The Little Things

A friend of mine at work just called my extension and said, "I have something for you."

"I'll be right there."

I walked to the next building and into her office where she handed me a small pack of about 4 bobbin reels. I was telling her last week how I needed to learn how to use the new sewing machine I had been given. (Lena got it for me at a garage sale, almost brand-new; the seller just didn't need it.) I had mentioned to this friend that I had to figure out how to set up the bobbin and that I might need to come over to her house so she could show me. She's offered before; she's great with sewing, quilting, who knows what else... plus she has several pets and I always love meeting people's pets. :)

"Yeah," I had told her, "I even bought a pack of bobbins but I have no idea where I put them. I have looked everywhere I can think to look. I think I'm the queen of misplacing things."

And this morning, she gave me new bobbins. Just a small gift; probably cost her a dollar or two, but the thoughtfulness behind the action put a smile on my face and it's still there as I type this.

"Thank you so much; you made my day!"

It's true. That small gesture really picked me up this morning.

It's not the gift; it's the thoughtfulness BEHIND the gift.

It's the friend who emailed me back after I wrote her about the calamity going on in my family these days.

It's the other friend who loaned me a dollar so I could get a snack out of the vending machine and spent a little time in conversation with me about our pastor and about the wonderful guest speaker we had at church yesterday.

It's being able to walk away from that friend and call back, "You're my favorite big sister!" And to hear her respond, "You're my favorite little!"

It's the little things. :) :) :)

Too Many Words

Someone I really love is heading in a direction I hate.

I would never have expected this from this person.

I am trying to come across to her as non-judgmental. I keep telling her I will love her no matter what she does. No matter what... a friend of mine told me she has that agreement with her daughters; that she has instilled in them the knowledge that, no matter what happens in any of their lives, she will always, always love them.

I love this person but am extremely upset with what she is doing and with the potential results from the fallout once this action is completed... and all the people who will be hurt... all the lives that will be affected... all the souls that will be wounded.

I'm already feeling wounded just with the knowledge of what is brewing.

I keep giving it to God, giving it to God... in faith, that's the ultimate best I can do. That's all I CAN do.

This is a huge test in the areas of detachment and boundaries; all those good self-help, self-preservation terms I have learned over the years.

There are too many words in my head to sum up into one catchy phrase for a title for this entry. Friends, please pray. A whole bunch of people need huge help in this situation. Thanks....

GoodReads Profile

Lately I have discovered several really awesome websites... getting more into ebay, loving the hell out of PaperBack Swap, and a great site called Goodreads... . All very worth perusing at the very least.

This morning, this lovely Saturday morning, I find myself at work... not my favorite choice for a Saturday morning but hey, the overtime is awesome. We have to finish our inventory so before you criticize me for being online, we have not yet started inventorying for the day. :-)

Anyway, this morning I finally completed my profile on Goodreads.com and would like to share it in this blog post. I think it pretty much paints an accurate-though-brief picture of me these days.

"I live in Baton Rouge with my 2 cats Hippie and Leroy, and my sweet dog Luna. I am a lesbian and have a wonderful life partner but we chose not to "U-Haul" and have a wonderful relationship still living in our own homes. Which of course is subject to change when the time comes but, for now, things are just right. I am a part of Metropolitan Community Church of Baton Rouge. Currently my mind has been opening more and more which is surprisingly refreshing, not scary at all. (I grew up in an ultra-conservative, mainstream Charismatic church where you believed what you were taught and didn't question.) For a while, all I read were self-help books... trying to figure out how to not be gay (ha ha) but these days I am learning how much I fanatically love fiction and read every chance I get. I am also interested in sociology, social work, art and psychology. My #1 dream goal is to become an Art Therapist. Any recommendations on books to that effect would be welcomed. Nice to meet you all!"

Now. The Electronic and Instrumentation room calleth, and I must go count, list, relocate and document its contents. Have an awesome weekend!!

YEAH for Omega and Atlas!

