Don't Worry. It Doesn't Help.

I tend to be one of those people who doesn't worry about much. Now, don't get me wrong, I am very concientious and responsible. But I don't WORRY. I don't fret and stress, and I'm not afraid all the time. I figure we might as well LIVE until we die, otherwise we might as well be dead anyway. I do pray a lot, but then I tend to let God decide the outcome, and since I know He knows what He's doing, I don't have to try to "help" determine the outcome "my way."

But I don't want to be stupid either. I make sure the stove is turned off when I'm done cooking, lock the doors before I go to bed, and drive as safely as I can. And lately, now that my sons have moved on and I'm here alone a lot, I try to be a little more aware of things. Gardening is one of those things I have to be a little more careful about.

When I garden (or any thing else, for that matter) I tend to forget to pace myself. I just go full bore until I'm ready to drop. But besides being accident prone, I'm not as young as I was, and I've gotten myself in to some trouble doing that. The most recent and serious was heat stroke. I'd been mowing in the hottest part of a Florida summer day, and I began to feel chest pain. I stopped mowing and went in to drink water and cool off, but I couldn't get cool - instead I got nauseous and dizzy, progressing to violent vomiting. I have some health issues with medications that exacerbate the problem, so I was one sick puppy. I recovered, but it left an impression, not only on me but on my doctor and hubby! So now I have to take precautions - and I do! I watch the heat, wear a hat and sunglasses, stop to rest in the shade and drink water, and keep only one battery for the mower, so when it runs out, I'm done.

When I go out to garden, I've begun taking water, a chair, my cell phone, and lately, my keys. I got a scare from a vagrant one day, and I realized any one could go in to the house while I was out working in the garden and I would never know it until I was locked in there with them. So I try to take the proper precautions.

But you know, it's a fine line between proper precautions and living in fear. Today was a good example. I took all the many things out with me that I could possibly need to stay safe and healthy while weeding my plumbagos. But then I had the problem of what to do with them. In typical impulsive fashion, I didn't think it through. I just stuck the keys and cell phone in my shirt (you know, ladies, the ever present "purse" that resides there!). I gardened happily for quite a while, serene in the knowledge that I'd covered all the bases. Until I was nearing exhaustion and decided to finish up and go in. That's when I realized I didn't have my keys anymore. At some point gravity had played it's little prank, and they were gone! I am not known for staying calm in situations like that, but I did! I (calmly) walked around to all the places I'd been, looking (calmly) for the keys. I didn't find the keys, but I did give some thought to the thick piles of weeds I'd clutched to my bosom and then thrown over the cow pasture fence. But I didn't dwell on that thought. Finally I gave up and called my husband. About that time I suffered my ultimate humiliation as I realized I DID have pockets in these shorts after all! It was the OTHER shorts that didn't have pockets.

My husband called my son, who was closer, and who I couldn't call because I had never put his new number in my cell phone, and he came to rescue me. He not only let me back in my own house, but he even found the missing keys for me. Lying in plain site about 2 feet from where I was sitting in the shade in despair.

So what have I learned from this? That I'm a hopeless and impulsive clutz. But actually I already knew that, so what ELSE did I learn from this? I have no idea. On the one hand, being "safe" didn't work out so well, as it so often does not. (How many people shoot a loved one thinking they are a burglar, or are suffocated in their own air bag, or die in a fire because there were bars on their windows?). On the other hand, I was rather glad I had my cell phone with me. And my water, for that matter. So I basically learned I was right all along (don't you LOVE when that happens?); that I need to take precautions, but not worry too much. Pray, leave it in God's hands, and LIVE until I die. At which time I have a sneaking suspicion that the angels will be laughing so hard from whatever ridiculous way I end up dying that they won't even be able to greet me right away!

Happy Birthday to Our #1 Son!

Twenty Seven years ago, this little darling with the punk rocker hair and the huge blue eyes, came to join our family. Now he's 6' 5" of manhood. His eyes are still amazing, and he's still sweet! Happy Birthday to our firstborn son, who filled our lives with so much joy.

