Read the latest news about the struggle to preserve parental rights at all levels of government. Learn what the Santa Clara Moms for Liberty group has been up to, what upcoming events and functions we're having, and how you can help.
When asked, "What are your thankful for?" it’s easy to offer up cliché answers like, "My health," or "My family." But to develop a lifestyle of gratitude, you will need to slow down and be intentional to look at all aspects of your life -- work, home, play, community, church, school, neighborhood, family - because when you really take stock, there is so much to be grateful for. It might be specific people in your life, a job to pay the bills, a good customer service experience, a free country, a car to get around, food to eat, a place to live, fresh air to breath, a kind word you received, a warm coat, a cozy bed, hot water, a new day -- the possibilities are endless.
Cultivating a Grateful Heart Taking a thankfulness inventory is a good place to start when cultivating a grateful heart, but be sure to write down the things you identified to see just how long your list is. Then, make a habit of thankfulness by adding to it every time you think of something new. You can even take five minutes out of every day to pinpoint things you are grateful for and record them in your thankfulness journal.
Another way to cultivate a grateful heart is to counteract every complaint with something you can be thankful for. Did you have a lousy day at work? Think of a co-worker that you appreciate, a project you enjoyed, or the simple fact that you have a job that sustains you. Are you struggling with sickness? Find the little things that bring you joy -- sunshine, good memories, a phone call from a friend, a good book, a kind nurse. Did your car break down? Be thankful for the person who picked you up and the mechanic who can fix it. Looking for the silver linings in the difficulties of life can change your perspective so you begin to see your life glass as half full.
You can also cultivate a grateful heart by looking around at others who are less fortunate than you are. While there are certainly people who have life better than you do, there is always someone who is worse off, as well. Whether it's those who live in constant poverty, have no clean water supply, are homeless, live under communism, are abused, are unemployed, or experience myriad other disadvantages, you can be thankful that your situation is better on many levels.
How to Show Gratitude Even though thankfulness is a noun, its meaning encompasses much more than simply identifying the things you are thankful for. Thankfulness also involves action. So, how do you show gratitude?
Verbalize It -- Keeping your thankful thoughts to yourself is like buying a present for someone but never giving it. If you are generous with your genuine words of appreciation, you'll be surprised by how good it makes you feel and how well it is received. And try to go beyond the simple "thank you." Instead, be specific about what they've done that you're thankful for. For example, rather than simply thanking a veteran for his or her service, tell them how much it means to you that they put their life on the line to defend our freedom. Take time to engage with them. Or tell your partner something concrete that you appreciate about them and how it makes you feel. Or thank God for His beautiful creation while you’re enjoying it. That’s gratitude in action, and it builds goodwill.
Show It -- To go even farther, try doing something to show your gratitude. Send a card for no other reason than to express your appreciation for an everyday thing someone does to make your life better. This is especially impactful for those who often go unrecognized, such as the custodian, the postman, the bank clerk, the grocery sacker, the garbage collector, your state representative, even your boss. Look around at all those who serve you in various ways -- you'll have plenty of people to thank! Other ways to show your gratitude can include buying a gift card, paying for a coffee, writing a letter of recognition to someone's boss, leaving a good review, leaving an extra tip with an encouraging note, or giving a plate of cookies.
Serve -- If you identified others who struggle with life issues that you don’t, your thankfulness quotient will rise significantly by reaching out to serve one or more of them in some way. You might volunteer at a homeless shelter, provide a Thanksgiving meal to a foster family, give to an organization that provides clean water in third world countries, or visit a homebound senior. There is no shortage of those in need, so put the gratitude you feel for your blessed life into action by serving someone less fortunate.
This Thanksgiving
As you gather to celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving, resolve to make it more than a reason to take a day off, eat some great food, and watch a ballgame. Instead, why not emulate those who gave us the day -- the Pilgrims? Though they could easily have focused on all they had lost (and it was a lot!), they decided to offer thanks for all the blessings that made it possible for them to come together in that place - the blessings of life, a new beginning, a bountiful harvest, new friendships, a bright future, family, and a faithful God. Our nation was begun on the foundation of thankfulness; our lives can likewise hold great promise when grounded in a grateful heart.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
We Support Candidates Who Work
To Protect Parental Rights
Despite what some might think, not all news is bad. Yes, we live in a very liberal state that continues to push bills designed to attack families through its most vulnerable members, namely the children. Our legislature is not interested in protecting families, it appears to be interested in doing just the opposite.
