And Here I am...Ranting...

Alright.

2 things.  Maybe not quick, but holy smokes do I need to get this off my chest.

I have a brother who is a Missionary.  I love my brother.  I love my nieces and nephews.  I haven't really spent enough quality time with SIL to have a true opinion of who she is, but, my brother married her, I love her because he does...here's the rub - when Missionary Man left his last Stateside Church job to return to the mission field, he sold a house and most of his belongings.  There were a few things he knew he needed while he raised support and lived in Mom and Dad's basement.  After he raised his support, he still had a few things left that he decided he didn't need anymore.  BB and I had a need for those items, and he gave them to us.  GAVE them to us.  Now, growing up, I was raised that "to give" meant that you were providing someone with some good or service expecting nothing in return - no return of said goods, or repayment for those services.  It was a gift - unfettered, unwarranted, just given.  Fast forward to 2010...Missionary Man and family were home on furlough.  While they were here, they wanted to use the treadmill that he'd given us.  No problem!  I was ready to deliver Littlest One within weeks of their return, and knew I'd be down for 6 weeks after her birth, due to the C-Section I'd be having...by the time they were ready to head to the South for the remainder of their leave, I'd be ready to take on the treadmill again.  After they'd had it for 2 weeks, they calmly informed us that SIL's dad needed it and they'd be taking it to FL with them when they went.  BB and I were confused and a bit stunned.  I asked my brother, privately, if I'd been mistaken in his giving us the treadmill, or had he simply asked us to house it for him until such a time as he needed it?  He replied that he'd indeed given it to us, but because of our "financially blessed situation", SIL had told him that her dad needed it and we could just go buy a new one with no trouble.  I was perturbed, and let him know that I thought it was bunk - he'd given it to us - before he went to Africa, before he even KNEW her...and now she was telling him to just take it back from us?  I did not begrudge the fact that her father needed a treadmill.  I respected the fact that they were financially strapped.  What I didn't like was them INFORMING us that they were taking it - not asking us, or discussing the need with us...Fast forward another 2 years, to a week ago...we are finishing up the indoor projects, waiting for the painter we hired to come and paint our walls.  While we're waiting for that to happen, I'm going to be stripping and refinishing some furniture in my living room.  It's currently a natural oak.  I want it dark to match my china cabinet, piano, music cabinet, coffee and end tables.  One of the other projects we're going to do is to strip and refinish my dining room table and chairs to match also.  At that time, we'll be moving up a couch that BB had when we first started dating that is a top of the line, never sat on couch that happens to be a sleeper-style, with the bed inside it.  I want it upstairs, with my Bentwood rocking chair - it makes the house look grown-up, finished, and is our style.  We currently have my brother's couch in there.  I would like to sell the couch, or donate it, or know that I can just do whatever I want to with it...but because of what happened with the treadmill, I sent an email to my brother asking them what they'd like us to do with the couch.  The answer came back that they want us to keep it (or find someone to store it for them) so they can use it for the part of their furlough in which they're in Colorado.  In another 2 years...

I'm not upset that they want us to keep it, I'm just frustrated at the tone of the email...and the fact that SIL answered the email - not my brother to whom it was addressed.

2nd thing - I just read an article of college football, and how Notre Dame is not compromising their values.  I'm not a fan of the Fighting Irish per se, but I'm now a fan of their morals and ethics.  They are building on honor, integrity, honesty, hard work...they don't want rule-breakers and troublemakers on their team.  As a result they are being mocked and ridiculed for being a lousy team...

It makes me sad and angry that it's become the norm for a team to win by cheating on some scale or another.

It also brings to mind our current election campaigns.  I'm tired of hearing how awful one "side" knows the other guy is.  What happened to telling me how qualified you are, what you're going to do, and leaving it at that?

And that's all...I'm done.  I'm taking a break because I'm tired of fighting with people.  Not that you all would fight me...it's just that I don't have it in me to have discussions with people...