Food Shows

Long ago, there used to be these venues called Food Shows. I think Big Y was the sponsor of most of them. They would be held at large facilities like convention centers and it would be filled with mostly booths of free samples of food. Some you ate little bites there, other prepackaged samples you could take home. There were some items you could buy there, but not many. You could also get a lot of coupons, which I was into at that time and recipes.

You could have a meal on the free samples, and it was fun going from a new chicken nugget to a bite of ham, a piece of cheese, a small piece of cake or tiny taste of ice cream and on and on. I cannot begin to remember all the various foods they had and I'm surprised our stomachs didn't reject all the mixed-up choices we ate!

It was a wandering buffet, and we had a good time. Now it did get a little chaotic at times as some people wandered from one booth and skipped others and then went to a different booth seeming to cut in front of those stopping at everything. There were pet food or baby food booths, that some would obviously skip over. It added a little confusion as people slipped in and out of the unofficial line. For the most part everyone was polite but it was difficult for people with strollers to navigate the unruliness.

I said for the most part people were polite. I remember an incident when I may have been considered "cutting in line" or maybe these older teenage girls were trying to get in front of me. Those details I don't really remember, but I do remember the one who said, "Let fatty go," referring to me. Ouch. I didn't say a word. The words hurt. It was no secret to me that I was overweight, but to be referred to like that was pretty cruel and hurtful. 

I don't remember how long those words echoed in my head and continued to cause pain. It did hurt for a while, and I never told George or anyone about it (until now). I did eventually forget all about it. As we were talking about the food shows and remembering, as we always do, a funny incident that happened, this buried memory also resurfaced. I am glad to say, it doesn't hurt any more. It's too bad her words didn't motivate me to lose weight, but such things often have an opposite effect. I wonder how that girl turned out. I could picture her the type to suffer from road rage. I hope she learned to be kinder as life went on. 

I have two applications to God's word in my food show memories. For this part, I am glad that memory was buried, and I am so thankful that God does the same for us. When we ask for forgiveness, our sins are buried and forgotten. He will not ever dig them up again. "For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and their sins will I remember no more." Hebrews 8:12

I will leave on the funnier memory of food shows. I have to say that most of the sample size foods you could just pop in your mouth. Sometimes a toothpick was holding it and there was a place to dispose of them. The kids were with us at this particular food show, and they were familiar with fruit roll ups. For those of you who are not, they are a thin layer of a fruit flavored snack rolled up in plastic to keep it from sticking together, hence called fruit roll-ups. Kids knew how to unroll the plastic to eat the treat. Kids knew. Moms knew. 

These roll-ups had been cut into smaller sample sizes. Not being aware of how to eat a roll-up, George popped the whole thing in his mouth! We were not aware of this, and one of our kids asked him, "How did you like the fruit roll-up?" He replied, "It was ok, but kind of plasticky tasting." Of course, they told him he was supposed to take the plastic off while laughing hysterically--a simple moment at the food show turned into a lasting fun family memory to bring to mind at times and still makes us laugh years later. George will even joke when he doesn't like the taste of something, "It tastes like plastic" to bring a smile and sharing a secret memory. I wonder, though, if people eating plastic was why they stopped having food shows. 

My application to this would be to remind you that you can have a Bible, but you get so much more out of it if you take the plastic off and open it up and read it. You might find a fruit flavor that you enjoy. Leaving you with God's word:  "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:2.

Ups and Downs of Life Reflection #26

My husband used to have his own cleaning business. He had commercial accounts that he cleaned when they were closed so he didn't have specific hours he had to be there. His schedule varied and I didn't always know exactly what account he was cleaning, or if he had to run to the hardware store for more supplies or if he had stopped by our rental units to check on something. There were a number of reasons why he could be running late. He typically called when he was twenty minutes away so I could be sure dinner was ready for him. On Fridays it was usually around 7 pm unless he decided to do some Saturday night work too, but he was still usually home by 8 pm. 

On this particular December night, I had thought he had said he would be home by 7 pm. As the hands on the clock kept getting further away from 7 pm, I decided to call his cell phone. No answer. I had cooked one of his favorite dinners and I was trying to keep it warm. By 8 pm I figured he wouldn't mind if I ate without him. He would have to reheat his in the microwave at this point. Maybe he had stopped at a fast-food place and wouldn't even need dinner. That happened on rare occasions. 

As the minutes ticked on, I started getting a little nervous. I tried calling several times more and still no answer. At 9 pm I decided it was time to take action and track him down. I believed he had to be at one of two accounts, one I didn't even know how to get there and had to look up the address. I decided to start at the one I knew.

All the horrible thoughts started passing through my mind--a heart attack or fallen and broken something and couldn't move to get to the phone, a car accident. He could have left the cell phone in the car, which he has done a few times. Maybe his car broke down and he was freezing somewhere. Or maybe he left me. Well, that was just a fleeting thought that snuck in there. 

My imagination kept feeding itself. My mind was running out of room from the dirt piles of all the rabbit trails it was going down. I didn't know whether to be nervous or angry at him. I thought if the worst happened, people would come to the house and it was a mess. Well, I couldn't tidy now, I had to save him--if he needed saving. Aren't you glad you can't see all my thoughts all the time?

It was a freezing night and I was shaking from the cold and maybe my nerves too. As I drove in the dark, I tried to see the vehicles going past me in the opposite direction to see if he was heading home. I know the shape of his car, but was trying to remember the license number as those reflected in the dark. Nothing looked familiar. It was about twenty minutes before I reached the first account that I was going to try. There was his car!

I looked in the windows of the building. I saw his coat, but not him. The doors were locked and I knocked and yelled. These were heavy duty windows and doors and a huge building, so it was not likely he would hear that. I walked all around the building and tried all doors and looked in all windows as best I could stepping on the crusty snow. 

Next I drove my car as close to the door as I could and honked and honked my horn hoping he would hear and come. 

Finally I called 911. I did it as a last resort because I didn't want to be reprimanded for calling 911 for a non-emergency if he was just cleaning. 

They arrived in less than five minutes without sirens. They asked me if he had any medical issues. I told them and also told them that I remembered there had been issues with the elevator in the building. 

They tried pounding on all the doors and checking all windows, as I had. The fire department was also on their way and an employee of the building with a key. Before they all arrived, the police were able to get in through a window. 

As soon as the cop went in he yelled George's name and he heard the elevator buzzer. He had been stuck in the elevator--for FOUR hours!! The fireman and employee arrived. There were instructions in the office and a key to some panel to free up the elevator stuck between floors.