All is Well on the Floor Project

The flooring project is going quite well. It's mostly finished, except for trim and transitions. The laundry room is coming along nicely too, and the platform is built.

Haven't begun the new bathroom yet, the den (man cave!) needs trim and bookcases, and the guest bathroom needs painting, also the back porch... are you ever really done? Especially when you have a bad case of what my friend calls "While I'm At It" Syndrome!

It doesn't help any that every one is leaving! Our oldest son, who is going to do the phone and computer networking stuff, is going to Georgia for the weekend to do some hiking and camping. Well, it's his birthday tomorrow so he gets a buy, I guess. Our middle son, who is doing - well, just about everything! - is going to Galveston to help with the clean up. Even our youngest son, who isn't currently working on his parent's house, is leaving Tuesday for 2 weeks in Bulgaria and Greece! (For a missions conference and retreat). At least my camera gets to go. My camera is well-traveled.

Please forgive me for not visiting and leaving comments much right now, I'm SWAMPED! And don't even get me started on what all the poor garden needs. Well, actually, do get me started, or stuff is gonna start dying. I need to do some industrial-strength weeding. When I surface for air, I'll come visit again, I promise.

Remodeling Conundrums

You never know where things will end up when you are remodeling,

But a Queen always finds her throne.

Becoming Gracious

I have given a lot of thought to the way I want to grow old. My mom said she was going to live to be 100 so matter of factly the whole time I was growing up, that I just thought that's what one did. So I've always intended to live to be 100. I will be 50 in a few years and it feels like I'll be able to re-start the odometer and do the whole trip over again, so I definitely don't feel old yet, but I assume at some point I will be officially an old woman. Instead of being horrified by that idea, I want to grow in to it graciously. I've known some grand old women, beautiful and gracious and comfortable with their age. They are wise, wonderful, kind and funny. Intelligent and accomplished, too, with very interesting stories to tell. They wear their crowns of white hair as regally as queens and I admire them greatly. That's the kind of old woman I want to be, and I figure it won't just happen. No, I will have to work toward it every day as I build my life decision by decision, choice by choice.

I have always been fascinated by Scarlett of Gone With the Wind fame. She secretly wishes to grow to be exactly like her gracious, self-sacrificing, servant mother. Scarlett is portrayed as self-centered to an amazing degree, willing to do anything that will advance her own welfare to the detriment of anyone who gets in her way. But every time she makes a bad choice, she reassures herself that some day when it is more convenient, she'll be kind, worry about others before herself, sacrifice for the common good. She puts off every good choice to a tomorrow that never quite comes, never realizing that with every bad choice she makes she goes the opposite direction of where she wants to end up. That made a huge impression on me growing up. I came to realize that every single choice I made was a building block in the person I would become. Kindness and self-denial are not concepts to be discussed but character traits to be developed by practicing them time after time, when it is least convenient and hardest to do. But if I practice being gracious throughout my life, I am confident that some day I will grow to be like the women I so admire.

"A gracious woman attains honor. Let (her adornment) be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. Strength and dignity are her clothing and she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." (medley of Proverbs 11:16, 1 Peter 3:4, Proverbs 31: 25, 26) This is what I aspire to.

Election Experiment

I love all the drama, debates, and excitement surrounding the election, but when all is said and done, whoever is voted in will be my President and Vice President, receiving my prayers for their well being and wise decision making.

I wish more people would take voting seriously. I don't understand people who say it doesn't make any difference anyway. If we don't vote, then of course it doesn't make any difference! We have a representational government, and the only incentive the people in office have to represent us instead of themselves is knowing we are paying attention to what they do and voting accordingly. I heard some foreigners saying everyone should be allowed to vote in America's Presidential election, because we couldn't be trusted to make the decision that affects the whole world. That made me mad, but I had to acknowledge that we don't take the privilege as seriously as we should. If 30% of eligible voters actually turn out to vote, it is called a good turnout. Rubbish! What would happen if 100% came out? Believe me, it would make a difference.

