Beautiful and Quiet and Noisy

I am not a "nature girl" at all. Don't get me wrong, I love nature. God has made some wonderful things, including stars, trees, oceans, lakes, flowers, animals, and about a zillion and a half other things. I love them all. However, I cannot take heat and humidity, and I hate being "eaten alive" by insects, so I stay indoors most of the time. For a little while tonight though, I was a nature girl.

I went outside to bring the dog in, and it was just so beautiful outside that I just sat in a chair with Cubbie lying quietly in the grass at my feet. Living in a rural area there are not many lights, so on a cloudless night the sky is dark and full of stars, along with an occasional airplane flying by high overhead. For quite a while I just sat, looking up. Praise and prayer just came naturally, sitting there surrounded by all that beauty and the cool air with its occasional refreshing breeze. I quietly sang "Our God is an Awesome God," and the first few lines of Chris Tomlin's "God of Wonders" as I marveled at the stars and the vastness of space.

It was so quiet and beautiful.

Then I sat for awhile with my eyes closed. I started hearing all the life around me. There were insects and frogs nearby, filling the air with their chirps. The birds that spend their whole mornings singing were asleep, turning the stage over to them. Far away, I heard a few dogs barking. A cow mooed, one short, quiet moo. The insects and frogs were the main focus of tonight's concert though.

It was so noisy and beautiful.

Our God truly is an awesome God!

Think Before You Speak, or in Some Cases Think and Keep Your Big Mouth Shut!

            "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment." Matthew 12:36.

            Once upon a time there was a twenty-something Sunday School teacher. She was considered intelligent, and some said she was very wise for her years. However, she had a big problem. She sometimes did not think before she spoke. She was always saying things and then wishing she had not said them. These were almost always very minor things that did not make much difference, but she still wished she had not spoken without thinking first.

            Then one Sunday, as her Kindergarten Sunday School class played on the playground near the end of class, this teacher's habit of speaking without thinking caused a major problem.

            The children in her class were all wonderful children and the teacher loved all of them. She had been having quite a time that day however with one girl in the class. This little girl was sweet as could be, but she had a tendency to be rather a know-it-all and to sometimes be a little bossy.

            While the class played on the playground equipment a woman stopped by to watch the children and chat with the teacher. The teacher recognized her from around the church but did not know who she was. They were having a pleasant conversation about the nice day, and about the children. When the one little girl was mentioned, the teacher, without stopping to think for even a second, said (in so many words) that she was kind of a know-it-all. As the woman's face began to fall, the teacher, finally thinking a million miles a second (albeit too late) said (all the while maintaining her smile and cheery voice), "She's your daughter, isn't she?!" She went on to say how much she loved the little girl and other things to try to patch up the damage she had undoubtedly caused between her and this rightfully angry mother.

            Because of her hasty words, spoken without thinking, a rift was caused between this teacher and a parent. If the teacher had only thought before speaking, this rift would not have occurred. It took awhile, but the mother did forgive the teacher, and they were able to put the incident behind them.

            I would love to tell you that this Sunday School teacher never made that mistake again, but that would be a lie. She actually made another one just as bad (as a college student this time) not long after that. It took these two major incidents to finally teach her to think before she spoke. It still happens to her now and then, in much smaller ways, but she prays quite often that God will help her to think before speaking, and to sometimes think and not speak at all.

            Psalm 49:3 says, "My mouth will speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart will be understanding." It is my hope that I will live as this verse says and speak wisdom rather than unthinking folly. And if I ever speak to any of you without thinking first, as I did with that child's mother, please give me a kick in the pants and remind me to think before speaking!

            

Don't Hate The Innkeeper

            Luke 2:1-7 (NASB) says, "Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. ²This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. ⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, ⁵ in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. ⁶ While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

            "No room for them in the inn." Most of us have heard the Christmas story many times throughout our lives. We have read stories, watched movies and even Christmas cartoons depicting Joseph and Mary arriving at the inn, only to be told there was no room. What is our reaction to the innkeeper when we read and see these stories? Often it is resentment, and sometimes even disgust, because the "mean" innkeeper is turning away the soon-to-be-born Son of God.

