A Day Well Spent

A delightfully pleasant day was had by yours truly today....I decided to waive all serious business and spend some time with my good friend Carolyn...I had a little present to deliver to her from another friend and that was a good excuse to stop in on her to see how she was faring! When I got there she had her door open and I knew that meant she was having a smoke! Sure enough, that was the case and she hastily snuffed it out and invited me in. The smoke was a bit overwhelming at first but eventually left and I took a seat and presented her with her gift...it was a hand knitted scarf that her friend had someone make especially for her..and she loved it and decided to wear it...She indicated to me that she had cabin-fever and I invited her to spend some time with me as I didn't have any special plans and would enjoy some company. She proceeded to get ready and away we went...First stop was Steak and Shake for some lunch...she ate like a bird...but managed to down a small coke and eat most of the meat from her burger and a few fries...I wolfed down a burger and two large diet cokes and most of the fries. I was finished before she got a good start! After leaving there, we went to visit my daughter and from there we went thrifting . We have a love for thrift shopping in common so that was fun and I ran on to more bargains than Carolyn...she found a golf club she liked and I forget what else...I was a bit surprised to see her with the golf club...seems she used to play golf...and perhaps plans on taking up the sport again. The longer I know this lady...the more I find out about her...I know she loves poetry and leaves and at one time was quite the pianist. I would have never guessed she was a golfer til I saw her purchase that nine-iron today!
We loaded up our treasures and I decided it was time for a break, so headed for my house...got here and of course the dogs went crazy...hadn't seen her in a long time so were a little too enthusiastic in greeting her... I got them settled down and noticed she seemed distressed...it seems that we forgot the golf-club in the cart! So I called up the thrift store and pleaded our case and they had found the club and promised to hold it for her at the check-out until we stopped in to get it...she was relieved over that!
It looked like it could snow anytime so I decided it would be wise to finish our outing and get her home...so, out next stop was Sav-a-Lot for a few staples and then we stopped by to get the golf club ....it did finally start snowing, but I got her delivered to her door before dark and she was very grateful to have gotten out and about and I do believe we cured her case of cabin-fever!

In Memory

It's been a melancholy day for me today....January 26, 1969 I lost a good friend of mine...my Dad.
I know it's been a long time ago...but something like that, you never forget.. I hesitated to even write about this because memories can bring back pain. He was born on the same date 58 years before....how many people die on their birthday? More than we would think probably. I could say many good things about him here....he was really special to me...I was the youngest of five and the only girl.....so you got to know I was a Daddy's girl! We stuck together through thick and thin and nobody got by with putting Dad down to me, cause in my eyes he was The Best! Many years have past and I will soon be the same age as he was when he left here....just goes to show how fast the years can slip by.....
So, I went about the duties of the day....even tried to let the date escape my thoughts...thinking it was not the 26th but the 25th....then the realization of the date always came back and I would be thinking that this would have been his ninety-something birthday if he were still here....didn't do the math....it's not relevant any way.......memories are tho and today my thoughts went back some years ago back to when he was here and most times with Dad were good times.......and today I missed them!

Get Back Up!

