This Week's Update - Big News for Those Who Haven't Heard

I am a little busy due to the upcoming board meeting for the executives at my business. I have to make sure all the all the grunt work gets done. I was ahead of the game, but I am not very interested in it, so I have slowed on my progress. I keep thinking that I need to do a stellar job, because well it's the right thing to do. So, here I am taking a little break from it all. For the time being, I am not doing my job.

I have found all things I normally do to be a little more cumbersome lately, because I am amidst the haze of pregnancy (7 1/2 weeks along now). I wanted to keep it a secret, but we had to tell our closest friends and family and it has just exploded from there. I told my boss when we were in a meeting because I kept feeling like I was going to vomit on her. Back to the haze. For almost a week I have had constant nausea, which I did not have when I was pregnant with Alexander. I have not "lost my lunch" yet. It's just been a really annoying constant sickness and gagging. Today, I finally had some relief; it's been short and sporadic, but relief.

I called my mom last week in desperation and gave her a list of things I needed from the local whole food store that I cannot get here. I requested natural, fresh ground peanut butter and ginger candy. Thankfully, my mom put together my care package quickly and sent it priority. I received it Monday. She added some ginger tea and "pregnancy" tea. Surprisingly, what has helped the most is the peanut butter and "pregnancy" tea. The ginger candy and ginger tea were both a bust.

I have also been exhausted and my thoughts have been cloudy. I have been falling asleep very early lately--not too long after Alexander's bedtime. I got home last night and realized the dishes had not been done since Sunday. The kitchen was a disappointing disaster. Fortunately, this will not last long. Exhaustion and nausea should end after the first trimester, which is only six more weeks.

I can't believe we are going to have another child. We definitely feel blessed. We are VERY excited for Alexander to have a sibling. However, we cannot help but worry about finances. We are beginning to drowned with the cost of living skyrocketing. I guess we will just be taking out more student loans. Maybe Andrew can teach on a Indian Reservation and have those loans forgiven.

Sin Stock – Where Do You Put Your Money?

Wow! Profiting from Virtue ->follow this link: http://www.byzcath.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=783&Itemid=49

This is a most fascinating article on ethical investing. I urge you to check it out. To summarize: It discusses investors who put their money on stocks that promote or practice good moral values. It is a new trend. But, if you are a serious investor and are in the business of making money, companies with a good ethical record are not the way to do it. “Sin Stocks” are what make the most money. The companies that have practice bad ethics, promote sinful activities, use immoral tactics, those are the ones making money.

At first I thought, oh yes, this is very logical. I have heard the advertising saying, “Sex sells.” I have heard the broadcast news saying, “If it bleeds, it leads.” These are the things that get consumer attention. But, then I began to think. There is nothing logical about heeding and falling to our animalistic urges. It is one thing to say that I am not going to invest in or buy products that contradict my Christian values. It is quite another to cogitate why.

For one thing, as a human, it is beneath me to fall prey to such temptations of my animal spirit—the urgings of evolution gone by. As humans it is our great gift to be able to discern—to make choices against our animal nature—in other words, our great gift is free will. Free will is something that is beyond animal nature. It is an attribute of humanity in which we can choose against the animal within for a higher cause—the “right” cause. And it IS our DUTY to choose rightly. We are the stewards of this planet.

This is a turning point for me, and for you and for all consumers. The idea of sin stock made me uncomfortable. I thought, I would not put my money into sin. But, I am sure I already do daily. It is the little things I chose. It is important to not merely consume because it is what our animal urges tell us to do. We should not invest in “sin stock,” watch morally reprehensible television (I guess my television programming is going to have to change) or partake in any activity against virtue. Do not claim that these sin stocks are what make the world go round. That excuse is not good enough for humanity. Use your free will to determine and choose what is virtuous. It is our great gift to be able to do so!

Put your money where your mouth/heart is. Be responsible for how you consume and spend. Maybe you will not make it rich investing in the virtuous stocks. But, that is not what Christ taught anyway. Choose virtuous business, etc., because it is the right thing to do and perhaps it will make an impact on tomorrow. Rome was not built in a day. It was built one brick at a time.

And whatever you do not be fooled by the almighty dollar.