Deposits or Withdrawls

Woke up this morning with a different feeling in the air.  The air outside was crisp, cool and breezy.  What a wonderful change that has been anticipated.  I love the fall because of the coolness and the wonderful colors all around me.  It also gives me a chance to enjoy the outside without sweating to death. YAY!!  I am going for a walk this morning. Headphones, tennis shoes on and my hair pulled back I am ready to go. Lets not forget my loyal companion beside me.  She is as ready to go just as I am. Noelle my walking partner knows the path I take so well she uses a short cut and beats me to the beginning of the path.  She normally does not wait for me because she takes her sweet time and I mean business.  When we are walking we resemble the story of the tortoise and the hare.  I am the tortoise(steady and keep on the path) and she is the hare(she stops and smells, pees and greets every dog in her path).  Our walk is never without a friend or two crossing our path.  Friends I mean dog friends.  My neighborhood is filled with dogs just hanging out at their homes.  All of them have to come out and greet her. Some of them come out and bark and bark and bark but she just ignores them and keeps on walking. Some of the walk with us for a bit and then head back home. This reminds me of human life and how are life is one big walk.  We walk with people for a little bit and make a positive impact or we just take from them.

As humans we meet people wherever we go.  At the store, work, appointments and when we are out for fun. So as we walk through life we have a responsibility.  We make deposits on everyone we meet or we make withdrawls.  What do I mean by this.  When you come in contact with someone during the day do we make deposit or do we make a withdrawl.  A deposit is a positive impact on that person.  Example, I have a friend who is so sweet.  She always greet you with "hello beautiful" and then a kiss and a hug. She always makes a deposit.  You can be having the worst day of your life and she makes you feel so special.  She also listens to you.  When you are talking to her she is not on her phone is truly listening to what you have to say.  Nothing worse than talking to someone and they are on their phone and they say"did you say something?"  That's a withdrawals.  You just told them in a few words that you are less important than the person on the phone.  I also know a person who every times she see me she complains about one thing or another. She always make withdrawals from me. I feel so depleted when she hangs up or walks away.  There are so many ways to make deposits in peoples lives. A smile, a touch, or kind words or just listening intentionally.  There are so many way to make withdrawals.  Such a gossip(someone was talking about you but I wont tell you what they said because that would upset you), complaining, or being just negative.  So next time you are heading out for the day decide what are you going to do.  Are you going to make more deposits or more with drawls.  It is easy to make make withdrawals and it takes a lot to make deposits.  You have to think about.   

I found this quote: "If you allow people to make more withdrawals than deposits in your life you will

be out of balance and in the negative.  Know when to close the account"

Window Sin

I walked into the kitchen the other day and my husband's new kitten was sitting in the window watching something.  As I walked over, I noticed there was a wasp caught between the glass and the screen. How did it get in there? I concluded that there was a small hole that allowed the wasp just enough room to get into the window and become trapped.  I asked my husband to get him out because I  have a great intense anxiety for the little pests.  I would have to say that wasps are my biggest fear. Later that day the wasp was still frantically going back and forth attempting to get out but was to no avail. What he could not see is that the way out was so simple.   Many times the wasp would pass right by the hole and keep on going.  Back and forth he kept going for days but never got out (yes, he died). 
Where am I going with this?  Everyday we slip into that little hole in the screen called sin. Once we are in that hole we keep pacing in our sin. We feel "trapped" as if there is no way out. However, scripture says that there is always a way out of temptation. In 1 Corinthians 10:13 it says," No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." How faithful is our God! We do not have to be like that wasp, trapped in a never-ending trail of sin. We have a God that has revealed to us a way out of sin through repentance through Jesus Christ. Everyday we sin and sometimes we feel as if we are trapped completely, but we can be encouraged because God has opened our eyes to that way out called repentance. 
-Kimberly Reitz

Be There

I have a wonderful job so I here.  Patients tell me all the time you have the best job in the world.  You get to see babies born everyday!  I smile graciously an tell them "you are so right, it is the best job."  Thinking to myself NOT, if you only knew.The part of it they don't see if what makes not so the best job in the world sometimes.  They don't see where we all run to a room because a baby is in distress and we are trying to stay calm for the family but we really want to scream! They don't see the part when we are all maxed out with our patient load and we see another pregnant patient walk up to the desk.  The don't see us changing our clothes after we have been splashed with body fluids.  They don't see us cleaning and washing a baby who has gone to be with our sweet maker and us trying to hold back our tears for the family because we have to walk into our  other patients room who is delivering  a healthy  baby.  So why am I writing this?