It's funny how different people have different concepts of effective ways of communicating...some are more adept to speaking, some prefer the written page..I would be one to prefer to write..although given a chance I think I could master speaking effectively...I would just have to overcome the fear of public speaking! When I was in high school...I was so afraid to speak in front of the class, I would literally be traumatized whenever I had to give a speech or a book report...I would break out into a cold sweat....be so nervous I could barely speak...I would made my report as short as possible...simply for the fact that I was so afraid to get up in front of the class....When I went to college, much later in life I had to take public speaking....How did I do? Well, the first few times were scary, but I managed to make it through it...the more confidence I developed, the easier it became. I was still a little edgy at the idea...but each time was a bit better than the previous! I am so thankful that I took the class, because the fear I had of speaking to a crowd left me and now although it isn't my most favorite thing to do....I can do it!
Fear is a debilitating emotion, and in many cases is hard to overcome.....we face so many fears in our lives and often feel the need to avoid them at all costs. I have found that avoidance is not the answer...we must face them head on and overcome! Had I not faced the fear of speaking in public when I was in college...I would most likely still be afraid to speak...but due to the fact that I overcame the fear....I may someday be able to be an effective speaker and use it to make a difference in someone's life! It will still be a challenge...but, having faced the fear..I have an advantage and feel confident that I could pull it off!
We face the same fears in our Christian walk. Many of us don't care to admit it...but in reality, we fear to speak out for Christ and don't face that fear effectively....I admit my own guilt to this and hope and pray that I will overcome it in a mighty way and be able to break out of all inhibitions and speak the truth that I know will benefit my friends and everyone I encounter...God doesn't want us to be fearful...He wants us to be true to what we believe in and to be willing to share that belief with others! Others may not agree with us and they may make fun of us...but that's okay....the fact that we spoke out...even if it's for the very first time..we will be able to do it again and again! That's how I overcame my fear of public speaking...by forcing myself to get back up there...my confidence grew because of it....so can yours....just keep getting back up! You won't regret it and God will be smiling down on you!

A Sunday Lesson........

Did you know that what you consider your weaknesses are in fact your assets?...I would of never thought much about that..except today our pastor gave us something to think about when he preached about how God uses our weaknesses to manifest His strength through us! I'm not sure if I can explain it as good as Pastor did...but I'll attempt to make some sense of what I absorbed in church this morning!
We all have weak spots.....things in our lives that we wish were different or better...our appearances ,for instance...or maybe our abilities..there is always something we wish we could do better, some of us wish we were smarter, more athletic, we wish we could sing better, dance better or any number of things...you plug them in...But wherever our weak spot is....God will give us strength somewhere else, somewhere perhaps where we would least expect to be strong. We may never even realize where our strength lies, because we are too busy concentrating on our failures and weaknesses! The apostle Paul wrote in the bible that God's grace is sufficient for us because His power is made perfect in our weakness! That kind of explains a lot doesn't it? Got me to thinking about some of my own "weak spots"! Sometimes we feel bad because we can't do certain things that we would like to be able to do. There are so many things about myself that I would like to improve! But, I know that God uses me anyway and that even though I may not be great at a lot of things, He knows what my capabilities are and He will help me put them to good use! That's what God wants us to do.....realize our weaknesses and know that without Him we are powerless to do anything...Don't you think the strength we have comes from Him anyway?
Life can throw us some wicked curves, very few of us make it down life's road without hitting some chug holes, bumps, road blocks and whatever other obstacles that may get tossed in our paths.....but, we don't have to be defeated by those obstacles or by our weak shocks.....cause if we let God be our "backseat" driver....I know what you all are thinking about backseat drivers..........just bare with me! Sometimes those backseat drivers are smarter than you and know a little bit more about where they are going! We don't want to listen to them because we think we are smarter. But, let me tell you...nobody is smarter than God! Sometimes you just got to listen to someone who knows more than you do....and that most definitely would be God!!!
I think you all are getting the point and that I don't have to use any more examples here.....what I am really trying to say is quite simple: We are weak and He is strong....because He is strong, He protects us in spite of our weaknesses and by His strength we can overcome anything that will try to stop us from achieving what He wants us to do to bring about His will for our lives! That is what I learned in church this morning. Just wanted to pass it on!

Off the Hook!

Do you ever just want to hide from everything? Hide from people, bills, obligations, others expectations of you? Well, thats sort of how I'm feeling right now....can't really explain why, perhaps one reason is that people can be very disappointing. Obligations can sometimes be intrusive and tiring. Bills, needless to say, can put the best of us in a discouraging mood...I try my best to look for the good in everyone...but then that one person comes along and says something or does something to make you wonder why you ever trust anyone! Then, you have to stop and think about why they said what they said or did what they did and understand that maybe they are just having a bad day and that they really didn't mean to hurt you.
Have you ever just sat and observed other people and wondered what was going on in their heads, what they were going through in their lives...sometimes pain shows....most of us aren't really that good at hiding it. The next time someone lashes out at you or does something to hurt you...before you even think about retaliating...and that's usually your first thought....think about this instead:
Things aren't just right with him (or her) today. Something is bothering him or he wouldn't be acting like he is. Consider how you feel when things aren't exactly going that great for you...and then...before you get angry or shut the person out....think about the last time you acted like that and you'll be able to better understand what that person is going through...even though he may be acting like the biggest jerk in the world.........you may just want to let him blow off steam and let him be for a while until the smoke clears!
No matter how smart you think you are...you will never know what another is going through...so don't assume anything..........sometimes all a person needs is an understanding friend who knows when to shut up!

