Socialism means government dependency, rationed resources, and exorbitant taxation. It means the destruction of every incentive to achieve.

Consumerism is the reason Christmas has morphed into a hollow shopping ritual that leaves too many families with debt hangovers and an empty feeling inside.

Instead of getting swept up in a whirlwind of banal 'holiday' parties, useless gift exchanges and harried shopping, my family tries hard to use the weeks of Advent to prepare our hearts and home in meaningful ways for the Prince of Peace.

You know the adage, when you want something done, ask a busy person. It's so true. Having kids taught me to prioritize, delegate, and accept life's imperfections. I also learned the all-important skill of jumping off the train: taking breaks in career and passion pursuits to tend to the things that last.

In fact, there is an academic blackout about the atrocities perpetrated in the name of communism and socialism.

When my Mexican-born grandfather, Rafael, immigrated to work in the mines of the American Southwest, where he eventually settled with his young bride to raise 15 kids, he did it to give his children a better life.

Feminism should be about liberating women, all women, even Republican women, to be their true selves.

My dad, grew up poor in a copper-mining town in Arizona. The eleventh of 15 children, he learned to be resourceful and entrepreneurial at a young age, shining shoes at local bars and starting his own pinata business at the tender age of twelve.

Pursue your dreams, but don't be afraid to slow down or jump off the train when your heart calls you to tend to things that last - love, marriage, babies, and happy kids. You can always jump back on the train. It's your journey.