I’ll never forget sitting in that little ole Church of Christ at Pikeville once and the preacher saying “Being outspoken isn’t always a virtue”. Ouch. Hello? Can you turn the spotlight off me for a second? Why am I all of a sudden sweating in places I didn’t even know I had? Excuse me, that’s my toe you just stepped on. I came here to be uplifted, thank you very much. Not for you to point out my faults. I can let my husband do that. Y’all. I am so thankful for Randy Brown saying those words that day. Because regardless of what anyone thinks, it has stuck with me.

If you ever sat thru a baseball game with me, you would say I forgot it. Especially when Dylan Scott Rice was pitching. Or running the bases. Excuse me, Mr. Umpire. TIE GOES TO THE RUNNER! I got tired of telling them fools that. If you’ve been around me when I got mad, or felt deeply about something, you would say I forgot it. How dare you say so or so is “just an addict” and not worth my efforts? And last, but certainly not least, if you are Facebook friends with me you would say I never knew it in the first place. You would say, “Sister don’t hold nothing back”. But you would be wrong. Really wrong. You would have no idea how much I don’t say.

I don’t hide that my views are primarily Liberal. I also don’t apologize for it. Here are the truths that Kimmie holds to be self-evident:

1. I haven’t left the Democratic Party. They have left me. I stole this from my boss. But it’s true. I couldn’t be married to the man I am married to and hold the job I hold if I stood behind the stance that most Democrats have for Law Enforcement. Now, don’t come at me with your jibberish about me supporting the “Defund the Po Po” movement. Do I feel like there is a whole lot of room for improvement in larger cities where they are plagued with homelessness, drug addiction and mental health? Sure do. I’ve done my research. If just a PORTION of funding could go to help some of these folks I see in and out of our mental health system and actually help them? Defund what you need to. I know where I work is a small department, but for 24 years I’ve watched Sheriff after Sheriff make do with what we have and doing what needed to be done. I don’t see that changing ever here where we live. Funding or no funding. Yes, a vast majority of these mental health issues come from drug addiction. Which comes from poverty. Which leads to homelessness. Which are all areas that, well, in MY opinion can’t be solved by LEO. So, do I support reform in helping those folks? Sure do.
2. Your body your choice. Being pro-choice doesn’t make me pro-abortion. For the 9,342nd time, should you and I go to the Pearly Gates together TONIGHT, and God begins to list my sin in front of you? I am going to be MORTIFIED. And folks, I don’t mean from 10 years ago. I MEAN LAST WEEK. YESTERDAY EVEN. Do I consciously sin? No. But do I? Well, hello. Yes, I do. We all do. And we are all going to answer for each and every word. Every deed. Do I think it should be used as a form of birth control for Susie who is out clubbing and bar hopping and slinging it out both pants legs? I think y’all know the answer to that. But Susie is going to answer for her choices just as sure as I am mine. And I know some folks who have personally had to make this decision and well, when I imagine Heaven, I can’t imagine it without a few of these folks there. Why, if they ain’t going, I ain’t got a chance. I know some folks who have made this decision I call my “front row friends”. I just hope I can wave to them from where I’m at in Heaven. If I make it. I don’t cherry-pick sin. A white lie is just as bad as murder. The ONLY unforgivable sin in my eyes is forsaking Jesus. Period. End of sentence.
3. Love who you want to. If you find someone you choose to travel this ole world with who makes you laugh, and cry and then laugh again, well you grab ahold and you love the mess out of them. Why is being divorced and remarrying different than loving someone of the same sex? I’m going to refer back to #2. We are going to answer for our own decisions. The Bible clearly lays out how God feels about most of these subjects. What it doesn’t say is that I have to sit here and judge you and condemn you for your actions. Gonna be enough time for all that when the Lord sees fit. I don’t wanna waste our time here on Earth not being friends with some of the most fabulous people I know because they are gay. Or an addict. Or a Republican. Or a Democrat.
4. I’m just throwing this one in for good measure, although I’m not sure how the good Lord feels about it. Trophy hunting is wrong. I don’t like it and I don’t have to. I choose to be totally oblivious to 3 things. Acts of War. Animal Cruelty. The Circle of Life. Yes, I know it happens, but please just don’t tell me about it. Funny story, I was having some dental work done this week (my dental phobia is an ENTIRE other blog post) and as I’m lying there unable to speak, my Dentist tells me a circle of life story. Let’s just sum it up to say it involved a dog and some kittens and well, he sure got my mind off my tooth if that was his intentions. I’m gonna make sure he knows the rules according to Kimmie before next time, though. Lawd. I was thinking surely he could see the horror in my eyes but then I remember I had them shut because of that whole dental hysteria thing. Dental phobia is real and killing an elephant just because it excites you is wrong. This is my blog and I can say what I want to.

My political opinion on facebook blew smooth up last week, and well, before I knew it, I had folks wanting to meet each other in yards and people calling me the B word and folks telling me I was blurring my lines and my platform and well, Heavenly Father. Heck, I ain’t Joyce Meyer. Don’t claim to be. I’m a hot mess 99.9% of the day and don’t claim to be anything else. I’m mouthy, but would give you the shirt of my back if you needed it. Judgmental just like the rest of y’all, but usually back up and check myself and realize it. Still do it. We all do. Uh oh, I need to go back and read the Excuse Bench blog again. I don’t think God likes excuses. I don’t think He likes ugly. And I sure don’t think He likes Facebook. In the words of Granny O, “Facebook is the devil’s playground”. It sure is handy, though, when someone needs prayer. Or keeping up with so and so from the 7th grade who was your BFF and with ole so and so who you met in the J Pod of the Jackson County Jail who received the Golden Chicken that Friday at Drug Court. And you’re so proud of them you could just DIE! That chicken is LIFE!

Facebook has it’s good points. I have mine and you have yours. Just like opinions. And we can all agree to disagree. We can agree to vote how we want. Marry who we want. Believe how we believe. And love each other all the same. I’m sure there is someone who isn’t going to like something I’ve said here. But you know what? I feel better. And we go right back to that thing about being outspoken and me just HAVING to speak my peace. And admitting that’s not always a virtue.

Yet here I sit. Loving you even when I disagree with you. Arguing with my son when I tell him I have found the perfect vintage piece for his guest room, even though he’s told me 783 times, “Mom, I don’t want this room to look like it’s 10,000 years old”. Shaking my head and sitting on my hands to keep from commenting on some people’s political posts like they did mine. Remembering it wouldn’t be a virtue for me to comment. And knowing that maybe, just maybe, that spotlight Randy Brown threw on me in a tiny little church did some good. Promise.

I’m gonna leave y’all with the words of a man who I just pretty much think is the grandest thing since sliced bread. I can handle anything but a fool who doesn’t like Chris Stapleton.

“Honey, load up your questions
And pick up your sticks and your stones
And pretend I’m a shelter
For heartaches that don’t have a home
Choose the words that cut like a razor
And all that I’ll say

Is fire away
Take your best shot
Show me what you got
Honey, I’m not afraid
Rear back and take aim
And fire away.”

Later, y’all.