Saturday, August 6, 2011

Friends and Family-The Santorums

I met a new friend in May. We have stayed in touch. Rick Santorum is running for President and is on a 3 week Iowa tour with his family.Last week Rick and his wife Karen and their family stayed at the cabin on our farm for the first week of their Iowa visit. They experianced lots of rural Iowa life. Here Brian is showing them how to clean fish that they had caught out of the pond.
Rick spent most of the week on the campaign trail but he did find a little time to relax with his family. Here he and Karen are enjoying a jet ski ride on the pond. Rick is meeting Iowans in all corners of the state in contrast to some other candidates who are staying in a 60 mile radius of Ames.

In this picture Rick and his son John are grilling for both of our large families. Harry Truman once said "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." Rick has taken plenty of heat from those who dislike his courage to stand for social issues and fiscal responsibility. He served in a leadership role in the US Senate for 12 years.

Rick and Karen have seven children. Elizebeth and Sarah are so helpful. I enjoyed having John, Daniel, Peter, and Patrick all help me on the farm. Little Bella is special needs and is such a blessing to her family. The kids are polite, can relate to adults(many kids today can't), are eager to learn, and are just fun to be around.

Last Sunday evening Karen and the girls fixed both of our families a southern cooked meal that was out of this world. Karen is such a Christian wife and mother. About 15 years she wrote a book called "Letters to Gabriel", a story about losing a son two hours after birth. Rick also wrote a book called "It Takes A Family". It was a contrasting response to Hillary Clinton's book, "It Takes A Village."

Jamie Johnson works for Rick. He and his wife also have six children. Jamie filled in for Jan Mikelson this past week on WHO radio. Jamie and his family also joined us for supper last Sunday evening. What a blessing to have 3 large families end a Sunday evening eating, visiting, singing, and praying together.

Politics can be a tough job. It is not for the feint of heart. Leaders are exposed to changing public opinion, misquotes, criticism, and lack of appreciation. However selfless service gives credibility and at the end of the day the person that is working for the good of his country, his family, and his God, can feel they have succeeded in making a difference.


"The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing. He has me lie down in green fields. He leads me besides still waters. He refreshes my soul." Psalms 23:1-3


















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