Let's do a little experiment. No matter who you favor, please, go vote for them, and take as many friends and neighbors with you as will agree to go. Let's see what happens if there are HUGE numbers of voters turning out DEMANDING to be represented! It is our privilege, right and DUTY!

9-11-01 Memories

September 11, 2001 was already a weird, tense day before the planes ever left the ground. For me it was, anyway. After 20 years of staying home to school my children and keep my home, I was headed out to find a job. All summer my husband had been getting sicker and sicker, and no matter how many doctors I took him to, nobody could figure out what was going on. After a summer of trying to spend all my time taking care of him and preparing myself for whatever we might be about to face, I finally knew I had to go to work. I was sick myself, at the thought of leaving him alone and untended, but if I could bring some money in, it would at least be one less worry for him. (It would be a year before we got the diagnosis of encephalitis due to a virus similar to West Nile, and 2 years before he could even begin to think about returning to work).

So I went to one interview, along with a little orientation. I tried to pay attention, but I was thinking of my husband, and also of my robust grandfather, who'd been taken suddenly ill the day before. Finally it was time to head to my second interview at an attorney's office. It was a bit of a drive, so I turned the radio to the Christian station and set out. But the Christian station seemed to be doing some sort of skit or something out of the ordinary. They played a little music, then broke in and said a plane had hit the World Trade Tower. Then shortly after that, they spoke of a second plane. I thought they were doing a take off on "War of the Worlds," possibly trying to show people what it would be like if the end of the world came and they weren't spiritually ready, and I was quite indignant. It seemed irresponsible to frighten people that way. I was looking out the window at everyone going about life as usual, nobody seeming distressed in any way. When the third interruption came on, saying a plane had hit the Pentagon, I'd had it. It suddenly occurred to me that if I changed the channel, I could find out if there was any thing to it. I adjusted the dial, fully expecting the other channels to be calmly playing music. But of course that wasn't the case, and I tried to absorb the reports I was now hearing on every channel I hit. By the time I reached the attorney's office, I was shaking. I watched a lady walking her dog, a man doing landscaping work in the median, cars coming and going. Finally, I dialed my cell phone to see what my husband had heard. He'd been trying to relax and was unaware of anything happening. I told him to turn on the t.v. because we were under attack. He couldn't imagine what I could mean, but he flipped on the t.v. and in a very subdued voice, said "Oh, no," and I knew it was true. I told him I'd be home as soon as I could, and it was then he told me he'd just gotten a call that my grandfather had died that morning.

I went in to the interview with eyes full of tears and a head so muddled I couldn't even remember my social security number, flubbed a test I was given, and stumbled through the interview. Finally I could head home. But on the way, I passed the Red Cross office and decided to go in and donate blood. It was a madhouse, and for the first time I could see footage on the little t.v. in the waiting room. After way too long for my nerves, I was called in, but my blood pressure was so high by then that they wouldn't let me give blood after all. I headed home and in to the arms of my husband and sons. I got a phone call letting me know I had gotten the first job, at an insurance adjuster's office, and I would begin the next day, so I just had to put everything going on in my life in to little compartments in my head and learn a new job to support my family. I didn't really have time to process anything. No one in the family could fly to Grandpa's funeral, or even have flowers sent, due to the planes all being grounded. But I had a picture in my head of my Grandpa, bustling about in Heaven greeting all the new arrivals, the way he did at church, with a smile, a handshake, and a warm, friendly word.

Memorial

9 - 11 - 01


We will NOT forget...