            Do we even know what was going on in the innkeeper's mind? No. The Bible only tells us there was no room in the inn. Because of the census every room in town was taken by those who got there first. As human beings though, we tend to turn our anger and frustration to the bearer of bad news. There is an old saying, attributed to Shakespeare, "Don't shoot the messenger." What if this had been Joseph's attitude at hearing that there was no room for them in the inn?

            What about the "innkeepers" in your life? When you are waiting in line for what seems like an eternity, only to be told when you get to the front of the line that they are out of what you were waiting for, what is your reaction to the person who gave you the news? When you are driving too fast and receive a ticket, how do you feel about the officer who gave you the ticket? When the doctor says, "I'm sorry, there's nothing more we can do," what is your first impulse?

            It is human nature to lash out when we get bad news. The problem is, often when we lash out, someone gets hurt, and many times it is not the fault of the person we lash out at. We need to remember that the person who is delivering the bad news is just doing a job. Sometimes the person we should be mad at is ourselves, but it is easier to lash out at someone else.

            Especially at this time of year, when everyone seems to be in a hurry, we need to slow down and ask ourselves, "How would God have me respond?" The Bible actually makes it pretty clear. "Treat others the same way you want them to treat you." Luke 6:31.

            A year or so ago some friends invited me out to lunch with them. We went to a Chinese restaurant and had a nice lunch. When the server went to clear some of our dishes away she accidentally dropped a full cup of sticky, bright red sweet-and-sour sauce in my lap. One of my friends (also a Christian) later told me that he was amazed at how calmly I reacted. My only reaction when it happened was to quietly assure the horror-stricken girl that it was okay, that it was just an accident. I'm not tooting my own horn here -- God gave me the peace to know that it was not a big deal. My reaction to the incident demonstrated forgiveness, something the server may not have had much experience with.

            We will deal with many "innkeepers" throughout our lives. Bearers of bad news and various people who bring trouble of some kind to us will always be around. Don't shoot the messenger. Don't hate the innkeeper. Just remember the simple truth, "Treat others the same way you want them to treat you." Luke 6:31.

A Sweet Puppy

Someone posted a picture of a puppy on Facebook this afternoon. It reminded me so much of a puppy we used to have (mostly the position it was in, and where it was lying) that when I saw it, I was hit with a flood of memories. Our puppy's name was Woof, and he was such a good puppy. I'm sure he would have been a great dog as well, but he never had the chance to be more than a puppy.

I was almost nine years old, my sister was seven. We lived in a small apartment in Kansas City, Missouri with our mom and dad. Diana and I shared a bed. One morning we woke up to quite a surprise -- the cutest puppy ever -- right in our bed! We learned later that my dad had gotten him from some college students who thought it was funny to give the puppy beer and watch him stumble around. When Daddy got Woof he could hardly stand up, he was so drunk. By the time we met him the next morning in our bed, Woof was just a happy, sweet puppy who won our hearts instantly.

Shortly after we got Woof we moved to a tiny house in Independence, Missouri. Woof loved having a yard to run around in. We loved having Woof to play with. Then winter came.

One winter day, while my sister and I were in school, my mom let Woof out to go potty. She had hardly looked away for a second when some guys on motorcycles rode by, and one of them grabbed Woof. I don't  think she saw it happen. I think a neighbor told her. We were all distraught. My dad put a lost and found ad in the paper, with a picture of Woof up on my shoulder.

It wasn't too long before a woman called and said someone had dropped a puppy in her yard. She was sure it was our puppy, and she was right. Arrangements were made for my dad to go pick him up the next day. This is where we have the happy ending, right? No. The woman who found Woof in her yard had a dog, and she was worried that it would hurt our puppy. She could have put Woof in a closed room in her house, but instead she chose to leave him outside. By the time Daddy got over there to pick him up, Woof had frozen to death in the snow.

I wasn't sure why I decided to tell Woof's short life-story until I wrote that last line. I have harbored anger and resentment against that woman all these years. I know that I have to forgive her, and now I do.