George should tell his view of this story...his cell phone didn't work in the elevator; the emergency call box didn't have a phone; the emergency buzzer is internal, so no one was in the building to hear it. He even tried to spell out Morse Code with it. He had no fear of a city black out or the end of the world, as my mind surely would have gone. He did have light in the elevator and he did hear the furnace kick on but he was starting to get cold in his t-shirt. He had his cleaning equipment and garbage barrel with him. He tried to wrap garbage bags around him for warmth. He figured the worst-case scenario would be that he would be there until 9 am the next morning, so he tried to turn his roll of paper towels into a pillow. There was no way to get really comfortable. He actually did have a book with him, so he was able to pass the time reading, but he was hungry too.

George and the police tried to make me a hero. I mean do they really think I would have gone to bed and not wonder or worry where he was? Who wouldn't go out looking for their husband/wife in that case? I didn't feel like a hero at all. I told him if he had "pulled a Tiger Woods", who was in the media for cheating on his wife, that I would hunt him down like tonight. He said, "Sure and where would you look first?" I said that I'd call up his boss for his other part time job and find out all the names of his elderly dial-a-ride customers. We laughed.

After that when George cleaned that account, he put the vacuum and trash barrel in the elevator and let them ride the elevator by themselves while he took the stairs. Surprisingly, this didn't sour him to elevators in general, as it would probably have done to me, but then again, how often are we in buildings with no one else in it? 

Although it may not sound that way, I tried to keep my cool and despite the bad thoughts creeping in, I tried to think optimistically too, but nowhere as calm and collected as George was. I know I would not have reacted so calmly if it had been claustrophobic me in the elevator. I leave you with God's word that George practiced that night: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:6-7

This happened in 2009

Feathered Friends Reflection #25

My parents loved birds and had a long wooden bird feeder outside their sunroom windows. The windows cranked open and they did their best to keep it constantly well-stocked with wild bird seed and the coveted sunflower seeds which always went first.

They always enjoyed the variety of birds who came to their "restaurant" and purchased a book to identify the new patrons. This live action entertainment never ceased to bring enjoyment. It was exciting to see a new visitor and to research the identity. 

My mom's brother lived with us for a while. Uncle Jack was 10 years older than me, and I loved having him live with us (except when I had to wake him--he was so grouchy!) I always remember the day we shared a secret for a couple of minutes. Mom was out on the deck and heard a bird and she echoed his sound. He chirped back. She did too and so did he. This went on several times until I realized that Uncle Jack was the mysterious bird calling back. He motioned me to "not let the cat out of the bag". It went on for a couple of minutes this way, a truly remarkable moment for mom until she finally caught on. She gave him a punch in the arm for teasing her as we laughed. 

My parents had cats and dogs over the years and the dogs were so special to them. Then one day, a neighbor wanted to thank them for all they did and gave my parents a bird. This broke two of my Mom's cardinal rules (pun intended). She said you never give a person a pet for a gift. It is a lifelong commitment, and the person should make that decision themself. One of her other gift giving rules was don't ever give anything that will cost a person more--like buying them a cell phone, for instance, because they would now have a monthly bill. Both are wise rules and this broke both of those rules. 

I guess some rules are ok to be broken. Much as my parents loved watching the wild birds, they never thought about having a pet bird...until the first one. They loved those pet birds over the years. They let them fly free around the house until bedtime. One sat on my Dad's shoulder when he played the piano. They even took them--cages and all--to Cape Cod on vacation. One year my Mom broke her hip while on vacation at the Cape and had to go to the hospital and rehab there. Their rental week was over at the house and Dad had to find a motel that would accept birds.

It also was always a family tradition when arriving or leaving the Cape, to stop and feed the ducks at the pond in East Sandwich, MA. And of course, the seagulls did not lack attention too.

Another bird they loved was "Homer", a goose at Stanley Park in Westfield where they used to go for walks. Back in those days people did not frown upon giving bread to the ducks and geese and they would buy day old bread precisely for feeding birds. When they arrived, Dad would call for Homer and he would come running over to them. Homer walked with Dad all the while they were there.

Birds were an important part in my parents' lives and God must feel the same way about all the birds he created in different colors, shapes, sizes and with different birdsongs. Birds are mentioned in the bible nearly 300 times. I am sure God was pleased with my parents' love and tender care for birds. I leave you with God's word: "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" Luke 12:6-7.

Birds at the Cape Cod house.

Valuing Others Reflection #24

"Wow, you people sure are fat." That could be the greeting we got whenever we visited my great aunt. She did not hold back anything or if she did, I'm glad we didn't know what she was really thinking! We always braced ourselves for the inevitable blunt remarks she would make. My husband appreciated her honesty despite being reminded of his hair loss and weight gain. 

As any grandmother, she loved her grandchildren, but it always felt like she was comparing them to our children. You can't compete with walking on water. But maybe she was just so proud and not comparing. She was good to us too.

Besides remembering her bluntness, I will never, ever forget her love for her chihuahuas. One I remember was named Tammy. Although proper in so many ways, Aunt Helen didn't see any problem with holding Tammy in her lap at the dinner table and letting her eat off of her plate. It was not a pleasant experience for us, but who are we to say something to our elder?

We always remember her birthdate, 12/12/12. It was the same year the Titanic sank and Fenway Park opened. 

Her husband was so fun. Uncle Bill would rib her and was always yanking her chain. It felt like he was always testing his limits. We loved him. Only he could say those things to her. I don't know if she didn't hear him half the time or chose to ignore him. We wondered if it was discussed after we left, but I think not because he would do it again next time and they remained married for 62 years. We tried to hold our laughter until the ride home and then we would recall his words and bust out laughing--finally able to let it out. 

I know there was some bad history between my Mom and her aunt, but Mom still visited her or had her over. She would try to do nice things for her aunt, like searching for a particular beanie baby, or giving her cuttings from her house plants. She prepared a lot of food and tried to make things special when she visited. When Aunt Helen came she would often comment on something of Mom's that she would like and inevitably Mom would give it to her. The older I got, this used to anger me. I know Mom had some pretty unhappy memories about this woman, why would she just give her anything she wanted? My Dad said it was because she had so little family left, which was true. She felt obligated to keep the remaining ties. I give my mom deep respect for that.

I did keep writing to Aunt Helen after Mom had passed. We attended her 100th birthday party. She lived to be 104, outliving her husband who was thirteen years younger, and outliving my mom.  At 100 she told me she didn't have a pain in her body--not even a headache. She did have macular degeneration. But how pathetic I feel at my age with my aches and pains. Perhaps I need to be blunter with my words...would that help me not to have aches and pains and to live long?

Or was it her eating habits. Though if I had a dog eat off my plate, I wouldn't eat much! Aunt Helen cooked the good old recipes with lots of butter and rich foods. Every Saturday night was hot dogs and Boston baked beans, I am told. Tomato sausage was a favorite and being British, everything was fried. 

