Father's Day

Since we recently had a post dedicated to our mothers for Mother's Day it is only appropriate that we do the same for our fathers. Both of these are great men who have blessed us throughout our lives. Here we go.

Steve Reedstrom

Dad. It's hard for me to put in words how amazing of a father you've been to me. I remember thinking as a little kid that you were a man of little words. But looking back now, maybe I just wasn't listening enough. When I actually start to listen, you speaks words of encouragement, of faith, of life lessons, of love. And your words speaks even more volumes through your actions. Because of you, I learned what to expect from a husband. I learned to find myself a good husband who will cook for our kids someday, like you did. (and still do!) I learned to find someone who is always helpful and supportive, like you have always been. I learned to find a hard working husband so that our kids will look up to him and know the value of hard work, like I have with you. I have learned to find a husband who cherishes and unconditionally loves his family, like you do.
I have so many memories of us that I could share but I think I'll just pick out my favorite ones. I loved growing up (and even now) and having friends over and having them be able to call you Dad. You were always the friendly and fun Dad who would always joke around with my friends and scare off any boyfriends. :) I love watching you interact with little kids, whether it's at church or a family event. And it makes me excited to have children someday so that they'll be able to have such a fun and loving grandpa!
Growing up  I always knew that during the fall and then again in the spring, you would be busy with farm work and not at home as often. But it was also during those times that I looked forward to some of the other things we got to do. Like bringing you dinner in the field and you letting us ride along in the combine or tractor. I remember the first time that you let me drive the combine by myself and even stepped outside the cab so that I was completely alone inside! I was terrified I was going to screw up your harvest! :) But you had faith in me and trust that I wouldn't. And I don't think I ever did, right? Or those summers where you paid us to help walk beans. It was no fun walking beans, but it was a nice chance to be with you. And it was then that I started to realize the importance of hard work. The Dairy Queen ice cream mom would bring us always seemed to help too!
I have one memory that I believe was the summer before or after my freshmen year of high school. I don't remember but I couldn't drive yet but it was my first summer working at Pioneer. It was within my first week that we got rained out and were sent home early. You came to pick me up and it must have been a day that you were farming but we were both so muddy! And I can't tell you why I thought this, but I remember thinking how cool that was - father and daughter muddy with proof from a hard day in the field. In that moment, I felt so connected to you.
Another favorite memory is when you returned home from a Via de Cristo weekend. As soon as mom left for her weekend, you ran out to your truck and brought in your bag of goodies. You spread it all over the table and told us all about your weekend - what you did, the people who were there and what it meant to you and your relationship with God. It was the first time I remember you talking so much out loud about your faith. But at that same time, I realized that you don't always have to speak about your faith. That day proved to me that a silent faith can be just as deep and powerful as a spoken one. I saw you differently from that day on.
And finally, there was my wedding day. The memories of you walking me down the aisle and giving me away, your seven page speech (which you said you weren't even going to give!) full of advice and wisdom to a new husband and wife and our father-daughter dance. Each one so special by themselves. I remember those memories often.
You have blessed me so much throughout my life and I know that you will continue to do so. Again, I don't know how to put into words how much I appreciate all that you've done for me (and all that you will do) and how grateful I am. And of course, how much I love you. I thank God for you every day because I could not have asked for a better father and a role model. And I will love you until the sky ends.
Happy Father's Day!

