And to the Republic for which it Stands...

...and to the Republic for which it stands..."

Hi. :D I feel really good today. I read with the kids again the 12th principle (“The United States of America Shall be a Republic”) from the book “The 5000 year leap – Principles of Freedom 101” As I read it I felt so good about what I was teaching my kids that it filled me with joy. I remember one of my kids receiving a Priesthood blessing in which he was told that the day would come when he would look back on his school days and realize that the really important things… he learned at home.

As I read to my sons emotions often flood over me as we learn and discuss principles of such vital importance. I feel SO BLESSED to have had the opportunity to home school my children all these years. I thank my Father in Heaven for giving me the courage and faith to undertake this great challenge.

I teach all three of my sons together, so the oldest are learning Government at the age of 17, and the youngest is only 13 (we have studied it some off and on through the years so they should get a great grasp of it now). I’m thankful that Levi has enough interest in such topics to keep up with his brothers, because it sure helps me to teach them all at once!

Today Yesterday we reviewed the basics of a Democracy, Republic, and Democratic-Republic. Since so many Americans don't seem to know which form of government was written into our Constitution (including a few of our presidents), and since our Constitution is what granted our country so much freedom and prosperity, I feel this is an important topic for Americans to understand when voting in leaders for our country.

In a Democracy everyone helps to make the laws regardless of whether or not they have time to study the issues or even care about them. The reality is that day to day living gets people so busy that most people don’t have time to study most of the issues adequately. This is one of many reasons why a pure Democracy does not serve a society well. In 1928 the US Army printed a training manual to help clear up the confusion people had between Republic and Democratic governments (though many still haven't learned to know the difference). In the definition of a Democracy the manual points out that majority rule even if based upon passion, impulse or prejudice - with no regard to consequences (among other negatives not mentioned here). James Madison had this to say about Democracy;

"Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths."

 (Federalist papers, No. 10 p. 81.)

In a Republic the people choose legislatures/representatives to make the laws; if these representatives are chosen wisely, we can have laws written by people that have time to study the issues in depth. Because of this, in a Republic those making the laws can make more informed and wiser decisions than would the general public or those under a pure Democracy. The government manual points out the many benefits of a Republic government among which include that a Republic government has respect for law, order, individual rights etc, and is also one in which does NOT result in either Tyranny or Anarchy.

Because the founders combined the Democratic principle of mass participation so far as voting is concerned, and combined that with the Republic principle of voting for representatives to make the laws and administer the government rather than having the masses make the laws directly - the United States have what is called a Democratic-Republic. This is very different from a pure Democracy...

Because of these and other benefits of a Republic government, I am very thankful that our Founding Fathers carefully structured our government and wish that society wasn’t so confused (which is obvious since many very wrongly think our country was founded upon Democracy). Our founders hoped we would have a clear understanding of the difference between a Democracy and a Republic and recognize that they had established a Republic government (as stated in our pledge of allegiance and as is evident by the structure of government as outlined in our Constitution); this is the government which made it possible for America to prosper financially; this is the government that has preserved for us so many wonderful freedoms. This is the government we need to preserve if we are to retain the freedoms which were granted through it!

Well, enough for now. Thank God for our founding fathers and our wonderful free country! And thank God for home schooling! :) Talk to you another day...

Corine :D

All About Me - Circle Journal

This post is of some Circle Journal Pages I created for another woman's journal with the theme "All About Me." I just found it among my unpublished blog posts, though I thought it was published a long time ago; better late than never! :)


Hi. One of the gals in the circle journal I am participating in asked if the rest of us could produce some "spoilers" LOL. So, here mine are. I have to admit... I'm a little nervous to show them after seeing the incredibly artistic journal entries other women in the circle have done. I had never done a circle journal before and actually imagined them much less artsy/creative. So I am really stretching myself to make something a bit interesting. Perhaps my style's uniqueness will make up for my lack of artistic talent! :O (I can hope! :D) The theme the author chose is "All About Me." Drawing a picture of myself was absolutely OUT OF THE QUESTION! So I did the silhouette she sent for us to draw on, and covered it with words that tell about things that I love. :D he he! A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! ;D (I am very much displeased with that page and wish I would have done something like make a real silhouette of myself and just leave it; darn!) Oh well. TTFN. Corine :)

Faith in Ourselves and Self Confidence

“One of the greatest weaknesses in most of us is our lack of faith in ourselves… When you live close to the gospel, the Lord is always there. I have proven it to be true that if I would do my homework, if I would study and be prepared, the Lord always ratified the direction I should take. The Lord has always been there to rely on.”