The difference was when Aunt Helen was offered a piece of cake, or pie or anything for that matter, she would say, "I'll have a sliver." You would hold the knife and she would say, "smaller" and you'd move it and she'd say, "smaller", until was maybe an inch thick. She would not deprive herself of anything but always had a tiny bit of everything. We now refer to very small pieces as an "Aunt Helen sliver". That must be how she remained a petite woman all her life, never a problem with weight and lived a long, healthy life. 

I surely don't mean any disrespect to my great aunt's memory; it is all true from our viewpoint. I am sure she would agree with it all, but I wouldn't have had the courage to say it to her face! I am not like her, but a takeaway lesson here is about relationships. My uncle pushed the limits, and he must have known the cutoff point. As for the rest of us, we tried to be respectful. But the biggest lesson is from my Mom. Despite everything, Mom would not only respect her aunt, but give to her again and again, even at times, things she didn't really plan on parting with. I leave you with God's words that exemplify my Mom and I hope I can do the same: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, Rather in humility value others above yourselves."  Philippians 2:3 

Worth quoting Reflection #23

I think it starts early...the familiar quotes we like to repeat, "What's up doc?", "I twat I twa a puddy cat!?", "Suffering succotash." From cartoons to books, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...", "To be or not to be, that is the question", (side note as an only child with time on my hands in the summer months, I memorized that soliloquy for the fun of it), "Call me Ishmael", "Quoth, the raven, nevermore." etc. Songs always leave us with words that we easily commit to memory and cherish in our hearts. And of course, there are movie quotes: "Show me the money!", "You had me at hello.", "E.T. phone home", "My Captain, My Captain", and on and on. They all invoke a fond memory of a special film. Do you have a favorite? Mine that still gives me goosebumps from Camelot referring to the young boy: "Now run Sir Tom, behind the lines." 

How easy it is for us to quote these words. It has been noted that there are many quotes that for some reason, we continually quote incorrectly, for example: "May the force be with you", was actually: "Remember the force will be with you always." I actually like the original quote better in that case. 

You might be surprised how many quotes you know by heart from the Bible without even realizing it. There are some of the commandments like "Thou shalt not kill." "Thou shalt not steal." There is the golden rule, "Do to others as you would have them do to you." Is there anyone who does not recognize, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want"? Or how many weddings have you been to that quote: "Love is patient, love is kind...". There are so many verses worth quoting in the Bible and some of us do try to memorize some ("thy word have I hid in my heart"). The heart of the Bible is "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Like the movie quotes, sometimes we may not get the words 100% accurate, but as long as we get the gist and don't change the meaning, it is good to recall these words as easily and meaningfully as movie or book quotes. My life verse is found in Colossians 3:23, 24. The picture is of a plaque I have in my bedroom to remind me of how to focus my thoughts. Even my shower curtain is decorated with Bible verses on it. May you have Bible quotes that give you comfort and guidance that easily come to mind and if you don't with some research online, you can find some awesome ones. 

I leave you with God's word: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." 2 Timothy 3:16.

The Dead Cat Reflection #22

I don't normally tell someone else's story, but this one is too good not to share. We were told this in person by my Aunt Shirley and ideally, I wish I had video-taped her because we haven't laughed that hard at something in a long time. She's a great storyteller. I will try to do it justice and accurately in written word.

My aunt's sister and her friend were on a shopping trip one day when they witnessed the car in front of them hit a cat. They were appalled that the driver didn't even stop. They stopped and the cat was indeed dead. They felt they couldn't just leave it there. They thought about taking it to the ASPCA (why, I don't know) but it was in the opposite direction of the mall. It was decided to put the cat in a bag from their purchase at a previous store and put the bag in the trunk, go to the mall and on the way home, stop at the ASPCA. 

When they got to the mall, they were concerned that the dead cat may stink up the car while they were shopping, so they decided to put the bag on the hood of the car until they came back.

A while later, as they were returning from shopping, they could see a woman grab the bag from the hood of their car and quickly walk away. They watched her go to her car. She obviously thought she was stealing something good. When she got to her car, she opened the bag and looked inside. She passed out!

A man passing by saw her faint and helped revive her and help her sit in her car. Then he placed the bag on her lap. She passed out again! A parking lot patrolman came along, and they called an ambulance. The girls watched as they put her in the ambulance, and they sent the bag along with her! 

The story doesn't end there. A while later, my aunt was taking a speech class and had to tell a true story. She decided to tell this one. Imagine her surprise when one of other students said, "I was a nurse working at the hospital when she came in!" 

I wonder if the woman had to admit to her crime, but I bet this cured her permanently of shop lifting. What a great example of "crime doesn't pay". I leave you with God's word from Exodus 20:15, "Thou shalt not steal."

The Pool Incident Reflection #21

 

Summer is coming and I was reflecting on the days spent in my parents' above ground pool. When we had kids, they loved going over there to swim. My Mom went in the pool once in a while, but usually sat on the deck watching. When all the adults were working, Mom would have the kids over for games, crafts, TV and pool and many snacks too. Lunch was often pizza rolls or frozen pizza and chips. I'm trying to remember what else, I'm sure my kids remember. She always had snacks on hand, and I guess I have followed in her footsteps. 

There was one summer day that ended up with a story that has been retold by different eyewitness accounts over and over again. I wasn't there, so this is second hand and I'm sure if my kids read this, I may have to amend some things as to how they remember it. Tiffany and Ben were probably about 12 and 9, I think. That was the first time ever, that my Mom left the deck to put the pizza rolls in the oven. The kitchen wasn't far from the deck. What could happen in a few minutes? 

Soon there was screaming. The way I understand it, "someone", as was common with many of us, kicked the pool wall to get a push to the other side in their float. In a flash, the whole wall collapsed, and all the water came gushing out taking Ben down the small berry bush covered embankment into the back yard. Tiffany somehow remained in the pool but screaming and crying for fear of her brother as he was washed away.

Mom came running out to see the disaster. Ben came up from the embankment with the deflated tube around his waist and with scratch marks from the bushes all over his body. 

This incident has been one of those family stories the kids retell over and over. Tiffany says she feared for her brother's life as she saw him disappear over the embankment. Now Ben has a different (teasing) spin on it. I think his comes from the fact that Tiffany was laughing in relief that he was ok and of course, seeing him walking up the hill with the popped tube around his waist was also humorous. Ben even made a little video with Barbie dolls reenacting 'The Day My Sister Tried to Kill Me" (she maintains he kicked the wall). As for my mother, she would always say, "The ONE TIME I left them alone." She felt remorse and guilt, but what could she have done? I can imagine how surreal it must have been to come out and see the collapsed pool and only one grandchild in it. 

This scary incident became a funny memory. Each one there had a different tale to tell about the incident--the two eyewitness accounts and the one innocent bystander who arrived at the scene moments later. 

