My Pottery Barn flag was stolen a few weeks ago so now the ShopKo version proudly waves from our front porch. Right around the time the flag was taken, I was thinking a lot about the concepts of mercy and forgiveness, turning the other cheek and truly loving your neighbor—thanks to the movie To End All Wars and a sermon Stu preached that Sunday. I don’t plan on putting a sign out front that say, “Please! Take my flag! It’s all yours!” But I’m finally chilling out about my recent stolen properties.

I wish I could chill out about other things in my life as well; namely, political discussions. Whew! Politics has the ability to get me really riled up. I covet a peaceful heart when someone begins slinging the mud at my candidate or the issues I consider important. The good thing about these discussions, though, is that they have forced me to research the issues and have allowed me to enter into discussions with people who see the world far differently from myself. Nonetheless, I have not yet figured out how to remain cool, calm and collected while debating politics. TGIF. This weekend I’m going to let the issues rest in order to reclaim my sanity.

By the way, if you’re in Lincoln and haven’t yet registered to vote, today is the last day to do so. Call (402) 441-7311 for registration locations. Check out this page for more information on voting in Lancaster County.