Happy anniversary to us

Hi everyone,

Today is Robert's and my 32 anniversary and we are enjoying the day.  We slept in late; opened presents from the children; and played the game, FUNGLISH which was in the package that I opened.

 It is a super fun game and, once we started to get the hang of it, some of us decided that they like it better than Taboo.  I'm not so sure as Taboo has been my favorite game for years and years.  FUNGLISH was fun, though, so I'm sure it will grow on me once I figure it out a little bit better. 

Robert just informed me that he's taking me to Bismarck right after lunch so now I am curious.  I know that curiosity can get a person in trouble but I just cannot help myself.  This past weekend, when I saw that Alex was scoring Cora's AQT, I stood nearby watching him until he folded the paper over so that I couldn't see.  Later, when he gave it to Cora and I saw that it was a Rifleman score, I was glad that I hadn't seen it before she did.  Curiosity can certainly get a person in trouble.

Anyway, I got this letter from my US Senator this morning.  I was curious to see what he had to say and decided to share it with you all.  I'm not sure if it amazes me or amuses me that even in the White House people don't know how to write anymore.  The substance was quite what I would have expected from a man who votes Constitutionally 10% of the time even though he took an oath to uphold the US Constitution 100% of the time.

All I can say is we're headed for big trouble in this country--big trouble.  Is anyone aware of this???  If not, I urge you to carefully ponder what my Senator said to me in this letter.  Is it just my imagination or did he say absolutely nothing to me???

With that thought, I close with a simple song to Robert and me on our 32nd anniversary.

Happy anniversary to us;

Happy anniversary to us;

Happy anniversary, dear Robert;

Happy anniversary to us!

Love to all,

Dawn

News flash

I'm wondering if Facebook is rubbing off on me.  I am tired and heading for bed but want to share what's new in my life.  You know me, and how I like to explain everything, but what went through my head was something like this.

I was going to do a distance session tonight for a client but I couldn't get her on the phone for some reason.  Then I came out in the kitchen and found Andrew cleaning the IV tube which was strange.  When he told me that Sally had calved and had milk fever, I switched gears and did the session for Sally instead.  Please pray for her to pull through as Cora found her during chores by the groaning coming from behind the poll barn.

We had a LOT of people here this weekend which I just loved.  We were so thankful for the heated shop as it was VERY cold and we woke to snow the morning of the shoot.  Praise God for His provision of the heated shop.

 My first order of colostrum came the first day of the shoot which was awesome as I recall all of us getting sick after our last shoot in October 3 years ago.  Colostrum builds the immunity in a fantastic way and I insisted that everyone take it--even our guests.

Cora made Rifleman.  So did Lauretta Leppert and Andrew from Aberdeen.  Jacob scored a 209 but Alex wouldn't give him the orange hat for lack of 1 point.  I'm glad that standards are high in the AppleSeed program. 

Jerome came to the shoot.

So did my friend, Virginia, and we were neighbors groaning together for 2 days in the cold and from all of the ups and downs involved in an Appleseed.

The guys built a new outhouse for the shooting range and it was greatly appreciated!

I never scored my AQTs as I'm not interested in focusing on failure.  I could tell that it wasn't good enough to spend Andrew or Alex's time scoring it.  The arthritis was much WORSE because of the cold and I took a good many breaks.

I have a new friend--Deb who is another IIT's wife.  She just broke a bone in her foot so we were partners in misery.  Both of us felt much worse in the cold than in the heated shop so I went and got all of the extra blankets and folks wrapped up in them.  Sarena L. looked like a Jewish babushka--so adorable but still shooting and pumping out those Rifleman scores.

Everyone had lots of fun playing volleyball in the dark as Robert bought a light for the court and Andrew went up in the loader bucket to attach it to the pole on Friday morning.  In fact, my entire family is out there playing right now.

Our friend, Virginia, came over Friday afternoon to help Cora and I prepare food.  Everyone brings food to share but I wanted to make sure that we had soup to warm us up with.  On Saturday I served potato and meatball soup and the kettle was licked clean.  On Sunday it was chili but there were leftovers which we had today.

We all enjoyed the time that Paul Sorum spent here with us.  His son was shooting both days and Paul was busy as he's put his name on the ballot for Governor.  When Virginia called him, "Governor Sorum" he was modest and said, "I'm not Governor yet."  I said, "Yes you are--in OUR minds."  He just smiled.

Tomorrow I'm teaching a private Reiki class to a client who has breast cancer.  We couldn't get any Sundays to work out for her as she drives down from the Minot area for radiation and she's finished with that now, so I'm teaching her individually.

Now I need to go study a bit and review things and print her certificate and get a good night's sleep and set my machine for Sally.  I'm listening to my happy family getting exercise and improving their volleyball skills as I write.  I'm thinking of the wonderful email that Andrew received from the other IIT and his wife about how much they enjoyed their time with our family and how special we all are.