Bruce Zaruba

A few years ago, during a college class, I was asked, " Who is your favorite person in life?" Without hesitation I said, my Dad. He is my Hero! A man who has been an incredible role model and quite honestly means the world to me. I do have to admit that I have not done a good job of letting him know that. Let me change that. So here we go...
There are so many memories I have from the past with Dad. Like when he would get done doing chores and after eating lunch - all of us kids would climb all over him and drink pickle juice which of course gave us super strength so we could interrupt his naps (sorry about that by the way). Or riding in the tractor or combine with him back in the Zaruba farming days; really it was more about just being with him and learning about what a real MAN did! But there was one memory that is still very special to me. It wasn't pickle juice. It wasn't even on the farm. It is forever attached to one of my cherished memories from my childhood, and that is the day I was selected for the Iowa All-State. Quite possibly THE life altering moment for me - I believe that day is what defined the career path I chose.
Dad was the very first person that I hugged after seeing my name on that list. Amongst the screaming, the hugging and the celebrating - was still that initial embrace. I know, a hug seems so simple - but let me tell you, this hug was slow motion for me because it was more than just a simple hug. My life had just been changed for good. For me, it was one of the those moments where i truly reverted back to kindergarten - I was just a small boy in my Dad's arms. To top it off, I remember him saying, "Good job, Son!" which made the moment authentic.
There were sons in that same gym, at that very moment which did not have their dad there. I did. Thank you, Dad.
I hope that you will always know, whatever I do, where I go, there is one thing I will never outgrow and that is my love for you. In my eyes, you are the most talented individual I have ever known, no son could have ever asked God fora  better Dad than you.
Dad, I want to be a son that you are proud of, and sometimes I wonder if I have ever let you down or if maybe you have ever been ashamed of the person I have become. All I know for certain is so much of me is made from what I learned from you. And I love you.
Let me write that one more time to be sure you really "hear me".
So much of me is made from what I learned from you and I love you.
Happy Father's Day!

Summer & Graduation

Summer is here! Well maybe not the "official" date of summer, but it sure feels like it! AJ is done with school and is enjoying some time off by staying up late and sleeping in. :) It is extremely hot - at least down here in Omaha. And my little brother is officially graduated from high school!

Over the Memorial weekend, AJ and I traveled to Tipton to spend some time with our family there. It was really great to see them but we were a little disappointed that it wasn't quite warm enough to use the pool! :) But we had a great time hanging out with our parents - doing some shopping and cleaning out some cars. On Sunday we attended Mass in Solon in remembrance of the one year anniversary of the death of AJ's Grandpa. It was really great to have so much of the family together and the service was pretty eventful. A very loud storm came through involving pounding rain, high winds and even hail. So that was exciting. After church, we ran (literally, because it was still raining!) up the road to the Firemen's Breakfast - which they had moved indoors because of the storm and enjoyed some yummy pancakes! And we made a stop out at the graveyard to say hello to Grandpa as well.

While we were in Tipton we switched vehicles with AJ's dad so that we could haul some stuff up to Minnesota the following weekend. We learned quickly to enjoy our small and gas efficient cars versus the large truck! But we were grateful to be able to borrow it.

This past weekend we drove up to Minnesota for the weekend. We arrived on Friday night and were woken up early on Saturday to help get the house ready for Dan's graduation party. It started out by setting up a tent - which actually wasn't too bad. What was bad were all the gnats. They were no fun. But we got the tent sent up and some of those bug repellent candles and torches set up and it was much better! We had the party from about 11am to 2pm and it was a lot of fun. We had a lot of people stop by and it was really fun to see so many family and friends. Dan even did a great job playing host for the day. :) The food and the cake were of course great and the root beer keg was a hit! We also had some fun playing with our cousin's seven month old son and another family friend's daughter. AJ especially had a lot of fun and made some new friends. After the party we cleaned up the house and even took a little nap - or at least I did. :) That night we just relaxed by a bonfire and reminisced about old stories.

On Sunday we went to church in Rapidan where my mom was doing the service for the day. It was a lot of fun to see her up there in her element and she did a great job with the sermon - not too long! ;-) Then before we knew it, it was time to head into town for graduation. We found some good spots and watched as my little brother because a high school graduate. It was a nice ceremony - pretty short since it was a smaller class. It was so weird to see Dan up there - first accepting his honor cords and then accepting his diploma. I can't believe how fast he's grown up but I can say that he has grown up to be a very fine young man. I am very proud to be his older sister. It will be crazy this fall once he is up at NDSU, my sister in Wisconsin for her internship and AJ and I down in Council Bluffs. We really will be all over the place.

So it was a very eventful weekend but a lot of fun! Hopefully this weekend will be spent with just AJ and I enjoying some relaxing time together.

PB&J: Political Blog and Junk

I like politics. I've always been interested in the way our government works. I love a good political debate. I thrive during elections. During the 2008 presidential election, I was part of a group on Wartburg's campus called First in the Nation (FIN). For this program, we paired up with a school in New Hampshire and studied the Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire Primaries. We followed the current election from the beginning, the announcements, the rallies, the caucuses and primaries, the campaigning, the DNC and RNC and finally the election. We spent time out in New Hampshire with our fellow FINs and they spent some time in Iowa with us. It was a great opportunity and I met a lot of amazing people - including many of the presidential candidates and even President Obama (before he was president, of course!). I had a seat at Obama's speech at the DNC in Denver. I was a part of history. 