Percussion Summit 2008

I am a happy girl! Recently my husband surprised me with tickets to Percussion Summit 2008. As if that wasn't wonderful enough, he made a quite a date out of it! First he took me shopping for appropriate attire. The event was held at the Naples Philharmonic, which is quite the ritzy place. They did loosen the dress code somewhat for this event, but we didn't want to look dowdy. So it was off for a day of shopping and lunch, too. Then on Saturday we took a scenic route down to Naples a few hours before the concert. We strolled around the Waterside Shops, which feature places I've only heard of, such as Cartier's, Tiffany's, Louis Vitton and restuarants whose menu offerings I couldn't even pronounce. There was a live band and a beautiful, meandering fountain of sorts, more like an elaborate stream, flowing along through varying configurations of blue tile, surrounded by benches and greenery. We went to dinner and then to the show.

We had fabulous seats, 10 rows back, front and center. We could see everything and there was plenty to see. The entire stage was set up with percussion instruments of every description. Snares and bass, tom-toms, gongs and cow bells, marimbas and sets and timpani, finger bells and cymbals and steel drums. Different sets featured different arrangements of instruments and ran the gamut from lullabies (!) to marches to Earth, Wind and Fire and Harry Belafonte arrangements. The headliners were Gordon Campbell on a large set and Taku Hirano, the premier hand drummer. Both have performed and toured and recorded with just about every big star you've ever heard of, everyone from Barry Manilow to Fleetwood Mac, Kenny Loggins to Chaka Khan, Sean "Diddy" Combs to LeAnnRimes to Jessica Simpson to Earth, Wind and Fire. And let me tell you, they were GOOD! Amazingingly good. The concert went an hour before intermission, where we stretched our legs and heard people ordering Chardonnay; then there was another hour of pure entertainment. All of it felt like about 20 minutes, I was enjoying it so much. The place was packed with enthusiastic people as diverse as middle school boys to elegant dowagers, and they all joined in a standing ovation, earning us a great encore.

But finally it was over and we had to leave. I felt like a kid on a roller coaster, saying, "I wanna go again!" On the way home we stopped for what my husband dubbed "a decadent dessert," something called Caramel Apple Crisp alamode and basically it was "diabetic coma on a platter." Boy, was it good! Then it was home and to bed, lulled to sleep by the steel drums still reggae'ing in my head. My husband really knows how to show a girl a good time!

For Your Viewing Pleasure...

Amaryllis among the ferns...

Crepe myrtle among the plumbago...


Hibiscus in the sun...

Enjoy the last days of summer!

Masked Bandit Discovered!

First we noticed food was missing. Then, after we tried to secure the food better, the vandalism began. Finally, last night, we caught the thief red-handed. Late last night we heard soft noises on the back porch and when we got there, a masked bandit in a thick, grey coat, in the very act of stuffing food in to his mouth, froze and gazed at us in fearful surprise at being caught. We froze too, and he suddenly had the presence of mind to make his escape. He turned to run off, and just before he disappeared from sight, he turned and looked me right in the eye so plaintively that my heart melted.

Perhaps I've been reading too much Dickens lately, but when someone is stealing food only, one assumes abject hunger drove him to it. And then, the little fellow was so cute - for he was small, although perhaps fully grown. But obviously, something must be done. So we are no longer going to be able to keep the cat food on the back porch. Kitty doesn't like to come in any more, but with such a desperate character afoot, perhaps she'll think better of it. And then the raccoon will have to find an honest way to feed himself!

Super Commenters, Unite!

Wowsa, another award! Nothing like a Frog Super-Hero to save the day! This is from the lovely and generous Carol at Charli and Me, who honors me with her special notice, and entertains me with her blog posts.

I'm supposed to pick 7 of my closest blog buddies to pass on the honors to, but I just can't do it. Everyone leaves such sweet, interesting, kind and much appreciated comments here that you all truly deserve this award, so I pass it on to all of you! (and there are at least eight commenters!)

So friends... this frog's for you.

