Joyful Days

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Experiencing Technical Difficulties

Totally overwhelmed and in need of some perspective. Be back when I get my act together.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Thinking of Having Kids?

I've got nothing...the brain is fried. Oh, there are a couple ideas, but I cannot at this moment come up with a way to convey what is going on. So, you get this. It's been rolling around the internet for over ten years, but it is still funny. Someone sent it to me when I was pregnant with Roo. And it is true.

Hopefully the brain will start to work again soon.

Thinking of Having Kids?

Do this 11 step program first!

Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.
Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them o n the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons.
How does that look?

Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.
Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11
Start talking to an adult of your choice.. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

Half a Year's Reading for Boo

Fifty-one books for Boo (who will be eight in a month and a half). Some of the books seem really easy compared to what he is reading now, but they were good sources of information, without being overkill. I firmly believe that if you leave them wanting to know more, they will find more to read on a subject.

Boo discovered comic books are available at the large library we visited during June and July. We will be going back there because it is near the ballet. Boo is also getting interested in how to look up information--that also means he's found out that I don't know quite everything. But hey!! I know where to look.

If you look at the list you will find Boo was (and still is) on a Roald Dahl kick. I highly recommend Roald Dahl's writing for anyone, but especially for reluctant readers and especially for boys. Boo keeps asking for more. That, for me, is awesome.

Again as with Roo's List the books are linked so you can find a source to buy or possibly a review.

Boo's Reading List 2008

Half a Year's Reading for Roo

Thirty-one books--not bad for half a year's work when you are ten. And looking at the list I think I may have missed one or two. Going to recheck my records and update. All the books have links, so you can either find the where to buy (usually Amazon) or a review.

This doesn't count any of the books he read about card tricks, magic, games (card games and board games), programming and languages. I gave up keeping track of those things. We haul them home from the library and then he gives them back when I insist they will come raid our home if we don't haul them back. Kidding...sort of...

Anyway some fun reads in this list.

Roo's Reading List 2008

Monday, June 30, 2008

Beyond The Night: Blog Book Tour

Beyond The Night by Marlo Schalesky

Beyond the Night is a good story but an agitating read. The characters made me mad by their choices and I got frustrated at their blindness to the wonderful opportunities surrounding them—how interesting since one of the main characters, Maddie was going blind. Marlo Schalesky portrays her characters in very human strokes with all too familiar faults.

The story line is good, the arrangement is interesting, but somewhat contrived. The ending left me with a few questions unanswered, but with the feeling that the author had a very good comprehension of how we humans really are. How we often turn down God's very best gifts.

I think this would be a good choice for a book club read. There’s a lot of interesting questions raised. There is a readers’ guide in the back of the book with the author’s note to some insightful questions. All in all a it was a good book.

From the press releases of Multnomah and Glass Road Public Relations:

With music of the 1970s playing throughout, Marlo Schalesky has joined forces with Multnomah Books to release Beyond the Night, the first of three books whose endings aren’t what readers expect.

A wet road, the dark of night, and pouring rain become the cruel combination that forces Maddie and her husband’s car off the road. Now Maddie lies in a coma, her faithful and loving mate by her side speaking words of encouragement.

As she rests in the darkness of her hospital room, the life journey Maddie has traveled plays again in her mind. Scenes flash in between whispers of a voice she’s grown to love. “Maddie, remember with me. Remember the day I fell in love.”

A playful kiss igniting romance between friends, an extraordinary love, a universe of fear and darkness, a triumph over blindness in both eyes and soul. Maddie’s walked a hard road and succeeded against the odds.

But then came the night that changed everything.
Marlo Schalesky delivers a powerfully emotional story that is certain to take both Maddie and the reader Beyond the Night.

About Marlo Schalesky

Wind Remembers, Cry Freedom, Freedom’s Shadow, and Empty Womb, Aching Heart. A graduate of Stanford University, Marlo recently earned a Masters of Theology with an emphasis in Biblical Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. She also runs her own construction consulting business as well as an engineering firm that she and her husband own. Married nearly twenty years, she lives with her husband, Bryan, and their four daughters in California.Q&A with Marlo Schalesky, author of Beyond the Night

Q. Marlo, you’re a woman full of surprises! What made you decide to work in the construction industry? Isn’t that a field normally dominated by males?

