I Love Shoes Too Much To Walk On Eggshells

Why is it that with some people, it seems like I can never say/do the right thing?

Person #1:

Often complains about me not being interested in their job. It's not that I'm not interested, but I often don't understand the terminology. It's mainly made up of acronyms - many of which make no sense and often can't even be accurately defined by the people who regularly use them.

So I make an effort to ask more questions and take a more active interest. What happens? I'm criticized for not understanding or forgetting certain things. This person becomes pretty sarcastic, stating they 'shouldn't have to explain as it should be obvious'.

In other words, I'm intellectually challenged.

What can I do? If I don't ask this person about their day, I'm in the wrong. If I do ask, but don't have everything they've ever told me about their job memorized...I'm in the wrong. I could just pretend. I could nod and smile.

I *could* take notes next time this person (begrudgingly) explains a policy, procedure or acronym - but I'm not on the payroll. Besides, with two school-aged children, I've already had my fill of homework for the day.

Person #2:

This is a complicated one, but I have no idea why. This person is very opinionated and blunt. The tough thing is, if you don't take their opinion as gospel, you have a problem. Disagreeing is not tolerated.

Example: If I like a movie they don't care for, I can't talk about it. If they like a show I don't care for, too bad. I have to be quiet whilst they explain every character, scene and plot.

Then there's the problems and issues with every errand, task and person they've come into contact with that day, week, year or lifetime. I can't make a suggestion. I can't comment. I can only agree while they rant.

If I offer to help, I'm showing off in one way or another. If I don't offer, I don't care. If I try to defend myself either way, I'm lying. If I stand up for myself, it gets nasty and petty.

I can't remove either one of these people from my life. It seems like they expect me to be perfect, but I'm only me. I have my own thoughts and feelings...and I should be allowed to express them.

Besides, I love shoes too much to walk on eggshells.

What would you do?

The Cat Ate My Bible Study Notes

I like to think I'm pretty good at a lot of things. Sometimes I excel at a few things. However, the one thing I can say I was and still am extremely "gifted" at is sinning.

I don't go to church as much as I'd like to. There's always an excuse... I'm tired / I don't feel good / I don't have anything to wear / Kid #____ has a runny nose / I don't have time to cook dinner *and* get everyone ready / The cat ate my Bible notes.

So on and so forth.

Tonight started out the same way. I didn't want to go anywhere. I was ready to change into my comfy clothes & fuzzy socks, lay down and watch TV while catching up with everyone on Twitter and Facebook. I still had plenty of excuses ready to pull out of the hat in case someone asked if we were going. Something happened, though. I felt this pull, a feeling in the pit of my stomach. A sense of urgency to go to church. I knew I needed to go and I am so glad I did! We had a guest speaker tonight. His name is Keith Hershey, from Mutual Faith Ministries.

Pastor Keith is a missionary who shares Christ's Love around the globe. His message was simple yet something I really needed to hear tonight. He spoke of kindness, understanding, grace, faith, love and comfort. I know I'm not alone, either. Some of you probably need to hear this, too. So, not only was I supposed to go and hear this message, I know I'm supposed to pass it on. I can't really explain how I know. Sometimes you just know.

I took a lot of things home with me in my heart. One is that God Loves me even when I don't go to church. Sounds silly, right? Well, not to me because at different times in my life, several "well-meaning people" seem to have a lot to say about my church attendance in relation to how (they think) my life is going. Well, tonight I was reassured that God Loves me no matter what. He cares for me not in spite of, but *because* I'm so "talented" at sinning. You know, making a bad choice. Saying the wrong thing. Harboring resentment, guilt or anger. Living like I'm just treading water... or whatever I'm doing at the time that doesn't necessarily reflect Jesus in my life.

God knows who I am and He knows I Love Him. Everyone is going to have something not-so-gracious to say about me at some point. However, no one knows me like God does. He knows I want and need Him in my life. Not just in general. I mean, I really - sometimes desperately - need Him! There are days that need is on a minute-by-minute basis. Days when everything just seems to go haywire.

Example:

It's 7 a.m. I've been up half the night with a sick kid and the other two are fighting. Sick kid wakes up crying because of the fighting. I go in to soothe him and sit on a wet spot in his bed (which is definitely NOT water)! It's raining and I've discovered a leak in the roof as I'm leaving to take them to school. I've left my debit card at home (and only discover it *after* I've gotten my coffee at the drive-thru). Traffic is horrendous. A street sweeper suddenly does a U-Turn across all four lanes, missing my truck by a hair! My oldest son's lying about his homework (again). Someone decides it would be cool to paint their walls and bedroom furniture in Axe deodorant. I put my preschooler's last clean sheet in the dryer that morning, go to get it out at bedtime...then realize I never started the dryer.

You know, those kinds of days that make you want to pull your hair out. Issues pile up a mile high, stress compounds at a rapid rate and creates the perfect storm for sinning. And sometimes swearing. (Okay, not just sometimes.) Then I feel guilty and think, "Man, I really have to work on that!".

This is where Grace, Faith and Love come in. And it's God's work in my Life, not MY work. As Pastor Keith Hershey said tonight, Faith isn't work. Faith is resting while God works. These things aren't found in me, nor are they accomplished by me. They are found in Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 1:14 says, "And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love, which are in Christ Jesus."
Grace, Faith and Love aren't subjects or verbs. They are nouns, a person. That person is Jesus Christ.

We all have those days. The next time I have one (which very well could be tomorrow), I shouldn't be so hard on myself. None of us should. All we have to do is call upon the name of the Lord, ask for help, rest in Faith and KNOW (not just hope) that His grace is sufficient. After all, God doesn't save me (present tense) because I am a good person. He saves me because Jesus is good - which is more than sufficient. Jesus is 'exceedingly abundant'!

