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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Remember To Treasure The Moments














Today my grandmother would have been 93 years young. I hadn't remembered until my calendar alarm chimed with an alert. It was to remind me that it was Nanny's Birthday. I started crying. Nanny went to be with our Lord  & Savior on August 20, 2008. She is spending the BESTEST birthday ever. (Thanks Sammie for that word.) She is dancing and singing with The Lord, Papa, and all our family that welcomed her into heaven in August. 

            I sent a text message to my sisters and daughter that said:

"I hope y'all are having a better day than me. My calendar alert reminded me this am it is Nanny's Birthday. I was flooded with memories, remembering the good times with her & Papa. Love you guys. Remember to treasure every moment with your family no matter how much they may disappoint you. Remember to turn those times over to God & let Him take care of it."

            My family hasn't been perfect. There have been things that have happened in the past that many have not forgiven others for, me included. Unfortunately my grandfather developed Alzheimer's Dementia before I could tell him I forgave him. I also didn't get a chance to ask for forgiveness, forgiveness for neglecting them. I lived only 2 hours away and rarely went to see them, because of unforgiven hurts. I told him years later, I just pray that God let my words be understood. I did get a chance to tell Nanny before she died & I think she understood. 

            Today God spoke to me about treasuring every moment with my family and let Him take care of the hurts. My family is spread out where it makes getting together difficult, but I have determined that some way I will see my family at least once a year, preferably more often. This is going to be especially important to me when my son and his fiancĂ©e leave for Mali, West Africa in a few years. 

            My plans now are to find ways to make memories with my family, treasure every moment I get to spend with them and talk to them. And most importantly ask them to forgive me for anything I have done that has hurt them and to forgive them for the things they have done that I have let hurt me. I don't want to feel regret the next time a member of my family goes to be with the Lord. (Hopefully this will be many years away so I can make many memories for us.) I'm also going to challenge my family to write down their treasured memories to put in a family book. I hope that this will be a treasure that will continue to grow every day. 

TREASURE THE MOMENTS. Don't let hurts and disappointments stand in the way. 

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

People Watching

Every Wednesday is laundry day for me and then hours of Starbuck's WiFi. I hate doing laundry, especially when I have to go to the laundromat. So I have started people watching. Most Wednesday's there aren't many people to watch, but today was unusually busy and gave me an hour of watching and formulating opinions. Here are the observations I had today.

First there were about 5 Hispanics using the really big washers. They stayed to themselves at the back of the laundromat. When their clothes were finished, all they had were small loads nothing that needed the huge industrial machines. So I observed that they like to keep to themselves and since the machines in the back afford them that privacy they would rather use the larger machines.

Then there was a young woman finishing up the last of her laundry. She was folding her clothes when the owner of the laundromat came in checking the washers, dryers and change machines. He found a pair of very sexy unmentionables in one washer. He asked the young woman if they were hers, which they were. She sheepishly laughed and turned red as she retrieved them form his hand. He is an older gentleman and had a look of interest in his eyes, but politely turned his head as if to say "I don't see what these are". But the smile on his face told a different story.

The next couple was a mother and son. The son was approximately 7 or 8 years old and acted as if he may be autistic. The mother was trying to engage him in the task of laundry and he showed aloof attention (listened as he skipped away). The mother put money in the coin exchanger and told her son to get the quarters and bring them to her. Well he did get the quarters but his attention was diverted to the soap center. So he put the quarters in the slots and pushed. By the time she realized he was not obeying she now owned 2 plastic laundry bags and a box of bleach. She didn't scold him, but did tell him what he did wasn't funny since he was laughing at her apparent disapproval. I observed a type pf permissive parenting in her actions. What I also observed is she took his wanting to put the money in slots to allow him to put the quarters in the washers. This accomplished getting her task done while occupying his curiosity for putting things in holes.

The last couple was a old gray haired black woman and her adult (early 20's) son. She treated him as if he didn't know how to do laundry and his lack of interest seemed to make her opinion true. He was constantly texting while he was suppose to sort the laundry into the washers. She then put 1/2 bottle of pinesol and ammonia in one washer. Never heard of that and not sure what she had in the washer. But the suds were unbelievable. Then in 2 top load washers she dumped 1/2 of a 64oz bottle of bleach in each washer. Had to be a new bottle because she just kept pouring and pouring for what looked like 3-4 cups of bleach each. I figured either she was going to have the whitest whites or the yellowest whites. I just chuckled to myself. She also dumped more than needed soap into all the washers as well. The whole time she was preparing the laundry she complained under her breath about her son not doing the job properly.

By this time I was finished with my laundry and about to leave when I looked down and realized I had dropped a pair of my unmentionable (not sexy though) :) I laughed at myself and made this observation:
Even though we may look different, come from different social backgrounds, different economic backgrounds, we all still the same. We have our own way of doing things and on occasion we let our "unmentionables" slip for others to see whether by accident or on purpose.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Review of "For These ToughTimes" by Max Lucado

If you have ever had a tough time in your life from the loss of a loved one to the loss of a job, Max Lucado's book "For These Tough Times" is the book to help you. It is a short easy to read book. Lucado starts off asking "Where is God?" then proceeds to show us not only where He is but how He is using the circumstances to help us through the tough times.
Though we may not be able to see his purpose or his plan, the Lord of heaven is on his throne and in firm control of the universe and our lives. So we entrust him with our future. We entrust him with our very lives. (emphasis mine)
Lucado wrote this book in 2006 and couldn't be better for today with the uncertainty many of us have regarding our future. Lucado reminds us to trust the very ONE who knows what is best for us at any given time in our life and how our future will turn out. He reminds us to keep our eyes on the Father and that Satan can be used to do the work of heaven. I love the way Lucado ended the book with a prayer for troubled times.