A. Well, something has to pay for my Starbucks venti white mochas! But seriously, when I met my husband at Stanford years ago (Note: A number of incidents in Paul and Maddie’s love story in Beyond the Night grow out of my story with Bryan . . . I’ll let the reader guess which), he was majoring in Engineering, and I majored in Chemistry. After graduating, he got a job in sales in the construction industry (roofing); I did chemical research. We discovered that there was a lot of chemistry involved in roofing. So, about ten years ago, we decided to open our own engineering firm that specialized in roofing and waterproofing. From the contacts and experience I gained there, in January of 2007 I opened my own construction consulting firm where I can use my left-brained skills (writing novels uses up all the rightbrained energy) to earn a few bucks and pay for those fancy coffees. And I have to admit, I enjoy doing something that’s so different from my writing.

It’s refreshing to deal with numbers and forms, caulking and chemicals, instead of only words and ideas. It makes for a nice balance in my life.

As for construction being male-dominated – it certainly is as far as actual construction workers and facilities managers. But there are plenty of women working in the administrative aspects of the business, which again makes for a nice balance. It’s fun to meet different kinds of people, and a number of them have also become my readers. Others just think I’m crazy – trying to run a business, writing novels, and take care of my four little daughters. But, hey, with God all things are possible . . .

Q. How did you decide to write a series of novels with surprise endings?

A. It was all God’s fault. And it started with a dream. Not one of those “I have a dream” kind of dreams, but a real, honest-to-goodness, it’s-3am-and-I’m-asleep kind of dreams. I dreamt Paul and Maddie’s love story. And when I woke up, I couldn’t get the two of them out of my head. I thought about them in the shower, on the way to seminary classes, in the grocery store. Everywhere! For weeks, I found myself replaying tidbits of their story in my mind, until I finally figured out that maybe God wanted me to write their story.

“But,” said I to God, “there’s not enough here. It’s not compelling enough.”

“Yes,” said God to me, “but Maddie’s going blind.” (Well, maybe it wasn’t so much in those words, but just in the revelation of what was going on with Maddie.)

“Oh,” said I, “That’s very interesting. But it’s still not enough. Not quite.”

Two more days went by, and Paul and Maddie’s story still kept teasing my mind. “It’s not enough,” I kept saying to God. “There’s got to be more.”

And then I saw it – the big twist. The incredible truth that I had no idea about before. It took my breath away. So, after I finished picking my jaw up off the floor, I sat down and starting working on the proposal for Beyond the Night.

As I fleshed out the story, I realized that this is exactly the type of book I’d like to keep writing – something with the poignancy of a Nicolas Sparks love story (without the sap!) matched with the knock-your-socks-off twist of a M. Night Shymalan movie (without the horror!). That kind of story excited me, spiritually, emotionally, mentally. And I figured that there had to be more people like me out there – people who want to be both moved emotionally and surprised and delighted intellectually. People who want to be changed, challenged, and caught with wonder by a story. People who just want something more in their stories, because the typical story is just not quite enough.

Happily, Multnomah agreed. When my agent sent them the proposal for Beyond the Night, they asked for two more ideas in one week. But how could I come up with two more stories like that in such a short time? It usually took months, even years, for me to find the right story. But God was faithful again. Onthe first day of that week, the storyline for Book 2, Faces in the Sand, came to me. And on the last day of the week, I got the idea for Book 3 (with five very nervous days in between). Multnomah contracted all three, and now I’m pressing forward, writing these books that God has given me to write, and praying every day that I’ll see the story as He has dreamed it. And I’m hanging on to the belief that He who gave me this mission will be faithful not only at its inception, but in the execution and beyond.

Q. You’ve been in the publishing industry for a while now with four previous novels and a nonfiction book to your credit. How has your publishing experience lined up with expectations? How has it not?

A. You’ll find that most of my books include a theme about life not turning out the way you plan or expect. That’s because God has given me the equivalent of a PhD in “My plans are not your plans, saith the Lord . . .” And my publishing experience has been a significant course in that learning process.

Nothing in my experience with publishing has gone according to expectation. At first, that was just because I was naïve. I thought I just had to write some good stuff, and I’d get a contract for my first books, which, at the time, was an end times series (this was before the Left Behind craze). So, I went to conferences with my proposal and heard from all the editors, “We aren’t interested in this type of futuristic fiction.” What they meant, of course, was they weren’t interested in that type of story from a newbie like me.

So, I tried historical fiction. And got a contract just as expected. Except the contract was canceled . . .that was unexpected. And it hurt.