I have a lot of thoughts when it comes to politics. Not just politics either - but the events and issues that are intertwined with politics. I sometimes have a hard time keeping these thoughts to myself. And as we start to begin the process of another presidential election, there's a good chance I'll probably have some thoughts through it. And I'll probably want to share those thoughts. :) So I'm going to use this blog to do that. I understand however, that not everyone cares about my political thoughts and that's fine. I understand some people read this blog to be kept up to date on what's going on in mine and AJ's life. And so in fairness to them: for any blog that I'm going to write about politics or my thoughts on current events, I will start the title with PB&J which stands for Political Blog and Junk. (Clever, right? Funny thing is I don't even like PB&J sandwiches, but love politics! haha) That way everyone has a 'warning' in case they don't care what I have to say!

When I first started writing this blog, there were some issues that I wanted to address. Well, time got away from me and now those news stories are no longer current. Actually, I'm not even sure I can remember what all the stories were even about! I do know that there have been a lot of stories I've read lately on the ban on gay-marriage vote in Minnesota. There's a lot going on with that and as it is my home state, I feel personally involved - even if I'm not currently living there. It breaks my heart to see things like this pass through the legislature because there is no good reason to deny rights to anybody. And unfortunately, this 'theme' is all over the United States. Another story that really disturbed me was one that came out of Tennessee. A bill was signed into law by the governor that basically promotes discrimination against LGBTs. How anyone can think this is a good idea, I have no idea. 

What I do know is that things need to change. We need to continue to stand up for equal rights. We need to be allies against discrimination. And it starts with you.  

End of the School Year

I know... I've been a lousy blogger lately. I've been slacking and I have no good excuse. Or maybe, I was just waiting until I had plenty to talk about? :) But whatever the case, we are at the end of another month. Most of May was pretty quiet but things are starting to pick up as we head into summer.

On Friday, May 6th, AJ took his choir to Large Group contest in Elk Horn, Iowa. I was able to go along on this event. I am proud to say that the Riverside Choir earned a Division II rating!! This was a big improvement over last year's score and I know AJ and his kids were all very excited! That next week, AJ had his last middle school concert of the year and that always went great! My mom actually came down to save the day as AJ found himself without a piano player! And she did great! After the concert, AJ received a number of compliments on the program and how much improvement parents, staff and school board members had seen from the previous year. And you could tell that those kids just love AJ! :) We actually created a Facebook fan page for the Riverside Music Program that can be found here if you're interested! We have been posting updates along with pictures from the different events. Maybe we'll even get some videos up there!

For some other exciting news, AJ has found a summer job!! And I'm not really sure who is more excited, me or him. :) He will be teaching summer school at the Salvation Army in Omaha for the summer. This should be a great experience for him! Unfortunately, he doesn't get much of a break as he starts on May 31st, but I think he'll still enjoy it. His last day of school with the kids is May 25th and then he just has a day of professional development and a clean-up day for his office/classroom. It's hard to believe that AJ has finished his first year teaching. It has been an amazing year - even if it was a little bit of a roller-coaster at times. I am so proud of him for all he has accomplished this year and am really excited to watch as he continues to grow the music program at Riverside. I'm pretty sure they're all excited too!

This past Saturday, AJ and I headed up to see Amanda and Taylor and help them out in their new home! We were put to work as soon as we got there, sanding, taping and painting the upstairs bedrooms. We had a lot of fun while we were there and it was great to see them! We also made sure we got some quality time in with our clans-baby who is as cute as ever! After that, AJ headed back home while I headed up to Minnesota for the weekend. AJ had to be home for Riverside's graduation on Sunday as well as school Monday and Tuesday. I took some vacation time so I could enjoy some of my brother's last events.

On Sunday, Dan had his last piano recital. And he rocked it. It amazes me how good he is. It was a pretty big event since his piano teacher, Mary Ann was also my sister's teacher, my teacher and even my mom's piano teacher! With Dan and I both having 11 years of piano, Meg having 10 and my mom having about the same, we estimated that Mary Ann had given our family close to 1200 lessons over the years! She has made a huge difference in each of our lives. And on Monday, Dan had his last high school choir concert. Again it was a great concert and fun to see the choir director again after so long! It really made me miss my high school choir days! :)

That's about it for our updates right now. The next couple of weeks will be pretty busy and we're looking forward to being able to spend some times with both sides of our families!