Life is like that; we can all share the same experience and have different feelings about it or even different viewpoints of what really happened. Some people survive avalanches of water and being scratched by thorns, some will watch in fear and helplessness as others suffer and those who don't even witness the event can be personally touched by the circumstances, sometimes feeling remorse. We are shaped and grow through our life experiences. It is great when incidents like this one, can turn into a happy tale to tell after the fact. Not all experiences always do. Likewise, as Christians, we may have different testimonies of our lives. and different experiences that shape us and our identity. Different ways to share our life's stories and still serve the same God.

I leave you with God's word: "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work." 

I Corinthians 12:4-6

"Put Me in Coach, I'm ready to play!" Reflection 20

I love trivia and I heard that John Fogerty and his fun song, "Centerfield" was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010, the only musician and song to be inducted. I wonder about "Take me out to the ball game", but "Centerfield" is such a catchy song even for non-baseball players like me. Who can stop themselves from singing along, "Put me in coach, I'm ready to play today."?

I was never athletic, and softball was no exception. I was always self-conscious when I got to bat and the other team would yell to their teammates, "lefty", as I was left-handed, and they would shift their positions. I hated the attention drawn to the fact that I was different, and I know they also all moved infield more too, knowing I would never hit the ball very far. I took it all personally but what was worse, was my maiden name was "Casey" and they couldn't resist taunting: "Casey at bat!" and we all know how that turns out. I didn't always strike out but making it to 1st base was miraculous. 

I had to google as to why in this song he wanted to play centerfield. I always thought pitcher or 1st base were priority positions. According to google, centerfield is the most critical defense position after the pitcher and catcher. Perhaps his favorite players played that position. (I had to google that too and found Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb, Willie Mays and more). References referred to that position as defensive anchors and captain of the outfield. Interesting that this guy that I assume has been sitting on the bench wants to dive into such an important position. That is confidence. 

In the lyrics he says he has a beat-up glove and a homemade bat but a brand-new pair of shoes, that was all he needed to give him the confidence and I'm sure he played for hours on end practicing to get better. 

This next part is for my Christian friends. I wanted to tell you why I am writing these little essays or musings or devotionals or whatever they are. Yes, it's true that I love to write and create but I want to use these thoughts to gently show others that being a Christian is not so awful in this crazy world. I hope they will see that we are not exclusive, arrogant or unintelligent and that we have some pretty good beliefs and that maybe by sharing verses it will allow some to read some parts of the Bible they didn't even know existed or to recognize familiar thoughts, premises or promises they didn't know were from the Bible.

Since I'm not getting any younger, I thought it was about time that I used my writings in this way. I have my beat-up glove (my well-worn Bible), my home-made bat (my thoughts), my new pair of shoes (my fairly new laptop) and the Holy Spirit to guide me. I decided to tell God, our coach, "Put me in coach, I'm ready to play today" and I made this commitment to write and share these thoughts. I love the thought of centerfield being the anchor but I don't feel confident enough to be in centerfield, I am more likely in the outfield, but I can still be an anchor out there standing for our beliefs and just helping by being on the team. I am trying to do what I can for God's kingdom. I know sometimes I am swinging aimlessly and sometimes I'll strike out, but with God's help, just maybe I can miraculously get to first base. It's the ninth inning and "Casey" is at bat, let's hope we do better this time. No matter what, I'm playing, and I am glad to have you as part of my team in whatever position you are playing. Play ball!

I leave you with God's words: "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'" 

Isaiah 52:7

Oreos Reflection #19

Anyone remember the jingle for Oreos that goes: "A kid will eat the middle of the Oreo first and save the chocolate cookie outside for last."? It's funny that kids don't have to be taught this. Our granddaughter naturally does this. The problem with her, is she will hide the chocolate cookie somewhere. She just wants that creamy filling! She feels the same about frosted donuts...eat it from the top down and leave the bottom, "I'm full."  The same thing with the frosting on cupcakes. And then there are sprinkles. They are mandatory in her life on donuts, ice cream, cupcakes, yogurt. Heck the other day I gave her a small bowl of just sprinkles. She was in heaven.

Last time we had Oreos, I asked her, "Are you going to eat the cookie?" She honestly replied, "No." There has to be points for honesty. 

Then there's our life...adulting. Let's face it, most of us would rather eat just the top of the muffin. Who wouldn't like not working and staying home and collecting money? (retirement is great!) Who likes paying bills or doing the necessary chores around the house or yard? Now I know there are some who enjoy those things, but I am sure they have some things they wish they didn't have to do. We all do but we all have obligations and if only our life was so "bad" that eating the outside cookie or the muffin bottom would be the worst thing in life.

There are some "adults" who try to get by just eating the middle of the cookie. Life is a game of getting, not giving. Society's rules are just suggestions. To some, a right turn on red doesn't mean stopping first, speed limits are suggestions or if the store clerk gives you too much change, that is your gain. They bend the rules of life. They continue until they get caught and some never do in this lifetime.

God gives us rules too. They aren't always fun or easy but what a perfect world it would be if everyone lived by the golden rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." That's from Luke 6:31. A lot of you may not have realized you have a Bible verse memorized. There's some really good stuff in that book not just the creamy center about love and forgiveness but the outside cookie about guidelines and laws and what Jesus did for us. We all need that part too. Eat the whole cookie, you may find it's delicious.  

I leave you with God's word: "My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments." Proverbs 3:1

 

Crossing t's Reflection #18

Crossing t's

Just for the fun of it, I recently joined a left-handers Facebook group. It's fun to be in a group of lefties and to share our experiences. I was reminded of one when I was growing up.

At the parent teacher conferences when I was in third grade, the teacher had a couple of concerns about me. One was the struggle to get me to eat my lunch. She threatened no recess until I ate it all. I was fine with that. I guess I just couldn't get down another bologna, bread and butter sandwich (I don't know why condiments weren't used. I think they had been invented. Mayonnaise would have been a game changer.) She spoke to my parents and all agreed, it wasn't so important for me to eat all my lunch. It wasn't worth the battle.

The other thing that concerned her was my writing. Wait for it...she said I was crossing my t's right to left instead of left to right. The horror! It was true. That's the way I am wired. She was hoping I would conform, but I was a rebel and still am to this day. Perhaps if she had whacked my hand as some left-handers had to endure to use the other hand, maybe I would have conformed. I am so glad she didn't do that. 

When I drew this to the attention of other left-handers, most hadn't even thought about it and the majority did it the way I do, and many didn't even know that right handers do it left to right. When I think of it logically, I feel our way is more efficient. We get to the end of the word and swing back to dot the i's and cross the t's. However, a teacher in the group, had a book on teaching penmanship and we are supposed to be taught to cross our t-s from left to right. She tried to teach me correctly. I'm sorry if she felt that she failed. 

I guess the moral to this, is to know what battles you should fight. I know rules are in place for reasons and most we should follow, but we also have to be self-discerning and be sure the guidelines we are presented with are in accordance with our beliefs. What difference does it make in the scheme of life? 

"Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth."

Colossians 3:2

Bubbles Pop Reflection #17

 Bubbles Pop

We have a lot of fun playing with bubbles with our kids. When we were recently having fun creating a big bubble mountain with three kids, it was necessary to calm them down when one just couldn't resist popping some bubbles. I kept reiterating, that we all know "Bubbles pop" and that it's going to happen anyway. I hope in some way this will sink in as a life lesson to not sweat the small stuff. 

The older I get, it is natural to think about our own bubble of life popping. One day we will no longer exist on earth. There are always things that we still want to do but the longer we are blessed to live, the harder it is to do some things. We have to adjust our bubble of life to enjoy the moments we have.

Sometimes I think about when I am no longer here. I don't want my loved ones to experience that hurt that we all know. I think the worst part about dying is for the living who loved us. I am blessed that I know there are some who do love me more than a little and my empathetic rabbit trail mind thinks about how it will be for them when I am gone. I have found myself in tears thinking about that. I shed the tears already, so you don't have to. If only that could be the case...perhaps that's a road I should not go down.

I can only tell anyone who loses a loved one, that you know your loved one would be honored that your love was so deep that you are hurting so now, but they don't want you to be hurting or to stay sad. This is life, we come and go, we hold on to and we let go. Letting go is hard but there are always memories to cling to and to lift us up. For Christians, we know that this is not the end and we will meet again. It really is a happy ending meeting God, having a new unimaginable home and then reuniting with loved ones. What a party! So, crying for loved ones who have moved on to heaven is almost silly, almost. Crying for ourselves left behind is natural. "Doing" helps with healing. When the pain is heavy, do something in memory of a loved one to help yourself heal and to honor them. I think I'll take my own advice today and do something in memory of someone I miss. Maybe it will be blowing bubbles toward heaven. Unlike bubbles that pop, love lives on forever. 

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

Matthew 5:4

Picky Eaters Reflection #16

Parents all go through it...the children who are picky eaters. There are those parents who lay down the law, "Eat it or go hungry. The cold food will be waiting for you when you are hungry." There are those who bargain, I remember being one of those, "Just 4 bites of carrots" or whatever the thing was that turned off the youngster. Then there are those who just throw in the towel and rationalize, if they are growing and getting something in them, don't bother with that battle. 

We remember when our son was about 4. Feeding him was a challenge. Baked potatoes or a banana were often breakfast. He didn't like peanut butter or jelly. I don't even remember what kind of sandwiches we gave him. 

We can remember clearly being at Pizza Hut or some kind of pizza place and of course, we had pizza. This 4 year old had previously told us he didn't like pizza. It was going to be one of those "just try it, please" dinners. Well, probably after some bribery of some type, he tried it. 

We all remember his reaction. He liked it! It was a "Green eggs and ham" eureka moment. But what he said is why we remember this incident, "I want to try more things I don't like!" We laughed about that for years--heck, we still find it funny.

In a similar vein, I wonder if you have been convinced that you don't like church for one reason or another. There are many different "flavors" out there and I would encourage you to taste test some. Not everyone is going to like the same ones and there are many varieties to try. You may have been turned off by a Christian or something that happened. Why did our son not like pizza one day and then realize he did like it? We don't really know, but he gave it a try again. Imagine never having pizza because you thought it didn't taste good? I would encourage you to put aside your pre-conceived notion about church and try something you thought you didn't like as you could be missing out on something delicious!

"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him."

Psalm 34:8

Elephants Reflection #15

We always associate elephants with my Mom. Different people choose to collect different things. I used to collect lighthouses because I have always been drawn to the majestic symbols of protection and guidance especially along the ocean shores. My mother-in-law collected spoons. I assume she began that because they were something easy to find at many tourist attractions. Not only did she buy them, but her family members bought them for her. That's what happens when you start collecting something. People know it is something they can buy for you and the collections grow and grow. I don't know how, but George ended up with a keychain collection. I had another attraction to bookends too. Some people collect their favorite animal, some salt and pepper shakers, the list is never ending. There is no shortage of fun things to collect.

My Mom had a collection of elephants, but I never knew if it was because they were her favorite animal or if she was forced into it. I do know she did have an elephant Christmas ornament that she loved. I don't know the history of how she got it, I just know when it was accidently broken on Christmas, she let it be known that she was disappointed. My Mom rarely cried and she didn't at this time, but she did remind my father numerous times that Christmas and a year or two afterwards, "You broke my elephant," with a pouty face. I don't know if it was an over exaggerated expression teasing us, or if she was really hurt about the loss of this elephant. I wonder if it was a gift from her mother who had passed. I believe it probably had a personal sentimental memory for her. 

Well, that is how it all started. Dad and I forever tried to make up for the accident by buying her elephants time after time for any holiday. In retrospect, it's too bad I never asked her if she did love elephants or just accepted her fate. She never refused any we bought her or said anything negative. I hope we made sufficient amends for her loss however, if the original elephant was a sentimental possession, she must have just let those feelings go. She forgave. 

The funny thing about identifying one with their collections, is that the memory lives on after they are gone. I always think of my Mom when I see elephants and so does my family.

After she passed, my Dad would use her money to treat the kids and grandkids to an amusement park once a year. One year, my 2nd grandson won a stuffed elephant and he sweetly gave it to me. Whenever we go on vacation, I will often buy a Christmas ornament as a reminder. When we saw the Ark, it was obvious to me to get the elephant ornament. 

My Dad treated the family to Disney World a few years after Mom had passed. We all were sitting, watching one of the amazing performances, There were four different places that characters entered the circular stage. I think I wasn't the only one who became teary when the enormous elephant entered the stage at the entrance nearest us. 

Although she was sad when her first elephant broke and she did let us clearly know her sadness, I don't know if she truly "got over it". I don't know the reason for her attachment, but what I do feel is that she forgave. She knew we were so sad for her and always tried to make amends for the accident. It didn't happen immediately and my Mom did have a memory like an elephant (!) but she forgave.

I am glad that God is not like us. He will not remember our past broken elephants when we ask for forgiveness. He is capable of remembering but he does not. As far as he is concerned, we are forgiven, it is forgotten, and we don't have to keep buying more elephants to make things right. He forgives us simply for saying we are sorry. Isn't that great? 

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

I John 1:9

Mother/daughter being a part of history Daily Post #14

I am embarrassed to say that I have procrastinated on something for six years. Six years! It's so ridiculous. I have decided with Mother's Day around the corner, I am going to get this finished now in Mom's honor.

In 2018 I learned that there is a museum in California that will take your old Vietnam MIA/POW bracelets and put them on display. They will repair broken ones, like mine too. First, I did try to contact the family to see if they wanted them, but there was no response. I have learned that there were millions issued, so undoubtedly there were many issued for each service person.