Woof was a good puppy. He didn't have a long life, but the short life he had with us was a happy one for him and us.

Reruns

Can you believe that I have been so busy that I haven't written anything in my blog in ten months?! Neither can I. Of course that is because I haven't been too busy. Oh I've been busy, but what I have been busy with is doing nothing. This has actually been a pretty eventful ten months, with our oldest grandson starting high school, our granddaughter starting middle school, our church getting a new pastor (a great one!), and my medical tests turning around from abnormal to normal. James and I started a new way of eating and we are doing pretty well on it. We started "The Sugar Blockers Diet" by Dr. Rob Thompson. Basically we have cut out most starches. Anyway, more on all that later. Today I was checking a friend's new blog, and I found an old blog I started in 2008. I had totally forgotten about it. I don't need two blogs running at the same time (especially when I am so bad about writing), so I am sticking with this one. However, I thought I would copy and paste a couple of my entries from that one here.  :)  So, without further ado, here they are:

From January 30, 2008

In a Serious Mood Tonight

I have been a Christian for many years, since I was a teenager.  The last few years, though, I have really slipped in one area (others too, but big-time here), and that is reading my Bible.  I would look verses up all the time, but I wasn't devoting time to really studying the Word.  It really upset me that I could find time for so many other things, but I did not take the time to read the Bible.  Almost seven months ago I decided that I need to make that effort.  Am I going about it the right way?  Not according to some, and they may be right.  But I am doing it in a way that makes sense to me.  While I am still reading the New Testament (in a casual way, and looking up verses to help with situations), I decided that I didn't know enough background information.  How can I understand some of what Jesus was talking about if I don’t know more of the Old Testament?

 I have been pretty good about reading every morning.  I’ll admit I don’t usually read on the weekends, but I need to change that.  I've gotten off track, so to get back to how I am choosing to read, I decided to start at the beginning and read straight through.  I have started to do that before, many years ago, and I didn't make it very far.  I didn't have the same focus then though.  Back then I was just reading to get through it, but now I am really paying attention to what I am reading.  Because I am focused and am reading with a purpose, I am really enjoying reading the Old Testament.  I’m not going to lie, there are some parts that are as boring as all get out, but the history is amazing.  I have read enough and heard enough in the past to know a lot of some parts and at least the bare bones of the rest, but I had never delved so deeply into it.  I’m so glad I chose to do it this way. 

I used to read pretty fast, and I don’t anymore.  That doesn't bother me.  I’m not trying to get through the Bible in one year.  My goal is to really get into the Word and to gain a deeper understanding of God’s plan for me.  I have always been a daydreamer, and I have a hard time keeping my mind on some things for very long.  I am doing two things to help with that problem.  The first thing is, I always pray for understanding and focus before I start reading each day.  Sometimes I have to stop, take a breath, and say a quick “refresher” prayer if I find my mind wandering.  The other thing I am doing is reading out loud.  I read years ago that if you see it and hear it at the same time, what you read will stay with you longer.  I know that is the only way I was able to get through some of my college textbooks! 

 I am about halfway through Nehemiah right now.  I just finished a long stretch of name after name after name sections, and it is good to be on to more interesting things now. 

What I took away from my reading today: It is all too often easier to value other peoples’ opinions above God’s opinion.  We (yeah, I am definitely a big part of that we) are sometimes so concerned about looking stupid, undignified, silly, “whatever,” to other people that we forget that their opinions about us don’t matter at all in the scheme of things.  So it is my prayer that I will always trust in God above all others.  I know that if  trust in Him, things will work out for the best.

From January 31, 2008

Frustrated by Stupidity/Being Judgmental

There is an argument going on at a site I belong to.  I’m not going to get into what the argument is about, but it is about something a teen did wrong at school and was punished for.  The parent wanted to know if the other members thought the punishment fit the wrongdoing. 

 It started out okay, with people offering their opinions about the punishment.  Several posts later, however, things went nuts.  They started focusing on the wrongdoing itself (okay, it was swearing), and tempers started to flair, since some saw nothing wrong with swearing at all, some saw nothing wrong with swearing but thought kids shouldn't do it around their teachers and some adults, and some were very opposed to swearing. 