How Important is Your Time?

The marching of time seems more evident the older we get! One thing for sure..it seems to march a whole lot faster than it used to! Some days go faster than others, but as a general rule the old adage..time flies, sees to ring truer now than when we were much younger! They say that youth is wasted on the young...and I can see the truth in that old saying too. When we are young we don't think about the value of time or how we use the time given us...we just coast along and think that our youth is endless and then the weeks turn into months, the months become a year........decades go by, few get to see a century..but in reality our time here is so very short. Can we afford to waste all the time we waste? If our years were given to us in dollars and cents...how would we spend them? We've all heard someone say that time is money...well, what if it was? Say for instance..we were given 100,000 dollars worth of time and that the money equaled how much time we were given to live and when it was gone..so were we...would we not divide that money in such small increments and make it last as long as we possibly could? We cannot buy time, we all know that...but if we could...don't you think that all our money would be invested in more time and less everything else! How precious is time to you? We could all probably say..time means everything..but how do we spend that precious time?
I can only speak for myself when I say that I have wasted more of my time than I care to admit to! When I think of some of the ways that I have spent my time...foolishly...meaninglessly, thoughtlessly..it makes me a bit sad and regretful.
None of us know for sure how much time we will have to do all the things we want to do and to say what we want to say..right some of the wrongs we've committed...go places we want to go..see things we want to see..so many things to do..so little time...maybe, maybe not! Take advantage of every hour, every day you have and make a difference in your life...treat your time like it is a precious resource, like it's worth a million dollars! God only knows how much time you have and He wants you to use it wisely! He gives it and only He can take it away........be thankful for every day because it is a gift.

HOME ALONE!

TV is not that appealing this evening...the weather is atrocious and I am bored beyond my own comprehension of boredom! It's pretty good when you gotta rack your brain to think of something to blog about cause you don't have anything better to do! Geez, I am one pathetic critter tonight!
The dogs are no help...they are both piled up here beside me on the couch sound asleep...but they don't miss a sound...every time they hear the slightest noise they are on it...bark a while then right back on the couch and sleeping! They are no fun!!! As you may have guessed...I am spending an evening alone with the hounds and it's not that entertaining! I have taken a couple naps and because of that probably won't be able to sleep later...but that's okay...no work tomorrow!
This evening started out all wrong to begin with....when I came home from my daughter's...I discovered someone had locked the outside door from the inside by accident...so, I couldn't get into the house! I went to the neighbor's to plead my case and he graciously went over and got the door unlocked for me...and informed me how easy it would be to break in to my house...well, at this point, I didn't care...just wanted to get in...the dogs were going crazy..and would you believe the inside door wasn't even locked!! I was too glad just to get in to be too mad about the door situation....and it's anyone's guess who locked the door...wasn't me....but it was an accident, I'm sure.
At first, I thought it would be pretty cool to spend an evening alone...everyone else's plans didn't include me this evening and I thought it would be nice to spend a quiet evening at home and do just what I wanted...watch what I wanted on tv and have the house all to myself.....
Well, I ain't liking it much ....tv is totally a waste...it is just noise and I don't even know the name of the show that's on...and all the channels I've visited are have more interesting commercials than the actual program.. so, tv gets no points with me! And like I said before... my two canine friends are lazy bums and want to do nothing but sleep....no-one is on MySpace even! So, whats a gal to do? Quit complaining for one, you all say.. and you are probably right!
So here is a little ditty for all us loners tonight.............the weather outside is frightful....My dogs are undelightful.....I wish someone would phone.....I don't like bein' alone......this night is just not rightful! Sorry bout that last line..just couldn't think of a better word to rythm!
I do believe there is something worth watching coming on the tube...48 hours sounds like it could get interesting tonight....there's hope yet for this sorry evening....goodnight all!