That said, we in California have been blessed with a number of candidates who have stepped up to indicate that they support protecting parental rights. Moms for Liberty Santa Clara County is so thankful for their efforts and their willingness to be in the fray.
Please visit the campaign sites of these candidates and thank them for standing with California's parents and families.
If you share our concern over what has been taking place in our classrooms, please consider joining with us as we fight for families, for children, for education, for truth, and for common sense.
We continue to ask people whether they understand what is now taking place within our school systems. We continue to provide information and resources to help people, especially parents, gain some idea of what's being taught to kids (and why). And yes, we continue to ask people to get involved and help with the lifting.
We fight against children being taught to hate their country, to judge people based on the color of their skin, and to ignore the basic truths of biology. We fight against the sexualization in school of little ones and the destruction of the innocence of youth. Perhaps most importantly, we fight to ensure that the proper teaching of math, reading and writing remain at the forefront of a child's education.
The idea that it is parents who are responsible for raising, educating, and seeing to the well being of their kids, that is sacrosanct.
Join with us in preserving the attributes and ideals of this great nation.
Feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and family. Actually anyone who acknowledges the fundamental right of parents to raise, educate, and protect their children are invited to join with us. We are gathering a group of joyful warriors, folks who understands why (and for whom) we fight.
Sun November 19th from 3pm to 6pm: Speaking at the New California meeting in Gilroy. The meeting is open to anyone interested in learning more about what Moms for Liberty Santa Clara has been up to. Refreshments will be served.
Location: Gilroy Veterans Memorial Hall, 74W. 6th St. Gilroy, CA 95070
Thu November 23rd: Thanksgiving.
An Initiative for the California Ballot
Beginning in early December the California Moms for Liberty chapters will begin gathering signatures to get an initiative on the ballot here in California for 2024. Given what's been happening within the state legislature, the initiative process remains the last best hope for getting certain problems addressed.
The initiative has three parts to it, as follows:
Protect Children from Reproductive Harm - A section to prevent child sterilization using puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or transgender surgeries. Recent polling suggests 75% of California voters agree minors should be protected from puberty blockers, crosssex hormones and transgender surgeries.
School Transparency and Partnership - A section to require schools to notify parents when their child wants to socially transition. Recent polling suggests 68% of California voters support schools notifying parents of kids wanting to socially transition at school.
Protect Girls Sports and Spaces - A section to make certain girls have fair competition by ensuring athletic programs for girls are kept to females. Recent polling suggests 64% of California voters agree student athletes should only play on sports teams matching their biological sex.
We will be gathering signatures across the state. Please help spread the word. It is time for us to take back control and see to it that future generations of Californians enjoy the same blessings that we in this current generation have enjoyed.
Problem Books in Classroom Libraries
Back in January, a New York Times article reported that “Parents, activists, school board officials and lawmakers around the country are challenging books at a pace not seen in decades. The American Library Association said in a preliminary report that it received an ‘unprecedented’ 330 reports of book challenges, each of which can include multiple books, last fall.”
Moms for Liberty Santa Clara has been slowly determining which of the 31 school districts here in Santa Clara County have been making obscene, pornographic books available to students. We have done this through use of the California Public Records Act. We now have a fairly good idea of where the problem books are shelved. It is now time to move to doing the things necessary to see to it that these materials are removed from school libraries.
Parents have enough to worry about without having to wonder whether their young kids are going to stumble upon erotic literature in their classroom libraries. It is incumbent upon school board members to take better care that the books being allowed into schools and being made available to children are in fact age appropriate.
Kids should be allowed to be kids. The innocence of youth is precious and the world will have time enough to mess with these kids once they're a bit older.
If you would like to help us with this effort, please drop us an email.
While the U.S. Constitution does not expressly discuss parental rights, the right to protect, raise, and educate your own children has been described as the oldest of our fundamental liberties.
The history and culture of Western civilization embraces a strong tradition of parental rights, and the Supreme Court of these United States has described parental rights as being "established beyond debate as an enduring American tradition." See Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 US 205, 232 (1972).
Parents need to begin to recognize the rights they hold as parents, and make their voices heard. Only then can we hope to turn things around.
