The View From Here

So, a few things have happened in the past week or so that I feel the urge to talk about on here. Let me just put it out there that I did drive around WITHOUT anyone in the passenger seat.... Annnnd I did get lost. However, despite the fact that I missed the practice I was meant to be coaching, I was able to find my way back to the house. That made me feel less like a complete ding dong. Today I was working a basketball clinic and had attempt number two at driving alone. I'm happy to report that I made it to the gym with very little confusion. By very little I mean moderate to severe. You know how sometimes people put stickers on their car that say "permit driver" or "baby on board"... I'm tempted to put one up that says "American Driver." Maybe people would stop honking at me. I did make it though and had such a blast with the kids. We have like 3 more days in the next week where we work clinics and just give the kids a fun atmosphere filled with basketball!
Another cool event that happened.. as you all know Adam Scott ( the ADELAIDE born golfer) won the 2013 Masters. Everyone here was so pumped about that, it was pretty much all the news stations were talking about. I knew that Footy (Aussie rules football), cricket, netball, and soccer were pretty popular here, but there's a lot of interest in golf and baseball as well. I've seen at least one or two golf courses in the area, I know my Dad would be there everyday if they came for a visit!

(Just a heads up, I'm putting my "American issues" pants on now, so bear with me)
I woke up yesterday morning and saw some disturbing Facebook updates and tweets talking about some bombings that took place in Boston. I had the same feeling of being shocked and helpless when I saw the news about the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. I felt this frantic energy just trying to figure out what happened and details about everything. When we turned the news on of course they were covering it and I was able to see what was going on. As we all know something that's a huge area of debate in the United States is gun laws. Those who are close to me know that generally, I'm not great at debating or arguing a point. With the recent events in Boston, it has been pretty interesting hearing the opinions and viewpoints of some of the locals here in Australia. I was asked what my stance on the gun laws were, and I told them.
I know many of you will disagree, however, I feel that a ban on guns completely would be the wrong way to go. If guns are banned completely, those who plan on going into a school to shoot children or robbing a bank are GOING TO GET A GUN REGARDLESS OF THE LAW. With that being said I'd feel a lot better if I knew that someone would be able to protect innocent people from those who shouldn't have guns in the first place. Here in Australia they have very, very strict gun laws. An argument was made that school shootings don't happen here and gun violence isn't very common. I think that a lot of different things contribute to that fact. Maybe because the population of all of Australia is much smaller than that of America. It's just different! Many of the Australians here are against possession of guns. They just don't believe people need to have one.
I understand the different viewpoints on the issue, and everyone has the right to their own opinion. It has been pretty eye opening hearing people's opinions of what's going on in America. I think everyone can agree that it's gut wrenching seeing those images, no matter what country you're from. It has calmed me down seeing so many acts of kindness throughout all of the mayhem. Evil does exist in this world, but God always has an answer. People running TOWARDS a bomb blast, people giving blood to the point where they didn't need anymore, residents opening their homes to runners without a place to stay because the hotels were shut down.. The list goes on.
Here is something I learned from my parents, especially after the September 11 attacks. Terrorists want to scare you from living your life, from living freely and doing everyday tasks. The reason they do what they do is to TERRORIZE. The only way we let them win is by hiding. I'm praying for everyone effected in the blast and thankful for those who were there to watch over the injured. We can't stop our lives or else they're succeeding in their efforts.
On a lighter note I was happy to hear that my Grandma's surprise birthday bash was a success! I've been keeping that a secret for a VERY long time and it feels nice to be able to talk about it!! I'm sad I missed it but seeing the picture of her walking through the door made my heart happy!
Thanks for continuing to read and feel free to comment!

Until next time,
Jess