 It was all kind of silly in my opinion, but the part that really drove me nuts, the part that leaves me frustrated with people, is when people started saying things like, “It’s not the worst thing she could have done,” and “There are a lot of things worse than swearing.”  Why am I frustrated?  Because it doesn't matter that there are worse things than swearing.  Yes, there are worse things.  There are things that aren't as bad.  That was not the point of the whole question to begin with. 

 Where am I going with this, you might be wondering.  I’m thinking about the way people think about sin, in general.  People love to feel good about themselves, even when they are sinning, by comparing their sin to that of others.  We think that because all we did was tell a “little white lie” or cheat on our taxes and such, it is okay because there are worse sins.  We love to look to people like Charles Manson when thinking about our sins because that makes us feel better about what we did.  But we are comparing ourselves and our sins to the wrong example.  We are only supposed to compare ourselves and our sins to Jesus.  And we don’t compare at all. 

There are so many directions I could go with this right now.  It started out with frustration about a particular situation, but it is something that really affects our lives more than we know.  Because when we compare our sins to those of others, we are being judgmental.  And it is not our job to judge.  We don’t have to like or condone the sins of others, but it is not our job to judge them for their sins.  God can do a pretty good job of it all by Himself.  I kind of like having the burden of judging others off of me.  It leaves me free to worry about my own sins and asking forgiveness for them.  

Happy New Year -- 2012!

Sheesh, I can't believe how long it has been since I have written. I probably won't write much now, but I just felt that I needed to say something.

I am glad 2011 is over and we have moved on to a new year. I don't know what this year will bring, but it has to be better than last year.  The year 2011 was the year that my dad was diagnosed with a bad cancerous brain tumor, a Glioblastoma Multiforme to be exact, and it is the year he died from said tumor. A lot of bad stuff, and a couple bad people, came along with the tumor, but that is all in the past and I won't go into it here.

There were some good things about last year as well.  I got to spend more time with Nancy, Steve, Andrew, Hannah, and Thomas. I also got to spend more time with my sister Diana, and I saw my nephew Justin for the first time in a few years and was able to spend a little time with him. We all got to spend some time with Daddy as his illness progressed.  We got to say a lot of things that needed to be said, and we came closer, in some ways, as a family.

Daddy died peacefully in his sleep at about 7:10 p.m. on November 12, 2011.  With the exception of James (unfortunately we couldn't afford a ticket for him to come) we were all there with Daddy when he left us.  We miss him, but he is in Heaven now with Mama and with Jesus, and that is a good thing.

I am looking forward to 2012.  I hope to come closer and closer to God.  I don't want to be a Christian in name only--I want to live a life that cannot be mistaken for anything other than a Christian life.  I want to delve deeper into God's Word, and I want to cultivate a richer prayer life.  I have a long way to go.

A Totally Frivolous Want

I just posted this at DiscussCooking.com and thought it would be a good topic for today.  :)


There are things we all need and things we want, but what is the one thing that you have always wanted but have never gotten? This has to be a "want" and not a "need."

For me it is a pool table. When I was around 10 my mom and dad, Aunt Janet and Uncle Ted, and my Uncle Glen all went together and bought a pool table. It was kept in Aunt Janet's and Uncle Ted's garage, and we spent a lot of time there. It was mostly the adults who played, but we did get a chance now and then. When my aunt and uncle moved, no one had room for the pool table, so it was sold. It has been over 40 years since then, but the strong desire to have one has never gone away.

What is it that you have always wanted?

Tiredness + Thirst = Yuck!

Wow, did I do something stupid the other night.

I have been waking up at night not only very thirsty, but also with my mouth and throat as dry as cotton. I try to keep a bottle of water next to the bed for those occasions.

