Musings of a Liberal Texan

My brother, Paul, died from ALS. I remember one year, early 2000s, when we all met at his house in the Woodlands for Christmas. The stunning number of "Fox and Friends" swag in the gift exchange was a statement as to the majority of my family's political leanings. Nothing I didn't already know. But it was weird. I don't know if it was a coordinated effort which actually would make me feel a bit better or if they all just decided that this was the year they would make their statements. I looked at these people I loved so dearly and just thought they must ignore the parts that seem so counter intuitive to who they are as human beings. Regardless, I didn't care. I loved both my brothers and my mom. I wonder now how Paul and my mom would feel about the GOP now. Would it still be so easy to ignore the parts that didn't line up with the values and beliefs they held so dear? I look at the Democratic Party and I see a vast array of opinions, beliefs, core value

I am extremely allergic to mold. I have all of my boys papers, projects, report cards, newsletters and more that have traveled in boxes with me from the time they were tiny. They are now 28 and 29. The boxes have not always been in the appropriately climate controlled spaces (ahem old run down damp garage for instance) and have acquired their fair share of silverfish and meals for a variety of little beings. Who came up with the idea of macaroni art? Seriously. Whose idea was it to stick food on construction paper with white glue that ended up more as a way to peel off one's skin in a white hazy layer? Ridiculous. But I digress. I have moved these boxes from the garage to the office which I have renamed the scrapbook room. Because that's my intention. I visualize the long table with neat piles of historical data chronologically compiled with a variety of themes - Josh, Cody, Josh and Cody, vacations, etc. I have the books. I have scissors that provide different edging, just to