Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Picture This!
My fellow blogger Jules shared the flickr website where you can create posters, etc with your digital photos. I created a magazine cover with Todd on it that I'll keep to myself. LOL! However, here is a photo of Evan when he was 5 or so. Thought it was so cute!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Who's Knocking At Your Door?
Have you ever felt a connection to someone and then it just kind of faded away? Being in the working world (part-time now) I have had a lot of people come and go from the places I’ve worked. Some of them I seem to hit it off with and some I don’t.
Once there was a girl (and I call her a girl simply because she is about 5 yrs younger than me) that came into the Information Systems department at my current job. Even though she only worked here about 2 months we just seemed to hit it off right away. She was always an upbeat person and would even sing or whistle while she worked. Yeah – it wasn’t too distracting. She was a great singer. The only time it was a problem was when she had her headphones on and was singing something entirely different than the elevator music that was being played over the speakers. That could be a bit annoying when you are trying to concentrate. LOL!
The reason she only worked with me for 2 months was because she was way overqualified for the job she was doing. She had some great experience with web design and most of her work was going to be maintaining what an outside company created. She was under the impression that she was going to be the one doing all the work. She definitely had the capabilities but the job position did not fit her and she was bored.
We always joked around a lot and made each other laugh. Once she changed jobs we still communicated through emails. She sometimes sang with a blues band on the weekends and Todd and I even went to hear her one time. I also would meet her for dinner and had her up to the lake to spend a day with us. We had a great time.
Well, I ended up taking over her responsibilities at work and she offered to help me with anything I had questions on. I really didn’t bother her too much with this but after awhile I found myself sending her emails and never getting a response. One day I emailed her and asked her if there was something wrong or if I had offended her in some way. I got an email back saying that she really thought I was a great friend and that she in no way meant to take so long to respond. She said she had just been so busy.
At first I just took it as that. At one point I offered to take her out to dinner to thank her for helping me with some technical issues at work. I never did get her to go out. She was always busy. She was a single person who had a great job and also did a lot of consulting work on the side designing websites. She also had her music interests to keep her busy.
I truly to this day don’t understand what happened with our friendship. After a couple of years I finally let it go. I was the only one making an effort to communicate. She was always nice and sincere when I talked to her but I was getting so frustrated with her. I decided to wait for her to contact me. I’m still waiting…
I still care very much for my friend and yes I still consider her my friend. I know that in life people come and go and that is part of life. It’s all about how much you invest in the relationship. And – a relationship cannot be one sided.
I know my friend did not mean to hurt my feelings. I wonder, however, if I got a taste of what Jesus feels when we reject him? He is constantly nudging us to be in a relationship with him. He will never give up on the relationship he wants with us. Unlike me – he won’t walk away from it. He will still be knocking.
Once there was a girl (and I call her a girl simply because she is about 5 yrs younger than me) that came into the Information Systems department at my current job. Even though she only worked here about 2 months we just seemed to hit it off right away. She was always an upbeat person and would even sing or whistle while she worked. Yeah – it wasn’t too distracting. She was a great singer. The only time it was a problem was when she had her headphones on and was singing something entirely different than the elevator music that was being played over the speakers. That could be a bit annoying when you are trying to concentrate. LOL!
The reason she only worked with me for 2 months was because she was way overqualified for the job she was doing. She had some great experience with web design and most of her work was going to be maintaining what an outside company created. She was under the impression that she was going to be the one doing all the work. She definitely had the capabilities but the job position did not fit her and she was bored.
We always joked around a lot and made each other laugh. Once she changed jobs we still communicated through emails. She sometimes sang with a blues band on the weekends and Todd and I even went to hear her one time. I also would meet her for dinner and had her up to the lake to spend a day with us. We had a great time.
Well, I ended up taking over her responsibilities at work and she offered to help me with anything I had questions on. I really didn’t bother her too much with this but after awhile I found myself sending her emails and never getting a response. One day I emailed her and asked her if there was something wrong or if I had offended her in some way. I got an email back saying that she really thought I was a great friend and that she in no way meant to take so long to respond. She said she had just been so busy.
At first I just took it as that. At one point I offered to take her out to dinner to thank her for helping me with some technical issues at work. I never did get her to go out. She was always busy. She was a single person who had a great job and also did a lot of consulting work on the side designing websites. She also had her music interests to keep her busy.
I truly to this day don’t understand what happened with our friendship. After a couple of years I finally let it go. I was the only one making an effort to communicate. She was always nice and sincere when I talked to her but I was getting so frustrated with her. I decided to wait for her to contact me. I’m still waiting…
I still care very much for my friend and yes I still consider her my friend. I know that in life people come and go and that is part of life. It’s all about how much you invest in the relationship. And – a relationship cannot be one sided.