I can't recall the last time that I was this happy and so, even though this writing is rather sloppy and certainly a bit like reading "Reader's Digest" I hope that you can sense how rich and full my life is.  Many thanks to all of you for the part you play in it.  I love you all!!!

God bless,

Dawn

My son Andrew, an instructor in training!

 My dog, Millie, a great Appleseed addition!

 My home sweet home--a firing range where folks can come and learn together!

God TOUCHED him!

Happy Sabbath to you all!

I cannot urge you too much to get in the daily habit of reading Pastor Joseph Prince's daily devotional.  I am continually strengthened and long for all of God's people to feel His limitless love for them constantly as I am learning to.  Here's a mind-opening devotional for you to ponder on this Sabbath day.  Jesus actually TOUCHED the leper.  I'm not sure how I missed that before.

Blessings to all seekers of the truth!

Dawn

The Lord Is Able And Most Willing

Matthew 8:3 3Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

When you see someone receiving a miraculous healing or financial breakthrough, do you ask, “What about me, Lord?” I believe that the leper who came to Jesus must have asked the same question. He must have heard or seen from a distance, since he was not permitted to be in public places by the law, how Jesus had healed the sick. So he had no doubt that Jesus could heal him, but he was not sure if Jesus would. He said to Jesus, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” (Matthew 8:2) He was confident of the power of God, but not the love of God for him. Like the leper, maybe you don’t have a problem believing that God can give you your miracle, since He is Almighty God. But you are wondering if He will do it for you. My friend, let Jesus’ actions and answer to the leper settle this question once and for all. He stretched forth His hand, touched the leper and said, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately, the leper was healed. I want you to notice that Jesus touched the leper. He could have healed him from a distance with just a spoken word. He had healed others this way as in the case of the centurion’s servant and the Syro-Phoenician woman’s daughter. So why did He touch the leper? Jesus knew that for so many years, the leper had been cut off from his family and society, so he must have been feeling dehumanized. I believe that Jesus touched him to make him feel human again, to make him feel loved and accepted again. His touch was His love language to the leper. Can you see God’s heart of love here? Can you see how much He loved the leper? That is how much He loves you! The day that you come to know God’s heart of love and believe that He wants you blessed more than you want to be blessed is the day that you receive your miracle! Beloved, catch a glimpse of God’s heart of love, and you will believe that He is not only able, but also willing to make you whole!

A personal invitation to YOU!

Hi everyone,

Oh, what a lovely Autumn day it is today! In fact, this is just the kind of weather that we’re hoping for on the first weekend in October. That’s when we’re having our next AppleSeed Shoot here at our farm. It will be the last in ND for the year. I’m sure that we will hold many more, in the future, as we have a permanent shooting range here now. I mention that for those of you who have shared that you’d like to attend a shoot but just can’t make it this time.

If you are certain that you will be attending this shoot, we need you to register for the shoot at this link: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4142765122%20%20%20%20%20 We, the Bornemann family, need you to register so that we can get enough tarp laid down for you all. We also go to our local implement dealer and pick up their large boxes. We need to open the boxes and nail them into the backdrop. We need to plan for your stay with us, in many little ways, so it would help us to know how many of you are coming to the shoot.

The shoot bosses also need to know how many materials to bring—that would be targets; extra rifles; AppleSeed T-shirts, and most important of all—Riflemen badges! PLEASE register today for the shoot so that we can have a wonderful, well-planned event for you all to enjoy. If you’re not certain about attending, I recommend that you go here and read some about the program. http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=31220.0 If you need to borrow a rifle, let us know that ASAP too.

The AppleSeed program is a life-changing program. Would you agree that we Americans are a pampered lot? Well, I’ve attended 4 AppleSeed shoots now and this last one really got to me. The history really sunk into me at a very deep level. I was so tired from shooting on the second day that I thought, “I’m done—that’s all that I can do.” Then Kyle shared a bit of early American history and I heard myself think, “I am such a baby—I can shoot one more AQT,” and I did! This happened twice and many times since then I have reminded myself of all that our countrymen endured as they sought a free country for their descendants. Dare I do any less?

Even if you don’t enjoy shooting, it IS important that the masses become good shots. As more and more threats to our sovereignty surface, I have become increasingly aware that we MUST band together with our neighbors to protect our neighborhoods from threat—from the loss of our freedoms!!!

Come on over neighbors—let’s learn together how to keep America free and then let’s work together to do it!!!!!!!! 

 

 Here I am with my old AppleSeed shirt.  I wasn't going to take a new one at this last shoot, to try to keep expenses down for the program, but then I saw that they have new shirts.  I took a bright pink one which you will see me wear at our next shoot either in person or on here.