The other night I woke up incredibly dry and thirsty. I was also still very tired. I grabbed the bottle that was next to my clock, sat up, and opened it. Then, for some reason, a still small voice inside of me said, "What if it's not water?" I barely gave it a thought, but instead of gulping and swallowing almost in one fluid motion as usual, I just poured some of it into my mouth and held it for a second. That was definitely long enough to realize that what I had in my mouth was not water, but witch hazel (with rubbing alcohol). I spit it out and rinsed my mouth a lot, then drank from the water bottle that had been sitting right behind the witch hazel.

YUCK!

Fortunately, even if I had swallowed the mouthful of witch hazel solution it would not have killed me, but it scared me to think of what could have happened if it had been something more dangerous. I will definitely be more careful about what I leave near my bed!

Thank You God for that still small voice.  :)

To Pluck or Not to Pluck

A while back I wrote about God speaking to me. Sometimes I recognize when He is speaking to me, but I'm sure there are times that I am too "busy" to listen. I really hope not, but I'm human, and fallible, so I'm sure I have. Today though, God spoke pretty clearly to me, in a direct answer to something I asked Him.

For the last 20 years, give or take, I have had a few gray hairs pop up on my head. There were only about three of them the first ten years, and I routinely plucked them, but they have slowly been increasing. I still pluck the obvious ones, but I know that if I continue to pluck all of them, I won't have a lot of hair soon! There are not enough gray hairs to warrant dying my hair, and since I love my hair color, I don't want to take a chance on ending up with a bad dye job.

This brings me to my conversation with God this morning. Right after my shower, as I was plucking a couple stubborn gray hairs that were standing straight up toward the back of my head, I remembered hearing some time ago a verse in the Bible about gray hair being a crown of glory. I told God right then and there that I would love to be able to find that verse, and that if gray hair is a crown of glory, I wouldn't mind going gray so much.

After my shower, it was time for my daily devotions and Bible time. I read two short devotional pages, then I am working on reading the Bible through in a year. First I read the devotion in my Daily Guideposts (a gift from my dear friend Maxine). Next I read today's entry in "Open Windows" (a small periodical published by LifeWay).

For today's devotions, "Open Windows" had me read Proverbs 16:27-32. The main focus of today's devotions focused on verse 32, but imagine my delight when I read verse 31. Remember my question to God? Well, here was His response to me:

The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,
If it is found in the way of righteousness. Proverbs 16:31.

I asked God to show me the verse, and there it was. I didn't have to go digging through the Bible. I didn't have to look at the concordance. I read the "assigned" verse, and there it was.

Now I just have to keep working on the righteousness part.

The Strangest Dream I Have Had in My Entire Life!

In my 53 years of life, I have had some crazy dreams. In fact, normal dreams are not the norm for me. Fortunately I love my crazy dreams, as they keep me well entertained. In my dreams I have been stalked by large wild animals, I have been lost, I lost my toddler grandson on a walk, and once I dreamed that I walked into a 7-11, grabbed a frozen pizza, folded it, stuffed it in my purse, and walked out. I don't often dream about people I know, and in fact, I'm not usually myself in my dreams.

I had one dream that I woke up from, crying. When I dream about my mom, who passed away over ten years ago, I wake up feeling happy. Last night's dream however, was without a doubt the strangest dream I have ever had.

I don't remember most of the dream, although it was all strange. The part I do remember is still very vivid to me. In my dream I felt something heavy hanging from my left eye. I could see that there was something hanging, but I couldn't see what it was, so I looked in the mirror. Woven into my eyebrows, and hanging about to my chin was some kind of soft woven nest. I looked inside, through the reflection in the mirror, and inside the nest were two baby voles! I have never seen a vole in my life, other than in pictures many years ago, but I remember in my dream saying that they were voles, and not moles. I had my husband cut the nest out of my eyebrows, and that is when the dream ended.

The strange thing is, I know what caused me to dream this strange dream! I don't know why the nest contained voles rather than moles, but the mind works in crazy ways.  To see a vole, you can check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vole,

Where did the dream come from? I believe it came from the skin tags my husband has on his eyelids. I have a small one as well, but his were large enough to bother him and we have been working on removing them. The doctor told us we could tie a thread around them and they would eventually fall off. We have removed a couple that way. Unfortunately, before they die and fall off, they double in size, but that's another story. :)

The reason I believe the skin tags are behind my dream is that for years before we knew what they were called, James called them "floppy moles." So in my mind, I transformed floppy moles on the eyelid into a nest of voles hanging from my eyebrows.