Eventually, another publisher contracted that book and it became my first published novel. I received a few other contracts, had those books published, and then came another rude awakening in the form of sales figures. I expected to write a good book and have it do well. But that’s not how it worked for my third novel. Because of internal publishing house changes, sales went badly. And there wasn’t anything I could do about it. That was hard because I’d written the story as an act of faithfulness to God’s call, I felt He was pleased with it, I’d done everything I could in promotion and marketing, and still it “failed.” Ouch!

At that time, I was told to expect the numbers for that book to prevent other publishers from wanting to publish future books of mine. “It would have been better for you if that book hadn’t even been published,” they said. But God was about to crush that expectation as well.

A publisher contracted my next historical novel, I wrote it, and then just before it was scheduled for release, the company went through a large restructuring – they cut fiction, most of the members of the PR department left, the fiction editor left, and my book was stranded. I hadn’t expected that either.

But God was up to something in the meantime – a new story idea that I simply had to write. A story that so moved the Multnomah team, even in its synopsis form, that they wanted to publish it despite my previous sales numbers. They wanted that story, plus two more. The story was Beyond the Night. It came as an unexpected gift from God.

And just like everything else in my publishing experience, it has taken me by surprise. Pre-readers are calling me and emailing saying how the story has moved them, impacted them. But it’s not because of my great planning. It’s because God has again done something that I didn’t foresee, didn’t expect. And I thank Him for it.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

I Want My Children to Say...

One thing I want my children to say about me when they are grown is that homeschooling never came before family. I want them to say I let them know their grandparents, their cousins, their uncles and aunts and all those friends who loved them dearly. What I want them to say is that I didn’t forget my parents. That I visited them and honored them.

I want them to say I was available to them as a mom, that I wasn't so caught up in getting some "me time." I want them to say I stopped what I was doing and looked at every dandelion, bug, branch, sunset and exciting video game that thrilled them.

I want them to say I was there when I was supposed to be.

I would like it if they did know how important homeschooling was to our family and how sometimes we made the life lessons more important that the book lessons.

One particular time my mother was in the hospital for an extended stay we showed up uninvited and unannounced and surprised her better than I had in well over 30 years. We ditched books and school videos, math and penmanship just to sit in the van three hours each way to spend less than 24 hours in a hospital/hotel so she knew how much we loved her.

And in a way, that was homeschooling for us.

What did that have to do with school?

Well…I didn’t come up with this idea; I learned it from other homeschool moms. Life is school and school is life and when you stop and care for your family you are teaching your children. You are teaching them that life and family are valuable and that one day they may need to do the same for you. You are teaching them compassion that hopefully they will someday imitate without thinking.

School is life when you discuss the medicines that Grandma had to take and what it did to her body—Science. Life is school when you fought with your cousin in the backseat of a van and you learned that even if you were right about the argument you were more right if you give her a hug and tell her you love her before she does—Life skills. School is life when you see Mommy make a horrendous mistake driving that could have been fatal and you learn why she says to “Look both ways crossing the street.” –again with the Life skills.

Life is school when you learn that driving down the freeway your mother needs to read the road signs to get you to the correct destination or you take a 45 minute not-so-scenic detour. Reading is crucial. Reading & Geography were both taught with that one.

Geography and reading were also when you taught your brother to read some road signs. And showed him how to count down the mile markers—Math. History was hearing Grandpa give an account all the horrible things your mother did as a child. PE was bouncing on the bed for the 20th time even after you’ve been told not to. Okay—maybe that is a stretch.

For a family who often focus on Fine Arts the finest art was ignoring that we were skipping practice and being where we should be.

What I hope my children say about me is that I may have made a lot of mistakes, but I admitted them and tried to teach them as best I could. I hope my children say that somehow, someway they learned a little about God from me.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Sweetgum Knit Lit Society: Blog Tour

Sweetgum Knit Lit Society

I almost didn’t read this book. Boy would that have been a sad thing for me.

Glass Road Public Relations e-mailed me the information about the blog tour and I meant to respond and…life got in the way. It was almost a week later before I realized I hadn’t asked to receive this book. But better late than never, and in this case it was a real blessing to read. Once I received the book I devoured it—gone in less than 48 hours.

The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society—I know these women! I’ve met them or been related to them. I’ve watched them try to keep it together and then finally have to face the secrets that they’ve buried. Beth Patillo creates characters that readers will find so familiar that it is unnerving. I ended up caring deeply about all these women and the teen that they grudgingly admit into their book and knitting club. Hannah, the teen that becomes entangled in the other characters’ lives is also familiar to me. I worked for a short time in a facility for abused and mentally ill children. Hannah represents so many of the children I met.