This just makes me smile HUGE. :-D Here's the link for my reference, and below it is the story. Awesome, awesome.

http://www.batonrougetoday.com/2012/12/baton-rouge-crime-news/baton-rouge-police-bad-night-for-the-bad-guys/

"At about 11:42pm two males armed with handguns robbed a victim of property in the 400 block of East Boyd and fled in a white car. At about 1:15am another victim was robbed by two suspects matching the same description in the 5100 block of Highland Road. This victim managed to get the license plate number off the suspect’s vehicle as it fled and within just a few minutes a Baton Rouge Police K-9 officer spotted the suspect car traveling north on I-110. When he tried to stop it the suspects fled and officers from several Districts assisted as K-9 pursed the suspect vehicle for approximately 15 minutes through north Baton Rouge. The suspects finally abandoned their car in the 3600 block of Lone Oak and tried to escape on foot, but K-9’s “Omega” and “Atlas” quickly apprehended both of them. After being treated at Earl K. Long for dog bites both suspects were booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison charged with Armed Robbery, Aggravated Flight from an Officer and Resisting an Officer. They are Deshawn Lollis, 18, 2786 N. Lark and Rodney Washington, 25, 2774 75th."

Amazing

God is amazing. He is completely faithful to provide all the things I need… materially, financially, relationally… God is good in every way. This is just what’s in my heart and I need to set it free. I have never done without something I truly NEEDED. Maybe I’ve had to do without something I WANTED, but never a necessity. Even if the provision wasn’t in the form I’d originally thought of, a way was made and whatever needed to happen… happened.

When I didn’t have money for food, a friend surprised me by taking me out to eat.

When I didn’t have money to pay rent, I was given a new place to live for free or for cheap.

When I was lonely, I was sometimes sent a friend and sometimes given the company of a dear and sweet pet.

When I needed clothes, maybe I couldn’t buy something brand new at the mall, but I have honed the skill of effective Goodwill shopping.

When I didn’t have a car, I learned to use the bus. I got to work and got where I needed to go, just in a different way than I would have usually thought.

When I didn’t have a job, I was given “a” job – a source of at least adequate income even if I had to stretch it – even if it wasn’t my dream job right then. Maybe the timing was different in God’s plan than it was in my mind. God knows.

I could go on and on.

But I think you get the picture. J

Twelve Twelve Twelve

Twelves! Today is 12-12-12. Pretty cool. So I am going to make 12 lists of twelves…………

List 1 – Twelve people I love, in no particular order

1. My sweet Lena
2. My mom
3. My nephew Avery
4. My dad
5. My nephew Abel
6. My sister Lisa
7. My brother Kevin
8. My brother Matt
9. My sweet Ma-Ma
10. Pastor Keith Mozingo
11. My friend Amy
12. My friend Melanie

List 2 – Twelve animals I love or have loved

1. Luna (dog)
2. Hippie (cat)
3. Leroy (cat)
4. Vladimir (cat)
5. Little D (cat)
6. Taz (cat)
7. Stitches (dog)
8. Sugar (dog)
9. Rocco (bird)
10. RJ (bird)
11. Liefje (cat)
12. Sam I Am (kitten

List 3 – Twelve jobs I have had (either temporary or permanent, not in any order)

1. Albemarle Corporation
2. ExxonMobil Pipeline
3. Capital Title of Texas
4. Catering for Bayou Country Superfest
5. McDonald’s
6. Target
7. Pearson’s Luggage
8. Stewart Title
9. Louisiana Road Home Program
10. Dr. Frank Henchy’s Dermatology Office
11. Louisiana Department of Labor
12. Texas Title

List 4 – Twelve Texas cities I have either been in, lived in or lived near

1. Dallas, TX
2. Lewisville, TX
3. Bedford, TX
4. Austin, TX
5. Fort Worth, TX
6. Port Arthur, TX
7. Terrell, TX
8. Houston, TX
9. Denton, TX
10. Farmers Branch, TX
11. Grapevine, TX
12. Sanger, TX

List 5 – Twelve subjects or classes I have liked or been good in throughout my education

1. High School English
2. Early European History
3. High School Drama
4. Floral Design
5. Micro Social Work
6. Mezzo Social Work
7. Abnormal Psychology
8. Methods of Social Research
9. Art History
10. American History
11. Basic Psychology
12. Social Problems

List 6 – Twelve people I’ve called good friends in my life

1. Mandy Bowden
2. Christy Miller
3. Kellie Johnson
4. Ann Stafford
5. Nicole Martin
6. Sandi Forrester
7. Amber Corona
8. Angela Tibbetts
9. Amy O’Neal
10. Leslie Palmer
11. Amanda Key
12. Amy Jo Talmage

