help is present. When one is uncertain one needs to find someone certain. You will find Him, He is present.

As I read the news I'm hopeful. You are making concessions, compromises, and adjustments to the Health Care Reform Bill. Your willingness to re-adjust this Health Bill despite the liberals reveals your desire to pass this for the good of the nation.

I will be praying for you, Mr. President. Search for certainty. You'll be certain to find Him. Allow Him to guide you with this Health Care Reform Bill. George Washington Carver kept a Bible in his science lab. He was guided by truth and his accomplishments reveal where Truth can lead.

Mr. President, tell your party they don't have to be spooked on their own soil amongst their own people sharing their varied views. Did they not know what they signed up for when they entered politics? Individuals only interested in "milk toast" individuals reveal their identity.

Stand tall amongst your party and lead with dignity, you are assuredly capable of this.
Blessings on your day. A President who recognizes His need will lead a nation with Wisdom.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Burkholder