The Palm Springs Air Museum has a display of the bracelets and will still accept ours after this long procrastination. I am glad for them to have a home to be permanently displayed instead of sitting in my drawer. The display has a bio about the serviceman, and they also ask for a picture of the person who wore the bracelet and some information about them. They wanted pictures from that time. It is difficult for me to find pictures from 1970's and my Dad said be sure to pick one that your Mom wouldn't mind on display. I decided for mine, I would use my high school graduation picture. For Mom's I had to dig deeper--thus, my procrastination. I have very few pictures from around that time.

For those who don't know, during the Vietnam War there became a movement to wear copper bracelets with the name of someone who was MIA or a POW in the war. This was to show support and to draw awareness. Mom and I got ours together. She was more faithful to always remember, even years later, the name of the man whose bracelet she wore, Major Rainford Tiffin, missing 7-21-66 at age 28. I have read that he was piloting a single seat F-105 Thunderchief on a combat mission over Yen Bai Province, North Vietnam when his plane was shot down. His body was never recovered, but he was later classified as KIA. Mom always thought about him and prayed for his return.

I wore the bracelet for Captain Richard Cooper missing 12-19-72. I researched him and he was thirty years old. He was in a B-52 when they went down in Hanoi. Four of his crewmates were captured, which must have always given the family a little hope. A daughter was born five months after the crash. Thirty-one years later, his remains were found and he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. 

My Mom was always caring and empathetic. We had a neighbor who she was good friends with, whose son was in Vietnam. Mom wrote to him regularly and sent him care packages. I am so thankful to have had a Mom who was so caring to others...even those she didn't even know.

For Mother's Day, Mom, a museum will have on display in the future a symbol of your caring heart toward others and of something, we did together. 

"Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."

I John 3:18

The long journey to our second house Daily Reflections #13

I neglected to say in my previous post that our first home was named by the Porter's, "Stony Hill". There was a sign claiming that (I wish I had more pictures from then). When we decided to sell "Stony Hill", we were anxious about the timing of selling and buying a new home. We were afraid of getting stuck with two mortgages, which we could not do. 

We researched towns, the school systems and location in regard to where we worked and where family was located, and my heart was set on Barkhamsted. When a buyer was jumping through the hoops with the bank to buy our house, the closing date kept getting moved. We hadn't found a house and we were too afraid to be too serious about buying and were afraid this buyer was not going to be approved.

We came close to just forgetting the whole plan. We could just add on to the house to make room for our bigger family. Our realtor suggested that we find a rent for six months and then buy a house. So, we decided on that path. We found a rent in Colebrook and started packing.

One week before the closing, the landlord of the Colebrook house changed his mind for some reason. We had to scramble to find another place to live. That is when we learned there was a two-bedroom apartment in Barkhamsted available, that was fortunate because Barkhamsted does not have a large number of rentals. 

We went from "Stony Hill" to "Rocktree Apartments". For apartments, I was so pleased with the setting. There were three buildings, surrounded by trees. Our apartment had sliding doors to a deck with a view of Ski Sundown when it was lit up at night. It wasn't perfect--there was a mildew problem in the lower rooms. Although we got along with our neighbors, one sometimes liked to have late night parties when our kids were sleeping. But for the most part, we were pretty content at Rocktree.

There were two favorite memories for our children. First was the gazebo. This was a large, rectangular, covered wooden structure, with built in seats all along the edges. The kids loved playing there and it was the perfect place for both of our kids warm weather birthdays. We were so grateful for that.

The other was the proximity to the woods where there was a brook that led to (or from?) Stanclift Cove and Goosegreen Pond. In the winter we walked out on the ice. One summer we found a huge, deceased turtle. 

There were also other kids around for the kids to play with in a big backyard. I believe my kids made good memories there. That's the good news. The bad news is shortly after moving in, George lost his job. 

Here is the raw, transparent truth: I worked part time at the post office and George did whatever he could to help keep us afloat. He worked at several part time jobs. Time kept passing and we ended up having to pay capital gains. Six months turned into years--eight years to be exact. There were tough times and we started building a little credit card debt. I remember buying juice boxes and some other food items at department stores so I could use my credit card. It is good that grocery stores didn't accept credit cards at that time or I probably would have gotten us into deep credit card debt. We went from a house within our first year of marriage to being in debt a few years later. 

One of George's part time jobs was working for a cleaning company. It was then that George thought about having his own cleaning business and he told his boss, Bill Babbitt, that he was thinking of getting a cleaning account on his own. He didn't want to compete against him. Bill Babbitt was more than generous helping George and mentoring him into starting his own cleaning business. What a blessing! And Minuteman Cleaning was born and we started crawling out of our debt. 

As we lived through those times, we never stopped praying for our own house and had many people joining in our prayers. And in 1993, our prayers were answered better than we imagined they could be. Thanks to finding a little newspaper article , about this organization that wanted to help people build affordable homes, we were on our way to answered prayers, Like the rest of the journey, it had its problems. When we went to purchase the land, there was a town meeting and it was hard to hear some say, "Not in our neighborhood." They overlooked the fact that our home was going to be bigger than one of the other homes in the neighborhood and about the same as a couple others. There were several much bigger too. It was a diversified neighborhood. This program had only 2 plots of land for sale. 

We bought our land in Barkhamsted (--answer to prayer!) We chose a ranch because we wanted one floor for when we got older. We said we wanted it to be a home we could retire in and over 20 years later, we did just that. 

Our home is not huge, but it's in Barkhamsted and over 30 years later, I still find myself thanking God for this home that I love. I could have thought the appendicitis mentioned before, or the long delays for the buyers (who I believe are still living at Stony Hill), or the rent in Colebrook falling through at the last minute and then George's job loss, our money problems, were signs that we should not have moved, but we persevered. We are fortunate to have lived in Barkhamsted since 1985 and we never dreamed we would have had a house built. We have never had past due credit card debt again. Sometimes blessings take the scenic route that we didn't expect to get there and when they do, we are all the more thankful. 

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens"

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Kind words: The best medicine Daily Reflection #12

Before I move on in my posts about our next home, I wanted to touch on an incident that happened a couple of months before we moved from Norfolk. Our daughter, Tiffany, left our first home with one less body part. That should have gotten your attention.

Tiffany was five years old and had a fever and stomachache. I took her to the pediatrician and they said it was the flu or some kind of virus. I don't remember what. When she didn't get better in a couple of days, I called back the office and the office person told me that these bugs take time, it will pass. I wasn't pleased with the answer, but I didn't know to question or push the staff.

I can clearly remember the day when we said, "Enough is enough" and I remember George scooping her up and carrying her to the car. We took her to the emergency room on Spencer Street in Winsted. We saw as she laid on the table and the doctor brought her knee up to her chest and she reacted in pain. I remember her pediatrician had done the same thing, but because she reacted in pain with both sides, he disregarded it as being her appendix.