Death by Pudding

I want to share a really scrumptious recipe with you, called Oreo Pudding. I must warn you, though, this is one rich dessert! Not to mention it's addictive, so it's probably best to make it for a family reunion, church potluck, boy scout troupe, or any other large enough gathering that you won't go in to a sugar coma nibbling on it by yourself! Also, it is really important to make it at least 24 hours before you want to serve it, maybe more, because it needs to set and chill thoroughly. If you have a child to make it with, they will love crushing the Oreos for you, too, as long as you don't mind them licking off their hands between every cookie. Ok, here it is! And I promise you, it's worth it.

Oreo Pudding

1 small pkg. of Oreo cookies, crushed
1 large container of Cool Whip (12 oz)
1 8-oz pkg. of cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 small boxes vanilla instant pudding
3 cups milk

Mix last five ingredients together with an electric mixer or a whisk. Layer with crushed Oreos and pudding mixture. Top with crushed Oreos. Chill in fridge very, very thoroughly, for a day or two. Serve in small dessert dishes. Share!

Awards, Awards, and More Awards!

Look, beautiful awards! Carol at Charli and Me has the most fun blog, I love it and I bet you would too. And she's generous! She shared this Kreativ Blogger award with those who visit her blog regularly, which I am happy to do. I would like to pass this on to

Anne at Nikkipolani because she has a beautiful, creative blog for sure.


She also shared this award, called A Perfect Blend of Friendship, which is just darling and so appropo for the new friendships I am forming in blogland! Who knew there were so many lovely people in the world? This one goes to

Kathy at Destination Sanctification for being an instant and enduring friend!



Then there was this Tree of Happiness award. Notice, "It is scarcely a small plant, which depends on you to grow firmly and strongly. Plant it on your heart, water it with smiles and kindness, feel the aroma of it's flowers, savor the sweetness of it's fruits and protection under it's shade whom you love." And along with posting it, I am required to share 6 things I am happy about right now! The only hard thing about that is that there are so many more things to share! I think I'll do like those who are told they have 3 wishes are said to do - the first thing I am happy about is, all the bazillions of things that I am happy about! Here are some others...

1) The love and care of my precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
2) My wonderful, amazing, talented, funny, loving, protective husband and sons
3) Being spared the wrath of Fay
4) New flooring throughout the house
5) Being surprised last night by my hubby, with tickets to the Percussion Summit!!! (More about that later)
6) New friends reaching out to me with a cyber hug, putting a smile on my face on a day when they don't even know how badly I needed it! (August 21st is a sad, melancholy day for me - let's just say for now that it is a memorial day. Finding out yesterday about these awards was - well, good timing)

This one I am sharing with Cheryl at Cherdecor for always looking on the positive side of things!


And last but not least, "I love your blog" award is from both Carol, my kind new friend whose blog I also love and from Louise, of Home is Where the Heart Is fame! Louise has such a wonderful blog and everybody loves her blog, so it was quite an honor to receive this from two such illustrious ladies!

This one has the usual rules, linking to those that gave it to you and passing it on being the most important parts - and I would like to pass it on especially to an "old" friend of a few months,

Daffy Tracey at Approaching 40

and a new friend,

Betsy of My Five Men

both of whom have warm, friendly blogs and warm, friendly personalities!

All's Well That Ends Well

Now back to our regularly scheduled lives... Fay has gone away, without leaving heartache in her wake. Ok, I'll quit now. My parents are fine, though they got it worse than we did, rocking in their little RV and hearing of tornados a few miles away. Today all is back to normal. That's the weird thing about hurricanes anyway, it's not afterwards that's a problem, unless they nail us. It's not during either, which is usually pretty exhilarating. It's before!

There is nothing straightforward about preparing for a possible hurricane. We have days of warnings, sure, but hurricanes are notoriously rebellious, going where they will and not where anyone thought they would. That makes running from them a dicey proposition. You must board up your house, provide for your pets, miss work, head out in to murderous traffic on one of the few roads out of Florida, and figure out where to go, and hope there is an available hotel room. Going south or east means possibly getting hit worse than if you stay put, but going north could have the same effect, not to mention the thing could miss Florida altogether and you've missed work for nothing. Plus there are the unexpected things, like this Monday when a tanker exploded north of Tampa, closing down northbound I-75, the main evacuation route.