I know my friend did not mean to hurt my feelings. I wonder, however, if I got a taste of what Jesus feels when we reject him? He is constantly nudging us to be in a relationship with him. He will never give up on the relationship he wants with us. Unlike me – he won’t walk away from it. He will still be knocking.
"Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends." (Rev 3:20 NLT)
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.
A friend of mine sent me this in an email. I thought I'd share it with you.
Lesson 1 - Cleaning Lady.
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:
"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."
I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
Lesson 2 - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.
She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached.
It read:
"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."
Sincerely , Mrs. Nat King Cole.
Lesson 3 - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.
"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.
"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins.
"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to
cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.
You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
Lesson 4 - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.
The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
Lesson 5 - Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her."
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.
He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away."
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
Lesson 1 - Cleaning Lady.
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:
"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."
I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
Lesson 2 - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.
She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached.
It read:
"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."
Sincerely , Mrs. Nat King Cole.
Lesson 3 - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.
"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.
"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins.
"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to
cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.
You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
Lesson 4 - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.
The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
Lesson 5 - Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her."
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.
He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away."
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
I’ve got a step-mom!
I never thought I’d have a step-mom. It just never entered my mind to think of either of my parents being with someone else. In some ways it seems surreal.
We left for Florida the day before the wedding and finally were able to meet Fran. I have to admit I was a bit nervous to meet my future step-mom the day before the wedding. I was so pleasantly surprised. She is a very nice lady and seems so happy being around Dad. We had dinner that night with her and her two sons. They were also very nice and that was an added bonus. One is kind of quiet while the other one loved to talk and joke around. Both were easy to get along with and I’m looking forward to meeting their families and getting to know them better.
Our trip down there was very busy. After the wedding we went to Sanibel Island for lunch and had a great view of the beach and water. Dad and Fran were going to spend a couple of days there. I love Sanibel Island. We have probably been down there 10 times or so and it is just a very relaxing place. In some ways I had wished that we could just stay there for a week and walk the beach, swim, look for shells, read, and relax.
Our plans were not quite like that though. We hopped in the car after lunch and drove to Orlando. Here is where that bad part of Sanibel Island comes in. Traffic can be horrendous. It took us over an hour to get off of the island and get back to Ft. Myers. We then had a 3 hr drive to Orlando. We had my sister and 13 yr old niece with us.
In Orlando we ended up staying at a really nice 3 bedroom condo that was very large. Lucky for us they had some really good prices on it because there were still building other buildings around the complex. We spent one day at Universal Studios and the other at Universal Islands of Adventure. Then we drove to Tampa and went to Busch Gardens for a day. It was fun but exhausting. You know how that is when you go to 3 theme parks and have 5 people who don’t necessarily want to all do the same thing. All in all it went well though.
We are back home now. At the end of the month my Dad and step-mom will be coming back up north to live for the summer. I’m looking forward to getting to know her better. I just wish them the very best and thank God for bringing them together.
We left for Florida the day before the wedding and finally were able to meet Fran. I have to admit I was a bit nervous to meet my future step-mom the day before the wedding. I was so pleasantly surprised. She is a very nice lady and seems so happy being around Dad. We had dinner that night with her and her two sons. They were also very nice and that was an added bonus. One is kind of quiet while the other one loved to talk and joke around. Both were easy to get along with and I’m looking forward to meeting their families and getting to know them better.
Our trip down there was very busy. After the wedding we went to Sanibel Island for lunch and had a great view of the beach and water. Dad and Fran were going to spend a couple of days there. I love Sanibel Island. We have probably been down there 10 times or so and it is just a very relaxing place. In some ways I had wished that we could just stay there for a week and walk the beach, swim, look for shells, read, and relax.
Our plans were not quite like that though. We hopped in the car after lunch and drove to Orlando. Here is where that bad part of Sanibel Island comes in. Traffic can be horrendous. It took us over an hour to get off of the island and get back to Ft. Myers. We then had a 3 hr drive to Orlando. We had my sister and 13 yr old niece with us.
In Orlando we ended up staying at a really nice 3 bedroom condo that was very large. Lucky for us they had some really good prices on it because there were still building other buildings around the complex. We spent one day at Universal Studios and the other at Universal Islands of Adventure. Then we drove to Tampa and went to Busch Gardens for a day. It was fun but exhausting. You know how that is when you go to 3 theme parks and have 5 people who don’t necessarily want to all do the same thing. All in all it went well though.
We are back home now. At the end of the month my Dad and step-mom will be coming back up north to live for the summer. I’m looking forward to getting to know her better. I just wish them the very best and thank God for bringing them together.
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