This sums up how the world is!  Our world is such a busy place.  We are running here and there twenty four seven.  I know that I have heard it said a million times. "there is just not enough time in the day. "  But why?  God gave us plenty of time we just don't manage it well.  He even has to tell us to rest  and gave  us a day of rest. He even rested while making our planet. But as humans we have made or day of rest a day of shopping, cleaning house, going to ball games, hunting, and belive me plenty of committee meetings a church.


There is an old saying that goes something like this  " sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses" What does that mean.  To me it means to slow down and enjoy the life that we have been given.  Before long our children that God blessed us with will be adults. Some of our family and friends will be gone. Things that you thought that would always be there are gone.  No one want regrets at the end of their life. That is why so many older adults go through depression because their life is almost over and they have regrets.
 
Make a promise to yourself to make things count this year. Do the things that can only happen once over the things that you can do all the time.  Like going to a wedding instead of staying home and watch television or go a surprise birthday party.  Make you moments count. Slow down this year and stop to smell the roses.  For me,I really take in the moment of being in a delivery of someones baby because I really do have the best job in the world. 


G

The Barstool

Just last Tuesday while I was at work  I received a call at work.  One that no one wants to receive but it will happen probably once to everyone.  "Honey it is me  I just wanted to let you know that your grandpa passed away."  To be honest I was expecting the call to be soon because he had been suffering with cancer in the recent days.  In the next few hours I managed to get off work and prepare to head home for the services.  It wasn't going to be a pleasant visit because I was going to say goodbye to a man I dearly loved but it was also a time I was going to get to see some family I haven't seen in years.  The few days passed quickly.  There were some family members that I got to see they had never met my family.  In conversations with them it was like we just talked yesterday.  Most of them seem to start off with "yeah  I saw it on facebook"   so it was like they just talked to me.  So sad but that is another topic.  With other family members  the bitterness or anger disappeared because we were there for the same purpose, to say goodbye.


Before I headed home back to Loranger. I decided to stop at my grandmothers house for a goodbye. The same house she had lived in since I was a little girl.  Everything still look the same.
She asked me if I would like a cup of coffee.  I poured my cup and fixed it using the same sugar bowl I had for years and then it happened.  I sat down in the bar stool at the kitchen counter and all of those memories came pouring out.  It was the same bar stool I crawled in a child to watch my grandma cook and wash the dishes.  The same bar stool I sat in to read the morning paper with my grandfather as he worked on his crossword puzzle every morning..  It was the same on I would sit in and talk to Tim when I lived there and lived here.. It was the same one she use to tie my girls in with an apron because with didn't have a high chair. It was the same one I had endless conversation with my grandmother and grandfather and all the advice they would give me.  I could go on and on with memories.  All those memories or good ones and I am glad I can say I was able to say goodbye to wonderful man without any regrets.  Don't let someone leave this earth and you wishing you had said goodbye.  Take the time to call them and touch base other than facebook.  Forgive the ones you need forgive.  Love on the ones you see everyday.  Treat everyday like it is the last.