Or you can stay home. Which is frankly far preferable, but exhausting none the less. We were running around trying to get the right amount of bottled water and canned food for at least 3 days, which doesn't sound like a big deal, except I didn't know if it would just be the 2 of us, or if any of our sons would come, not to mention the grandparents. We had to fill the car tank, because there isn't always gas after a storm, but lines were very, very long. The station we were at was out of regular gas, but we were able to get premium. Next, batteries - Walmart was out completely, but BJ's had plenty. We had to decide whether or not to try to run the generator if the power went out. We didn't have a generator when Charley, Frances, Jeanne, Ivan and Wilma hit, but then we got one and this is our first opportunity to use it. It's not an easy decision, because not only does it cost $40 a day in gas to run it, but more people died from carbon monoxide poisoning from their generators than from any of the 5 hurricanes I mentioned. The heat was oppressive too, the air still and heavy. Monday I spent cleaning up the yard and porches of possible projectiles, doing laundry and dishes in case there was no water or electricity for a few days or weeks afterwards, making ice, cleaning house, cooking food that might spoil, checking on family, and a million other details that needed tending to. At one point, I grabbed the carton of ice cream, removed the lid, poured syrup inside and began eating. Hey, cleaning out the freezer is an essential hurricane-preparedness task! Plus storms make me hungry.

Storm day was actually kind of cozy. Very dark skies, lots and lots of rain and strong wind, and much cooler temperatures, added to our exhaustion from preparing, made it a good day to laze around taking video of cows in rain, among other activities, like eating! Thankfully there was no real harm done, so today we are rather sluggishly trying to get up to speed - and burn off all the calories Tropical Storm Fay brought with her! They say there is another one forming - but I don't want to think about it. Maybe tomorrow, said Scarlett.

Thank you once again for your prayers and well wishes!

Cows Weather Tropical Storm Fay

I feel a little like the optimist that jumped from the 80-story building. At every floor, he yelled to his friends, "All right so far!"

We are fine. In the first place, Fay is a Tropical Storm, not a hurricane. Big difference. We are having some interesting gusts with copious amounts of sometimes horizontal rain. But the house isn't shaking, and our neighbor's roof shingles aren't peeling off, like in Wilma. The power was off for a while, but obviously, it's on now, here anyway. There are traffic lights out, power lines down, and debris like limbs and things in the roads, also flooded roads. But as I plan to stay put, that doesn't affect me at the moment.

It has been raining and blowing too hard to have the front door open, but we have a somewhat sheltered back porch, and if we sit far enough back we can watch the storm. While we were doing so, these poor cows came plodding across the sodden pasture. They looked so miserable we felt sorry for them, and my husband couldn't resist taking some video, which we sent in to the local t.v. station.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and good wishes, they mean a lot to me. YOU mean a lot to me! I am a little worried about my parents, who went to the East Coast in their RV, and are possibly getting this worse over there. Once I hear from them, I'll feel better. More later!

All Things Considered...

I may be computer-less for a while. Don't know exactly when, but it seems inevitable. First of all, our incredibly handy and talented middle son is putting in new flooring for us all over the whole house, and at some point the computers will be disconnected and shoved in a corner for a while. But it is possible that before that happens, Tropical Storm Fay could develop in to a hurricane and smash right in to us, which almost by definition equals no power. So if I am MIA that is why.

We are preparing, and I'm trying not to grouse. Luckily I'm married to a genius :) and he's building special frames for the windows that we can just slide clear hurricane panels in to, so we'll be able to do it even when the boys aren't around to come help us - but this year he's still in the process. Yesterday all three of our wonderful sons came over to help. The plywood is harder to put up, plus it makes the inside of the house dark and cave-like. So I really like the ones with the clear panels!

I'll keep on keepin' on as long as possible, and if I'm out for a while, that's why. And at some point I'll show -n-tell about all the projects going on around here!