It was close to rupturing, and they took her into surgery immediately. We couldn't believe a five-year-old having appendicitis but so grateful to God that we got her there in time. 

The Winsted Hospital was downsizing and no longer had a pediatrics department. Therefore, Tiffany was the only child in the hospital at that time and I truly think some of the staff didn't know how to work with children. She was in there for eight days. and I went to visit her every day after my morning shift at the post office. I may have visited again in the afternoon after my afternoon shift, I don't remember, but however often I went, there was someone on the hospital staff that thought it was too much. She reprimanded me for coming so often (and often bringing her a little toy--remember too, that this hospital was not equipped for children). She told me that I was spoiling her and because of my visits and gifts, Tiffany was enjoying the attention and was not trying to get well. I think her part of trying to get well was walking the hall every day. I can't imagine a child wanting to be there. 

When that nurse told me that, I broke down in tears. We had almost lost our child and I was being told I was spoiling her and hindering her getting well. I remember being in the hallway crying. I also remember Susan Forsyth, a nurse who lived in East Hartland (a customer at the post office where I worked), came and comforted me. I have never forgotten her kindness and I did tell her that much later. I needed that so much at that time. 

The greatest lesson I learned from this, is to keep questioning the medical staff if you know something is not right. We have to be an advocate for others in their pain and struggles and additionally, Susan was the medicine I needed for my hurting heart. You never know how powerful your words can be. I don't remember what she said, but that she took the time to say it and comfort me. Spread kind words. How true this verse is: "Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." Proverbs 16:24. Amen.

The House, Daily Reflection #11

We were pretty happy to be married only five months when we were able to buy our cute little first house in Norfolk. It was a sweet little ranch with an actual staircase to the attic. It was on thirteen acres of wooded land. The older couple, the Porters, who lived there had actually built the place in their later years and we know they didn't really want to leave, but it was no longer easy for them to live there. We got to meet them when they were selling their special home, and they even left us a bottle of wine in the fridge when we moved in. When we ran into them later, we offered for them to come up and visit, but they said they just couldn't. 

The Porters were avid gardeners. Every year I tried to keep up knowing the name of the flowers that were blooming. We tried our hand at the vegetable garden which we were still reaping the benefits of some previous vegetables they had planted that kept coming up. But the biggest surprise treasure was the cultivated raspberry patch. So, delicious and so plentiful. We were even able to sell them at the local store. Stupid us, first year, we didn't realize that you always sell delicate raspberries, not by the quart but the pint. We sure gave people a bargain the first year of selling. We maxed at 450 pints one year. We tried to move some of the plants to my parent's house but I don't think they ever took.

At one point in time, we went to a boy scout camp that were auctioning off all their cabins. All the other people buying them were disassembling them and using the materials Not us, we hired a company to move it to our property. (Side note: someone stole our windows before we moved it. It should not have been too hard for the police to figure out who it was, but they did not pursue it.) It was quite a site seeing the truck carrying our house up our 450 foot long hill! It became our place to have the kids birthday parties, for one thing. We looked into starting a business of a party cabin and I would plan birthday parties for kids there. I so could have done that as I always gave themed parties with plenty of games. The cost of insurance for such a business killed that dream. We also thought the thirteen acres would make a pretty neat campground, but we never pursued that. 

Now that I've mentioned the albatross, I'll talk about the driveway. The house came with a jeep with a plow. If Mr. Porter, a senior citizen, had conquered that driveway with it, we could do it too. However, the first year, it died. I don't think we ever got to use it. It did start when we bought the house. Side note here: the septic system also went one week after we moved in! We didn't blame the Porters and we even purchased our spaceship looking like septic tank from someone we had met at the Big E, I digress.

We tackled that driveway with snowblowers, which seemed to break cotter pins often. Later we paid to have it paved thinking that would help. I'm sure it must have a little, but it didn't feel like it did. I can also remember standing there in tears shoveling a path up to the house. I don't know if we ever had anyone plow that driveway, maybe once. At times we parked at the bottom of the hill and pulled the groceries in a plastic shed to the top. Let me remind you, this was Norfolk, CT, the coldest and snowiest town in Connecticut. We lived there during the blizzard of '78. I can remember being pregnant in 1979 and trudging through knee deep snow that hill. 

Both of our kids were born while we lived there. They were one of four reasons we decided to move: we were outgrowing our cute little home, it was a toll call to my parents in East Hartland, it was a distance from our jobs and finally that driveway. We might have stayed, we could always add on and George grew up in Norfolk and liked his hometown, but that driveway...

I have to add one happy memory of that driveway. Our first year living there we threw an adult Halloween party with all kinds of crazy games for the adults to act like kids. People had to park at the bottom and hike up. Joe Sverni, George's good friend and an usher in our wedding, rented a gorilla costume. He picked a spot behind a tree halfway up our driveway and I'll leave the rest to your imagination. 

I have more to say on what happened when we left our first home, but I've gone on long enough this time. The lesson from all this: Although there were reasons to grumble and shed a few tears at our first home, we were so blessed to have had that home so early in our 20's and the experiences we had there. We also learned to look at the driveway first when purchasing a home. 

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 

I Thessalonians 5:18

Only child, but not alone Daily Reflection #10

I am an only child. For most of my life I had wished I had a sibling. Growing up, I had fantasized how nice it must be to have someone to play with at any time or how nice to have someone else to commiserate with me when I thought my parents were being unfair. I envied my friends, all but one had siblings. 

As an adult, I wished I had a sibling just to talk to about things and was jealous of adult siblings who could reminisce and share memories about their childhood together. I have also wished I had an adult sibling to help me, help my parents. 

As I got older, I realized just all the benefits of having my parents all to myself--all their attention and love, the closeness, just the three of us. And let's face it, one kid is a lot less expensive and so they could spend more money and time on me. Although I didn't have siblings, I don't think I was bored. I pursued many solo hobbies that maybe I would not have chosen if I had had a sibling. I have so much to be grateful for. I also learned that not all siblings are close, and the grass wasn't always as green in those other yards as I thought. 

I found that friendships could be as deep as sibling relationships. I have been so blessed to enjoy so many friendships over the years. I cherish all those who I can call "friend". I appreciate our church family too. I am not an only child by any means. I thank God for friendships and family.

"A sweet friendship refreshes the soul."

Proverbs 27:9

The Race Daily Reflection #9

We recently watched a cool animated video comparing the speed of animals. We were surprised by some of the comparisons. Turtles are slow but look fast compared to a sloth or snail. It was amazing to see ostriches and kangaroos only using two legs each, but were faster than leopards, giraffes or zebras. Of course, the cheetah was the fastest at 55-80 mph. 