 Here Alex is telling part of the history that moved me so.  Alex drove all the way here from Iowa to donate his time to help us learn how to shoot our best.  Kyle came from SE Minnesota.  When these guys were here 3 years ago for our very first shoot, they said that they don't even ask for gas money unless they're desperate.  Can you imagine young men donating weekend after weekend of their time to help folks learn the importance of shooting well???  I think that they are amazing and I am very proud that Andrew and Jacob (after he makes Rifleman) have joined the program.

 This is our firing line except I don't know where Jacob was at this time.  He was first in line; then my friend, Roxy, then me, then a bunch of Lepperts, Cora, Jessica, and 2 guys that rode along with Kyle from Minneapolis to experience life in the country at it's best.  There were 10 of us all together and 2 scored at the Rifleman level and received their Rifleman badges from the shoot bosses.  I'm going to make it one of these times!!!!!!!!!!!

 The shoot starts by us aiming at the middle square and then the upper ones and then the lower ones in these targets.  This is how you can tell if your rifle is sighted properly.  Andrew sighted my new rifle last week and said that it was about 6 inches high and about 4 to the left which he very gallantly corrected for me.  They also teach us in class how to adjust our sights to correct the problems.  Perhaps one of these times I'll be able to remember the inches--minutes--clicks lesson but for now, it's still confusing to me.

After shooting, the line is called to CEASE FIRE; CEASE FIRE; CEASE FIRE!!   That means you must not shoot any more or else you'll get scolded by the shoot boss.  Once I was mildly scolded when Kyle, upon checking our end of the line, found that my safety wasn't on.  He looked at me as he put the safety on and said, "Dawn, I'm putting your safety on."  You can be sure it did NOT happen again.  These guys must be firm and strict because of the safety issues involved in having a bunch of people armed and dangerous.

When the line is clear, then the shoot boss gives the command, "Shooters, you may proceed down range and check your targets."  At first this is kind of exciting but it can get old too--especially with a sore knee.  Roxy and I took turns putting up our new targets and returning the old for her hands and my knees were telling our age on us.

 

Will I do it again?  With skinned elbows; sun-burnt lips; and aching knees for the next week, will I do it again?  The answer is, "EVERY CHANCE I GET!!!"  Why?  Well, that Rifleman badge keeps calling my name but it's more than that now.  I BELIEVE in this program and I love seeing people improve in their shooting.  Andrew and I even held an informal AppleSeed here last week.  This means that Andrew called the line and I actually taught another woman friend of mine how to shoot.  Joyce did very well and I was so proud of her!!! 

There's just something about knowing that folks know how to protect themselves, if need be, that thrills me.  It's the American way--it's the way to preserve our freedoms if all else fails!!!  I'm not for shooting first.  I'm for talking first--talking to my legislators in particular.  However, if they remain determined to throw in the towel on American sovereignty, am I going to stand by and do nothing to preserve my country for myself; my children; my grandchildren???  Certainly not!!!!!!!!! 

Will YOU join me on the firing line in a few short weeks?  If not, would you at least pray for others who will?  If not, will you at least go to the website and read about the program and then send others there that you think WILL?  If not, why?

Yours for freedom,

Dawn

Dawn for the Bornemanns

Guess what?

We just got word this morning from parentalrights.org that our Senator Hoven stood for us.  Yes, he actually voted to protect us from UN control.  I mean he is actually one of the heroes mentioned in this article and I mean to write a personal letter to him thanking him for thinking like a true American.  I share this with the hopes that you fellow North Dakotans will do the same.  I'm sure that they get plenty of hate mail--this is a chance to build up our legislator for doing a good job!!!!!!!!!!!

God bless,

Dawn

September 25, 2012

Victories to Celebrate, a Vigil to Keep

Last Wednesday when Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois proposed that the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) be adopted by the Senate by unanimous consent (UC), it looked for a brief moment like the battle might be lost and our freedoms signed away. But a “unanimous consent” motion means any one objection is enough to halt it. We are grateful to know several senators who would have come to our defense, but on Wednesday Senator Mike Lee of Utah was that “one.” He spoke up boldly in opposition to adopting something as significant as an international treaty that dictates domestic law, without even so much as discussion and a vote.

And in doing so, he revealed not one but two reasons to celebrate.

The first reason is that we do have senators like Mr. Lee who will stand up to oppose this and similar treaties. Thanks to their opposition, the Senate is now in recess until after the elections, and has not ratified the CRPD! This means the risk of its passage is over until the “lame duck” session in November. (“Lame duck” refers to a legislature made up in part of lawmakers who have already been voted out of office – the “lame ducks.”)