Cute Award for Embarrassing Songs!

Here's a cool little award from Charli and Me, whose site I think you would all really enjoy, to all her readers who will post about 5 songs they are embarrassed that they sing! Well, I'm not much of a singer. I do sing solo - so low nobody can hear me, that is! When I was growing up, my mother sang a lot. In fact, I used to think she could come up with a song for any and every occasion! No matter what happened, especially if I was embarrassed, she'd start singing some song about it! A real, existing song, not one she made up. Sometimes it was hilarious - for instance, when she was doing it to embarrass my sister - but sometimes it was just plain adding insult to injury! But although I always enjoyed singing in the church choir, and I like singing hymns around the house, I am not apt to burst in to song along with the radio. So my songs aren't so much embarrassing for me to sing, as they are embarrassing that I like to hear them sung!

1. I have always liked the song "Build Me Up, Buttercup," I don't know why, and I don't even know who sings it. If I ever have an albino python for a pet, which I won't because I'd rather have my husband and I can't have both, I would name it Buttercup.

2. Whenever we wanted to run off our teenage children and their friends, we would put Zydeco on, especially their classic song entitled "Don't Mess With My Toot Toot!"

3. My mom taught me a song when I was young called "The Cannibal King." I sometimes sang it at family gatherings with my cousin. We were obnoxious. Now I'm embarrassed about it.

4. There's a certain song by Rod Stewart... but I'm too embarrassed to tell you about it.

5. A long time ago a friend taught me a ridiculous version of "We Three Kings" that involved exploding cigars. In a moment of silliness, I taught it to my kids. Now I am embarrassed that every Christmas when that beautiful song is sung, we are all snickering like fools.

How 'bout it? Are you willing to embarrass yourself in order to acquire this adorable award? Hmmmm????

Stop and Smell the Roses

It's easy to lament the thorns on the roses... but do you ever think how amazing it is that there are roses among the thorns?

It's just a Monday in August. Take a moment to stop and smell the roses! It's a good way to follow the exhortation, "Be still, and know that I am God." See how He says "I love you" ?

Service With a Smile

Remember when service was an integral part of the shopping experience? Say you went to get gas in your car. Young men would literally run out to fill your tank, wash your windows, put air in your tires, and smile happily because you were gracing their place of business. If you went to a restaurant, someone greeted you, led you to a clean table, brought you water without being asked, and smiled warmly at you because you were gracing their place of business. Clothes or shoes shopping - someone rushed over to see if they could help you in any way at all, sat you down to put the contemplated shoe on your foot, Cinderella-style, or came to the dressing room door to see if they could fetch another size or color for you - yep, all with a smile.

Well, that's the way fond nostalgia remembers it anyway, especially in comparison with the recent past, when surly clerks glared at you for taking up space in their department, if they glanced your way at all. They shrugged their shoulders at your difficulties, ran from your approach, didn't know where anything was and didn't care to look or inquire of their clueless co-workers, and certainly did not smile at you for choosing their store to shop in. The attitude often seemed to be, Of all the stores in all the shopping centers in all the towns in our State, why'd ya have to come bother me!

But now times are tough. There are so many shops, so few shoppers! Gone are the days when the stores needed the employees badly enough to overlook certain deficiences, like promptness, courtesy, attention to customers. I have been becoming more and more aware that clerks all over town are - yes - SMILING at me! Asking me if they can help me, and then actually doing so! Rushing over to help me without even being asked! Giving unsolicited assistance with knowledge and courtesy! I actually enjoy shopping again. The whole atmosphere has changed, and I don't know whether the formerly surly ones are beginning to truly appreciate their jobs, or whether they have been let go and the hard-working, knowledgeable, friendly clerks that were always there somewhere are being given a chance to shine. I just know I really appreciate the new attitude toward customers, and I, for one, want to give a very sincere "Thank You!" to all of you in the often thankless service industry.