How Do We Look?

Have you ever watched the show on Style network...How Do I Look? A person who is not so fashion conscience is selected for a makeover and their family members and/or friends get to pick out clothes that they think the person will look good in and then the person gets to pick the clothes they like best and then guess who picked that wardrobe...and of course the person gets a fabulous makeover...hair, makeup and the works and they usually wind up looking much better than when they got there! Have you ever wondered how we look to God and how He would make us over if He were the fashion police?... How would He change you? or me? Do you think he would want us to be beautiful and to wear just the right clothes and just the right makeup and have the perfect hair color to match our flawless complextion? Would He look at our attire and laugh if our shoes didn't match our purses? Or, do you think that He would be more concerned with the condition of our hearts and would look right past what we are wearing and look far deeper than what appears to the natural eye! I sure hope so!
I would hope that God is not judging me from how I appear on the outside..because I have no fashion sense at all!!! I have never been all that interested in high fashion...but I am interested in how I look to God and I hope He sees someone who is very much concerned about knowing Him and wanting to be the apple of His eye! Did you know that God is always watching us? He is not concerned so much about how fashionable we are, but He is concerned about the condition of our hearts and He wants each and every one of us to have a heart free of hate, free of jealousy, greed and all the bad things that His enemy (and ours, by the way) would try to instill in us with his sneaky schemes to steer us in the wrong direction! So, do you know what? I think if we all would just imagine that God's eyes are always on us and that we want Him to be pleased by what He sees! We sure don't want to make the devil happy.. and he is at the height of his glory when he can make us misbehave and be miserable...so, just remember...God is watching and he ain't looking to see if you wearing the hottest fashion! So, don't worry so much about how your looking on the outside...cause what's most important to Him is most likely not going to be your attire!!

Starting that new year

It's a new year and like everyone else, I'm hoping I can get a good start off to the new year...I want it to be a good start to a good year...So far, things are going pretty good and I can honestly say that I have high expectations for the coming year and am determined to keep a positive attitude and keep all negativity at bay! Now, I suppose everyone's wondering how I plan on doing that...well, that's what I'm here to talk about so as I adjust my thinkin' cap..let's see what brilliant ideas I can come up with to maintain that elusive positive attitude!
First of all, I think, in order to keep a positive attitude, I am going to have to eliminate all things that create negativity in my life! What causes negativity..well, negative people for one! I will have to avoid some people that tend to be sadsacks and do complain a lot...Yikes...I know quite a few people like that! So, do I hide when I see one coming? No, I just politely find ways to avoid prolonged encounters with such people and situations that put me in their general area..that will be a challenge at work, believe me, cause they are everywhere!!! I realize that sometimes it is really hard to maintain a positive attitude at the workplace..but I know people who do nothing but complain most all day long!
I must come up with a line that will be both polite and yet get the message out that I am not interested in listening to a long drawn out sob-story! Anyone with a good suggestion of such a line..feel free to comment!
Next, I'm going to sit down and write everything good that is going on in my life..at home, at work..at my church and with everyone I know and then make a list of some of the things that could use some sprucing up....like my own attitude, how I relate to people and situations that make me feel inferior or uncomfortable, and what I can do to improve my communicating skills. If everyone would do this once in a while, I believe we could actually help ourselves overcome some of the little things that hinder us from keeping a positive attitude! If we were to admit it to ourselves, I think we would all have to agree that we can be our own worst enemies....our thoughts and feelings about ourselves can sometimes lead to negativity and when we have negative thoughts about ourselves, we invariably think bad things about others also.
Always look for the good in others; acceptance and forgiveness of others is a sign of maturity. Spiritual growth depends on being able to forgive others of their shortcomings....we must never forget that the faults we see in others are often the same faults they see in us!
I'm by no means an expert on positivity or do I have all the answers for everyone who wants this to be a better year than last year was! It's just my hope to do the best I can to be more considerate of others, more understanding of my own feelings and less apt to nit-pick and find fault with those around me! I'm counting on some of my friends to help me out and do the same!

