Done

OK Folks.....the free-for-all is officially over. I will be deleting all "anonymous" comments (past, present and future) that don't include a name in the end. I blog for the purpose of sharing our lives with family and friends, and to spread the occasional entertaining or thought provoking piece. People will need to save their "flaming" for another venue. My blog has always been a kind, family friendly, welcoming place. I have no problem with someone disagreeing with my point of view on any post, but I do take issue with attacks; especially anonymous ones. I will choose to leave the option of using the "anonymous" button in my comments section, but this is simply for the convenience of our friends and family that are not bloggers, or do not have a Google account. Those folks are welcome to leave their thoughts at any time, and will have no issue with including their identity.

While this is MY blog, and I have the right to post whatever I choose on it, I do want to take this opportunity to offer a brief explanation of my thought process behind the post that has stirred up such controversy. It was intended to be rather lighthearted and un-noteworthy. It included a silly link showing Barrack Obama and Ellen dancing around on her show. I found it funny and entertaining....period. I now see that some might have taken the fact that he happened to be on the Ellen show as me somehow endorsing a pro-homosexual stance. I can honestly say that the thought never crossed my mind. Perhaps this fact has been lost on some of my more inflammatory readers, but I have never mentioned gay marriage or abortion on this blog. That is not because I am without opinion on these issues, but simply because this is not the venue where I wish to discuss those matters..

I started reading blogs about two years ago. During that time, I have read plenty of posts that I disagreed with. In most cases, I just ignored them. As much as we grow to feel like we really "know" other bloggers; in truth, we only know the little bits and pieces that they choose to share with us. If I find that I regularly disagree with a particular blog, I just remove it from my reading list. After all, it is that person's right to say whatever they want on THEIR blog, and my right not to read it if it offends me. On the rare occasion that I have found it necessary to voice my contrary opinion, I have NEVER hidden behind anonymity. If my opinion was important enough to share, it was also worth signing my name to.

For the record, I am more than happy to have you all participate in lively discussion on my blog. I strongly believe that all Americans/Christians have the right to their own opinions, and that is one of the things I appreciate most about the country we live in. However, there are times and places that are more/less appropriate to get on our soapboxes. This particular incident took me by surprise, and I am grateful for my husband (Will), Dad (Tim) and cousin (Julie) for jumping in to defend me. I hope that the same would be true on any of your blogs as well, if you were subject to a similar attack. And for the record, I appreciate my friend Christy's comments too. We might have some different opinions in some areas, but I love her, and her willingness to stand firm in her beliefs.