Secret, zero waste zone, being held, new budget

“Now - here is my secret:
I tell it to you with an openness of heart
that I doubt I shall ever achieve again,
so I pray that you are in a quiet room as you hear these words.

My secret is that I need God –
that I am sick and can no longer make it alone.

I need God to help me give, because I no longer seem to be capable of giving;
to help me be kind, as I no longer seem capable of kindness;
to help me love, as I seem beyond being able to love”

-Life After God, Douglas Coupland
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Keeping a good and thrilling secret is sometimes enough to get one through the day.
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Of late I have often used YouTube like a radio, starting with a favorite song and letting the "related videos" feature lead me from one favorite to the next. I've camped out in this video for the past hour as I clear my Reader:

We'll be held. That's the promise we get. Not that we will be happy, or rich, or successful. Only held, and held by the only One who matters, in the end, the strongest One, the One who loves the fiercest.
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Atlanta, George has made itself into the first Zero Waste Zone in the South. ATL leaders did this not for moral or ethical reasons, but for business ones- they were beginning to lose conferences to other, "greener" cities as environmental friendliness became a high priority for business leaders. For those who think environmentalism is opposed to capitalism, take note- stubbornly remaining wasteful will cost you, now more than ever.

A fascinating article today describes the details of Obama's new budget and what our new budget will mean for poor people. Dave Ramsey says a family budget is a moral document because it puts on paper a family's priorities and clearly shows what they value. I believe our nation's budget is just the same. What do we value? What is MOST important? Guns? Kindergardeners? Farmers? Banks? Small businesses? You can't pay for everything, so what wins? A truly fascinating article.