new york and italy

Michael and I are looking forward to our New York and Italy trip in April. We're flying over in mid April and staying in Clinton (a section in Manhattan) for four nights and then we fly over to Florence for five nights and Rome for 3. We're really looking forward to it and talking to everyone to get any hints about either of those two destinations. So far, we're ditching the statue of liberty for a river tour and we're taking the bus tour of downtown. We're going to take everything slow in Florence and just enjoy everything and then in Rome we'll be back up to second by second running around tourism starting with a full day of the Vatican. Needless to say, we can't wait!!

Should the private life of a public figure determine the status of their public service?

I have been watching CNN all day and have seen a lot of the Spitzer scandal. For anyone who hasn't been able to read the headlines, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has admitted paying a prostitute $4,300 for one hour in a hotel in Washington DC. Since he is from New York, it is a federal case.

He was a strong Governor who attempted to clean up the city if New York. A list of his orders can be found at: http://www.ny.gov/governor/executive_orders/index.html

It's a shame. I have thought all day about how the Biblical King David screwed up with several woman and yet God calls him his servant and exalts him (David) very high (Ezekial 34:23). Should there be forgiveness for Spitzer? Yes. Is he still capable of doing great things? Yes. Have I lost respect and trust in him? Yes. I've been thinking about what to do in this situation. I think he will resign or be impeached, but he was doing such good things. Should his personal life be the major factor in his ability to govern when none of our personal lives are perfect?

These are just my thoughts for today. I guess my questions too.

Police Chaplaincy

Thursday night I went to the Policy Chaplaincy dinner with Michael, Howard, and Dawn. It was very moving. I didn't realize how important police and fire chaplains were and how much they and their families sacrificed for the job.

One of the testimonies was of a police officer who was on scene for a car accident when the 20 something male died. The police officer than had to go to the home and tell the family. He found a 26 year woman (the wife of the young man) there and at 3:00 in the morning explained to her that her husband had just died in a car accident. Then he heard little feet moving out from the bedrooms and two little kids came running out asking their mom why she was crying.

Police Chaplains also are volunteer. They often are supported by their wives for what they do. That's really impressive and I walked away from the evening with so much respect for them.

http://www.publicsafetychaplaincy.org/