List 7 – Twelve books I’ve read semi-recently

1. Stieg Larsson – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
2. Steig Larsson – The Girl Who Played with Fire
3. Steig Larsson – The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest *(currently reading)
4. James Patterson – The Quickie
5. Lisa Gardner – Live to Tell
6. John Grisham – The Last Juror
7. Stuart Woods – Two Dollar Bill
8. Suzanne Collins – The Hunger Games
9. Karin Slaughter – Broken
10. Lee Child – 61 Hours
11. Lee Child – Worth Dying For
12. Michael Connelly – The Lincoln Lawyer

(wow, if I were to make a list of all the books I’d read in the last year or so, it would go for miles… okay maybe for feet… LOL)

List 8 – Twelve websites I like

1. Yahoo mail
2. Facebook
3. Goodreads
4. Municibid
5. PaperBackSwap
6. Google
7. USA Today Crossword
8. USA Today Sudoku
9. Craftster.org
10. Craigslist
11. WAFB.com
12. MyPoints

List 9 – Twelve musicians/bands I love

1. Melissa Etheridge
2. KT Tunstall
3. Fun
4. Journey
5. Boston
6. Led Zeppelin
7. Nelly Furtado
8. Madonna
9. Cyndi Lauper
10. Patty Griffin
11. Mumford and Sons
12. Michael Jackson

List 10 – Twelve cities I’ve been to (besides Texas)

1. New Orleans
2. St. Louis
3. Budapest
4. Amsterdam
5. Tczew, Poland
6. Los Angeles
7. Pittsburgh
8. Pensacola Beach
9. Biloxi
10. Gulf Shores
11. Tulsa
12. Bytom, Poland

List 11 – Twelve things I like to do

1. Crochet
2. Work on my altered book
3. Read a LOT
4. Paint
5. Research topics that make me curious
6. Walk my dog
7. Jog
8. Play with my cats
9. Hang with my nephews
10. Play basketball with Lena
11. Ride my bike
12. Watch DVDs on my couch

List 12 – Twelve things I would like to accomplish

1. Get in better shape
2. Keep my house cleaner
3. Pay off my car
4. Pay off my student loans
5. Improve my credit
6. Go to Ireland
7. Go to NYC
8. Ride my bike a long, long, far way
9. Run a half marathon and then a marathon
10. Keep my same job for years and years
11. Grow vegetables
12. Sell things I make or paint

Serenitize Me

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

I do not claim to be wise by any means. I know that each struggle I face is an opportunity for me to become stronger. In the past, I have made bad decisions in response to repeated struggles; these days, my efforts and intentions are to respond in the best way and to make correct choices. It is by the grace of God that I stand on any day, but especially on days like today. One moment at a time; that’s how I’m doing today. One breath at a time. Choosing not to run, not to retaliate, not to take out my frustrations on myself… those are the right choices for today. There is a scripture about thinking on good things; thing that are true, honest, just, pure and lovely. Lord, please help me to think that way today. Please help me relax so I am not a tight rubber band waiting to snap or fly at a moment’s notice. Relax, to breathe, to take one moment at a time. I should not hold “rollover” stress, accumulated from one moment to the next. Lord, please help me to let it all go. Finish one moment and close it up, then move on to the next. I do not need to resolve incidents from each moment; just let them go and move forward. Please help me to live detached. Help me to focus on You and You only.

Nephew Cuteness

My 7 year-old nephew is sweet and very smart. Also inquisitive, always wanting to know more or know why. He also likes to let you KNOW that he knows what he knows... because what use is knowledge if no one knows you have it, right? Right.

This past Sunday evening, my family was over at my sister's house. She had her Christmas tree set up and was letting the boys help hang ornaments when my aforementioned nephew began proliferating about the meaning of Christmas.

Nephew: I love Christmas! I mean I REALLY love Christmas! And Christmas is not just about presents; it's about God, and how God loves us, because Christmas is when God "Christed" Jesus!"

(May I interject how cute that was yet so true... God the Father made Jesus His Son to be our Christ... insightfully incorrect wording there, little guy.)

Nephew continues after pausing for a moment to think: What does "Christ" mean?

My sister: Christ means "anointed one."

Nephew: Huh? Why was he the annoying one?

Sister, laughing: No, the ANOINTED one. He was special.

That was so funny and cute, I just had to share it.

That's all for now. Here's a pic of my little sweetie when he was a little younger.