Mother's Day

This blog is dedicated to our mothers. AJ and I each took the time to write up a little something about each of our moms. We want them to know just how much they mean to us - even though words can hardly describe it. We love you!

Trish Reedstrom, Mother of Liz for 25 and half years... 

Mom. I'm not even sure where to start. You've made me the person I am today. I am the way I am, because of you. You've taught me everything I know. Even when you didn't think you were teaching me lessons about life or love, you were. Because I was always watching, always listening. Always wondering if I would ever grow up to be half the amazing person you are. Your faith in God is the number one thing I love most about you. Because that faith shapes every other part of who you are. Your faith, to me, is so unwavering, so strong, so sure. Your faith makes you a loving individual who cares for everyone. It makes you passionate about what you believe in. It makes you want to be involved in a number of things so that you can share your faith and your love.
You are an incredibly talented person - whether it's quilting, cross-stitching, cooking, gardening, playing the piano or singing, scrap-booking or studying to go back to school. You've taught me that no matter what - if you want to do something, you can do it. You were always there to help me up when I fall, to hold me when I needed a hug, to tell me it was going to be okay when I wasn't sure. You were always there celebrating along with me whether it was high school or college graduation, my first real job or getting married. And although I joke about you always crying at these events, it's just proof of how much your love shines through for us kids. You are the person I look to for everything. You are the person I've never wanted to disappoint. You are the person I want to be proud of who I've become and know that I've become who I am because of you. You are the person I strive to be like - in all ways of life. You are the type of mom I pray I can be to my kids someday. 
You always give me the help I need - even when I'm too proud to ask for it and at the same time you're never overbearing. You always give the best advice and somehow always know the right answer. You've always been the best mom a girl can ask for. You were always there for all the friend drama, all the boyfriend drama, all the homework problems, all the big life decisions. You were always there for when it mattered most.
There are so many memories I'll never forget... the late nights at the dinner tables, trying to learn my spelling words, our sing-along's around the piano, going for bike rides on the Red Jacket Trail, taking meals out to Dad and Mark during harvest, traveling to Guatemala for the youth trip, making you clean my earrings after I pierced my ears because I was too scared, the bedtime stories, letting us play dress up in your old clothes, the singing of "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as you're living, my best friend you'll be.", the summer vacations and always making sure we learned something along the way, holding me as I cried over love lost, crying when I found my wedding dress, and pulling me aside at my wedding to give me some additional wisdom. And so much more.
Every day I've been blessed with an amazing mom. And every day I thank God for that. Every day I thank God for you. I will love you until the sky ends. And I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always. As long as you're living, my best friend you'll be. I love you Mom. Happy Mother's Day.

Lora Zaruba, Mother of Austin for 24 years...

There are days when my head is swimming with too many details: the school schedules, the bills, the laundry, and the phone calls to return and don’t even get me started on the amount of emails that have stacked up.  Perhaps Mom, you feel the same way.  Your list may be a little different, but your brain is swirling with stuff just the same. I wish I could give you a hug and let you know that everything is going to be fine but then I remember that I learned to deal with these things from you! You’re the master! I can hear your voice in my head and it says, “Simply make a list of what needs to get done and then do it.” Or “Take it one day at a time!” and even my favorite and most often used- “Just breathe.” It really is a pretty amazing mental phenomenon, the sound of your Mother’s voice; it is quite possibly the most unexplainable comfort. Whenever I feel down, I start to think about the influence you have had on me- I remember the hugs, the tears, the laughs and the conversations that make me who I am today.

Mom, let me be honest. When I talk to Jesus, I think about the times we used to pray. Prayers at night before bed or prayers at church/Sunday school, and when I was young I didn’t quite understand. I am grown now, I talk to Jesus from time to time and I admit- you have come up.

I tell Him how much I love you.

I told Him how I wanted him to give you strength through Grandpa’s passing

I ask Him for forgiveness for all the mean and unfair things I did to you when I was young.

I admit to him that I miss being young sometimes because of how close we were

Most importantly…

I thank him- for you.