Well, it is time for bed. I wonder what crazy world I will visit tonight?!

Sweet dreams!!

Giggling Doggies!

James and I were acting silly with each other not long ago. Cubbie was just lying down and relaxing. I noticed that when we would act silly, Cubbie would wag just the tip of his tail. That is when I realized that dogs can giggle! 

When Cubbie is happy or interested in something, he wags his tail. When he is all-out excited, he wags not just his tail, but his whole body. But sometimes, as he did the other day, he just giggles!! 

When Cubbie giggles, I can't help but giggle back!

Don't Let Christmas Destroy You

I just saw yet another commercial for a title loan company. In the spring and summer they tell you to take out a title loan to take a nice vacation. In the fall and winter they tell you to take one out to buy Christmas gifts. Credit card companies tell you the same things.  They make it look like free money.  They all make it sound so appealing.

How appealing does losing your car sound to you?  Is losing your car or going deep in debt with credit cards worth buying a lot of presents that many won't even remember by spring?

Why do so many people feel that they have to go into debt to buy Christmas gifts? Are they afraid their family will no longer love them if they don't give them lots of gifts? Are they afraid they will look like cheapskates to others? Well, I have news for any of you who think that.  If it takes gifts for your family to love you, they don't really love you. And who cares what others think of you?  We, as a whole, tend to think that others have it so much better than us financially. We see others with nice houses, nice cars, expensive clothes and jewelry, taking cruises, etc., and we want that too.  What we don't see is that most of those people are drowning in debt. Many of them worked for many years to be able to afford their lifestyle--they've earned it.  We live in an "I want it now" society. Where people used to scrimp and save, most of us want the nice things without having to go without. I'm no less guilty than anyone, but I am learning.

I am definitely not against giving gifts for Christmas and other holidays.  I love to receive gifts, and I love giving them even more.  However, I refuse to go deeper in debt to buy gifts.  It really isn't even an option for me, since I have gotten rid of all credit cards.  It is totally laughable to me to even consider a title loan on our car. I'm sure they make it sound like a no-risk deal, but have you ever seen the parking lot at many title loan places?  The title loan place here in my town has lots of used cars for sale.  Where do you think they got those cars? They got them from people who were not able to pay back their title loans. In case you haven't figured it out yet, when you take a title loan, you are signing a contract saying that if you do not pay them back, on time, they get your car. That's it, plain and simple.

Ok, so what do you do if you don't have the money to buy all the gifts you would like to buy?  First of all, you might want to explain to the people you give gifts to that you just aren't going to be able to be as generous as you would like to be this year, and that you need to limit gift-giving to immediate family.  You may be surprised.  Oftentimes others would like to stop exchanging gifts because they can't afford it either, but they did not know how to bring it up.

If you have any talents you could make gifts.  Can you sew, do woodworking, cook?  A lot of people love these kinds of gifts.

One of my favorite hints is to not try to do all your shopping at the same time.  I like to buy gifts throughout the year. Many times I will see something that would be perfect for someone, so if I have the money I will buy it right then and save it for Christmas. Usually all I have left to do by December is to buy a few stocking stuffers.

Finally, you are much more important to your family and friends than any gifts you can give.  Don't feel like you are less of a person if you are not able to buy Christmas gifts.  I'll never forget Christmas a few years ago.  We had no money to speak of, but it turned out to be a good Christmas.  Our Christmas dinner was turkey TV dinners.  Our gifts were "Mom" and "Dad" grab-bags that we bought at Dollar Tree.

Christmas is a time to remember the birth of our Savior, and to spend time with those we love and who love us.  Presents  are nice, but not nice enough to go in debt for.

What Makes My Daughter the Great Mom that She is?

