Honoring Freedom

This week Mommy #1 is home from school ALL WEEK. Hurray for ME! It means I get round the clock attention and cuddling.  And this morning Mommy #2 was watching The History Channel and it had a story about Andrew Jackson and the freedoms he fought for (and the Native American freedoms he squashed). It reminded me of a story Mommy #2 often tells because it is 100% connected to the Presidents we honor this week and the personal freedoms they fought so hard to preserve.

I am grateful for the FREEDOM I have as a very pampered Princess PUG in a Middle Class American household. When I think about all those poor PUGS (and other DOGS) living in Puppy Farms and not seeing the light of day . . . SHUDDER. . . I am again grateful for my life.

What's the connection, you say? I have a POINT and I will get there, REALLY.

Many years ago, BN (Before Noodles), my Mommys traveled to China for a culture trip.  Mommy #2 ADOPTED Mommy #1 from China 9 years before and this was their FIRST return to China trip together. It was important for Mommy #1 to learn about where she was born and the long intricate history of her natal culture. Mommy #2 also wanted to share her love of the country and its people with her daughter. So for all the right reasons they planned a trip to China.

But it was the HEIGHT of the H1N1 epidemic and China was responding to world pressure to STEP UP THEIR GAME and make sure a repeat of the SARS epidemic (thousands of people died from SARS before China recognized the problem) did not happen. They had to have shots, doctor forms swearing to their relative health AND their temperatures were taken at every port of entry. A slightly elevated temperature meant QUARANTINE.

Mommys were healthy, though, and were sure they would have no problems at the checkpoints - and they did not. BUT LURKING in the row behind them was a Chinese national who did not fare so well. He had all the signs of H1N1 and was taken into custody by the Chinese CDC (Center for Disease Control). The rules were if you happened to be sitting 4 rows from an infected persom (4 in front, 4 behind, and 4 on either side) you could be QUARANTINED.

Yes, TWO days later Mommys and a few of their friends on the flight were pulled OFF their tour bus and taken into the hotel meeting room. There they were met by 4 HAZ MAT dressed CDC officials who took their temperatures, gave them masks and said "Pack your bags, you are being quarantined."

The Great Wall near Beijing

Gone was the trips to The Great Wall and The Summer Palace. Gone was the travel through the Yunnan to Shangri-La. Gone was their dream trip. For 5 days they sat in an unairconditioned hotel (89 degree weather with 90% humidity) with NOTHING to do - nothing they were ALLOWED to do because all activity was not good for people with respiratory disease (which they did not have).

Lijiang, Yunnan

They lost their FREEDOM for 5 whole days- they could go nowhere other than the hotel, they ate what they were told, and they watched tv. At the end of 5 days they had learned a lot - mostly

• Freedom is worth fighting for because to lose it is devastating
• China is still a great place to visit because the people are so warm and caring BUT they have less freedom than we do

So we really get into honoring the great men (and hopefully soon, some women) who lead this nation and work hard to preserve our freedom.

Where do I FIT into all of this? Well, Mommy #2 got a refund on a large part of the trip. She decided it was time to get Mommy #1 the dog she always wanted but that they could otherwise not afford. So they FOUND ME!!!

How much BETTER can life get?