Mara Copeland:  

For the last 38 yrs. I've always taken care of someone. Although I'm still taking care of my husband I'm spending more time taking care of me for a change. The next 20 yrs. I do hope will be better than the last, more adventurous & hopefully filled with more friends, a better world and happier calmer society. I'm considering a move to Colorado to be closer to my sister and maybe go back to school. After taking care of family member's that were terminal & a husband who is a invalid I can see myself finally fullfilling the nursing career I so desired as a child. Your never to old and you do get smarter the older you get. I would love to help people that are going through all of the things I have already been through and are having a difficult time with it. Helping those who no longer are able to help themselves is a very humble experience. It makes you realize just how much you can give and at the same time just how small you are in this great big journey through life. Life is good. People can be very surprising which is a delight. I always wanted to be a Doctor when I grew up. My family and friends thought that was a they laughed idea. As it turns out, they were Well, I made it to nursing looking after my Mother, Father, Brother and of course my husband Robert who is now is a nursing home. It was a long ten years and has aged me 30 yrs. but well worth it. I don't know what God has planned if Robert will be coming home or if this is the end of the line for me. My health suffered to much.. Well it's May 15th, 2011 and looks like things changed for me more than I could have imagined. I suffered two heart attacks, a stroke in Nov. 10 and now will be going into a nursing home myself. It's not so bad though my husband will be able to transfer to where I will be and we will be in the same room. It won't be like being at home but I've had so many homes in my life it will take some adjusting that's all. At least I'll be safe if it isn't like some of the ones you hear about in the news, you know the abuse and such. I always told my husband when we were looking for a new place that God would put us where he wants us and I guess Hayward Hills in Hayward will be it. I'll be giving up my place, my section 8, and all the help I get from social workers and such but I look at it as though maybe there is someone out there that has been waiting a long time to get on it, that has kids or is a veteran and now it's there time to have their lives turn around. They can only hand out so many and help so many and I think that's where allot of people get mistaken. They think it's there for the taking and it isn't. It cost money I don't care how long you have worked. You have to give a little to get a little. I run into people all the time that ask me about the good old days and what I miss about it. The first thing that comes to mind is we seemed to have been people with more morals, integrity, loyalty to friends and country. When we fought for civil rights or the right to have abortions we really didn't know what we were getting into. It's kind of like opening Pandoras box. Now we have children that think it's their right to beat up little old ladies or men, rob who they want, not work, use any excuse to start a fight even if that means someone dying. It's difficult to walk down the street and try and say hello or good morning to anyone without getting a horrible look or a ""What are you looking at or want". That is sad and it's only getting worse. It's always me first and I deserve it WHY? I admire the men from WW11, what the Viet Nam vets had to and still have to put up with, making such stupid mistakes thinking that all our enemies were going to play nice now. Why are we so hell bent or should I say hell bound on making up game shows that only put people down, where we have completely confused our first amendment and our Bill of Rights. Look them up sometime you might just be surprised. I'm sure there are allot of people that are saying good she is going away and we don't have to look anymore at what she is saying about all of this and that we should all get on our knees and thank God for what we have but I know someone will take up where I have left off. When we have gotten to a point where only certain people are allowed to speak about discrimination you will see your rights and freedom that our brave soldiers fought for slipping away as they are now faster and faster. Then it will be a whole different war and race, color, creed won't matter. Take a good look at the Bible. We might win in the end but what is it going to cost us in the end. Everyday I thank God for being God and for Jesus Christ for without him none of us would have any Grace what so ever. It amazes me that there are individuals that still think they were born so smart and better than the rest of us as if they created themselves and everyone owes them something for them just being here. Or finally our scientists have come to the realization there must be a God and maybe just maybe they will figure out that the big bang they all talk about is God creating the Heavens & Universe and all that is in it. Yes, I'm a Christian and proud of it. Many people say they are but are they willing to say they are wrectched sinners and don't deserve anything that God gives us. Yet the first time of trouble what does everyone do? They get down on their knees and pray to God for help. They don't do this when everything is going well. Exactly what do they think going well is? I miss being able to smile at someone or to say have a nice day.. Most people believe they are going to Heaven because they are nice people. They don't understand it is because God in all his wisdom sent his only Son to this horrible world to die on the cross for all of our sins, past, present & future and to be resurected on the third day to pay a price that none of us could have. He literally smote death and tore down the emnity between you, me and everyone with God. We all are now as it should have been back with God with nothing between us. What an awesome gift he has given us just for the asking. I remember Martin Luther King, President Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy how they marched together for your civil rights, for freedom that had separted us from God. Did anyone listen? Or were they fooling themselves until they were all gunned down and the people who wanted to be in power and dancing to the strings of the devil himself either are still doing it or have come to the same realization as I have there is not one man on this earth that knows more than another. How did we get to a place where we will follow any idiot that says they have the answer as long as it has to do with money or our self image. They all agree on that one. Our self image is all wrong. What we see in the mirror must be wrong after all God makes mistakes right? That's always been man's downfall. Now all I see on tv is commercials about whitening our teeth, building our abs, sucking out the fat in our stomachs, building up our boobs and making us all look the same like robots. If God intended that why did he make us all with different DNA, different fingerprints, different colors, ideas and so on. When Jesus said his Father has many mansions in his Kingdom who do you think they were for? For us. We are the different Kingdoms, the Body of Christ, the Church. When I was growing up I wouldn't pick up a Bible for nothing only because I didn't understand what it was saying. Then one day I asked God would he show me what it says and help me understand the Scriptures. Guess what he did. NO, I'm not going to tell you what it says or means. I only know what it means to me and what it says to me. I look back on my life and I used to wonder how the heck did I ever get through that. Of course I listened to others tell me you must be strong, you must have good genes, your smart or something else just as ridiculous. It was every gift he had given me. After all I only went through the 9th grade and barely passed grammer school. How did I know the things I did. I could watch someone doing something and next thing I knew I could copy what they were doing almost instantly. Most people such as I would use that gift the wrong way, my way, to get what I wanted. I didn't see the good things it could be used for. It only took me 57 years to barely start understanding and accept the Grace I had been given freely. Ask a child about it and they get it. They haven't been corrupted yet, although it seems they are headed that way at an earlier and earlier age. We don't even give our children a chance anymore to be children. We shove them into pre-school, kindergarten and expect them to know right from wrong almost as soon as they are born. Think about the four horsemen, political, economic, religous, disease & pestelance. We are in it now. But once again we are thinking the way of destruction. It's just called the Holy wars now and who is right and who is wrong, who is going to win and who is going to lose. Well my friends we all are. If we don't get it together. Jesus said and warned us in fact the deceiver would come preaching peace, we would hear of earthquakes in many places, nation would rise against nation, fathers and mothers would turn on thier children and vice versa...Expand for more