 

Thank you Mom for being there my whole life
Thank you Mom for being there when I was feeling down
Thank you Mom for giving me a peace of mind
Thank you Mom for buying me things even if I didn’t need them
Thank you Mom for walking the miles and guiding me through the path to success
Thank you Mom for your laughter at the stupid stuff I did
Thank you Mom for being all that you could be and even more
Thank you Mom for your gratitude and understanding
Thank you Mom for believing in me
Thank you Mom for being you

But most of all?

Thank you Mom for showing me how to love unconditionally

Happy Mother’s Day!

Where does the time go?

I cannot believe it is already May. Seriously. I have no idea what happened to April?! That seems to be happening a lot lately... first - March disappeared... then April and now May will probably be gone before we know it! And no - I'm not even wishing for time to speed away! AJ has just a little over two weeks left of school and I've already been here at UNO for almost four months now! In just a short month, my baby brother will be graduating high school. I have no idea where the time goes...

I feel like I need to throw in these "update blogs" every once in a while even though who knows if you all even want to be updated on our lives - it's not like we have anything too exciting going on! haha But I'll continue to do it so at the very least it helps me try to figure out where the last month went.The last time I wrote an update blog I was still down in Kansas City for some college fairs. And as much fun as those can be and nice to get out of the office sometimes, I'm glad to be done traveling for work now... at least until this fall again. And I think AJ would say he's glad to have me home too, but I guess you'd have to ask him that!

After that, April seemed to just quietly slip by. I did spend about a half a week out for the count with a bad sinus infection, which was really no fun. Then it was Holy Week and we were off to Minnesota for the Easter week to spend with my family. We were able to make it back in time on Friday to attend a Good Friday service with my family as well, which was really nice. On Saturday I went to a baby shower for one of my high school friends while AJ went to the farm with the guys. (aka my dad, uncle and second cousin) I heard they had quite a fun time themselves, even if AJ wasn't suppose to tell us about it... haha The baby shower was a lot of fun and it was great seeing so many friends again. Although it's hard to believe we're all growing up so quickly and buying houses and having babies! Or at least they are - AJ and I aren't quite there yet! haha

On Easter Sunday we woke up for a sunrise service and celebrated that He has Risen! Easter Sundays are always one of my favorite Sunday's of the year! So much joy and celebration! We had some family over for dinner which of course is always a good time. We were even able to get some four-wheeling in with the nice weather before we needed to pack up and head back to Iowa.

The next week was fairly quiet. It was my little sister's 24th birthday and AJ and I also celebrated three years since we had gotten engaged. This past weekend, my sister came in for a visit! It was so nice on Saturday that we went for a  picnic at the park across the road from our apartment. We then spent the next couple of hours just soaking up the sun! Megan and AJ even got a little sun burned! That night we had a dinner party with Megan, one of AJ's co-workers and his date. It was a big success and a lot of fun! After dinner, we headed to Omaha to see the production of Les Miserables. It was absolutely fabulous. On Sunday, we took Meg back to Omaha for a famous Jones Bros Cupcake so that her trip would be complete. :) After that, we spent the day relaxing and enjoying the breeze from outside.

On Monday, AJ had his last high school choir concert of the school year. It was amazing! You could really see how much the kids have learned over the year and how much better they sounded! You could see that AJ was doing an amazing job and getting through to these kids. It was a great concert. We did start a facebook page for the vocal music program at Riverside that can be found here if you're interested. ;-) This Friday, the choir has large group contest and AJ and the kids are very excited and eager for this - really hoping to improve their score over last year. Then next Thursday is the final middle school concert. After that, just some preparation for graduation and the school year will be over.

Another piece of good news is that AJ received his contract for next school year and already has it signed and returned! Not that I had any doubt about him getting a contract again, but you never know with the state budget cuts what could happen. So we are very excited that he will still have a job! :) For the summer, AJ is currently looking for some temporary work (mostly due to his nagging wife... haha) to keep him busy during his "time off". I'm also looking for a part time job because the life of an admissions counselor is pretty slow during the summer months so I thought I'd see if I could find something else to help keep me busy as well. And the extra money never hurts! ;-)

That's about it for my updates right now. I'm sure you've all enjoyed them! :)

This is what I believe.