Meeting monthly these women have grown close but not close enough to know all of the secrets that each have hidden. It is only with the inclusion of Hannah that some of the facades become apparent. Each woman and Hannah faces life changing choices that cannot remain deeply guarded any longer.

The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society—a fabulous book that I highly recommend. The only problem I have with this book is that it makes me want to learn to knit even more!!

From the press release--WaterBrook Press and Glass Road Public Relations:

Beth Pattillo (Heavens to Betsy and Earth to Betsy) knows how to follow a dream—even with a pile of publishing industry rejection slips to her name. She spent seven years on the path to her first publishing contract, and the characters in her newnovel, The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society, embrace Pattillo’s persistence.

Eugenie, Ruth, Esther, Merry, and Camille are not perfect women. They each struggle with love in their own way—unrequited love, forbidden love, overwhelming love, even lost love. Yet they battle on, meeting every month in the Pairs and Spares Sunday school room to knit, discuss that month’s book selection, and puzzle out their lives.

When Eugenie throws neglected and abused teenager Hannah Simmons into their midst, however, walls decades in the making come crashing down. With secrets thrown on the table amid the tangle of yarn, needles and books, one thing becomes certain: The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society will soon discover what’s most important in the complicated lives they lead.

About Beth Pattillo
Beth Pattillo is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and holds a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt University. She and her family make their home in Tennessee. Her novel, Heavens to Betsy, won the prestigious RITA award from the Romance Writers of America. TheSweetgum Knit Lit Society is her fourth novel. To learn more, visit www.bethpattillo.com

Q&A with Beth Pattillo, author of The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society

Q. What was your inspiration behind The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society?

A. The book was inspired by the knitting group at my church. I loved the way a group of diverse women, from their teens to retirement age, bonded over knitting and prayer. I think book clubs experience a similar phenomenon. Something about knitting or reading together really helps to create authentic community. One of the things I enjoyed most about writing this book was looking at the world from such different points of view. Each of the women in the novel is unique. And the variety of ages and life experiences kept things interesting.

Q. In the book, troubled teen Hannah Simmons has seen her share of neglect and abuse before meeting the ladies of the Knit Lit Society. Do you see many teens like Hannah in the course of your work as an ordained minister? If so, what is your philosophy in helping them find healing?

A. Unfortunately, I’ve met a number of teens over the years that were neglected by their parents. I’m a strong believer in youth ministry because I know it can provide guidance and care that’s often missing in a teenager’s home. In the novel, Hannah happens to be poor, but I’ve found that income level, however high or low, doesn’t always correlate to the quality of parenting. The love and attention of a youth minister and/or youth sponsor can often keep a teen from making bad choices with disastrous consequences. Teenagers need to feel competent and valued. A strong youth ministry provides an opportunity for young people to find their spiritual gifts and use them. It also makes God’s love tangible and powerful.

Q. Since not every town has a Knit Lit Society, what would your advice be to anyone who has a "Hannah" in their life or knows of a teen in a similar situation?

A. Most teens need someone to listen to them without judgment or agenda. Mentoring, serving as a youth sponsor, teaching Sunday school and Bible study – these are all great ways to reach out to teenagers. As a minister, in a particular situation, I have to assess whether a teenager needs the help of social services in addition to the love and care of a church family. All ministers are required by law to report suspected abuse. Neglect, though, can be a bit trickier. Ideally, a minister can reach out to the parents as well as the teen to try and help the family become more functional and caring. I always appreciated my church members letting me know if they thought a particular teenager needed help. I think it’s better to get involved and ultimately find that the situation wasn’t as serious as you thought than to ignore something until a crisis occurs.

Q. Do you knit in your spare time?

A. I love to knit! I’m into hand-tied yarn right now, taking eight or nine different yarns in a particular color palette and tying 2-3 yard sections end to end. The result is wonderfully shaggy scarves or shawls that have real depth of color and texture. (I was inspired by the owner of The Shaggy Sheep in my hometown of Lubbock, Texas – a terrific yarn store!) I’m afraid I have numerous unfinished projects around the house, but one day, I hope to finish them all.

Q. You spent seven years waiting to publish your first book and now The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society is your fourth book. What advice do you have for novice or aspiring writers?