"I think that the greatest talent that the Lord has blessed me with is enthusiasm. I am hard to keep down. I will try to keep people charged up about their responsibilities, and duties and about their great potential . . . The Lord's business has to be the best in the world.”
– L. Tom Perry

This man, Elder Tom Perry, is coming to speak at the Hayden Lake Stake Conference this month! Yeah!!! You know, he reminds me of me when it comes to enthusiasm. I was told in a workshop once that enthusiasm is my greatest asset; I think it may be true... However, I'm still working on the whole faith in self thing! :o Darn!!!! I do think "confidence" may be my word this year for the next 11 months. Confidence encompasses MANY things, beginning with confidence or faith in Jesus Christ, and ending with self confidence, or faith in ones self (which to me means having faith that with God all things are possible, and which I am determined to have in abundance soon). To do this, I believe I will have to START DOING the things that I have not done due to lack of self confidence. The only way to get over it is to get through it!

Here are a couple other quotes that I like:

The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do. ~Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, 1996

 Seventy percent of success in life is showing up. ~Woody Allen

 To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. ~e.e. cummings, 1955

Do you think self confidence and faith in ones self are the same? I think I'm using them iterchangeably when they are in fact different. I think faith has more to do with belief before proof, and confidence perhaps comes later as it implies a solid surity. Perhaps I should rethink the word I will focus on... How would you define or differentiate between the faith in self and self confidence?

Quotes about Thoughts...

"You are a living magnet. What you
attract into your life is in harmony
with your dominant thoughts."

- Brian Tracy
 
 
-----------------------------------

"You are today where your thoughts
have brought you; you will be
tomorrow where your
thoughts take you."

- James Allen

God's Plans for Our Lives... Must Read - Part Two!!!

Hi. :) A strange thing happened. I checked the mail the day before yesterday and discovered that my Ensign subscription did not end; I just got the January Ensign at the same time that I received the February Ensign. :o Don't know why, but I'm glad I got that January Ensign because I need the messages (I devoured several of them immediately since I hadn't gone on line to read them). One article really got my attention - since I just posted a blog post a few days ago titled "God's Plans for Our Lives." It is titled "The Book of Mormon and God's Plan for Us." Seriously... is this God's humor? Why did my Ensign come a month late and two days AFTER I posted an article with nearly the same title? For what ever reason, I'm thankful for them both.

This was a learning experience for me because as I compared content of the two articles (which are, by the way VERY DIFFERENT) I came to realize that I know some things so completely that I almost disregard mentioning them simply because I assume that everyone else knows them too... :o

For example, in my post I never even mentioned WHAT GOD DOES PLAN FOR US! (Ironic, really, since that is the name of the post); I merely wrote about how He has plans to help us accomplish our own plans. But what about the plans HE has for us? That is where this article comes in to remind me that I wrote an incredibly incomplete post which needs to be completed! After all, though God DOES desire to help us accomplish our own dreams for ourselves, He also has plans and desires for us; and honestly, as good as our own plans get I really don't think they can compare to His! :)


So, what are God's plans for us? I don't believe in re-inventing the wheel, so I'll refer you to what has already been written on the subject by way of a couple links at the end of this post. But first I wish to point out a few of my own observations about His plans for us...

First, His plans are all very small and simple, so simple one would never expect life to be so sweet as a result of such simple acts. My plans for myself are often overwhelming and big, but God knows that "by small and simple means are great things brought to pass."

Second, I noticed that His plans for me have one goal - to make me happy... This is why his plan for us is often called The Plan of Happiness,  also known as The Plan of Salvation.

Third, I noticed that the greatest happiness that I have received in my life has come from doing the things which I knew HE planned for me; and the joy I receive from accomplishing my own plans is magnified by accomplishing His plans... Because I trust Him and know that He wants me and my family to be happy, I strive to do the things He counsels me to do. There have been times when I struggled to follow His plan for me, and times when I followed His plans with near exactness; the times when I followed His plans were the times when my life has been most filled with peace and joy. (He really does know what He is doing!)

There are some things which most of us know He wants for us; we know He wants us to read His words from the scriptures and pray to Him. We know He wants us to live for Him and love Him with all our hearts, and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. But there is so much more He plans for us that many of us take for granted and doing these simple things helps us to be in tune with Him and accomplish the rest as well...

Are there things He has planned for you that you are not aware of? Would you follow His plan for you if you realized the plan? What specific things do you know in your heart - He desires for you to do with your life?
 
Links:
*The Book of Mormon and God's Plan for Us
*The Plan of Happiness - (several links here - for more information on the plan of Happiness look for a missionary near you)
*The plan of Salvation - there are several links at the bottom of the page this link takes you to...

UPDATE: *See comment section for more! :)