Something Nancy's friend Bree said reminded me of this. There are so many things, big and small, that make Nancy a mom any kid would want to have, and I can't cover them all, but I will mention some of them. Tonight the subject is pink.

Nancy is not a true tomboy, but she is also not a frilly girlie-girl. She doesn't like lacy clothes, and she hates pink.  Her daughter Hannah, on the other hand, loves lacy and frilly things, and she adores pink.  I know a lot of moms who would discourage this love of pink, but not Nancy. Hannah has tons of pink clothes and accessories. Pink and all the other girlie colors abound in Hannah's room and wardrobe.

So, what makes Nancy a good mom? She is not afraid to let Hannah's love of pink thrive. :D

Not Hannah's best side!

Oh, in case you were wondering, Hannah does have a healthy dose of tomboy in her as well!  And she doesn't always wear pink! (Yes, she is making a wild face! She is absolutely gorgeous!).

Please Don't Let Me Inconvenience You!

My daughter just related a recent experience of hers, and since it is one of my pet peeves I decided to write about it.

Many people do not like to be inconvenienced by someone asking them to do something for them. They feel as if they are being taken advantage of. They have things they would rather be doing, so they are bothered by the person asking something of them. Understandable, you might say. My question for that person is, why are you working in the place of business I'm patronizing if you feel bothered by my questions? If you don't want me to make that purchase, or to find out about an item the store sells, quit and go home!

Yes, I am speaking of employees who cannot be bothered by people expecting them to just do their jobs. I'm not even talking about unreasonable customers who expect the employee to go above and beyond. I'm just talking about everyday business.

So, for those employees who do not want to be bothered, I have a few things to say to you:

1. If you really cannot handle doing your job cheerfully, and without making the customer feel like an intruder, quit and go home.  There are a lot of people who would gladly take your job.

2. If you really need or want your job, treat your customers the way you would like to be treated.

3. If you really want to succeed in your job, go above and beyond what is asked of you, and don't complain about it while you are doing it.

4. Get off your cell phone. Take private calls on your break.  I actually had a medical technician take a personal phone call while I was lying on the examining table.  There I was, one breast exposed for an ultrasound, and she is standing over me talking to her son about basketball!  I repeat, get off your cell phone.

How Does God Speak to You?

Something happened last night that just served to remind me that God speaks to me all the time--I just have to listen and be aware or I might miss it.

I take a few prescription medicines for health issues, including two types of blood pressure medicine. With one of them I take a full pill and with the other I take half a pill. My doctor said that if I ever feel like I need a full pill, I can do that.

That said, yesterday I forgot to take any of my medicines. By the time I realized it, I figured it would be too late, as it would throw my medicine schedule for the next day off, so I didn't take any. I felt okay, so I figured it wasn't a big deal.

When I started getting ready for bed I noticed something odd. My blood pressure machine, which I had not used in a few days, was partly wrapped around my alarm clock and partly on the bed. Had I inadvertently moved it when I turned my alarm off in the morning? Had the cat been fooling around there and moved it? I don't know. What I do know is that when I saw it lying like that the first thought I had was that I should take my blood pressure right then.

I'm glad I made that decision because my blood pressure was high. I decided to take half of the one pill right then, and I would take the other half when I took the rest of my medicines in the morning.

That is the first way God spoke to me on this matter. The second came a few minutes later. I didn't want to take the pill and go straight to bed. I have read that you should sit up for at least two minutes after taking a pill rather than lying down right afterwards. I grabbed one of my crossword puzzle books and the closest available pen and started working on a puzzle. It was very late, and I needed to get some sleeep, but the puzzle was interesting and I was really getting into it. Then, a couple minutes into the puzzle, just as I finished a word, the pen ran out of ink! I thought to myself, I guess it is time for bed! I checked my blood pressure again, and it had come down significantly, so I went to bed.

I truly felt God speaking to me in this. If I had not checked my blood pressure right then, I would not have known that it was way too high. The ink in the pen lasted just long enough to give me the time I needed to know the medicine had done its job.  Some may think it was just a coincidence. I just know that I serve an AWESOME God!!!