I came across a couple of blogs recently that really caught my interest. The first was a sermon written for the Passion Week that basically combined "It Gets Better" and the "Passion of Christ". It is well worth the time to read. From that entry, I was directed to another blog. This second blog really made me stop and think. In this blog entry, a columnist (and an atheist at that) called out to Christians. Here is the quote:

Sex columnist (and atheist) Dan Savage writes about what he calls NALTs, which stands for Not All Like That. NALTs are Christians who insist that they’re moderate, that they don’t hate, that they are for social justice and human rights, and that they follow a loving, joyous, peaceful Christ. Dan Savage is annoyed because, he says, NALTs apparently exist in large numbers, since they email him in droves every time he calls out the Church for a new example of extreme bigotry, but despite their large numbers, they’re disturbingly silent on the big issues. NALTs are not visible in the current political, theological, and cultural arenas, and Dan Savage wonders why.

The blog goes on to detail a church, full of NALTs. It urges Christians who are NALT to stand up for what they believe in. To fight for their beliefs. To let the world know - we are here.

There's a lot going on in the news lately. A lot of hate. Protests at soldiers' funerals. Resolutions to impeach judges who were only doing their jobs. Bills to ban same-sex marriages in multiple states. And a number of teen suicides brought on by bullying. And this is not okay.

I have decided that for this blog, I'm going to sit down and really think about what I believe in. And then I'm going to make it known. I'm going to shout my beliefs for all to hear. I'm going to fight for those beliefs. Because if you don't fight and stand up for what you truly believe, what do you have? So, here it goes...

I believe in God. I am a Lutheran of the ELCA. I believe that Jesus came to this earth and then died for our sins. I believe He did this so that we could some day have eternal life with Him. I believe Jesus died so that all of our sins are forgiven. I believe in the Holy Spirit. I believe in the power of prayer. I believe in miracles. I believe in faith. I believe that it's okay not to have all the answers because I have faith. I believe that Jesus preached love. I believe that is not our job as Christians to judge others. I believe that only God can cast judgment on us and He will do so when it is our time. I believe that love is the most important thing of all and that, as Christians, we should promote that love, forgiveness and acceptance.

I believe that family and friends - the people you love - are the most important things in life. I believe that God has a plan for each of us and that while we don't always understand it, He knows what He's doing. I believe that there are messages from God everywhere. I believe that life is not always suppose to be easy and that the pain and hardships we endure make us better people. I believe in the power of music and that it can move the spirit inside people. I believe in happiness. I believe in peace. I believe that being different is okay and you should never hide who you are. I believe in love. I believe in soul mates. I believe in marriage. I believe that marriage is something you have to work at every day.

I believe that being gay is okay. I believe that is not a sin in God's eyes. I believe that God loves everyone for who they are, no matter what - because He made them that way. I believe in my God but I understand that not everyone does. I believe in not pushing my religion onto anyone else. I believe in respecting everyone and their own individual beliefs - religious or not. I believe in being able to have an open mind and open and rational discuss about tough topics. I believe in debates.

I believe in the democracy of America. I believe that every person has a voice and that voice counts. I believe that voting is important and everyone should do it. I believe that the people out fighting for our country (or have) are brave and good people. I believe that anyone should be able to do this if they want and shouldn't have to hide the fact they're gay. I believe in equal rights for everyone. I believe in same-sex marriages. I believe that while some people may personally be against same-sex marriages because of their religion, that does not mean, in any way, they should be denied the same rights that are provided to us by the state (not the church). I believe that while abortion would never be a personal choice for me, every woman should have the right to choose. I believe in helping others that need help. I believe that guns should be harder to obtain and always stay locked up when not in use.

I believe that there is still the American dream and that we shouldn't deny that dream to others just because they weren't born here. But that being said, I believe that those people should come to this country the right and legal way. I believe that the economy will turn around and continue to get better. I believe in public education and that it is sadly under-funded and not supported properly. I believe that health care should be an affordable option for everyone. I believe that as the richest nation in the country, poverty is not okay.

I believe that there are good people out in the world. And while they might not have all the same beliefs I do, I have to believe that there are a large number of people that believe in love. Love, not hate. These are the people who need to speak up. These are the people that need to show the world we are not hateful people. I believe these are the people who can make the world a better place.

Those are my beliefs.