Stress tests cause Stress!!

Today was my first experience of having a stress test and hopefully the last! I don't want to sound like it was a horrible experience..but it wasn't a joyous occasion to say the least...when I first got there I got to play 2o questions with a nurse and she then asked my why the doctor ordered the test..I wanted to smart off and say.."you might want to ask him" but I was nice and told her that I had some unexplainable pain in my arm and the doctor wasn't sure if it was related to a tennis elbow condition or something else...so to be on the safe side, he ordered the stress testing..one test was with a treadmill and the next one will be resting...that one will be tomorrow...
Well, questions out of the way, I get to get hooked up to the electrodes that are going to record the heart rate while I'm on the treadmill and of course I get to have a needle with a little tube in it stuck in my arm so when your heart rate reaches 139 bpm they shoot some stuff into the tubing to attach to your red blood cells which will later give them a picture of your blood flow system! I'm sorry if I don't have all the technical terms correct..but it's the best I can do..
Then they start the treadmill up and gradually increase the speed of it as your heart rate increases....after it reaches 139, the isotopes are injected and then you get cranked up to a faster pace and when the rate is up to 155 and you feel like you are about to stroke out...they slow you down and then it's over! Then you get to go to x-ray and hold your arms over your head for a whole fifteen minutes while a big machine takes pictures of your chest...at least you get to lie down for this one! I got to leave after that and go back tomorrow for just a resting test...on that one I just get the isotope injection and some pictures.....piece of cake!
I had anticipated something a lot worse than it actually was...so if you are ever scheduled for a stress test...fear not...if you can get past that dreaded treadmill thing you've got it made....I have come to one conclusion : I need to exercise more because....if I had been in a bit better shape..that treadmill trip would have been much easier!

Breakdown!

The pizza oven broke down at work yesterday...It happened after I left...so I'm not taking the blame! Seriously, it was nobody's fault. We all smelled a strange odor coming from it yesterday..almost like charcoal starter. Who would have thought that it was a sign that it was about to give out? MSI was called, a part was ordered and supposed to have been in this morning. I got there at noon..no MSI ,and the oven was still down! Well, after all the cold pizza is made and put out, there is not a whole lot to do besides make hot pizza for customers. The boss left and I punched in with thoughts of what I'm supposed to do to keep busy for eight hours with no oven! I helped the gal in Chinese make some crabragoons, waited on some of their customers, make a couple pans of pasta for tomorrow.. then went to lunch. After that, I was challenged as to what came next..so I winged it for a while.I cleaned the area up..found a place to put a big box of lids that had been bugging me for a while, I replaced some of the pizzas that had sold out in our coldcase...To make a longer story short..I gave up about five, decided I had done all I could do and punched out and went home!
Of course, everyone was envious of me that I got to leave early...I'm sure no-one wanted me to stay and do nothing , so I didn't feel too bad about leaving!
I deChristmatized my living room this morning and now the house is back to a holiday-free decor. I really liked my Christmas decorations this year so I was a bit sad to take them all down...I guess I didn't want to let go of Christmas yet...my brother and his wife came to visit over the New Year weekend..we had a great visit..they are very special to me...I hadn't seen my sister-in-law in about two years..they went to church with us Sunday morning...I even got to bring my friend Carolyn with me! My son and his girlfriend and her two daughters came to the potluck after church..so, that was a really special day for me!
Tonight I'm just chillin' here on my couch with Jose and my dog buddies..Jose's watching some ancient Egyptian mummy show on tv...It's kinda gross, so I'm trying not to view it at all, but sneak a glance ever so often..just not my thing.....no mummies for me!
I have one chubby little weiner girl on one side of me and Kramer is down at the other end of the couch all nice and cozy..like I have said before...these hounds got it made!! Hope everyone is getting a great start on the new year...mine wasn't all that bad...I'm enjoying my little break from the job...have a good evening!