I believe grace and truth came through Christ Jesus (John 1:17). Victory is believing. It isn't doing all the right things; no one is capable of that. It's from one believing minute to the next believing minute (thank you, Pastor Keith). It is literally moment-to-moment for me most of the time. So, even when we're having one of THOSE days, we can still be victorious because Jesus already paid for it on the cross!

"...But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

As the Christmas Season draws near, let's celebrate the perfect Love that is God, the simple truth that is Good and the abundant Grace we have that is Jesus.

And you know what? I'm not just gonna go hoping, I'm gonna go *knowing*! :)

Bless you all.

I Hugged A Man on the Street...And We Cried.

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I lied to my husband once. It was about money. I told him I didn't have any spending money for our visit to San Francisco in 2009. I was basically telling the truth, as it wasn't really MY money to keep. I just knew I was supposed to give it to people on the street. I hugged a man and we cried.

I still cry when I think about it. As my family and I were leaving our hotel on foot to go and see the sights, I spotted a man sitting in a wheelchair by a tourist shop across the street. When I was close enough for him to hear me, I said, "Good Morning". He started crying. He said, "You're the first person who's said 'Good Morning' to me in a long time." (I started choking on my tears).

That broke my heart! Imagine a world where people are so cold and callous, they won't even say 'Good Morning' to someone - because they might ask for a few bucks? Because someone just might ask for help and they'd have to actually do something for someone other than numero uno?

Well, it ain't hard to imagine because that's the society we live in. Where making sure the color on the bottom of your high-heeled shoe is red and almost everyone is super concerned about having the best, latest and greatest. Who cares about some no-name lowlife on the street? Well, God does and that man on the street IS my neighbor. And yours.

So, I gave him whatever I was supposed to give and hugged him as we both cried (I couldn't hold the tears back even another minute). My family had kept walking and they were looking back at me like I was crazy. If that's what crazy looks like, then I'll ***gladly*** accept that label. Yep.

What people do with the money we give is not our business. Some may say, "Don't throw your money away! They're just gonna buy beer or drugs.". So what? Maybe they won't. Regardless, it's between them and God. None of my beeswax, or yours. The point is, "they" are human beings and we ALL need to know someone cared about us at one time or another. We do what we're supposed to do and God takes care of the rest.

I didn't "preach" at him, either. I prayed silently as we hugged. I had a feeling my buddy in San Francisco already knew where the love was coming from anyway.


*This is the first time I've shared this story. I didn't say anything for over two years. I just didn't want to seem like I was "tooting my own horn" or something. You know, we can't "fix" people or solve every problem, but we can show kindness to one person at a time. To me, that's what humanity is about and we need to preserve it.

Don't Get Scammed! Protect Yourself.

As the weekend draws to an end, many of us begin to prepare for the new week in business - which is what I'm doing right now. However, I wanted to take a few minutes to address some issues I have been experiencing in the wonderful world of finance. If you follow my tweets, you are probably aware of the fact that a few people have been attempting to scam my family.

Without going into a long, angry rant, I'd just like to list a few pointers and thank the good Lord we did our research before giving anyone our personal information! That being said, not everyone is as fortunate. Obviously, or these companies - these shady scammers wouldn't be in business.

I want to help people. I do not have an "agenda" or ulterior motive.
Follow these simple steps to avoid a potentially catastrophic financial problem:

1. Do not give out any information over the phone. Tell the caller you will check with your agent, attorney, etc to verify their information before you give out yours! I would advise you to say this even if you don't have a lawyer or real estate agent!

2. Google them. Type in key words along with the company's name in the Google search box. Use words like "warning (Whatever) Mortgage Company" or "stay away from", "fraud", etc.

3. Check them out on the Better Business Bureau's website.

4. Research the company or even the person's name on US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
. It can be a little tricky to navigate, so here's HUD's site map.

5. Check out your State's Department of Real Estate (DRE). For example, here's California's DRE. Spend a little time navigating around. You can also view current Disciplinary Action Reports involving specific real estate companies, agents and lenders, etc.

6. Last, but not least, ask around! Word of mouth is still of the upmost importance.


Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions. Your feedback and comments are equally important.

And...even though it's annoying...sorry...I gotta write a disclaimer, here:

I am not a licensed real estate agent, financial advisor or attorney. I don't accept any compensation for my advice, which is only being given in hopes of helping other individuals and families. I am not making any legal claims and if others do take my advice, I am not responsible for whatever the outcome may be. I also propose that this disclaimer be effective for any and all blogs I post.

Okay, got that out of the way. Thanks for reading and if I've helped one person, then "Mission Accomplished". ;)


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The Night Owl

We've all done it. But do we admit it? You know, sitting in the dark, the faint sound of Barney playing on PBS Sprout (even though the kiddos are asleep). The only other audible sound is your fingers tippity-tap-tip-tapping away on the keys of your handy-dandy laptop, which is usually anything but! You tell yourself you need to get to bed -- because there's no such thing as "catching up on sleep". Still, your mind is full of all the to-do lists. Back in the day, people used to keep a little notepad on their nightstand and jot the things down they needed to remember when the new day dawned.

Now, we have everything we need at our fingertips. Netbooks, Desktops, Laptops, Smartphones, Tabs, even Holograms!

But let me just pose this question: Is this a good thing?

I will be the first to say I love Twitter, Facebook and all things Social Media. However, could these tools actually be harmful? I'm sure there's a medical study out there somewhere proving my little musing is sorta-kinda accurate.

This is where we need to tell ourselves to "Step Away From The Smartphone"!

Really.

I didn't make a New Year's Resolution, but maybe it should be to spend a little less time hitting the snooze button --hitting less "buttons" for that matter and actually spend more time snoozing. Shouldn't we all?

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