An Idiot...

...but a well-meaning one.

Hi everyone. Have you ever done something well-intended but somewhat blockheaded? Well, I just had that kind of experience. My heart was in the right place, but I think I just made myself look a little bit goofy!

Tonight (after a FABULOUS dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse with Mom and Dad), Curt and Erin and I headed downtown (in the pouring rain!) to check out the downtown Christmas lights. Generally speaking, downtown Indianapolis is a colorful spectacle at this time of the year. We were hoping that Erin could take it all in, rain aside. On the ride back, Erin slipped out of a part of her booster seat, so we pulled over at a McDonald's to fix it. On the way in, I noticed a sign that said something to the effect of the following:

"Faith" and Blessed" - McDonald's welcomes your opinions and feedback. Please call us at 1-800-683-5587 and share your thoughts with us.

With no further explanation than the sign provided, my sole thought was that McDonald's was assessing the views of the public regarding the usage of the words "faith" and "blessed." Not having gone inside, I didn't see any sort of display or billboard, but I just thought that perhaps they were using those words (or were considering using them) and wanted to poll the public first before doing so. Those of you who know me or who are regular readers of my blog can probably guess exactly what I did. I am not shy or ashamed to admit that I am a proud Catholic. I love and believe in God with every beat of my heart, and absolutely hate what we as a country and a society have done as it pertains to religion in this country. We as a society, a government, a mass media, and a nation have worried and fretted so much about "offending" those who don't believe that we've come to a point in our time where the mere mention of the Father and the beliefs on whom this nation were founded are taboo. This is an amazing nation...one where folks from all walks of life are welcome. If we're smart, as people, we will embrace one another, learn and grow from each other, and become better people because of our differences. I've tried to live my life that way for the last 33 years, will continue to do so until God (oops, there's that word again!) calls me Home (and by "Home," I mean "Heaven"), and am raising my daughter to feel the same way. However, it is sickeningly heartbreaking that we are no longer allowed to embrace the faith and beliefs upon which this nation was founded (and that the majority of us embrace for our own). So I called McDonald's and gave them a piece of my mind. I commended them for daring to step out and embrace faith and its concepts in a time when our energies as a society are do misdirected and improperly diverted away from faith. I thanked them for being courageous and willing enough to stand up for what was right. I praised them for being so recognizable and loved as one of the world's most beloved companies, and let it be known aloud that I truly appreciated their consideration of re-embracing that which deserves to be embraced...faith. The lovely young woman with whom I spoke thanked me for my comments and I terminated the call. I came home anxiously looking forward to YAHOO'ing "MCDONALDS AND FAITH AND BLESSED" to see what I could come up with. Unfortunately, I came up somewhat empty-handed, and somewhat disheartened. As best I can tell from the limited websites I found, apparently the McDonald's folks had some sort of special philanthropic effort during the month of December at select Indianapolis locations. Apparently if the restaurant had a "Faith and Blessed" sign posted, they were doing something for charity. Nice...wonderful...it's always a fantastic thing to take care of others and help those less fortunate. But I was so hoping to see this amazing mega corporation taking a stand and making a bold statement in a world wherein such a moral and just sentiment would be shunned. Unfortunately, I came up empty handed. What I can do, though, is ask that you, my friends, call that number as well. Share your beliefs and let it be known that there is indeed a place for God and faith and (Heaven forbid) being "blessed" in this world. God knows we can all use a little blessing or two in our lives...

(Oh, and by the way, and the Cookie Dough Cheesecake at Longhorn is FANTASTIC. The folks at The Cheesecake Factory had better start worryin'!)