Growing Hope Foundation

On a day with a clear blue sky, if you look up, oftentimes you will catch a glimpse of an airplane in flight.  Have you ever caught sight of two airplanes in the sky at the same time?  Not an uncommon sight.  Have you ever noticed two airplanes in the sky at the same time that appear to be heading straight for one another, looking almost as if they are going to collide in mid-air?!  The next time you’re out and notice such a thing, before covering your ears and shielding your eyes from what appears to be an imminent disaster, watch all the way until the end.  You will find the airplanes most likely did not collide, and in fact despite how it may have appeared from your vantage point, they were actually miles away from one another, with no chance whatsoever of a collision.
This is an example of how our perspective can change how we understand the world around us.  There are a multitude of issues in our daily lives in which we could find we might see things differently if we would simply change our perspective.
One issue in particular, that is fraught with controversy, is immigration.  We might assume that the solution to our nation’s immigration problems are simple.  But, if we change our perspective and look at the issue from a different angle, we might discover things look much different than we first assumed.
You just might appreciate learning the immense value the foreign-born population has brought to our nation.  And, the positive impact their continued presence contributes to the lifestyles many of us enjoy in this country.
For instance, did you know that 10 years ago, only 5% of workers on Wisconsin farms were immigrants?  By 2008 that figure rose to 40%.
And, did you know that agriculture employers in Georgia reported $300 million losses in harvested perishable crops in 2011 because of worker shortages?
And, did you know that if the immigrant workforce was eliminated, that fruit production alone in the U.S. would plummet by anywhere from 30 – 60%?  Think of what that would do to our grocery bills.
I don’t know about you but all of those figures make me say, “wow.”
We can’t limit our perspectives by only looking at things from one point of view.  When we turn ideas over, looking at them from a variety of angles, it’s amazing how it changes our understanding of reality, just like those two airplanes that appear to be headed for disaster.  Rest assured, things aren’t always as they first appear!
Have a great day!
Julie

Hello friends!
While the title of this particular blog post may lead you to believe that I have misread my calendar, on the contrary I am aware that Memorial Day 2014 has come and gone.  But, I have not written a blog post since then and I felt it was a subject that is important to address even if it is a week after the fact.  While it seems that Independence Day, July 4, is the day that gets the most attention as far as pausing to give thanks for the freedoms we possess by virtue of living in America, to me Memorial Day is in some ways an even bigger deal because it honors the people who died to make sure we continue to enjoy those freedoms that were gained the day we finally laid hold of our independence some 238 years ago.
If you were to research the origins of Memorial Day, you would learn that originally it was known by a different name – Decoration Day – and was established as a way of honoring and remembering Union and Confederate soldiers who had perished in the Civil War.  The precise date of what is considered to be the very first Memorial Day observance is disputed.  However, in 1966, President Johnson signed a presidential proclamation which named Waterloo, New York as the birthplace of Memorial Day, and at the same time, the 89th Congress adopted an official resolution which recognized that the tradition of Memorial Day did, in fact, begin one hundred years prior to Johnson’s proclamation.
Now, regardless of all the trivia surrounding when the first day was observed and where that observation took place and who laid the first wreath or erected the first flag, the fact still remains that while it is a day we remember all of our loved ones who have died, it is first and foremost a national holiday meant to remember soldiers who have given their lives in service to their country.  This is why the observance of Memorial Day makes me a bit more reflective than even Independence Day.  I could actually compare it to how I look at the holidays of Christmas and Good Friday/Easter.  I mean, I realize that without the birth of Jesus there would be no death of Jesus and no resurrection of Jesus.  But, the difference between the two, from my perspective of faith, is that what happens on Good Friday and Easter hits closer to home and closer to the heart. And, isn’t it interesting that generally speaking Christmas gets the “higher billing”.  The same could be said of the difference between Independence Day and Memorial Day.  I realize that without the birth of a nation there would be no freedoms to die for.  But, the fact that men and women do die to protect those freedoms is profound to me in a much different way.
Yes, it will be a whole year before the opportunity rolls around again  And, I hope that on July 4 you will have a great time celebrating the independence of our nation.  And then, when Memorial Day rolls around next year, maybe it will strike an even deeper cord within you.
Have a great day!
Julie