The Cross in my yard

Every Christmas we decorate our home with lights.  Should I say that I decorate our home with lights. Tim has helped me the last couple of years and the girls attempt to help.  I am really over the entire light thing, but the girls ask me every year to put them up. Just face it, lights are simply pretty to look at.  So I wanted to do something a little bit different last year.  I decided to put up cross in the yard so everyone that passed would know that in our home we knew the "reason for the season." I thought it was a wonderful idea.  until my daughter told me that was totally cheesy.  Despite what my eldest child thought I put the cross up anyway. I decorated it with white lights.  It was so pretty.  I placed it where everyone could see it.  After the season the cross stayed in the yard but has been moved to mow the grass  or to spray round up.  Now it sits behind some bushes on the other side of the yard.  I noticed the other day that it had rags hanging on it from a washed car, "REALLY" , who would do that.  To me  the cross which is only a symbol represents our faith.  Which represents Who and what I believe in. Though it is only a symbol it should be treated with respect just as we should treat our savior.  I realized I was just as guilty for doing the same by moving it around the yard and hiding it behind the bushes because I didn't want it in the yard anymore. So all of this made me think.  I am guilty of bringing Christ out for the special occasions such as Christmas and Easter.  I use him  when I need something, like a drying rack for a dirty old rag.  He deserves much better than that because of what he did for us.

All Cracked Up

 I went to the store to buy groceries for the week.  A typical thing that everyone does at least once.  Yes even the man of the house.  I think my husband has been in the store at least once. While I was in the store I rounded the corner to find myself by the milk and eggs, both which I needed.   I picked a  carton of eggs and did what?  You know what I did.  I opened it to see if any were cracked,  all of us do that.then  I placed them in the basket them made one more stop at the meat counter to buy some roastbeef.  Then I headed to the cash register to check out.  I place all the items on the belt.  Then here come my eggs.  The cashier opened the carton and said " you have two cracked eggs."  I replied "thats ok." and you would have thought I told her she had three eyes.  She replied " what?, you dont want a new carton?"  "No, I just take those."  She even told the other cashier I was ok with having cracked eggs.    I headed home and took the two eggs out and used them like I would use any of them.  They still worked the same believe it or not.  Well of course all of this started the wheels turning in my head.  Dont we treat people the same.  We dispose of them because they are not like the ones we are use too.  They have some flaws or their immediate appearance it is not what we are use too.  So we basically dispose of them in our own ways.    We avoid them or we gossip about them. 
Gods desire is that we love all people no matter how differnet they are from us.  I have to admit it is not the easiest thing to do in the world but that is Gods desire.  He wants all of us to be with him in heaven one day.   I know that I am not perfect.  I have so many holes and cracks that if I were a glass I could not hold water.  God loves many anyway.  I could only hope that I can love people like God loves me.

What a Week

It is very hard to believe  I had a week like I just had.  One week ago today I lost my father suddenly. I was sitting in church when my phone rang.  Not to interrupt the service  I quickly turned it off.  I did not recognize the number so I did not return the call.  On my way home my brother  called and gave me the bad news.  That was the moment when my world was turned upside down but in the midst of being turned around I found that I was stronger than I ever thought I could be.  I cried really hard the first day then my strong willed self took over and told the cry baby to get out of the way. Something my daddy taught me. He taught me to be tough.  I can remember the day he told to punch a girl in middle school because she was picking on me.  I did and I was so proud to call him to tell him I won. I couldn't let things get in my way and now I wanted him to be proud of his girl taking care of business.. I had to start making decisions that I never made before and had to talk to more people than I every thought I would.. I walked to the casket and make sure he was perfect.  I tucked his smokes in his pocket and gave him his  waffle house coffee cup that he would need. Each guest at the wake was greeted by a hug and somewhat of a smile.  I didn't shed a tear until they folded the flag that draped across the casket,  I felt so guilty for not crying when everyone around was sobbing.  I came home and collapsed on the couch.  Exhausted but unable to sleep. After seeing my sister off and my brother and sit in the silence of my home my heart let go finally.  The cry baby pushed the strong willed out of the way and said have at it.  So the tears came.   I am grateful for all the good times we had.

I see more of him in me the older I get.  He taught me how to mow grass.  I love to mow grass just like him. He taught me how to throw a softball.  He would say " No girl of mine is going to throw like a girl".  Ask my girls how I throw.,  He taught me to punch.  Don't mess with me or you might just get hurt.. ha ha.  He always made me feel safe when he was around because he was tough.  He taught  me how to laugh,  Always acting like a kid.   There are so many things I cant list them all.  But I do know that I didn't tell him I love him enough,  I wished I could tell him one more time but I cant.  So I have learned to not wait til tomorrow because tomorrow might never come,

xoxoxo Daddy