Most of us, if not all have come across signs posted at Christmas time that read something to the effect, “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” It’s a simple, straightforward reminder of why Christians celebrate and go through all the effort of decorating, hosting dinners, and observing special religious traditions during the Christmas season.

Drilling down to each individual, we too have reasons for all the seasons in our own lives. Since the election of Obama, I went from a casual observer of politics to a blogger and a candidate for supervisor on my local town board. Although my readership of Redstate preceded the fall 2008 election, I only registered as an actual member two days after November 4, 2008 (if memory serves). Here it is, nearly 9 months later and I’ve made many new friends on RedState and developed new political allies locally. In addition, I’ve also managed to arouse the ire of a nice rabble of local political enemies. Oh well, you can’t please everyone, and besides, I’m reminded of an old saying when I was growing up. It goes like this: “There’s nothing in the middle of the road except a yellow line and a dead squirrel.” It means that if you stand for nothing than you are either a coward or lifeless, or perhaps even both. In any case, it’s not too flattering.

So, in this new season of activism in my own life, what’s the reason? My family. For me, it really is that simple. In wanting to join in the conservative effort to protect our liberties, to protect the vulnerable, to preserve our uniquely American way of life, it all boils down to family. I want the America of my children and children’s children to be a place of life, liberty, and happiness, rather than a life of debt and servitude to an oppressive, socialistic behemoth.

Lots of Christians are familiar with retreats. These are often weekends, or sometimes even weeks, when someone momentarily extracts himself from the world at large and steeps himself in a dedicated, religious experience. Some folks go on formally organized retreats at monasteries. Although I won’t be going on a formal religious retreat, I will, in August, retreat more fully into my very reason for conservative activism . . . my family. I will be on a vacation from work and from the newfound activism. My time will almost entirely be for and with family.

For a while, then, I won’t be contributing any new blog posts till probably September. Although I don’t have a huge following of readers, there are some folks who tend to regularly click on my diaries. To these kind souls, I didn’t want the absence of diaries to imply that I’ve been hit by a bus, taken my ball and gone elsewhere, or simply quit. For some time well spent, I’ll be, more so than usual, with the reason for this new season in my life . . . my wife, 4 beautiful children, and various relatives here and there. Although I’ll continue to visit RedState now and again to keep informed (it’s unwise to entirely refrain from such a healthy habit!), I likely won’t actively participate until the end of my own personal, little retreat.

So, friends, see you soon (in that Internet-esque kind of way) when I will happily rejoin the Redstate mob as a refreshed and even more dedicated mobster.