A. Aspiring writers have to persevere. For that matter, so do published authors. The publishing industry is a rejection-based business. Work hard, acquire a thick skin, be open to good criticism, and revise, revise, revise. As writers, we take our work personally, but the publishing industry doesn’t. Rejection is a business decision, not a critique of our value as human beings!

My other piece of advice is to write every day, even if it’s only a small amount. I run an email loop called Club 100 For Writers. The challenge is to write 100 words a day for 100 days. I’ve seen this practice transform people’s lives. Instructions for joining the group are on my website, http://www.bethpattillo.com/.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Grains of Gratitude

We survived another week “on the go.” But just barely, I’m thinking. The boys and I were about falling over on Friday when we arrived home. But it was a good week, better than last week. I am soooooooooo grateful.

Mr. Boo’s attitude was much improved and his schoolwork showed it. He found out the library we are visiting has comic books available for checkout and this was a great motivator—I don’t encourage buying comic books (they can be read too quickly) so this was a grand opportunity. We spent a couple afternoons walking the zoo (with much quieter patrons surrounding us) and spent one afternoon with friends. Grateful, grateful for a good week for Boo and me.

Roo had a great week, some new teachers in with the old and a hip hop class (Hip hop?? Is that crazy or what?). It was tasteful hip hop. And apparently it was fun. Roo has had a dose of confidence, although he is still a little nervous in the mornings. (I totally get what he is feeling because it has plagued me my entire life, so I am not too quick to try to push too hard.) We were able to get a pre-paid cell phone for him and that made me feel better about the days I didn’t see him for seven hours straight. I am grateful for cell phones. How did we ever manage without them?

I am grateful my husband has a good job, I am grateful my husband has a good job, I am grateful my husband has a good job—yes he is on the road again traveling. I will chant this mantra until he comes home. This, for some reason was a particularly hard parting for me. I guess I should add I am grateful that I’ve got a guy that I really miss when he is gone—means he’s wonderful to have around.

We had coffee on the patio before he left this morning and we talked about our life and some opportunities that seem to be presenting themselves. There appears to be an situation that we would have been thrilled about less than six months ago. Now we are seriously considering not following the lead, at least not seriously. We are still in this dinky duplex and are squished and bursting at the seams, but life is good, we are happy and best of all content. I mentioned to him that it has been on my heart to really try to memorize these moments. There will possibly be a day that we “have more” in the way of things, but I don’t know that we could have more in the way of happiness.

I’m grateful for the week ahead that the LORD has waiting for me. I’m praying that I can use each moment to serve Him who has given us each and every breath.

What are you grateful for??

Visit Christine at Brady’s Bunch the home for Grains of Gratitude.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Scripture & Song: Faith Lift Friday

I posted this over a year ago, but it's been on my heart, so I thought it might be okay to repost it for Sheryl's Faith Lift Friday. I also found a video clip to go with, so even better!

1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Refrain

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!

Refrain

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Refrain

Visit Sheryl for an opportunity to have some uplifting words to carry you through the weekend.

Blessings,

Julie

Thursday, June 19, 2008

What I Really Wanted to Say at Wal-Mart Was…

To the young lady who helped me in Electronics. You were very sweet.

To the customer screaming in the Photo Department— I am sure there was a mistake made, but I really, really believe the clerk did not have you in mind when he started his shift. The clerk did not get out of bed today, come to work and mix up all the photos, all the while chuckling maniacally—Really. I will bet on it.

To the Photo Department Clerk—good job—that customer was a PAIN

To the customer in Pharmacy—I will bet it really was Medicare’s fault. I will bet the pharmacist did not create a new rule on the spot just to make you stand there and yell at him. And your choice of language was really not going to make things move faster.

To the pharmacist—I don’t think you made it better when you told that customer that you were “a very smart person.” I really don’t think you saying, “I have a doc-toooor-rate degree.” really made him think you were doing a better job. You were patronizing and antagonizing.

To the woman who was digging in the video bin (you know—where they dump 200 different titles and mix them all up) pull your skirt down. Really. Please. And you might be just a bit old to be wearing a skirt so short in the first place. TMI, baby, TMI.

To the woman with seven children who I chatted with in about five different departments—You were a bright spot for that whole trip.

To the cashier at the front register—you did an awful job sacking my purchases, you were rude and it was fortunate I didn’t get the receipt asking me to fill out a survey. I would have done it today.

To Mr. “I own a Dodge Ram Daytona King Cab with a Hemi’—learn how to park.

Sigh…Writing about Walmart…I am in sad shape…