Random Thought of the Day--Pain Tolerance

Yesterday my pinball machine of a brain hit on the topic of pain tolerance. I know a lot of people with a low pain threshold. I knew a girl years ago with a low tolerance for pain. When she was giving birth to her first baby, she actually started to get up from the delivery room bed because she was "done."  Of course, giving birth is not a low-pain activity for anyone.  I have a high threshold for pain, but I had a couple complications and I screamed at least once during delivery.  Which brings me to my point.

I think a lot of people assume that if someone has a high tolerance for pain, it means that they don't feel pain like most others. That is a ridiculous notion!  While there are people who do not feel pain (something rare and dangerous), most of us do.  The phrases "high tolerance" and "low tolerance" are exactly that.  Some people can feel the same pain, but their level of withstanding that pain is different.  I do have a high pain threshold, but if you hit me with a hammer, it is still going to hurt!

It may sound strange, but if I know the source of my pain, I can tolerate it better.  In 1984 I started having horrible pains and ended up in the hospital. For four days they did not know what was wrong with me.  In those four days, I had roughly 30 pain-killer shots. As soon as they found out that it was an ovarian cyst, my level of pain dropped drastically because it was no longer unknown.  Of course, I did have surgery to remove it, as I was not willing to put up with the pain just because I knew what it was!

Another thing that helps me with pain tolerance, when I am going through things like kidney stones, is knowing that as bad as I hurt, someone out there is in worse pain than I am, and is possibly dying. That doesn't make me feel good about being in pain, but it helps me focus on others and to pray for them as I pray for my pain to stop.

A little silliness to end with--I have always said that you can cut my arm off and it wouldn't hurt that much, but give me a paper cut and it hurts like the dickens!

*Sigh*

I hate that I keep waiting so long to write.  I will be home a little more now, so maybe I will be a little better about it.  Even if I am the only one who ever sees it (although I hope I'm not), I need to keep it up.  I enjoy sharing my thoughts with others.  Sometimes they are not very interesting, but once in awhile I think I say something that someone can use.  I'm off to make tacos right now, but hopefully I will think of something to write when supper is over.  :)

Mountaintop and Valley Experiences

We all have mountaintop and valley experiences. The mountaintop experiences (when things are going great for us) are definitely the best, but if it weren't for the valley experiences (when things are not going so well) we probably wouldn't appreciate the mountaintop experiences as much. When we are on top of the mountain we sometimes tend to forget why we are there. We suddenly think we climbed to the top of the mountain on our own, forgetting that God brought us there. It is when we are in the valleys that we remember God is the only one who can get us out.

This morning I had an interesting thought about this whole topic. I came to the realization that sometimes we fling ourselves off of the mountain. We are on top of the mountain, and things are going great, but we make some choices that are not very wise, and in essence, we throw ourselves from the mountain top and begin to tumble toward the valley. As I sit here in a valley, I now know that while I am not completely responsible for being here, I could have probably avoided this particular valley by making a few wiser choices.

Yikes, not happy with myself.

I can't believe how long I have gone without writing. I feel like I am never at home anymore (maybe because I'm not), but that's no excuse. I keep thinking of things I want to write about, but then I end up forgetting. I can't promise anything, but I will try to do better. :)

Our Christmas Tree Star

When I was 8 1/2 years old we moved from San Diego, California to Kansas City, Missouri. We were there a few months, and around the time I turned nine we moved to nearby Independence, Missouri. The moving company had added extra charges and fees to our bill and we were not able to get our furniture for a few months. We sat on wood orange crates and slept on mattresses on the floor.

When Christmas came, we could not afford much, but we had a tree and some inexpensive lights and ornaments. We had nothing to put on the top of the tree, so my dad made a star. It was nothing fancy. He cut a star out of heavy black construction paper. He cut a hole in the middle for a yellow light to go through. Finally he covered the black star with a pretty matte gold wrapping paper (not the bright shining foil wrap, but it had sparkle to it).

Over the years my mom's and dad's finances improved and we added lots of pretty ornaments, but since 1966 nothing else has ever topped my family's Christmas tree.