We all have our own strengths and abilities. We are each running our own race Sometimes it's a sprint and sometimes it's a crawl. Sometimes we are on a straight racetrack and other times a path in the woods. We just go where and how life leads us and there sure are surprises along the way. The important thing is to run a fair race, play by the rules and to do the best of our ability, so that in the end we can proclaim, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7. Keep pressing on.

"Deb, This is Dad" Daily Reflection #8

Whenever my Dad calls me, he always says, "Deb, this is Dad." I smile to myself because I have caller id and I know it's him before I answer. Next clue, there are only a few people who call me Deb. Third, after all these years, I surely recognize his voice.

When I call him, I just say, "Hi Dad". He doesn't have caller id but he doesn't have any other children, so I don't feel the need to tell him it's me. He knows. 

It's pretty much like our heavenly father, he doesn't need us to identify ourselves. Even though, I am not his only child, he recognizes my voice and he knows us all by our voices and each of our names or nicknames.

The trickier part is listening to God when he speaks, to learn to discern his voice or signs in our life. Thankfully, we have the Bible to guide us and teach us how to listen. Help me to recognize my heavenly father's voice, just as I know my earthly father's voice. "He that has ears to hear, let him hear." (Matthew 11:15). 

"Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it."

Luke 11:28

Why is it? Daily Reflection #7

Why is it?

We like to go to local theater productions. What annoys me is nine times out of ten, they never publish up front what the admission price is. I have to go on their website and select the date and sometimes even which seats. I can understand if matinees are cheaper or there are different prices for different seats, but couldn't they still give me a ballpark? Tickets $10-$25 or $25-$50. Why do I have to jump through hoops to get to the top-secret charge? I pick a date and then select seats and then I see the price. Then I start over and pick a date and different seats to see if the charge is different. Some venues, the tickets are all the same price. I don't understand why they can't publish them up front on their webpage. There has got to be a reason. Just a silly little thing that bugs me.

Then there are those ads online that suck you in with a video that is going to change your life from some new miracle cure or a fantastic new invention. You start watching and are intrigued and have to keep watching to find out how much this cost. These are videos that usually don't give you the option of fast forwarding. You have to sit through the whole thirty-minute video (or let it play out while you do something else) to get to the price. And if you are lucky, there will be a "But wait!" and there will be added bonuses or a discount. I have two rules of thumb(s) regarding sales. 1) If it's a video that you can't fast forward through and requires sitting through an undisclosed length of time, I will not watch it. You can keep your miracle product. 2) If you are salesman in person and you tell me that this offer is only good right now and won't be good tomorrow. I say, "Goodbye". It's a turn off and how ridiculous that it's only ok for me today when tomorrow you will offer the same deal to someone else. 

Of course, there wasn't money in the garden of Eden, but boy, did eating of that fruit tree come with a big cost. If only there was a warning of just how much that fruit would cost them and their generations afterwards until Jesus paid the final installment. Adam and Eve were sold a bill of goods by Satan without questioning the price--just thinking about the miracle cure they were getting and for free. Talk about a bait and switch. 

I pray that I pay attention to the cost of things, so I can be wise with my money but also be aware of the cost others, especially Jesus, have paid for me and help me to show gratitude in my life. 

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law."

Romans 13:8

The Missing, Not Missing Piece Daily Reflection #6

My Mom was a jigsaw puzzle lover and so is her granddaughter and now her great granddaughters. Mom always told us to buy puzzles at tag sales to save money from buying them new. The only problem with that is there could be pieces missing. Kind puzzle people--rabbit trail ahead--what are they called? puzzle solvers, puzzle people, puzzle doers, puzzlers? Google informs me that they are called dissectologists--back to my original thoughts--Kind dissectologists often put on the box "1 piece missing or 2 pieces missing". Some cool looking puzzles I would think would still be fun to do, but if it said that, Mom didn't want it. I guess she couldn't stand the incompleteness. 

I bought this puzzle at a tag sale for my daughter. I love the notations on the box. Darn, one piece missing on this cool puzzle, but wait, here's another note, "found it!" and "not" added to clarify. If I didn't know the person who I bought it from, the picture of the puzzle sure gives a clue as to why the piece was missing--most likely a dissectologist who was also an ailurophile (showing off my rabbit trail skills--a cat lover). I would wager that a cat had something to do with the missing piece. Pretty good detective skills, right?

999 pieces and one was missing. I'm sure this dissectologist looked under the table, in the box, under other furniture and in all corners of the room. 999 is a lot of pieces but what joy when she found that one missing piece. The puzzle was complete. It reminds me of one of my favorite parables of the lost sheep. Jesus, the good shepherd, will leave the 99 to look for 1. Jesus doesn't want any puzzle pieces missing or left behind--that includes you and me. How comforting is that? 

"It a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about the one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish."

Matthew 13:10-14

Following the Rules Daily Reflection #5

My 91-year-old Dad went to his bank for a couple of reasons, but one was to cash a check he gets periodically from stocks or something. It was for $3.29. His bank closed its local office, so he has to go to a different branch now.

He was slightly annoyed when they asked for his identification. He never had to do that with his local office. Then the clerk pointed out the check was made out to him and his wife and it needed her signature. He told them that would not be possible because she has been dead for over ten years. The clerk hemmed and hawed, and then told him to wait while he got his boss. My Dad replied, "I can't imagine what you make me do for $4.00!"

I love the humor, but I respect the rules. The bank is protecting us and themselves from fraud. (I know he needs to tell the issuer that his wife is deceased). Although annoying, the rules are in place for a reason. There have been rules to protect us from day one in the Garden of Eden. There are traffic rules to avoid chaos. There are rules to games to be fair. There are rules of etiquette, to make us decent to others and pleasant to be around others. There are laws to help us live peacefully in society. 

We cannot live without laws in our lives. Even Jesus was punished for supposedly breaking laws he did not break, but his punishment saves us from a trial in the end for all the laws we do break, as long as we have faith that he's going to cash our checks whether it is for $3.29 or $4.00, he will cash it for us in exchange for eternal life. We don't even have to show our id because he knows us! Thank you, Lord for your commandments to guide us daily. Help us to keep these rules. 

"And God spoke all these words:

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

You shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. 

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

Exodus 20: 1-17

Road Work Ahead Daily Reflection #4

Today when I was on the road, there were caution signs warning me of a work area ahead. I slowed down and got ready to stop for the flagman, if necessary. Well, as has happened before, I drove on and on and this time, there were no workers. The signs had been left up. Another time, I swear I drove 5 miles before I finally came up on the construction site--it surprised me because I didn't believe the signs. 

Such is a life. We know God is there and will get us through, but we can't always see what is happening and our journeys are lengthened by detours, road work and sometimes accidents. We may get annoyed or sometimes, devastated, by the turn of events, but sometimes we need "road work".  Despite us not understanding or expecting all detours, we know he has given us signs and a hope for the future.  

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding, In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall make straight your paths."

Proverbs 3:5,6