But that’s where the second reason to celebrate comes in. In his opposition to the motion for a UC adoption of the CRPD, Senator Lee announced the following:

“I have right here a letter that is signed by 36 members of this body… a letter addressed to Leader McConnell and Leader Reid explaining that for various reasons, we don’t think that any treaty should come up for ratification during the lame-duck period of the 112th Congress. …We will oppose efforts to consider any treaty during this time period. The primary reason cited in the letter is the fact that it is very important to make sure that we have a full understanding of what these treaties mean.”

Since a treaty must be ratified by two-thirds of the senators present, having thirty-six opposed (two more than the 34 senators needed to defeat the treaty) will make it extremely hard for the Senate to act on the CRPD, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), or any other U.N. treaty until the new Congress is seated in January.

This is incredible news, and well worth celebrating!

But we must remain vigilant. If proponents of the CRPD were willing to attempt a “sneak attack” last Wednesday, it is possible they are also willing to try to “peel off” some of the supporters of this letter or to sneak in a vote while enough of these are out of the room to let the vote pass. We must encourage these senators to remain faithful to the position they have signed onto in this letter – in a fashion that supports and does not irritate them.

To that end, if your senators signed Sen. Lee’s letter, we would urge you to mail a letter or card this week to their D.C. offices. Thank them for their stand to oppose any treaties during the lame duck, and encourage them to stand firm in that commitment. Show them your full support. The list of signing senators and their addresses is here.

Recognizing the delays in mail to the Capitol, we estimate they should receive your card shortly before the start of the lame duck session – the perfect time to encourage their stand. But to ensure that timely arrival, you need to mail your card or letter in the next week or so. Let me urge you to take care of it today!

It is easy for us to criticize our lawmakers for the many things Congress gets wrong every year. But here is an opportunity to encourage those who are doing right, and it can have a tremendous impact!

We will remain vigilant throughout the lame duck for any further attempts to harm parental rights through treaty ratification, and we will alert you right away if a need for action should arise.

In the meantime, please send your note of encouragement. The letter you send now could prove just as important as the phone calls you made last week.

And please consider a generous donation* to ParentalRights.org as well. We have invested resources in defeating this treaty that would otherwise have gone toward passage of the Parental Rights Amendment. We need to catch up those resources as we shift our focus back for the next Congress, and we are completely dependent on the support of concerned parents just like you.

Whether you can give financially or not, I thank you so much for standing with us in this struggle. The victories we celebrate today are possible only because of your unwavering support!

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research

Perfectionism

I was just talking to Cora about perfectionism and how it ruins lives. I speak from experience--a lifetime of experience. I think it came from my constantly doing things to try to earn my parent's love and approval--which never happened BTW.


I wondered if anyone had written any poetry about perfectionism and how it makes a person feel. I goggled, "Perfectionism poetry" and this is the first selection that came up. There may be more of them out there, but when it's perfect, you may as well pick the first one.


As I read the first part of this, it struck me that many of you may not think of me as it is portrayed. However, there have been times in my life when I tried to have every hair in place......... That was before I almost died from putting such pressure on myself 6 years ago.
 

This may sound funny to those of you who don't struggle with choking, crippling perfectionism, but recently I heard that it's like having a bully in your head that you can't ever get away from. I agree and share this poem with you all with the hopes that you will free up perfectionists in your life (maybe even YOU) by starting to talk about it.

God bless,

Dawn

Perfect Imperfection

 

  Melissa Bachara

 

  I am a contradiction

a perfect imperfection

On looking in from outside

I think I’d pass inspection

 

My nails are neat, each hair in place

My clothes the latest styles

But look a little closer,

And you can see my trials

 

The window to my balanced soul

Is stained from too much smoke

A birds eye view down at my heart

Will clearly show it’s broke

 

My best intentions lead to pain

And complicated messes

My head is filled with wishes,

My decisions second guesses

 

There was a time I tried to hide

each wrinkle, scar and tear

But I’m learning to appreciate

That I’m more than I appear

 

Each wrinkle tells a story

The path from there to here

I’ve earned a little wisdom

With every falling tear

 

My soul will soar in brilliant skies

But then I’ll need to rest

The embers of my passion

Still smolder in my chest

 

Perhaps I’ll let my hair go wild

And skip the manicure

I’ll wear my favorite color

They’ll say "Hey, look at her"

 

My hair, my heart, my clothes, my soul

Will walk in one direction

No longer contradicting

My perfect imperfection

 

This 'perfect' poem was posted in our Poetry Forum on July 12, 2005. Melissa is a freelance writer and graphic designer living in the United States.

Mixture of emotions

My mind is full. I am excited to see 5 clients today in my Bismarck office--very excited. Thanks to you who have been praying for new people to find their way to me! I am excited that Harvest of Thanks is on Sabbath--very excited to see everyone there. Part of me is heavy, though, and I can't figure it out. I covet your prayers for God's joy to flood me as it has in the past. Maybe I should give myself a BodyTalk session on the way up to Bismarck??????????? Dawn